Digital Commons Network^™

Perceptions Of Middle-School Parents Regarding Factors That Influence Parent Involvement: A Study Of Four Middle Schools In Northeast Tennessee., John K. Boyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The cultivation of parent involvement in America's public schools is no longer an option. Under the provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act: No Child Left Behind (Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 2001), it is now a mandate. Moreover, in the current climate of emphasis upon student performance and school accountability, schools need not just the support of parents, but also their full involvement in meaningful partnerships.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop a better understanding of the factors that significantly affect the level of parent involvement during the middle-school years. This was accomplished through the …

Eating Disorder Symptoms, Body Image Attitudes, And Risk Factors In Non-Traditional And Traditional Age Female College Students., Jennifer E. Caldwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates whether there are certain age groups in college that are more susceptible to eating problems and the contributing factors for eating disorders. The participants were 144 college women divided into traditional and non-traditional age groups. The EDI-2, BSI, RSE, and additional items were administered. The results show that non-traditional age college women were as likely to have eating disorder symptoms and more likely to possess body dissatisfaction than traditional age college students. The data support body dissatisfaction, aging concerns, perfectionism, depression, anxiety, and having children as potential risk factors for eating disturbances. This study suggests that there …

An Analysis Of Tennessee Gateway Exams And The Variables Related To Student Results., Judy W. Webb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the variables that are associated with the percentage of students who pass Tennessee's Gateway exams in high school. Associations were examined between the Gateway exams and variables such as: socioeconomic status, ethnicity, dropout rate, graduation rate, attendance, average daily membership, per-pupil expenditure, teachers' salary, and elementary-school reading scores.

Pearson correlations between school characteristics and pass rates of three Gateway exams were calculated. Schools were divided into quartiles based upon socioeconomic status and ethnicity in order to examine pass rates of the Gateway exams among different quartiles. Independent samples t tests were performed …

Evaluating The Predictive Validity Of The Speed Dial Version Of The Dial-3, Developmental Indicators For The Assessment Of Learning., Roger Anthony Walk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this research was to validate psychometric integrity of the Speed DIAL screening instrument by establishing its predictive validity. The validation process included determining what, if any, associations existed between the predictor variable, Speed DIAL and the outcome variable, the Virginia Standards of Learning third-grade math and total English tests.

Gender and age were factors in the study. Finally, certain intervening variables, those occurring after the predictor variable, but before the outcome variable, were included in the study. These interventions were supplementary programs or placements provided students in the hopes of positively influencing students' academic performance. The …

Primary Care Nurse Attitudes, Beliefs And Confidence Levels Regarding Alcohol Abuse And Its Treatment: Impact Of Educational Intervention., Raja Sekhar Vadlamudi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol abuse has been a major burden on the society. In the fight against it a key issue the education of the primary care nurses has been ignored. This study evaluates the effect of education program on the attitudes, beliefs, and confidence levels of primary care nurses regarding alcohol abuse and its treatment. Data from the Project Mainstream educational intervention were used with permission from the investigators. Two hundred one students and faculty of nursing at Vanderbilt University participated in the intervention, which was designed to train primary care providers in the Brief Negotiated Intervention technique for early detection and …

The Impact Of Participation In The Johnson City, Tn Citizen's Police Academy., Angela Elkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A Citizen's Police Academy allows citizens to attend the police academy to learn more about police departments and police work. While increasing in popularity, very little research has focused on participant impact. This study examines the impact of the Johnson City CPA on participants' attitudes and beliefs about police work. Surveys were analyzed to discover differences in age, education levels, gender and prior interest in police work concerning satisfaction, importance of training, and behavior change. Older respondents reported the most benefit from participation, while younger respondents were more likely to change their behaviors. Those with mid level educations gained the …

A Policy Discourse Analysis Of U.S. Land-Grant University Diversity Action Plans, Susan Van Deventer Iverson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Ontological View Of The Kingdom Of God In Gutierrez, Segundo, Boff, And Sobrino, Hugo Monroy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The great majority of the four hundred and fifty million people in Latin America are poor and oppressed. Presenting the gospel to them as good news is a challenge for any theologian. Theologians' lives are at risk in most places regardless of the ideology they endorse. Jon Sobrino escaped death because he was lecturing out of the country when a military squad came into his home and killed his six companions and the two women who helped them. To serve in a context of poverty and death, theologians need more than church doctrines, creeds, and traditions to sustain them in …

A Study Of Attrition In A Respiratory Care Associate Degree Program In A Northeast Tennessee Community College., Donna D. Lilly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Walters State Community College's Respiratory Care (WSCC RC) Program had a 33% attrition rate during a five-year period from 1999 through 2003. This study analyzed demographic, pre-admission, and academic variables to identify reasons for attrition within the WSCC RC program. The population size was 90 students; this was the entire population of five consecutive classes graduating during a five-year period from 1999 through 2003. The criterion variables included high school attended, gender, age, college-level GPA, college-level credit hours, and developmental requirements.

