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Language Attitudes, Linguistic Knowledge, And The Multicultural Education Of Pre-Service Teachers: A Sociolinguistic Study, Maria Elisa Paredes
Language Attitudes, Linguistic Knowledge, And The Multicultural Education Of Pre-Service Teachers: A Sociolinguistic Study, Maria Elisa Paredes
Dissertations
Abstract This research created, implemented and evaluated the impact of a language unit designed to increase linguistic knowledge and change attitudes toward linguistic diversity for pre-service teachers taking an education class that focused on child and adolescent development at an urban university in Missouri. Both quantitative and qualitative measures were used to document learning and attitude change toward linguistic variety during 4-8 hours of instruction. The language unit included a pretest/posttest design, an overview of general linguistics, phonetics, phonology, sociolinguistics, language acquisition and bilingualism; the unit utilized multiple digital tools (DVD & CD) created by the researcher. Demographic correlates to …
Mezirow's Transformational Learning Theory And Alternative Health Therapeutics Of Mind, Body, And Spirit, Lewis Edward Blackwell
Mezirow's Transformational Learning Theory And Alternative Health Therapeutics Of Mind, Body, And Spirit, Lewis Edward Blackwell
Dissertations
An illness, like prostate cancer, brings crisis to our experience and confuses the structure of our reality as well as disturbs our meaning which is upheld by interpretive imagery. Hence, recovery involves a learning experience that consists of a reflective, educational, and spiritual process to rebuild and reconstruct meaning through the use and transformation of our images and themes to create meaning. The purpose of the research was to investigate the meaning of the illness experience through the lens of transformational learning theory. As such, one-on-one interviews were conducted with 10 African American men who lived in large metropolitan areas …
Twelve-Month Administrative Leadership Development Program At The University Of Missouri: Perceived Outcomes By Staff Participants And Participants' Supervisors, Lea-Ann Morton
Dissertations
This study examined the perceived outcomes of a national institute or internship program focused on leadership development at a postsecondary institution by conducting in-depth, qualitative interviews with participants who completed the program and supervisors who oversee these participants in the workplace. The program selected for study was the Administrative Leadership Development Program (ALDP) hosted by the University of Missouri. The perceived outcomes by both populations converged and were identified as Feeling Valued, Relationship Building, Self-Awareness, and Skill Development. The data indicated perceived outcomes by ALDP participants and participants? supervisors were positive in nature and observable differences in participant performance occurred. …
The Development Of Multicultural Counseling Competencies By Using Service Learning, Denise K. Sommers
The Development Of Multicultural Counseling Competencies By Using Service Learning, Denise K. Sommers
Dissertations
Forty-six counselors-in-masters-level-training (n = 46) from the Southeast and Midwest provided demographic information and responded to the self-report Multicultural Counseling Inventory (MCI) and to multicultural counseling scenarios at the beginning of their multicultural counseling class and again at the end of their class. The primary question asked in this study was whether multicultural counseling graduate classes with service learning were more effective than those without service learning in developing multicultural counseling competencies. Consistent with the literature, racial/ethnic self-designation were found to be significantly related to MCI and Cross Cultural Counseling Inventory-Revised (CCCI-R) scores. Findings regarding the research questions were inconclusive …
Supporting E-Learning Within A Social Framework, Barbara J. Keene
Supporting E-Learning Within A Social Framework, Barbara J. Keene
Dissertations
E-learning has become a major delivery platform for higher education, continuing education and corporate training. The majority of e-learning research to date has taken place in academic environments using survey or qualitative research. This study used an experimental design (N = 99) to view three different models for supporting asynchronous e-learning in a corporate setting where learners are geographically distributed. The support interventions were rooted in andragogical principles of learning. Two treatment groups were provided socially engaging proactive models while the control group used a learner directed reactive authoritarian model. The purpose of this study was to see if different …
