Digital Commons Network^™

Language Learning Strategies Among Saudi Efl College Students And Their Relationship To Students’ Perceptual Learning Style, Gender, Academic Major And Proficiency Level, Saeed Saleh Alkahtani

Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the type and the frequency of language learning strategies and perceptual learning style preferences among Saudi EFL college students. It was conducted to examine the relationship between the students’ perceptual learning style preferences and their use of various types of language strategies. The study also examined the influence of genders, academic disciplines and language proficiency levels on the students’ preferences to employ different language learning strategies.

Participants in the study were 667 EFL college students studying at Yanbu English Language Institute (YELI). Participants included 440 male and 227 female students who enrolled in the preparatory English program. …

Factors Influencing Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Land Use, Land-Use Change, And Forest Activities, Pattarawan Watcharaanantapong

Doctoral Dissertations

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are a major global issue because of their effects on climate and the resulting environmental and human impacts. The primary greenhouse gases (GHGs), carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O), are emitted into the atmosphere from a myriad of human activities such as energy supply, manufacturing, transportation, commercial and residential buildings, and waste. Additionally, management activities on agricultural and forest lands can influence GHG emissions substantially. Even though GHGs can be released into the air via the sectors mentioned, GHGs, especially CO₂, can be removed from …

Young Children’S Social Connections: Characteristics Of Social Networks And Types Of Support, Daniela Andrea Salinas Maturana

Doctoral Dissertations

Most researchers agree about the importance of having a rich network of relationships and adequate support system. However, a limited number of studies have focused on young children’s social support networks or have examined the role that culture plays in shaping these relationships. This dissertation includes three manuscripts that address distinct aspects of children’s social support networks, guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological perspective. The objectives of the first manuscript are twofold. First, a systematic literature review was conducted to determine the current state of knowledge related to children’s social support networks. The results from this review revealed that further examination of …

Stories Of Success: A Phenomenological Study Of Positive Transformative Learning Experiences Of Low-Socioeconomic Status Community College Mathematics Students, John Thomas Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

All too often education research focuses on academic disparities with under-served student populations. Frequently, both remedial and introductory college-level mathematics courses are cited as gatekeepers or insurmountable barriers for adult low-socioeconomic status (LSES) students. There has been a call from within the mathematics education community for less gap-gazing at disparities and more studies of success within marginalized groups. Many previously unsuccessful, under-prepared, under-served, and under-supported students persist and eventually succeed. In addition, there is a lack of research through the lens of the community college as a unique educational context, distinct from both K-12 and the four year colleges and …

Family Experiences With Standardized Assessments Leading To Participation In The Opt Out Movement, Christy Lee Evans

Doctoral Dissertations

With the hope of giving voice to individuals who are usually left out of conversations regarding standardized assessments—the families who live with the effects of those tests on their children—this study was designed to answer the following research questions:

1) Who are some of the individuals who are participating in the opt out movement?

2) How are some individuals making the decision to participate in the opt out movement?

a) What knowledge do these individuals who are participating in the opt out movement have regarding the standardized assessments that their children are being given in public schools?

b) How have …

Treatment Preferences And Outcome In A Randomized Controlled Trial For Depression Comparing Supportive-Expressive Therapy To Medication And Pill Placebo, Sophia Elsie Winter

Doctoral Dissertations

Previous research regarding the relationship between patient treatment preferences on outcome has been equivocal, with some studies finding a significant relationship between preference match and outcome, and others finding no such evidence. This study examines the effect of patient treatment preference match on outcome using data from a previously published randomized controlled trial comparing supportive-expressive therapy (SET), to antidepressant medication plus clinical management, and to pill-placebo plus clinical management. The original study included 156 participants receiving treatment at the Center for Psychotherapy research at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. This study is the first to examine the relationship …

How Do People In Animal Welfare Fields Respond To Family Violence Situations?, Bethanie Allison Poe

Doctoral Dissertations

Cross-reporting refers to the idea that people working in human welfare and people in animal welfare fields who observe or have suspicions of abuse or neglect of children, domestic violence, elderly or disabled people, or animals, respectively, are obligated to report their observations to the appropriate agencies. This exploratory study investigates the types of maltreatment witnessed or observed while at work by people in animal related fields; what responses these workers are making to what they are seeing; and the factors influencing their responses. Using an open online survey, this study found that 21% to 29% of the participants indicated …

Academic Work Ethic In Middle School Students: Extending Scale Research And Investigating Construct Validity, Emily Pendergrast Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations

This three-study dissertation was designed to: 1) extend the research on Parkhurst’s (2013) Academic Work Ethic-Student (AWE-S) scale, 2) develop and analyze reliability of the Academic Work Ethic-Teacher (AWE-T) scale, and 3) expound on the construct validity of academic work ethic by comparing AWE-S and AWE-T scores to external factors (i.e., grades, perceived support, and parental work ethic) and Grit (Duckworth, 2007), a similar construct. Research was conducted in both rural and urban middle schools in Tennessee and included student, teacher, and parent participants.