Statistical tests revealed that college-level GPA, college-level credit hours, and developmental requirements influenced persistence within the population. The …

Validation Of An In Vivo Model For Monitoring Trabecular Bone Quality Changes Using Finite Element Analysis., Boon Horng Kam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A combination of three techniques – high resolution micro computed tomography (micro CT) scanning, Archimedes-based volume fraction measurement and serial sectioning or milling – were used to determine the volume fraction, trabecular thickness, trabecular separation, trabecular number and micro finite element analysis combined with mechanical testing was used to determine the apparent stiffness and tissue modulus to quantify bone quality in rabbit distal femur trabecular bone. The objectives of this dissertation were two-fold. First, to develop the capabilities of micro CT scanning and micro CT image segmentation based on a slice-by-slice global thresholding technique to investigate trabecular microstructural changes in …

Thermal Conductivity Measurement Of Thin Film Of Carbon Swnt Using The 3w Technique., Anton Nickolaevich Sidorov 1981-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We have measured the temperature-dependent thermal conductivity, K(T) of single walled carbon nanotubes from 300 K to 8 K by 3w methods. K(T) exhibits linear temperature dependence in the entire temperature range. Our results are in good agreement with the results obtained by Hone et al. using a standard steady state technique. Also we measured the temperature-dependent thermal conductivity K(T) of quartz and SiO2 in the same temperature range (300 K to 8 K) as a standardization tool. Our technique shows promise for the thermal conductivity measurements of many nanostructures with slight modifications.

A Microreactor System For Measuring Size Selectivity In Porous Wo3 Sensor Materials, Meng Lu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Our interest in studying reactions catalyzed by high surface area W0₃ powders is based on their potential application as the active material in sensors for low level (ppb) detection of flammable or toxic gases. A series of porous W0₃ powders with both meso- and micro-porosity have been synthesized by Waghe and Tripp. Preliminary results of the response of sensors fabricated from these materials indicated the possibility of size selectivity on the molecular scale. To provide support for the hypothesis of size selectivity and understand the reaction kinetics of alcohols over the new porous W0₃ powders for sensor …

A Middle School Standards-Based Science Curriculum Handbook, Eleanor B. Hess

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As teachers implement the National Science Education Standards (1996) many must change the instructional methods they have used throughout their careers. This handbook will assist teachers to be facilitators in inquiry-based classrooms. The nine units of this handbook have been implemented for three years in an eighth grade classroom and have been used and modified by three different teachers to meet their own needs. The units in this handbook were chosen by MSAD #3, Unity, Maine, to reflect the curriculum requirements of The State of Maine Learning Results (1997). Included in this handbook are physics units covering motion, forces, work, …

Nursing Education Administrators' Perceptions Of The Recruitment And Retention Of African American Male Nursing Students, Maggie Thurmond Dorsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present descriptive study obtained nursing education administrators perceptions about the use and effectiveness of recruitment and retention strategies for African American male nursing students as compared to those strategies used for all nursing students in their nursing programs. A survey based on a review of the literature was developed by the researcher. The survey was mailed to 241 baccalaureate degree nursing education administrators in the 16 states and District of Columbia, Southern Regional Educational Board (SREB) region with a response rate of 39.3 %. Descriptive analysis of each strategy on the survey was calculated to determine use and effectiveness. …

Current Parent Involvement Practices In Georgia Title I Schools As Reported By Title I District-Level School Administrators, Martha Massey Mcbride

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current parent involvement practices in Georgia Title I schools as reported by Title I district-level school administrators are described in this quantitative study. Data gathered describe strategies, means of communication, barriers, personnel, and staff development impacting parent involvement. The researcher found that, although districts employ a variety of research-based strategies to engage parents, only half of the surveyed strategies had been used with any degree of frequency. This is possibly attributable to the finding that almost two-thirds of the participants had five or fewer years Title I administration experience and that many districts had not provided teacher compensation or …

Controllability, Observability And Realizability, Inna N. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this research project, we analyze three important concepts of the control theory, including controllability, observability and realizability. In particular, we analyze the theory of and solutions to linear time systems, continuous and discrete time systems, time-varying systems, and first-order matrix Sylvester systems. Examples and sample computed calculations are provided for both uncontrolled and controlled systems. We also develop a new method for computing the approximate values of matrix exponentials, and use this to estimate solutions to initial value problems.