The Relationship Between The Maturity Level Of Professional Learning Communities (Plcs) And Student Achievement, Eric Brett Arbetter
The Relationship Between The Maturity Level Of Professional Learning Communities (Plcs) And Student Achievement, Eric Brett Arbetter
Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between schools' maturity as professional learning communities (PLCs) and student achievement in mathematics and communication arts. Teachers from all 333 public elementary schools in Missouri serving students in kindergarten through fifth grade were invited to participate by completing Hord's School Professional Staff as Learning Community Questionnaire. Each question was directly related to one of Hord's five critical dimensions of PLCs: "...supportive and shared leadership; a shared vision and values; collective learning and application of learning; shared personal practice; and supportive conditions" (Hord, 1997a, p. 6, passim). …
Synthesis And Evaluation Of Structural Analogs Of Escherichia Coli Lipid A For Application Towards Cd14-Targeting Glycotherapeutics, Aileen Fay Galos Bongat
Synthesis And Evaluation Of Structural Analogs Of Escherichia Coli Lipid A For Application Towards Cd14-Targeting Glycotherapeutics, Aileen Fay Galos Bongat
Dissertations
Lipid A is a glucosamine-based phospholipid that anchors carbohydrate molecules to the outer membrane of most Gram-negative bacteria. During severe infection, this amphiphilic macromolecule invoke a strong and acute pro-inflammatory response that leads to sepsis and ultimately to septic shock, organ failure and death. Thus, following the convention that the best antidote is often a derivative of the parent agonistic molecule, researchers have actively pursued the idea of creating an analog of Lipid A that can block the cellular receptor for this molecule and thereby arrest the cascade of events that lead to sepsis. Consequently, we became interested in creating …
The Impact Of A Character Education Based Interactive Discipline Program On At-Risk Student Behavior In An Alternative School, Michael G. Hylen
The Impact Of A Character Education Based Interactive Discipline Program On At-Risk Student Behavior In An Alternative School, Michael G. Hylen
Dissertations
Student problem behavior is incompatible with academic achievement and positive interpersonal relationships. It has become necessary for schools to develop codes of conduct to address inappropriate student behavior. But, current school disciplinary policies are ineffective instruments for effecting positive change in student problem behavior (Goodman, 2006). In response to this problem, public school districts are developing a wide variety of approaches to dealing with the needs of problem behavior students. One approach has been the development of alternative high school programs - school district initiatives specifically designed to meet the needs of students lacking success in the traditional high school …
An Investigation Of Career And Technical Education In Local School Districts And The Special School District Of St. Louis County, Missouri, David P. Baker
An Investigation Of Career And Technical Education In Local School Districts And The Special School District Of St. Louis County, Missouri, David P. Baker
Dissertations
This investigation focuses on the perceptions of knowledge held by public high school guidance counselors in St. Louis County, Missouri regarding career and technical education (CTE), particularly North and South Technical High Schools, a division of the Special School District (SSD). At the time of this investigation 153 high school guidance counselors were identified in public high schools in St. Louis County. Each counselor was given a 35 item survey, which provided the investigator with demographic information and information regarding the counselor?s perceptions in three subsets of counselor knowledge: CTE candidates, CTE reform and post-secondary opportunities, and CTE program development …
Reduction Of Toxicity In The Premature Neonate Addociated With Aluminum As A Contaminant Of Total Parenteral Nutrition Solution, Sujittra Srisung
Reduction Of Toxicity In The Premature Neonate Addociated With Aluminum As A Contaminant Of Total Parenteral Nutrition Solution, Sujittra Srisung
Dissertations
Aluminum (Al) is the third most common element in the Earth?s crust. It is widely consumed in water, foods, and drugs. However, in humans, the uptake of aluminum into the body and its deposition in tissues has been linked to conditions of medical concern, including many neurological disorders such as dialysis dementia, Alzheimer?s disease, Parkinson?s dementia and Down?s syndrome. Premature neonates who receive intravenous feeding (TPN) are at a high risk for Al toxicity because the TPN solutions are contaminated with Al3+, which is not excreted effectively due to poor kidney development in these patients. The FDA has recommended regulations …