Both scales were found to have high reliability coefficients and stable factor structures. Student scale (AWE-S) …

The Impact Of Stability Ball Seating On Behavior And Academic Achievement Among Elementary School Students In Grades 1 Through 4., Sheila R. Borders

Doctoral Dissertations

This study was designed to answer three questions: 1) What is the impact of stability ball seating on the behavior of students in grades 1 through 4? 2) What is the impact of stability ball seating on the mathematics scores of students in grades 1 through 4? and 3) What is the impact of stability ball seating on the reading scores of students in grades 1 through 4? Research has shown that stability ball seating is linked to behavior and academic achievement among students diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study examines the …

Development And Validation Of The Statistics Assessment Of Graduate Students, Dammika Lakmal Walpitage

Doctoral Dissertations

This study developed the Statistics Assessment of Graduate Students (SAGS) instrument, and established its preliminary item characteristics, reliability, and validity evidence. Even though there are limited number of assessments available for measuring different aspects of statistical cognition, these previously available assessments have numerous limitations. The SAGS instrument was developed using Rasch modeling approach to create a new measure of statistical research methodology knowledge of graduate students in education and other behavioral and social sciences. Thirty-five multiple-choice questions were written with stems representing applied research situations and response options distinguishing between appropriate use of various statistical tests or procedures. A focus …

Learning To Teach Online: An Investigation Of The Impacts Of Faculty Development Training On Teaching Effectiveness And Attitudes Toward Online Instruction, Karen Elizabeth Brinkley

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between one approach to training for online faculty and the ways in which the program influenced the participants’ teaching effectiveness and attitudes toward online instruction. Two research questions guided this study: (1) how did participating in an intensive course redesign intervention influence instructors’ teaching effectiveness in the online environment? and (2) how did participating in the training influence instructors’ beliefs or attitudes about online teaching? The theoretical framework guiding this study was the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model, developed by Mishra and Koehler (2005). Using a concurrent, mixed-methods design, …

Intra-Individual And Cross-Partner Associations Between The Five Facets Of Mindfulness And Relationship Satisfaction, Katherine Allison Lenger

Masters Theses

Research has established that mindfulness may be useful to individual and dyadic wellbeing among both early-stage and long-term relationships. Nonetheless, it remains unclear which mechanisms of mindfulness are most relevant to relationship satisfaction among long-term married couples. Furthermore, although previous research suggests that an individual’s total mindfulness is not related to his or her partner’s relationship satisfaction, we have yet to determine whether any specific facets of mindfulness may evidence a significant cross-partner association with relationship satisfaction. The present study seeks to address these gaps in the literature using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Data were collected from 164 …

Understanding The Relationship Between Country Reputation And Corporate Reputation, Minsoo Kim

Masters Theses

Increasing attention has been paid to the relationship between country reputation and corporate reputation by both public and private sectors. This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the relationship by investigating the factors that influence and are influenced by country reputation. In particular, this study examines (a) the impact of country reputation on foreign consumers’ attitudes toward brand and product purchase intentions, (b) the relationship between corporate reputation on country reputation, and (c) the mediating role of product image. Key findings of the study include the positive impact of corporate reputation on country reputation, and the mediating …

A Morphometric Examination Of Cranial Vault Modification In The Middle Cumberland Region Of Central Tennessee, Gregory James Wehrman

Masters Theses

Cranial vault modification (CVM) is a physical manifestation of intersections between culture and biology. Cultural practices that apply pressure to the head during infancy result in significant reshaping of the skull and can be either intentional or unintentional. Occipital flattening is present among many Mississippian skeletal samples from the Middle Cumberland Region (MCR) of central Tennessee and is thought to be an unintentional result of childcare practices. Traditional methods for CVM classification have concentrated on visual assessment of location and means of flattening; however, this method is subjective. This thesis seeks to evaluate visual assessment of CVM through a morphometric …

Scheduling For Timely Passenger Delivery In A Large Scale Ride Sharing System, Yang Zhang

Masters Theses

Taxi ride sharing is one of the most promising solutions to urban transportation issues, such as traffic congestion, gas insufficiency, air pollution, limited parking space and unaffordable parking charge, taxi shortage in peak hours, etc. Despite the enormous demands of such service and its exciting social benefits, there is still a shortage of successful automated operations of ride sharing systems around the world. Two of the bottlenecks are: (1) on-time delivery is not guaranteed; (2) matching and scheduling drivers and passengers is a NP-hard problem, and optimization based models do not support real time scheduling on large scale systems.

