Digital Commons Network^™

Soccer Penalty Kick Pre-Impact Cues Of Male Right-Footed High School Soccer Players, Jason Ryan Jones

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to use direct observation methods to collect evidence of pre-impact cues in a soccer penalty kick and to analyze their predictive powers in determining shot direction. The five pre-impact cues were position of the approachru n, alignmento f the hips,leano ftrunk, placemenot f non-kickingf oot, and actiono f the non-kickings idea rm.V ideo wasc ollecteda ndt hena nalyzedu singa Dartfishrn tagging panel. There were a total of fifty male high school right-footed participants.C oachesfr om areah igh schools occert eamsp rovidedt heir top penaltyk ick takerst o participatein the study.V ideo wasc ollectedo n …

A Comparison Of Course Completion, Satisfaction, Achievement, And Performance Among Non-Profit Professionals Who Complete Andragogical Or Pedagogical Online Learning Modules On Grant Writing, Joe Bernard Bradley Jr.

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes among staff members of nonprofit social service agencies who participated in or completed an andragogicallyfacilitated or a pedagogically-conducted online learning module on foundation grant writing. The efficacy of andragogical methods is unknown and often debated due to scarce empirical research on the topic. Though most prior empirical studies revealed no significant differences in outcomes between the two methods, this is the first study of its kind to address each of the assumptions of andragogy in an online non-formal learning environment. Effectiveness was measured based on participants’ self-reported reaction to learning …

Web 2.0 And Self-Reported Student Performance Among High School Students In Rural Schools, Joseph Carl Cash

Dissertations

This research intends to contribute to the current literature available on the appropriate levels of utilizing Web 2.0 resources in the classroom, therefore, amicably submitting the study's results collaboration of a dynamic theoretical construct for pedagogy in the digital age. Educators must contend with and adapt to cognitive changes within their students. School leaders face existential questions regarding the role of the teacher, the role ofthe student, and the method by which these two partners interact. School administrators aware of the substantive challenge facing traditional methods of instruction should be able to provide professional development to teachers that would accurately …

Teacher Depth Of Knowledge As A Predictor Of Student Achievement In The Middle Grades, Tracy Henshaw Jackson

Dissertations

Schools strive to hire highly qualified teachers to educate and empower students to become high performers (NCEE, 1983; Erickson, 1995). As a part of this effort, teachers are required to obtain specific skills and certification to meet students’ academic needs. While the intent is recognized, there continues to be a discrepancy between highly qualified teachers in the middle grades and student achievement (The Nations Report Card, 2005; Turner-Bissett, 1999). Therefore, it is imperative to examine teachers’ perceptions and instructional strategies that may influence students’ achievement.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a correlation between high-performing …

Aqueous Raft Synthesis Of Stimuli-Responsive, Amphiphilic Block Copolymers And Self-Assembly Behavior In Solution And Incorporation Into Lbl Films, Matthew Grady Kellum

Dissertations

Of all the living radical polymerization techniques, reversible addition– fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization is arguably the most versatile in terms of the reaction conditions (e.g. temperature and solvent selection), monomer selection (e.g. neutral, anionic, cationic, and zwitterionic), and purification. Since the introduction of RAFT in 1998, the McCormick research group and others including the Lowe, Sumerlin, and Davis research groups have synthesized a wide range of (co)polymers with predetermined molecular weights, low polydispersities, and advanced architectures utilizing aqueous RAFT (ARAFT) polymerization. These research groups have also studied how various block copolymers exhibit stimuli-responsive behavior due to a change in …

An Investigation Of The Classroom Component Of Positive Behavior Intervention And Support System On Appropriately Engaged Behavior, Kathryn Marie Menousek

Master's Theses

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the withinclass component of positive behavior support in the form of ticket presentation with verbal praise in the classroom in increasing appropriately engaged behavior. A multiple baseline comparison across three classrooms was utilized to assess and compare each classroom's mean percentage of observed intervals of appropriately engaged behavior across intervention phases (baseline, direct teaching and review of PBIS classroom expectations and rules, direct teaching and review of PBIS classroom expectations and rules with ticket presentation and verbal praise, direct teaching and review of PBIS classroom expectations and rules …