An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Stress Physiological Signals And Stress Behaviors In Preterm Infants During Periods Of Environmental Stress In The Intensive Care Unit., Niang-Huei Peng
Dissertations
The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine relationships between stress physiological signals and stress behaviors in preterm infants during periods of environmental stress. The study used a repeated-measures design to examine the relationships between environmental stressors, sleep-wake states, and both stress physiological signals and stress behavioral responses in one group of preterm infants. Measurements of these variables for each preterm infant were recorded every two minutes during four 60-minute observation periods (two in the morning and two in the afternoon) conducted over two days (one morning and one afternoon observation each day). The sample was 37 preterm infants …
The Impact Of Gender Socialization On Women?S Learned Technological Helplessness And Its Andragogical Implications, Joy Elise Harris
The Impact Of Gender Socialization On Women?S Learned Technological Helplessness And Its Andragogical Implications, Joy Elise Harris
Dissertations
This research investigated a proposed construct of learned technological helplessness (LTH) in female adult learners, which is believed to be impacted by socialization into traditional gender roles, teacher modeling, and age. A two-pronged approach was used to examine women?s attitudes and beliefs about their abilities to use technology as a learning and personal productivity tool. Participants were females, over age 18, on two campuses of a public Midwest research university. Prior to the primary research, a pilot study (n=204) was undertaken for the purpose of creating a teacher modeling instrument, which measured how teachers model the use of technology. The …
Exploring The Cognitive Underpinnings Of Word Retrieval Deficits In Dyslexia Using The Tip-Of-The-Tongue Paradigm, Sarah Margaret Hanly
Exploring The Cognitive Underpinnings Of Word Retrieval Deficits In Dyslexia Using The Tip-Of-The-Tongue Paradigm, Sarah Margaret Hanly
Dissertations
Over the past thirty years a consensus has emerged that the word reading difficulties of dyslexic readers stem from deficits in phonological processing. One experimental paradigm that has provided support for this view is the finding that dyslexic readers demonstrate deficits in word retrieval from long term memory on picture naming tasks. Dyslexic readers are able to retrieve fewer words in their receptive vocabularies and are less accurate than normally developing readers. However, the conclusion that dyslexic readers? difficulties in picture naming are the consequence of deficits in phonological processing is inferential. The current study uses the tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) paradigm …
Does Institutional Capacity Matter? A Case Study Of The Zambian Forestry Department., Rosemary Fumpa Makano
Does Institutional Capacity Matter? A Case Study Of The Zambian Forestry Department., Rosemary Fumpa Makano
Dissertations
Understanding why some organizations are more effective in their service delivery than others is a central discourse in both public administration and political organization. Scholars and practitioners all agree that the defining factor is institutional (state) capacity. Since the mid-1980s, deforestation in Zambia has been on the rise, especially in Protected Forest Areas, suggesting poor management by the Forestry Department, an institution mandated to manage these public lands. Ironically, despite the strategic position that forests hold in sustaining both the daily subsistence needs of over 90% of the Zambian population as well as the as the numerous industries that depend …
The Role Of Perceived Social Support And Cognitive Processing In Reports Of Personal Growth Following Bereavement, Sean M. Engelkemeyer
The Role Of Perceived Social Support And Cognitive Processing In Reports Of Personal Growth Following Bereavement, Sean M. Engelkemeyer
Dissertations
The current study tests models of personal growth in bereaved individuals (Hogan & Schmidt, 2002; Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004) by examining the relationships between types of social support and growth following bereavement, as well as by assessing whether deliberate/reflective or automatic/intrusive cognitive processing of the loss mediates the relationship between social support and growth in sample of bereaved adults. A sample of 114 participants who had experienced the death of an immediate family member (spouse, child, parent, or sibling) within the past three years completed a series of self-report measures received by mail. Hypotheses that perceived emotional and advice/ guidance …
