Education Commons^™

A Cost-Benefit Analysis Of The Expanded Food And Nutrition Education Program, Janie L. Burney

Doctoral Dissertations

Data on the economic value of nutrition education programs, such as the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), can help decision makers choose between alternative programs based on costs and benefits. A cost-benefit analysis of EFNEP was conducted to determine if savings in food expenditures exceeded implementation costs. Costs were collected over a 6-months using expenditure reports and other records. Benefits were determined using prospective data from 371 females enrolled in EFNEP who completed a 24-hour food recall, behavior survey, and recorded the amount of money spent on food monthly at program entry and exit. Two treatment groups received …

Mothers' Perceptions Of Family-Centered Early Intervention Service Coordination, Elsa Macmillan Nownes

Doctoral Dissertations

Profound changes have taken place in the way professionals work with families who have young children with disabilities. These changes have taken place because of revisions in what professionals believe is best practice and changes in laws that govern early intervention. Although previous researchers have addressed many questions pertaining to how best to serve young children and their families in early intervention, no previous researchers have used qualitative methods to explore parental perceptions of early intervention service coordination.

Mothers with children with special needs who resided in all nine districts served by Tennessee's Early Intervention System were interviewed. The sample …

A Life Of Paradox: The Experience Of Eating Disorders In Five University Women Athletes, Deeanne K. Pearson

Doctoral Dissertations

A qualitative research investigation using the phenomenological interview was conducted to describe the experience of eating disorders in five university women athletes, aged 19-23 years, who had been clinically-diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa and/or Bulimia Nervosa. At the time of the interview, one athlete was a current competitor while the other four had retired from their sport prior to their senior year. Three athletes retired due to complications from their respective eating disorders; one retired because of a sport-related injury. The thematic analysis suggested that the eating disorder experience of these women was one of paradox and was invariably bivalent, i.e., …

The Effect Of Modifying Eicosanoid Biosynthesis On Tumor Load In The Min/+ Mouse, Chun-Hung Chiu

Doctoral Dissertations

Several lines of evidence strongly link prostaglandins (PGs) and leukotrienes (LTs) to cancers of the intestine. Epidemiological studies showed aspirin and aspirin-like compounds reduced the relative risk of intestinal cancer in humans by 40-50%. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause regression of intestinal tumors in humans and laboratory animals as well. The precise mechanism of antitumor effect of these NSAIDs is uncertain, but it has been presumed the effect is due to their ability to inhibit prostaglandin biosynthesis. This dissertation is designed to investigate the effect of modifying eicosanoid biosynthesis by NSAIDs and dietary manipulation on tumor load in a …

The Effects Of Consideration And Initiating Structure Exhibited By Principals On Teacher Morale In Selected Louisiana Secondary Schools, Robert Wayne Webber

Doctoral Dissertations

This study was conducted to determine whether a statistically significant relationship exists between the leadership styles of principals and teacher morale in the public secondary schools of north Louisiana, as perceived by teachers. The Ohio State studies and Getzels and Guba's Social Systems Model for educational organizations provided the theoretical framework for this study. Selected demographic variables of gender of the teacher, years of teaching experience, and race of the teacher were considered in this study. Information on teacher morale was collected from teachers in 14 randomly selected schools of north Louisiana. Data were obtained concerning teacher morale using the …

Women And The Superintendency: Personal And Professional Demographics And The Perceptions Of Barriers And Strategies Held By Women Superintendents, Deanna Mary Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations

The major purposes of this study were to identify the personal and professional characteristics of women superintendents and to identify women superintendents' perception of barriers and successful strategies.

The survey instrument, Questionnaire on Perceptions of Barriers and Strategies Impacting on Women Securing the Superintendency, was sent to 360 women superintendents with a response rate of 60%. Frequency distributions showed that the average respondent was married between the ages of 50 and 59, was white, holds a doctoral degree, works in district with 1,000 to 2,999 students and has been in her current position for 1 to 4 years.

Frequency distributions …

Experiencing Abortion: A Phenomenological Investigation, Kathryn Rea Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

This project provided a description of women's experience of abortion. In-depth, non-directive interviews were conducted with ten adult women in which they were asked to describe what stood out for them about their experience of abortion. Transcribed interviews constituted the raw data, and a method informed by hermeneutic analysis was used for purposes of describing the thematic structure of the experience. Findings indicated that this structure was defined by four themes: (1) Wrong and Right Aspects; (2) Issues of Life and Death; (3) Absence or Presence of Support; and (4) A Hard Thing to Go Through. These themes were always …

Analyses Of Acceptable Use Policies Regarding The Internet In Selected K-12 Schools In The United States, Beverly Flowers

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence, origins, contents and purposes of Internet Acceptable Use Policies being used to address issues and concerns surrounding the Internet in 100 selected K-12 schools in the United States. The implementation practices of educators utilizing AUPs and the attitudes of educators toward the Internet were also examined. The study also investigated the number and location of Internet connections in the selected K-12 schools. A researcher-developed online survey was used to collect descriptive data in conjunction with qualitative data collected from a content analysis of 24 selected AUPs to address the purpose …

A Study Of Calculator Usage On The Mathematics Achievement Of Seventh- And Eighth-Grade Students And On Attitudes Of Students And Teachers, Tracie Bidwell Ellerman

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of calculator usage on the mathematics achievement of seventh and eighth grade students as measured by the Mathematics Concepts and Applications sections of the California Achievement Test. The study also investigated the attitudes of students and teachers toward calculator usage. Student attitudes were measured through responses to the Student Calculator Survey. Teacher attitudes were measured through responses to the Attitude Instrument for Mathematics and Applied Technology-Version II.

Intact classes from two north central Louisiana school systems were assigned randomly to treatment and control groups. The sample consisted of 1070 students …

Making Meaning Transformative Art Education For Middle School, Julia Marshall

Doctoral Dissertations

The problems this study addresses are the purpose and the methodology of contemporary art education in middle school. The research explores art-making as a potent teaching/learning process when used in critical pedagogy and participatory research. The study seeks to inquire into the world of the young adolescent, identifying the needs, issues and problems specific to middle school age students. It does this through using personal and communal life as the subject of art-making and reflection. Specifically, the study looks at what students discover about themselves and each other and the strategies that facilitate that discovery. The study examines how art …