The Catastrophic Position Of The Judenräte: Self-Serving Collaborators Or Honorable Martyrs?, Meghan Kerry Waldow

Master's Theses

During the Holocaust, the Nazis appointed a select group of Jewish leaders to carry out their demands and orders throughout the ghettos of Eastern Europe. These influential men made up the Judenrate. From the beginning of the ghettos until their tragic demise, these Jewish leaders were responsible for executing difficult, and at times immoral, orders from the Nazis. With little time, money, and resources, somehow these Jews were to establish a system of government within the small boundaries of their quarantine. Put in an unfathomable position, these specially chosen men received power and influence during a time that removed both …

The Natural Provenance: Ecoliteracy In Higher Education In Mississippi, Sarah Elizabeth Wheeless

Dissertations

Researchers have suggested that there is an increasing apathy in the study of natural history both in academic settings and in the scientific community (Schmidly, 2005). Natural history is the cornerstone of ecological literacy. However, most studies of environmental knowledge do not directly address knowledge of local natural history. Instead, they concern knowledge of human environmental issues, environmental concepts, or broad ecological knowledge. Ecoliteracy established the study of natural history as fundamental to environmental knowledge and seeks to determine levels of knowledge of local environments and factors associated with that knowledge (Pilgrim et al., 2007).

This study investigated ecoliteracy in …

Comparison Of The Biological Attributes, First And Second Level Of Detail Of Friction Ridge Skin Of The Palms And Fingers, Kelley Bryant Counts

Master's Theses

Since the case of Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, the Daubert criteria is nothing new to forensic science. Today's practices and techniques presented in a court of law are held to high scientific scrutiny. For nearly 100 years, expert witness testimony concerning fingerprint identification has been allowed into courts with little challenge, as it is supported by several areas of research that acknowledge that no two fingerprints are the same; they will remain unchanged during an individuals lifetime, and that fingerprints have a general systematic classification system. In the past, the assumption was always made that palm prints adhered to …

Comparison Of Extraction Techniques For Δ-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol From Urine, Ashlyn Christine Harmon

Master's Theses

With the increasing use of marijuana, efficient methods to extract and detect Δ-9-THC in urine samples and relate the concentrations found to time is a necessity so that impairment can be determined. Δ-9-THC is conjugated to glucuronic acid in urine and must be freed before the compound can be detected by chromatographic procedures. In past research, either a strong alkaline solution or β-glucuronidase has been used to cleave the bond between the Δ-9-THC and glucuronic acid before an alkaline extraction. Δ-9-THC has a pKa of 10.6 and therefore is always extracted at an alkaline pH. In this study, both a …

An Examination Of Aggressive Behavior In Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Aduncus), Lauren Elizabeth Miller

Master's Theses

Agonistic behavior is often observed in animal groups in which individuals have long-term relationships. Although bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) are known to behave aggressively, relatively little is known about such behavior among wild animals. Much of the data on delphiilid aggression comes from captive studies, and is likely biased by the limited space available to the animals. In this study, video data collected from 1997 to 2007 were analyzed to examine aggressive behaviors in a wild population of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) off the coast ofMikura Island, Japan. The purpose of the study was to determine if age class, …

A Study Of The Effectiveness Of A Pilot Training Program In An Organizational Setting: An Intervention For Work Engagement, John Joseph Kmiec Jr.

Dissertations

This study measured the effects of a learning intervention designed to enhance the capabilities of immediate managers to increase the level of work engagement in line employees at a small manufacturing firm in south Mississippi. The study answered the call of researchers to investigate the impact of innovative management practices on work engagement (Bakker, Schaufeli, Leiter, & Taris, 2008). The firm’s Production business unit managers participated in a 90-day learning program based on five skills outlined by Flagello and Dugas (2009); the Maintenance business unit managers did not participate in the learning. At three intervals during the intervention, the researcher …

An Examination Of Hurricane Emergency Preparedness Planning At Institutions Of Higher Learning Of The Gulf South Region Post Hurricane Katrina, Caterina Gulli Ventura

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine hurricane emergency preparedness planning at institutions of higher learning of the Gulf South region following Hurricane Katrina. The problem addressed the impact of Hurricane Katrina on decision-making and policy planning processes. The focus was on individuals that administer the hurricane emergency preparedness plans and processes at universities. The research sought comprehension of the complexity of responsibilities while aspiring to build more effective policy. The research procedures consisted of two phases. The first phase of the research used the hurricane emergency preparedness plans of universities and colleges in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi to …

Later Life Decision-Making: Experiential Adult Learning And Successful Aging, Shauna Pearce Breland

Dissertations

The focus of this study was on how aging adults make critical life decisions such as those involving health care and health care benefits, living arrangements for later life, and organizing personal affairs. The participant group consisted of 8 sexagenarians and 4 septuagenarians who had recently made or were currently making these critical life decisions.