This …

Leadership Attainment Of 14 Women In Agriculture: A Qualitative Study, Shelby Rose Brawner

Masters Theses

Though the number of women entering agricultural careers is slightly increasing in the United States and internationally, women who enter male dominated professions, such as agriculture, may be perceived as inherently unsuited for such work (Doss et al., 2011). The purpose of this study was to highlight and discuss the backgrounds and success of women in agricultural leadership roles. The central research question was how have women in agriculture attained their leadership role in a male dominated field? Specific criteria was set for selecting participants, and the criteria included their background experiences, uniqueness to the agriculture field, the impact they …

Assessing Tennessee Livestock Producers' Awareness, Attitudes And Perceptions Of Right-Of-Way Hay Harvesting, Sarah Joy Maccaro

Masters Theses

In the state of Tennessee, statute 54-5-134, cutting hay along controlled access highway right-of-way, gives Tennessee agriculturalists the right to harvest hay along interstate medians and shoulders. Current maintenance is contracted out to private mowing companies and paid for by Tennessee taxpayers. Relatively few studies have been published on the topic of right-of-way hay harvesting, so this study was preliminary in nature. Through a questionnaire, this study sought to assess Hickman, Dickson, Williamson, Wilson and Rutherford county livestock producers’ current awareness, attitudes, and barriers concerning right-of-way hay harvesting as well as to conduct economic impact analyses to determine producers’ willingness …

Grounded Theory On China’S New Population Policy Reporting By The New York Times, Chen Hu

Masters Theses

The current thesis explores The New York Times’ coverage of China’s new population policy. On November 26, 2013, China updated its one-child policy to the selective one-child policy that allowed couples to have two children if one of the parents is single child. On October 30, 2016, China then erased the one-child policy, implementing the universal two-child policy that allowed all couples to raise two children. The New York Times, as an important western medium extensively covered China’s population policy.

This study collected 40 news articles from The New York Times, using grounded theory to explore the …

Family Environment Variables And Adjustment Outcomes In Appalachian Youth: The Moderating Role Of Participation In Extracurricular Activities, Rebecca Lee Shorter

Masters Theses

Objective: Poor family functioning and parenting practices are often linked to poor adjustment outcomes for children and adolescents. We examined the association between relational and contextual family environment variables and adjustment outcomes in an understudied sample of rural Appalachian youth. Also examined was whether extracurricular involvement moderated the relationship between these variables. Method: Participants were 367 adolescents from multiple high schools (grades 9-12) in an Appalachian region of rural East Tennessee. Self-report measures were used to assess internalizing and externalizing problems, family relationships, extracurricular activity, and health risk behaviors; truancy data was collected from academic records. Results: As expected, family …

Effect Of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (N-3 Pufa) Supplementation To Lactating Sows On Growth And Indicators Of Stress In The Post-Weaned Pig, John M. Mcafee

Masters Theses

The first experiment was designed to determine the concentration of protected fish oil product (PFO), as Gromega^TM, to be added that would sufficiently decrease the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ratio in the sows’ milk and colostrum. Of the 3 diets tested (0.25%, 0.5% and 1%) with a control (0% PFO), only the 1% PFO diet had an effect on the PUFA concentrations. The docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) concentration tended (P = 0.05) to be greater in the 1% PFO diet for both colostrum and milk samples. A second experiment was designed to …

Iconography: At The Intersection Of Historical & Personal, Alyssa Mcconnell Johnson

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Retail Investor: Technical And Fundamental Analysis, Ben Davis

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Can You Be Bicultural Without Being Bilingual? The Case Of Filipino Americans, Reiamari P Guevarra

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Mental Illness Through The Lens Of Theatre, Greta Hoffman

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Bystander Intervention Programs For Sorority Women, Elisabeth Callaghan Logan

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Assessing Tennessee Landowners' Attitudes Toward Wild Hogs And Support For Control Options, Carlotta Anne Caplenor

Masters Theses

Wild hogs (Sus scrofa) are an invasive species with destructive habits, particularly rooting and wallowing, which can directly impact agricultural crops, pasture land, and water quality. Considering wild hogs are widely dispersed across the landscape, it is extremely difficult to control them. Moreover, disagreements can arise among different stakeholders over whether and how their population should be managed. The purpose of this study was to examine Tennessee landowners’ attitudes toward wild hogs, to compare acceptability of control methods, and to evaluate the factors significantly influencing public support for wild hog control regulations. Logistic regression was used to analyze …

Graduate Council Minutes - November 10, 2016, Graduate Council

Graduate Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

Curriculum Committee Report - October 27, 2016, Graduate Council

Curriculum Committee Reports

No abstract provided.

Graduate Council Minutes - September 29, 2016, Graduate Council

Graduate Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

Household, Psychosocial, And Individual-Level Factors Associated With Fruit, Vegetable, And Fiber Intake Among Low-Income Urban African American Youth, Angela Trude, Anna Kharmats, Kristen Hurley, Elizabeth Steeves, Sameera Talegawkar, Joel Gittelsohn

Nutrition Publications and Other Works

Background: Childhood obesity, one of the greatest challenges to public health, disproportionately affects low-incomeurban minority populations. Fruits and vegetables (FV) are nutrient dense foods that may be inversely associated with excessive weight gain. We aimed to identify the individual characteristic, psychosocial, and household factors influencing FV and fiber consumption in low-income African-American (AA) youth in Baltimore, MD. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of data collected from 285 low-income AA caregiver-youth (age range: 10–14 y) dyads participating in the baseline evaluation of the B’More Healthy Communities for Kids obesity prevention trial. The Kid's Block FFQ was used to estimate daily intakes …