Systematics And Floral Evolution In The Plant Genus Garcinia (Clusiaceae), Patrick Wayne Sweeney
Systematics And Floral Evolution In The Plant Genus Garcinia (Clusiaceae), Patrick Wayne Sweeney
Dissertations
The pantropical genus Garcinia (Clusiaceae), a group comprised of more than 250 species of dioecious, trees and shrubs, is a common component of lowland tropical forests and is best known by the highly prized fruit of mangosteen (G. mangostana). The genus exhibits as extreme diversity of floral form as is found anywhere in angiosperms and there are many unresolved taxonomic issues surrounding the genus. To understand patterns of floral evolution within the group and to evaluate morphology-based classification schemes involving Garcinia and its relatives, relationships among a broad sample of Garcinia and close relatives were inferred by conducting Bayesian, parsimony, …
Community Ecology And Phylogeography Of Bird Assemblages In Arid Zones Of Northern Venezuela: Implications For The Conservation Of Restricted-Range Birds, Adriana Rodriguez-Ferraro
Community Ecology And Phylogeography Of Bird Assemblages In Arid Zones Of Northern Venezuela: Implications For The Conservation Of Restricted-Range Birds, Adriana Rodriguez-Ferraro
Dissertations
Aridlands of northern Venezuela are important from an ornithological perspective because of the occurrence of habitat specialist birds that depend exclusively on desert scrubs and are endemic to this region. Currently, long-term survival of habitat specialists is threatened by ongoing changes in vegetation but the effects of such changes on bird assemblages are unknown. The goal of this study was to characterize bird assemblages found in six arid zones in northern Venezuela at both ecological and genetic levels, and to generate information relevant for conservation planning. The study involved assessments of patterns of avian species richness, abundance, community composition and …
The Stress Process Model And In-Home Respite For Caregivers Of Cognitively And Physically Impaired Older Adults, Lauren Clair Mensie
The Stress Process Model And In-Home Respite For Caregivers Of Cognitively And Physically Impaired Older Adults, Lauren Clair Mensie
Dissertations
Common problems in the family caregiving respite outcome literature include little attention to in-home respite, lack of theoretical grounding, and low rates of respite utilization. This dissertation study utilized the predominant model of family caregiving stress, the Stress Process Model (Aneshensel et al., 1995; Pearlin et al., 1990), to (1) investigate the variables through which in-home respite impacts caregivers and to (2) investigate the factors that predict utilization of respite services. Participants (N = 74) were family caregivers receiving federally subsidized in-home respite. Results indicate that both prior hours of in-home respite services and respite time devoted to non-care related …
Sex Offender Assessment: Clinical Utility And Predictive Validity, Kristopher Lueron Clounch
Sex Offender Assessment: Clinical Utility And Predictive Validity, Kristopher Lueron Clounch
Dissertations
The research addressing sex offender assessment and treatment is an ever-evolving science. However, very little research has addressed psychological typologies associated with various types of sex offenders and treatment engagement. The current study examined assessment data of four sex offender groups, defined by victim type, to determine if a typological difference exists between groups of (N = 583) rapists (n = 129), statutory offenders (n = 140), intrafamilial/ incest perpetrators (n = 152), and extrafamilial (n = 162). Secondly, the study determined if a specific battery of psychological measures can predict treatment completion (n = 377). We also hypothesized there …
Towards Development Of A Fully Synthetic Conjugate Vaccine: Investigation Of Structural Analogs Of Streptococcus Pneumoniae Serogroup 6, Archana R. Parameswar
Towards Development Of A Fully Synthetic Conjugate Vaccine: Investigation Of Structural Analogs Of Streptococcus Pneumoniae Serogroup 6, Archana R. Parameswar
Dissertations
Involvement of complex glycostructures in a variety of damaging and healing processes has already been acknowledged by development of carbohydrate-based vaccines and therapeutics. The bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae (SPn) have become one of the most frequent causes of pneumonia, bacteremia, and meningitis in the elderly, immunocompromised, and, especially, in young children. SPn has one of the largest public health and economic impacts amongst all bacterial infectious diseases. Over 2 million children die annually worldwide due to pneumonia, accounting for almost 20% of deaths under age five with more than half of these deaths attributed to SPn. Amongst over ninety elucidated SPn …
