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Qualitative Researchers In The Blogosphere: Using Blogs As Diaries And Data, Ronald J. Chenail Dec 2008

Qualitative Researchers In The Blogosphere: Using Blogs As Diaries And Data, Ronald J. Chenail

The Qualitative Report

Weblogs or blogs can provide qualitative researchers with a medium for expressing their thoughts and opinions on qualitative research methods and products as well as serving as the source of data for qualitative studies. Present examples serve as exemplary guides to the potential value of this virtual communication application.


Mixed Methods For Mixed Reality: Overcoming Methodological Challenges To Understand User Activities In Virtual Worlds, David F. Feldon, Yasmin B. Kafai Dec 2008

Mixed Methods For Mixed Reality: Overcoming Methodological Challenges To Understand User Activities In Virtual Worlds, David F. Feldon, Yasmin B. Kafai

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper examines the use of mixed methods for analyzing users’ avatar-related activities in a virtual world. Server logs recorded keystroke-level activity for 595 participants over a six-month period in Whyville.net, an informal science website. Participants also completed surveys and participated in interviews regarding their experiences. Additionally, the study included online ethnographic observations of Whyville and offline observations of a subset of 88 users in classroom and after-school settings during their participation. A mixed-methods analysis identified a major user emphasis on avatar appearance and customization that was invariant across user typologies. Implications for the use of mixed methods in online …


Parks Master Plan: The 2020 Strategy, Institute Of Urban Studies, City Of Forest Hill Nov 2008

Parks Master Plan: The 2020 Strategy, Institute Of Urban Studies, City Of Forest Hill

Institute of Urban Studies Publications

No abstract provided.


Bringing Together Local Culture And Rural Development: Findings From Ireland, Pennsylvania And Alaska, M. A. Brennan, Courtney G. Flint, A. E. Luloff Sep 2008

Bringing Together Local Culture And Rural Development: Findings From Ireland, Pennsylvania And Alaska, M. A. Brennan, Courtney G. Flint, A. E. Luloff

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The developmental trajectories of communities are routinely explained by reference to economic history, human capital deficits, or the structure of local labour markets. The role of local culture in understanding community development or in interpreting empirical research has received less attention. We believe culture plays an important independent role in shaping community debate and action. Framing community as an interactional field emphasises the opportunities created when people who share interests come together to address local problems. Interaction and local culture are essential parts of community and community development. Appreciating community uniqueness and local culture helps in the interpretation of study …


Knowledge River: School Of Information Resources And Library Science., Peggy Cabrera Sep 2008

Knowledge River: School Of Information Resources And Library Science., Peggy Cabrera

Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.


Ored Quarterly Newsletter, Sadiq Shah Sep 2008

Ored Quarterly Newsletter, Sadiq Shah

ORED Quarterly Newsletter

Connecting Knowledge with Businesses and Society to Promote Economic Growth and to Enhance the Quality of Life


A Behavior Based Approach To Improving Safety In A Manufacturing Facility, Laura G. Kreager Sep 2008

A Behavior Based Approach To Improving Safety In A Manufacturing Facility, Laura G. Kreager

Modern Psychological Studies

Behavior-based safety has flourished in organizations committed to changing and improving their safety programs. Through the programs, organizations are focusing their attention on the individual behaviors of employees to decrease the number of accidents occurring within the organization; thus, improving the safety record. The current study analyzes the effect of a behaviorally based safety intervention, comprised of four components, on the number of accidents occurring at a local manufacturing facility over a time span of 18 months. Based on a timeseries analysis, using an ARIMA model, results indicated a statistically significantly reduction in the number of accidents by 75.6% (p < .05) after the implementation of the intervention.


National Clean Energy Summit Closing Remarks Keynote, Michael Bloomberg Aug 2008

National Clean Energy Summit Closing Remarks Keynote, Michael Bloomberg

National Clean Energy Summit

Closing remarks


Panel Iv: The Visible Hand: Government's Role In The Clean Energy Transformation: Opportunities To Accelerate Deployment Of Energy Efficiency And Renewable Energy, Bill Ritter, Jon Wellinghoff, Steven Chu, David Overskei, Jim Thomas Aug 2008

Panel Iv: The Visible Hand: Government's Role In The Clean Energy Transformation: Opportunities To Accelerate Deployment Of Energy Efficiency And Renewable Energy, Bill Ritter, Jon Wellinghoff, Steven Chu, David Overskei, Jim Thomas

National Clean Energy Summit

Panel discussion Moderator: John Podesta, President and CEO, Center for American Progress Action Fund