The study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used to allow the researcher to examine the phenomena of decision-making and aging within the context of the life experiences of the individuals being studied. Each subject participated in a single in-depth …

Investigation Of Novel Quasiliving Polyisobutylene Chain-End Functionalization (Quenching) Methods, David Lee Morgan

Dissertations

This volume recounts efforts toward the development and understanding of chain functionalization techniques involving the direct addition of nucleophiles to quasiliving polyisobutylene (PIB). Nucleophiles included in the study were sterically hindered organic bases, (di)sulfides, N-substituted pyrroles, and alkoxybenzenes. A kinetic investigation of the end-quenching of TiCl4-catalyzed quasiliving PIB with sterically hindered amines was used to determine the mode of interaction with TiCl4 and the active species responsible for -proton abstraction. 2,5-disubstituted-N-hydropyrroles formed pyrrole-TiCl3 adducts that were active in formation of exo-olefin chain ends; whereas, with other sterically hindered amines, only an equilibrium fraction of the amine that did not complex …

The Nightingale Of Austerlitz, Lindsay Marianna Walker

Dissertations

The Nightingale of Austerlitz employs poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to articulate the theme of (mis)communication. A pliable, multi-genre approach was necessary to convey the urgency of two central characters’ desire to connect despite the impossibility of doing so. Prose interrupts and challenges the set precision of poetry in order to embody the stops and starts—the literal and figurative breakdowns—of communication. The juxtaposition of genres dramatizes dialogue, silence, affective distance, and desire. Song, sound, repetition (using lullaby, referencing music, thematizing the ear) further assert the power of language as performance and aesthetics as consolation, and provoke a particular kind of attention …

Global Agricultural Price Supports: The Political And Economic Forces That Drive Unsustainable Agricultural Protectionism Policy, John Francis Hays

Dissertations

Agricultural tariffs and price supports are the last bastion of US and European protectionism. While all other areas of commerce have embraced change and welcomed open-market international commerce, agriculture has remained the lone holdout.

The small farmers for whom these support programs were designed no longer exist. Yet governments appropriate billions of dollars annually for the continued support of these outdated programs.

The fact that these governmental agencies resist change, even in an age of economic crises, record national debt, and one of the highest negative trade balances in history, is testimony to American civic indifference.

Public apathy precludes timely …

Knowledge Transfer In Public School Food Service: Post-Implementation Of The Process Approach To Haccp Food Safety System, Lydia Rebecca Frass

Dissertations

Based on Havelock's (Havelock & University of Michigan. Center for Research on Utilization of Scientific Knowledge, 1969) Knowledge Transfer Model and using Kirkpatrick's Training Evaluation Model (1996a, 1996b) levels of Reaction, Behavior, and Learning, this study analyzed knowledge transfer between public school district managers, cafeteria managers, and line workers. These employees were trained through cascade training methods during the federally mandated implementation of the Process Approach to HACCP food safety system beginning in the 2005-2006 school year.

Measuring Behavior, an Observation Checklist (based on HACCP's 7 steps and 10 FDA food borne illness risk factors and interventions) was used to …

Synthesis Of Functional Copolymers Via Aqueous Raft Polymerization For Bioconjugation And Targeted Delivery Of Small Interfering Rna, Adam Wesley York

Dissertations

The versatility of reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization has moved this controlled radical technique to the forefront of copolymer construction for bioapplications including polymeric drug/gene delivery vehicles. Strengths of the RAFT process include the capacity to control the polymerization of a wide variety of vinyl monomers under mild conditions, its tolerance to numerous chemical groups that allow the preparation of functional copolymers for facile modification, and the range of copolymer architectures with predetermined end group functionalities which may be synthesized. Given these strengths, RAFT polymerization was utilized in this research to synthesize functional/reactive copolymers for bioconjugation and targeted delivery …