Synthesis Of Α-Hydroxy And Fluoro Phosphonates And Cyclic Ether-Containing Natural Products, Nongnuch Sutivisedsak
Synthesis Of Α-Hydroxy And Fluoro Phosphonates And Cyclic Ether-Containing Natural Products, Nongnuch Sutivisedsak
Dissertations
A number of important classes of natural product (eg. amphidinolide C, (-)-centrolobine, etc) contain common structural features of tetrahydrofurans and tetrahydropyrans. This study involved the development of stereoselective mothods for the synthesis of tetrahydrofurans and tetrahydropyrans including the application of allylic hydroxy phosphonates and their derivatives as chiral, non racemic building blocks for the synthesis of biological active molecules. The enantiomeric excess of non racemic α-hydroxy phosphonates and carbonate derivatives prepared via the asymmetric Pudovik reaction can be improved by kinetic resolution. Both chemical and enzyme catalysts were utilized in the kinetic resolution of phosphonates. Enantioselective acylation of a variety …
Relation Of Family Functioning To Treatment Outcomes In Day And Residential Programs: A Clinical Study With Emotionally Disturbed Adolescents, Utpala Shanker
Relation Of Family Functioning To Treatment Outcomes In Day And Residential Programs: A Clinical Study With Emotionally Disturbed Adolescents, Utpala Shanker
Dissertations
Residential and day facilities are important providers of treatment for seriously emotionally disturbed adolescents. The primary difference between the two types of treatment programs is that adolescents attending day treatment reside with their families while those in residential programs live at the treatment facility. Very few studies have addressed the relation of family functioning to treatment outcomes for adolescents. Furthermore, extant research has not investigated whether the relation of family functioning to treatment outcomes is different for adolescents in residential and day programs, This study proposed that adolescents from severely dysfunctional families at admission would have better outcomes in their …
The Effect Of Active Site Mutations On The Homodimeric Behavior Of The Pvuii Restriction Endonuclease, Grigorios A. Papadakos
The Effect Of Active Site Mutations On The Homodimeric Behavior Of The Pvuii Restriction Endonuclease, Grigorios A. Papadakos
Dissertations
The PvuII restriction endonuclease, a homodimer of two 18 kDa subunits, belongs to the type II family of restriction enzymes. Located in the active site of PvuII, Tyrosine 94 has previously been shown to be involved in the metal ion binding by the enzyme. The profile of the Ca2+ dependence of the DNA binding to the Y94F variant is shown to be clearly biphasic. The application of a sequential binding model yielded a coupling energy (ΔGcoop) at -0.54 for the upper phase and -1.15 kcal/mole for the lower phase. The similar metal binding pattern between the Y94F and the WT …
Spatial And Temporal Dynamics Of Lekking Behavior And Female Mate Choice In The Blue-Crowned Manakin (Lepidothrix Coronata, Aves: Pipridae), Renata Duraes Ribeiro
Spatial And Temporal Dynamics Of Lekking Behavior And Female Mate Choice In The Blue-Crowned Manakin (Lepidothrix Coronata, Aves: Pipridae), Renata Duraes Ribeiro
Dissertations
In lekking species, males aggregate at display grounds (?leks?) that females visit to copulate. Lekking systems are non-resource-based and males vary widely in reproductive output. This dissertation investigates how spatial and temporal factors influence lekking dynamics and female mate choice in the blue-crowned manakin Lepidothrix coronata. The first chapter deals with spatial dynamics of lekking behavior, and investigates whether leks are formed by the establishment of males on sites of high female density (?hotspot hypothesis?). Predictive maps of female spatial distribution were built based on field data and contrasted to the lek distribution. Leks were located in sites where males …
Grassland Birds In Natural And Cultivated Grasslands In The Northern Campos Of Uruguay: Diversity Patterns, Responses To Vegetation Structure, And Nest Survival, Adrian Bruno Azpiroz
Grassland Birds In Natural And Cultivated Grasslands In The Northern Campos Of Uruguay: Diversity Patterns, Responses To Vegetation Structure, And Nest Survival, Adrian Bruno Azpiroz
Dissertations
Grassland bird populations are declining in many regions of the world as a consequence of habitat modification but research efforts have been concentrated in North America and Europe. In the Neotropics, however, many aspects of grassland bird ecology remain virtually unexplored. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of habitat modification on the distribution, abundance, and reproductive success of grassland birds in the Northern Campos of Uruguay. The study focused on birds that inhabit four grassland habitats which differed in terms of agricultural management in the Northern Campos of Uruguay. First, distance sampling was used to characterize …
