Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Analysis Of Monitoring The Future: A Look At The Relationship Between Juvenile Delinquency And Involvement In School., Thomas Theodore Zawisza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between juvenile delinquency and involvement with various school activities. In order to do so data from the Monitoring the Future survey of high school seniors in 2008 were used. Univariate measures included descriptive statistics of the variables, while bivariate analysis determined if a relationship exists between the dependent and independent variables. Results of the analysis suggested mixed support for the relationship between adolescent delinquency and involvement in school activities.

A Study Of The Effects Of The Length Of Student-Teaching Experiences On New Teacher Efficacy., Alan Wayne Addison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the relationship between the length of student-teaching experiences and new teacher efficacy. Each year thousands of prospective new teachers endure the interview processes to be hired, complete induction programs, and begin their careers only to determine that the teaching profession is not what they assumed it would be. Local school districts spend thousands of dollars each year on orientation for these new teachers only to find them resigning within the first 5 years of service. Increasing new teacher efficacy is imperative to reducing new teacher attrition rates. The more student-teaching experiences an individual collects before entering the …

Residential Broadband Access For Students At Walters State Community College., Mark A. Hurst

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the availability of internet access for students attending Walters State Community College during the spring semester 2010. In particular, it is unknown to what degree broadband internet access is available in the counties that Walters State considers the service area of the college.

The research was conducted during the spring semester 2010 including the months February, March, and April of 2010. Data were gathered by surveying currently enrolled students of the college. Twelve percent of the population responded to the study. The survey instrument covered the areas of demographics, Internet connection type …

Wrongful Convictions As A Result Of Public Defender Representation., Annie Elizabeth Ross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Our criminal justice system works very hard to prevent criminals from harming other individuals; however, unfortunately mistakes happen. One wrongful conviction is one too many. There are multiple factors that can be assumed to be the cause of wrongful convictions. However, due to the lack of directly related research, the determents are not well established. The following research addresses wrongful convictions as a result of public defender representation. Through the process of theory construction, the research uses critical race theory and social disorganization theory to show the relationship between court appointed representation and wrongful convictions. A new theory is also …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Implementing Response To Intervention In Meeting Academic Needs Of At-Risk Students In Kindergarten Through Second Grade., Tammy Conchita Valentine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004) increased educators' awareness of Response to Intervention (RTI) as a means of providing high-quality instruction and interventions matched to student needs. The challenges that came with RTI were meeting every student's need, implementing scientific research-based interventions, and expecting mastery of grade-level standards.

The purpose of this study was to create a foundation of knowledge through exploratory case study interviews in 4 rural school districts in East Tennessee. All participants were certified teachers of kindergarten, 1st grade, or 2nd grade students. The guided interview approach was used to identify teachers' …

A Comparison Prior To And After Implementation Of A Ninth Grade Academy In East Tennessee High Schools., Judy Alisa Teffeteller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify student progress during the 9th grade year by evaluating student data prior to and after the implementation of a 9th grade academy in 2 east Tennessee high schools. The testing variables included the number of core credits earned, the number of elective credits earned, number of absences, and grade point average. Grouping variables included all 9th grade students and 9th grade students by gender prior to and after implementation of the 9th grade academy. Data were collected over 5 years (2005-2010). Paired-samples t-tests were used to make comparisons prior to and after …

Freshman Academies: A Study Of Student Outcomes., Karen Kelley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The transition to high school has been identified by researchers as a pivotal point in students' lives. The addition of a Freshman Academy in some schools has targeted the 9th grade year to ease students' transition to high school and increase the likelihood of academic success.

One purpose of this study is to compare student outcomes of schools that have implemented a Freshman Academy with schools that have not. Student outcomes are defined for this study to include graduation rates, attendance rates, instances of out-of-school suspensions, and instances of expulsions. The second purpose of this study is to compare student …

Spatial Analysis Of Motor Vehicle Accidents In Johnson City, Tennessee, As Reported To Washington County Emergency Communications District (911)., Katharine D. Bennett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study spatially analyzes emergency 911 call-for-service records from January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2009 for motor vehicle accidents inside the corporate limits of Johnson City, Tennessee. Records were compared according to the land use classification for adjacent properties, roadway type, and traffic signal proximity. Data were evaluated through ArcGIS software using proximity analysis, point pattern analysis, and hotspot analysis.