National Clean Energy Summit Midday Keynote, Jon Huntsman Aug 2008

National Clean Energy Summit Midday Keynote, Jon Huntsman

National Clean Energy Summit

Midday keynote


Panel Iii: Restoring American Leadership: Jobs, Growth, Communities, And Trade, Van Jones, Somer Hollingsworth, Ian Rogoff, Fred Redmond Aug 2008

Panel Iii: Restoring American Leadership: Jobs, Growth, Communities, And Trade, Van Jones, Somer Hollingsworth, Ian Rogoff, Fred Redmond

National Clean Energy Summit

Panel discussion Moderator: Danny Thompson, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Nevada State AFL-CIO


National Clean Energy Summit Afternoon Keynote, Robert E. Rubin Aug 2008

National Clean Energy Summit Afternoon Keynote, Robert E. Rubin

National Clean Energy Summit

Afternoon keynote


Panel Ii: The Clean Energy Economy, Hilda Solis, Dina Titus, Dan Reicher, Edward Mazria Aug 2008

Panel Ii: The Clean Energy Economy, Hilda Solis, Dina Titus, Dan Reicher, Edward Mazria

National Clean Energy Summit

Panel discussion Moderator: Steve Colwell, Executive Director, Sea Change Foundation


An Examination Of The Tone System Of Fur And Its Function In Grammar, Georgianna Noel Aug 2008

An Examination Of The Tone System Of Fur And Its Function In Grammar, Georgianna Noel

Linguistics & TESOL Theses

This research into the tonal system of Fur and its grammatical functions began with several basic assumptions. These assumptions were based on the excellent prior research by Jakobi (1989), and Kutsch Lojenga and Waag(2000). These assumptions were: 1. Fur is a register tone language with two tones L and H. Contours on LH and HL are possible. 2. Tone makes lexical distinctions in Fur as exemplified by examples such as: 'desert' úrì 'sheep' úri 3. Tone also functions in the grammar of Fur. Tone is used to differentiate the nominative and locative forms of nouns and the attributive and predicate …


Category Assignment And Relatedness In The Group Ideation Process, Jonali Baruah Aug 2008

Category Assignment And Relatedness In The Group Ideation Process, Jonali Baruah

Psychology Dissertations

Although many studies have investigated the effects of task related diversity on group performance, little empirical attention has been paid to the effect of the degree of relatedness of these tasks on the group ideation process. The present study provided a comprehensive test of the effects of task (category) assignment and relatedness on creativity of the interactive and the nominal groups in electronic brainstorming paradigm. A major area that has not been explored in the brainstorming literature is how groups perform when each member is assigned a unique category compared with having all the members jointly assigned with common categories. …


The Effects Of Daeps On The Development Of Different Types Of Students In Four Discipline Alternative Education Programs In A Large Urban District, Edward Nathaniel Randle Aug 2008

The Effects Of Daeps On The Development Of Different Types Of Students In Four Discipline Alternative Education Programs In A Large Urban District, Edward Nathaniel Randle

Social Work Dissertations

This quasi-experimental design described the effects of the BTEM utilized in four DAEPs in a large urban school district based on student discipline incidents, academic achievements in core course, and attendance rates. Archival data was collected from the school district's database over a three year period. The population of interest included all students who attended one of four DAEPs during the 2005-06 school year. These DAEPs were designed for first time minor offenders. Student's behavioral, academic, and attendance outcomes were analyzed for the 2005-06 school year and one year before placement and one year following placement. Descriptive, frequencies, ANOVA and …


Kachin Refugee Women's Work Identity: Narratives In Transition, Christie Ann Wright Aug 2008

Kachin Refugee Women's Work Identity: Narratives In Transition, Christie Ann Wright

Sociology & Anthropology Theses

My work focuses on the Kachin women's experiences of work in the American workforce in comparison to their experience of work in Burma. Through in-depth interviews with twelve Kachin women in the North Texas area, I analyze the dynamics of migration and work at the intersection of gender and class. Their experiences are both shaped by their prior middle-class status of gendered spheres of paid and unpaid work and their work experiences and expectations in America. Subsequently, they mostly draw from homeland ideas of gendered ideologies because these ideals create and enhance both women's gender and class-statuses in Burma. The …


Criminal Psychological Profiling: A Comparative Study Of Knowledge And Perception Between Police Officers And Criminology And Criminal Justice Students, Bonnie Lynn Bevers Aug 2008

Criminal Psychological Profiling: A Comparative Study Of Knowledge And Perception Between Police Officers And Criminology And Criminal Justice Students, Bonnie Lynn Bevers

Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the knowledge and perceptions of police officers from police departments in North Texas and students in the Criminology and Criminal Justice program at the University of Texas at Arlington on criminal psychological profiling. Data was obtained from a sample of graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Texas at Arlington and police officers in the Investigation Unit at Irving Police Department. Officers and students seemed to agree that criminal psychological profiling was a significant tool in the criminal justice field, while having differing perceptions of whether education or experience were more …


Revisiting State Failure: Developing A Causal Model Of State Failure Based Upon Theoretical Insight, Tiffiany O. Howard Jul 2008

Revisiting State Failure: Developing A Causal Model Of State Failure Based Upon Theoretical Insight, Tiffiany O. Howard

Political Science Faculty Research

Developing a theoretically driven causal model of state failure is necessary if scholars are committed to improving the predictive power and forecasting ability of early warning models of state failure. Building upon the work of the State Failure Project(1) and earlier statistical models of state failure(2), this study develops a causal model of state failure that is based upon a theoretical foundation that satisfies the parsimonious condition that policy forecasting models typically rely upon. The statistical model of state failure developed for this analysis extends the work of previous models by developing an alternative definition and measurement of state failure …


Ored Quarterly Newsletter, Sadiq Shah Jul 2008

Ored Quarterly Newsletter, Sadiq Shah

ORED Quarterly Newsletter

Connecting Knowledge with Businesses and Society to Promote Economic Growth and to Enhance the Quality of Life


The Evolution Of Problem Solving: An Assessment Of Preference In Concurrent Schedules Of Reinforcement, Melissa Roark Jul 2008

The Evolution Of Problem Solving: An Assessment Of Preference In Concurrent Schedules Of Reinforcement, Melissa Roark

Psychology Dissertations

In personal problem-solving, an organism emits responses that have been useful in the past to alter its personal contingencies and produce a response that "solves" a problem. In verbal behavior, a human organism emits responses that have previously been useful to alter the contingencies of another human, this producing a response that "solves a problem". Additionally, in verbal behavior, an organism is controlled by its current contingencies rather than its history of reinforcement. It is suggested that personal problem-solving resembles a tandem schedule of reinforcement and that verbal behavior, which has evolved in humans, resembles multiple schedule reinforcement. This study …


Performance Differences: A Comparison Between Computer-Based And Paper-Pencil Versions Of A Work Simulation Exercise, Cara L. Fay Jul 2008

Performance Differences: A Comparison Between Computer-Based And Paper-Pencil Versions Of A Work Simulation Exercise, Cara L. Fay

Psychology Theses

Organizations use Assessment Center methods for selection and development of employees. Many organizations that offer assessment services have already made the transition from paper-pencil to computer-based assessments with little research available to justify the appropriateness of this transition. This study examined the differences in performance on four versions of the same work simulation exercise (i.e., in-basket). The content of the work simulation was not altered from one version to another. The study sought to determine if performance on a work simulation exercise changed due to the form in which it was administered. This was tested using four conditions: Paper-pencil, Computer-based, …


Effects Of Item Presentation And User Flexibility On Rater Perceptions, Ryan Edward Phillips Jul 2008

Effects Of Item Presentation And User Flexibility On Rater Perceptions, Ryan Edward Phillips

Psychology Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of item presentation and user flexibility on performance ratings and rater perceptions of the performance rating process. The participants were 252 undergraduate students enrolled in one or more psychology courses at the University of Texas at Arlington. Participants rated the performance of their psychology instructor using four different rating formats: (a) Multiple-item presentation, high user-flexibility, (b) Multiple-item presentation, low user-flexibility, (c) Single-item presentation, high user-flexibility, and (d) Single-item presentation, low user-flexibility. Dependent measures were administered within each performance rating format to obtain ratings of (a) instructor performance, (b) rater confidence …


Septal Stimulation Inhibits Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn Neuronal Activity, Christopher E. Hagains Jul 2008

Septal Stimulation Inhibits Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn Neuronal Activity, Christopher E. Hagains

Psychology Theses

Deep Brain Stimulation is a useful technique for relieving chronic pain in patients that have exhausted their options. The septum has been a target for such treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine if electrical stimulation in the medial septum diagonal band of broca (MSDB) would reduce nociceptive neuronal activity in the spinal cord of rats. This interest was addressed using a Grass Stimulator to stimulate the MSDB on one side of the brain while recording mostly wide dynamic range neurons in the lumbar region of the spinal cord. Neuronal activity was initiated by graded mechanical stimulation of …


Risk Factors For Functional Restoration Non-Completion, Krista J. Howard Jul 2008