Selected Georgia High School Principals' Perceptions Of Student Diversity, Ronald James Wiggins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to identify Georgia high school principals' perceptions of student diversity. The student demographics of many Georgia school districts and schools are changing rapidly, while some school districts and schools have not experienced much, if any, demographic change. As a result, it is important for principals to be aware of what other principals perceive as advantages and disadvantages, the types of policies/programs that impact principals in regard to student diversity as well as to be familiar with artifactual evidence that may represent an appreciation or awareness of student diversity. The data displayed in this study was gathered …

Perceptions Of Georgia Elementary School Principals In Relation To Education Reform And The A+ Education Reform Act Of 2000, Doris Elizabeth Newton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the study, the researcher investigated the role perceptions of Georgia elementary school principals after the implementation of A+ Education Reform Act of 2000. Principals are being held accountable for making significant changes with in their schools. The reform movement may make the principal's job more demanding since new responsibilities have been added and few or none have been taken away. Demands that are now being placed on principals are such that few people are willing to step up and take on those responsibilities. Principals, as building administrators, have firsthand knowledge of the positive and negative impacts A+ Education Reform …

Georgia Technical College Administrators' Perceptions Of The Future Vocational And Academic Roles Of Georgia's Technical Colleges, Thomas Ennis Bragg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2000 the Georgia General Assembly passed House Bill 1187 giving the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education (DTAE) schools the right to change their names from technical institutes to technical colleges. This event could have led to a change in the type and method of delivery of course offerings at the technical colleges in Georgia. This study was designed to examine the technical college administrators' perceptions of the future vocational or academic roles of Georgia's technical colleges. A 21-question survey was designed to assess the administrators' perceptions of the future vocational and academic role of the 35 technical …

Receipt Of Health Information, Body Mass Index, And Physical Activity And Dietary Behaviors Among University Students, Julianne M. Meadows

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined relationships between receipt of health information, body mass index (BMI), and dietary and physical activity behaviors in a sample of university students (n=1,799). A cross-sectional design assessed health-risk behaviors. Students were placed into dichotomous categories related to receipt of health information, then grouped by risk and non-risk for each dependent behavioral variable; descriptive statistics were then generated. Odds ratios assessed relationships between receipt of health information and activity, diet, and nutrition for normal-weight and overweight students; odds ratios also assessed associations between BMI and diet and activity behaviors. Post-hoc analyses were also conducted. Students who received health …

Sponge Community Structure And Anti-Predator Defenses On Temperate Reefs Of The South Atlantic Bight, Richard Robert Ruzicka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The interaction between predation and anti-predator defenses of prey is important in shaping community structure in all ecosystems. This study examined the relationship between sponge predation and the distribution of sponge anti-predator defenses on temperate reefs in the South Atlantic Bight. Significant differences in the distribution of sponge species, sponge densities, and densities of sponge predators were documented across two adjacent reef habitats. Significant differences also occurred in the distribution of sponge chemical and structural defenses with chemical deterrence significantly greater in sponges associated with the habitat having higher predation intensity. Structural defenses, although effective in some instances, appear to …

Agrarian Impressions, Barney M. Durrence

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The images and words assembled in this thesis describe and relate experiences from my past that seem necessary to understanding my current body of ceramic and mixed media sculptures. As the title Agrarian Impressions implies, the stoneware sculptures are based upon memories from growing up on a self-sufficent farm. In addition to my functional work, my sculptures reference tools and machines used to aid the production and harvest of crops and troughs and animal feeders. Problem solving abilities learned long ago and which sometime appear as humorous make-do solutions, reflect the confidence farming has given me to take chances. In …

Home Range, Reproduction, And Habitat Characteristics Of The Female Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus) In Southeast Georgia, Maggie Jo Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The relationship among female gopher tortoise home range, size, reproduction, habitat characteristics and season were studied for a two-year period (May 2002-May 2004) on Fort Stewart Army Reserve (FSAR) in southeast Georgia. Tortoises were studied in four sectors or regions on Ft. Stewart that contain the longleaf pine/wiregrass ecosystem. Vegetation characteristics were consistent between the different areas that tortoises inhabited. Soil types were similar between areas and consisted of Blanton, Bonifay, Fuquay, Albany Sand, Chipley, Echaw, Centenary, Stilson and Tifton soil types. Vegetation, temperature, and rainfall data were collected and compared with female home range. Reproductive data were collected for …