Professional Development In College Science Teaching, Aimee Kathryn Thomas

Dissertations

Graduate students earning a doctorate in the sciences historically focus their work on research and not professional development in college science teaching. However, for those who go on to a career in academia, a majority of their time will be dedicated to teaching. During the past few years, graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) have been prepared to teach by attending a daylong workshop that included logistical information, but left pedagogy largely unexplored. Since that time, a seminar has been added to provide an introduction to pedagogical theory and practices and to provide practice teaching in the biological sciences laboratory course. Yet, …

The Quality Of Student Experiences In Traditionally Scheduled Courses Versus Block Scheduled Courses At Pearl River Community College, David Scott Alsobrooks

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if students at Pearl River Community College (PRCC) achieve significantly different self-reported Quality of Effort levels when enrolled in block scheduled programs than students enrolled in traditionally scheduled programs. This study focuses on Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs at PRCC in the spring of 2009. The Community College Student Experiences Questionnaire was completed by 294 (192 traditional and 97 block) students of the 672 (514 traditional and 143 block) total students enrolled in CTE programs during the term. No significant differences were found in the students’ self-reported Quality of Effort levels …

A Critical Analysis Of The Implementation Of Depth Of Knowledge And Preliminary Findings Regarding Its Effectiveness In Language Arts Achievement, Carol Elizabeth Ferguson Viator

Dissertations

Mississippi implemented its new curriculum standards with depth of knowledge (DOK) goals in 2007, but successful educational reform requires effective professional development that prepares teachers to make the needed instructional changes. This study evaluated whether there were statistically significant relationships among professional development duration, frequency, type of training, utilization of training in instruction and assessment, and teachers’ perceptions of instructional and assessment implementation practices and language arts achievement for third, fourth, and fifth graders as measured by the MCT2 language arts assessment. The study also evaluated teacher perceptions of the implementation of depth of knowledge in instruction and assessment and …

The Use Of Multiple Intelligence Concepts With Middle School Students And Future Academic Achievement, Christa Fountain Glenn

Dissertations

This quantitative quasi-experimental study examined the variables of student’s grade point averages when Multiple Intelligences were introduced and implemented in a study in 2007. To examine this information, in 2007 a study was conducted of 115 eighth grade students from a single grade school in the southern United States. At the conclusion of the study in 2007, it was the researchers’ belief that students may possibly utilize the Multiple Intelligences in their upcoming years as high school students, therefore, the study continued and the academic achievement by way of grade point averages of 94 of the original students now ending …

Multi Stimuli-Responsive Copolymers Obtained From Colloidal Dispersions, Fang Liu

Dissertations

This dissertation describes the design, synthesis, and development of multi stimuli-responsive random copolymers that exhibit collective responsiveness to temperature, pH or electromagnetic radiation. New colloidal particles of poly(N-(DL)-(1- Hydroxyymethyl) propylmethacrylamide/n-butyl acrylate) (p(DL-HMPMA/nBA) and poly(2-(N,N′-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate/n-butyl acrylate) (p(DMAEMA/nBA)) were synthesized, which upon coalesce to form solid continuous films. The presence of lower glass transition (Tg) nBA components not only facilitate film formation, but also provide sufficient free volume for polymer chain rearrangements. These studies showed that coalesced films exhibit 3D dimensional changes upon external stimuli, which are attributed to the collapse and conformational changes of stimuli-responsive components as well as buckling …

Investigation Of Network Architecture Development And Properties In Thermoset Matrices, Jeremy Owen Swanson

Dissertations

Matrices employed in composite materials directly influence overall composite properties. In all thermoset materials, molecular level interactions and transformations during cure result in heterogeneous architecture. Variability in connectivity results from the often dramatic spatial and topological changes that occur during the crosslinking process. Compatibility (fillers, pigments, additives), temperature gradients and reactivity differences in the precursors only serve to increase the complexity of network formation. The objective of the research herein is to characterize and understand the relationships between cure conditions, conversion, connectivity, network architecture and properties in glassy thermosetting matrix resins.

In this research, epoxy and vinyl ester resins (VERs) …