Risk Factors For Functional Restoration Non-Completion, Krista J. Howard

Psychology Theses

Previous studies have shown that the one-year outcomes after an interdisciplinary functional restoration program for patients with chronic disabling occupational disorders vary significantly between those who complete the program and those who prematurely drop-out. Non-completers are 9.7 times less likely to return-to-work at any time, and are 7 times less likely to retain work at one year, relative to those who complete the program. Non-completers are also 7 times more likely to have post-rehabilitation surgery to the original injured area, while also displaying higher levels of healthcare utilization. The present study focuses on identifying the risk factors for non-completion of …


The Effects Of Narcissistic Group Identity And Group-Level Provocation On U.S. Citizens' Attitudes And Behavior Toward Arab Immigrants, Patricia A. Lyons Jul 2008

The Effects Of Narcissistic Group Identity And Group-Level Provocation On U.S. Citizens' Attitudes And Behavior Toward Arab Immigrants, Patricia A. Lyons

Psychology Theses

A measure of Narcissistic Group Identity was developed and tested in a cross-sectional pilot study of 319 university students. Analyses revealed that Narcissistic Group Identity predicted more negative attitudes toward Arab immigrants, compared to Asian, Latino, and European immigrant target groups. A subsequent laboratory study explored the hypotheses that Narcissistic Group Identity would again predict negative attitudes and behavior toward an Arab immigrant target group, and that a group-level provocation would exacerbate the effect. As expected, Narcissistic Group Identity predicted more negative attitudes and higher aggression toward an Arab target group, but did not predict attitudes or behavior toward Latino …


The Stress Of Caregiving: Factors Impacting Family Caregivers Following Entry Of The Care Recipient Into A Nursing Home, Rebecca Gean Judd Jul 2008

The Stress Of Caregiving: Factors Impacting Family Caregivers Following Entry Of The Care Recipient Into A Nursing Home, Rebecca Gean Judd

Social Work Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify stressors associated with family caregiving following entry into the nursing home of the care recipient. A cross-sectional, survey design included 129 family caregivers for care recipients located in sixteen long-term care facilities in north central Texas and Southern Oklahoma. Consistent with prior research stress related to the caregiving role did not end with the care recipient's entry into the nursing home. Multiple linear regression with forward entry indicated role captivity accounted for the majority of explained variance in perceived stress by family caregivers, followed by constriction of time for participating in family …


The Mechnism Of Cbt For Depression Recovery: The Role Of Problem-Solving Appraisal, Szu-Yu Chen Jul 2008

The Mechnism Of Cbt For Depression Recovery: The Role Of Problem-Solving Appraisal, Szu-Yu Chen

Social Work Dissertations

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is among the most extensively tested psychotherapies for depression. Although its effect on depression alleviation has been widely recognized, little is known regarding its therapeutic mechanism on depression alleviation. Among empirical explanations about the mechanism of CBT, the cognitive mediation hypothesis has historically dominated the field. Although findings of prior studies support this hypothesis by showing a correlation between cognitive changes and depression changes, there is still an absence of sufficient evidence to support that patients' depression improvements are caused by their cognitive changes. In recent years, several studies further observed that patients' depression was improved …


Equine Assisted Therapy And Exercise With Eating Disorders: A Retrospective Chart Reveiw And Mixed Method Analysis, Carolyn Boyd Lutter Jul 2008

Equine Assisted Therapy And Exercise With Eating Disorders: A Retrospective Chart Reveiw And Mixed Method Analysis, Carolyn Boyd Lutter

Social Work Theses

Eating disorders are a group of devastating mental illnesses that chronically affect millions of young women and men of all ages and ethnicities in industrialized nations. Mainstream treatment approaches thus far have proven to have variable efficacy and outcomes and new behavioral interventions such as equine assisted therapy and exercise deserve to be considered as a viable intervention with this population. The area of equine assisted therapy in the field of eating disorder research has received disproportionately little attention. Given the number of residential treatment facilities that integrate it into their treatment for eating disorders, evidence of its safety and …


Family Resilience As A Predictor Of Better Adjustment Among International Adoptees, Toby Buchanan Jul 2008

Family Resilience As A Predictor Of Better Adjustment Among International Adoptees, Toby Buchanan

Social Work Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the role of family resilience theory in relation to the healthy adjustment of transnationally adopted children. The research was guided by two research questions: 1). What is the relationship between family resilience and the overall adjustment of children adopted from outside of the United States? 2). What family resilience variables are most highly predictive of better adjusted and not as well adjusted adoptees? The investigation also included two research hypotheses: 1). Significant differences exist between families of international adoptees that are better adjusted and those that are not as well adjusted. 2). …