Impact Of Labeling, Legislation, And Accommodations On The Academic Achievement Of African American Students With Learning Disabilities, Kimberly Suress Gaiters-Fields

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the last three decades, public schools have positively contemplated the concepts of mainstreaming, least restrictive environment and inclusion and have begun to serve more students with disabilities in K-12 general edcuation classes (Hicks-Coolick & Kurtz, 1996). There has been a corresponding increase in the number of students with disabilities who attend college and universities. However, at the postsecondary level, issues of educating students with disabilities are often different than those affecting K-12 education, and the instructional climate is much more challenging. Therefore, this trend calls for a more systematic method of assessing needed accommodations for diverse learning needs. The …

Reading Through Brown Eyes: Toward Developing A Culturally Congruent Reading Curriculum, Clara Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This inquiry examined the reading motivations of African American middle grade males and investigated why some African American males are more successful academically in reading than others. This investigative pathway traveled through the possible interconnected barriers relative to reading achievement and reading motivation using the research strategy of critical narrative inquiry and the theoretical lens of critical race theory. Simultaneously, this qualitative analysis investigated racial/ethnic identity as it relates to background, popular culture, and learning styles as motivational factors for engaging African American males in reading and the learning process. African American, middle-grade males guided this path of exploration in …

Culture Of Obesity, Bridget Frugoli Melton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation sought to critically analyze the university environment by examining how the representation practices of corporations articulate with the growing obesity epidemic. For this study, existing data from one southeastern university was collected to describe the articulation between the university and obesity. The analysis examined the collected information and used the cultural studies concept of representation to expose the articulation between obesity and the university setting, including the three major theoretical works of Martin Nestle, Henry Giroux, Michel Foucault, and Paulo Freire. Physical fitness and dietary risk behaviors in students were described using the instrument of the 1995 National …

A Study Of Associations Between Third Grade Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program Scores And Subsequent Scores In A Rural Tennessee School District., David Cloud

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the associations and differences that exist in the NCE scores of students on the TerraNova portion of the Tennessee Comprehensive Exam, as well as the possible influence of variables such as initial scores, grade level, gender, and free or reduced lunch status. The population consisted of a stable group of 49 students enrolled in a rural Tennessee school district reported to have taken the annual assessment at the same school as they progressed from 3rd to 8th grade during the 1999 to 2004 school years. The study focused on the performance of students over …

Website Optimization, Design, And Restructuring., Christopher Thomas Gibson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The website has become a staple in the business environment, to provide information and services, and connect business-to-business and business-to-customers. Many of these sites require re-engineering in order to facilitate the needed complexities and frequent changes demanded. For such efforts, it is essential for web management to be adequately quantified with relevant metrics and measures. This thesis investigates useful metrics through a case study approach and presents usability and maintainability as the two primary categories of metrics, which provide useful information for web engineering analysis and development.

Ethnicity As An Independent Predictor Of Incontinence Care Seeking When Theoretical Modeling Is Used., Michael Heit 1962-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Urinary incontinence is a major public health problem affecting 30% of community dwelling women aged 35-85. Urinary incontinence may have a significant impact on activities of daily living depending on the severity of symptoms. Women with urinary incontinence suffer from psychological distress associated with the self-imposed social isolation required to hide their disorder from friends and family. The annual health care costs for managing urinary incontinence has been estimated at nearly 26 million dollars and 70% of these costs are attributed to remedies that are not covered by healthcare insurance. Yet, only 25-50% of incontinence sufferers seek professional care for …

Hanging The Moonbow : Tom Wallace And The Cumberland Falls Fight, 1926-1931., Noah Garland Huffman 1981-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an examination of Louisville Times editor Tom Wallace's fight to prevent the construction of a hydroelectric dam at Cumberland Falls, Kentucky between 1926 and 1931. By mining Wallace's recently cataloged personal papers, this study provides a narrative of Wallace's lead role in the campaign that resulted in the preservation of Cumberland Falls and the establishment of a state park on the site in 1931. More importantly, however, as a case study of conservation activism during the understudied period from late 1920s and early 1930s, this thesis illustrates how Wallace developed certain arguments and strategies that were especially …