A Developmental, Phylogenetic And Taxonomic Study On The Moss Genus Taxithelium Mitt. (Pylaisiadelphaceae), Paulo Saraiva Camara
A Developmental, Phylogenetic And Taxonomic Study On The Moss Genus Taxithelium Mitt. (Pylaisiadelphaceae), Paulo Saraiva Camara
Dissertations
The family Sematophyllaceae is probably the most diverse Hypnales in the tropics and one of the most complex and taxonomically confused. This thesis comprises three parts: 1, a micromorphological study of papilla development in Taxithelium and relatives; 2, a phylogenetic study of Taxithelium; and 3, a revision of Taxithelium subgenus Vernieri. 1. I present data on the structure and development of leaf cell papillae in different Sematophyllaceae. Two kinds of papillae are recognized. One is dome-shaped to conical tapering to a firmly rounded apex (?conical?), whereas the other presents a more flaccid, baggy appearance, and is often flat-topped and wider …
Population Genetics Of Island Endemics: Neutral And Major Histocompatibility Loci, Jennifer Lynn Bollmer
Population Genetics Of Island Endemics: Neutral And Major Histocompatibility Loci, Jennifer Lynn Bollmer
Dissertations
Island archipelagoes are ideal for the study of microevolutionary forces due to their multiple, closely related but geographically disjunct populations. I used both neutral and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) loci to determine the population genetic structures of bird species endemic to the Galapagos Islands. MHC molecules recognize foreign pathogens in the body, and these loci are known for their high degree of genetic variability maintained by natural selection. Small island populations are predicted to have reduced genetic variability due to the effects of genetic drift; however, selection may be strong enough to prevent the loss of variability at MHC loci. …
The Detection Of Malingering On Measures Of Competency To Stand Trial: A Study Of Coached And Uncoached Simulators, Rachael Elizabeth Springman
The Detection Of Malingering On Measures Of Competency To Stand Trial: A Study Of Coached And Uncoached Simulators, Rachael Elizabeth Springman
Dissertations
Competency to stand trial evaluations serve as the most frequently requested type of forensic evaluation. Despite the court?s need for accurate and credible information, defendants referred for competency evaluations may be motivated to malinger incompetency in order to avoid trial and gain personal liberty (Rogers, Sewell, Grandjean, & Vitacco, 2002). Furthermore, motivated malingerers can obtain information about tests prior to evaluations, particularly from the Internet and their attorneys. Previous research has demonstrated that coaching on test-taking strategies helps malingerers avoid detection on psychological tests like the MMPI-2 (e.g., Storm & Graham, 2000), but no research has examined the effects of …
Mechanistic Studies Of Specific Dna Cleavage By Pvuii Restriction Endonuclease, Xie Fuqian
Mechanistic Studies Of Specific Dna Cleavage By Pvuii Restriction Endonuclease, Xie Fuqian
Dissertations
PvuII restriction endonuclease is a homodimeric protein which recognizes and cleaves the palindromic sequence (CAG?CTG) in the presence of Mg(II) ions. Starting with PvuII as a model system, pKa calculations with crystallographically defined metal ligated water are applied to PD?D/ExK motif metallonucleases in order to investigate the activation of nucleophile in metal dependent DNA hydrolysis. These results establish the electrostatic contributions of the metal ions and the conserved Lys in lowering water pKa. The calculated pKa values of metal ligands have been used to simulate the pH dependence of Mg(II) binding to PvuII. The bell shaped pH-rate profile is dissected …
Reproductive And Social Dynamics Of A Lek Breeding Bird, Thomas Brandt Ryder
Reproductive And Social Dynamics Of A Lek Breeding Bird, Thomas Brandt Ryder
Dissertations
Sociality and the unequal apportionment of reproductive success among social individuals is a common characteristic of many vertebrate taxa. To date, our understanding of what factors drive high variance in reproductive success (i.e., intra vs. inter-sexual selection) and which male attributes contribute to that variance, are still fragmentary for most species. Moreover, how social structure interacts with individual behavior and fitness remains understudied despite its potential importance to the evolution of cooperation. This dissertation research focused on understanding this complex synergistic interplay between social and reproductive dynamics in a lek-breeding bird, the wire-tailed manakin. The first chapter examines the complex …