Motor vehicle accidents evaluated during this study consist of accident locations reported to the Washington County Emergency Communications District concerning property damage, personal injury, and fatalities. Results indicate localized areas with the highest number of traffic accidents contain the …

Vital Collaboratives, Alliances, And Partnerships: A Search For Key Elements Of An Effective Public-Private Partnership., Charles Keith Young

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Owing to the significant structural changes that have occurred in the global marketplace over the past 2 decades, a corresponding increase of public-private partnerships have been established among the business sector, local governments, and public community colleges. This qualitative project sought to identify and substantiate key elements that may be common to the formation, implementation, and maintenance stages of public-private partnerships. Who or what minimum conditions are necessary to the successful navigation of each stage? What obstacles typically arise during each stage, and how are they managed or circumvented? What sorts of benefits are generated through these partnerships and what …

On The Outside Looking In: A Qualitative Study Of Southern Appalachian First-Generation Students' Perceptions Of Higher Education., Michael Steven Briggs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to investigate Southern Appalachian, first-generation students' expectations of higher education. Research indicates that many first-generation students drop out of college after only 1 semester; however, little research exists concerning the expectations and experiences of first-generation college students from Southern Appalachia.

The study employs a qualitative methodology based in the tradition of grounded theory to highlight students' experiences while encouraging the emergence of data-driven theory based on what the researcher heard. Thus, the entire study is couched in the interpretivist philosophy of research.

Eleven full-time university students were interviewed for the study. They were asked to identify …

A Tumultuous Tenure: The Presidency Of Lyndon Baines Johnson., Michael Paul Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a work that focuses on how significant the press was to the success and failure of President Lyndon Baines Johnson. In the thesis, three aspects of the Johnson years are analyzed. The first chapter discusses the media's portrayal of Lyndon Johnson during the presidential campaign of 1964. The second chapter is an analysis of how the press reported on President Johnson concerning the issue of civil rights. The third chapter dissects the media's perception of Lyndon Johnson during the Vietnam conflict. The primary research used in the thesis is a culmination of polls, editorials, personal letters, and …

Examination Of The Death Penalty: Public Opinion Of A Northeast Tennessee University Student Sample., Kyle Aaron Burgason

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

How society views the use of the death penalty as a means of punishment greatly affects the decisions of lawmakers, politicians who use it as a platform for election, and the criminals who commit the crime of murder. This study used 40 different vignettes involving real-life murder scenarios in order for participants to form a more precise opinion of what the correct punishment for the crime should be. Given a choice between the death penalty, life without the possibility of parole, a prison term of their choosing, or other, participants were asked to assign a sanction for each vignette. Respondents …

Educational Interventions For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Perceptions Of Parents And Teachers In A Northeast Tennessee School System., Paula Anderson Nickels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study investigated the perceptions of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), special education teachers, and general education teachers in a Northeast Tennessee public school system regarding educational interventions for children with ASD including what interventions they have found effective, the barriers and challenges they have faced, and how they view their relationships with one another.

Data were collected through interviews with a purposeful sample of 7 parents of 6 children with autism spectrum disorders, 8 special education teachers, and 6 general education teachers and a review of documents. Parent and teacher participants represented children at …

Automation And Its Effects On The Workforce., Daniel L. Lawson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Companies are constantly involved in automating processes to make them more efficient. Project details concentrate on corporate details. Little, if any, information is released about employees and how they are affected. This study is designed to determine if employees affected by the automation of a manufacturing or business process have a better life and consider themselves to be successful from their own perspective 5 years after the automation was completed. The study also established the things that helped and barriers that hindered their success. A survey was developed and sent to 63 individuals who have participated in a project to …

Social Support And Family Criticism: Potential Moderators Of The Relationship Between Functional Impairment, Illness Burden, And Depression., Joshua Paul Hatfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social support and family criticism variables were examined as potential moderators of the association between illness burden and depression and between functional impairment and depression in a secondary data analysis. Participants (n=735) were older adults aged 65 and older from internal medicine and family medicine primary care offices. It was hypothesized that both illness burden and functional impairment would be associated with increased depressive symptoms and a diagnosis of depression. In addition, it was hypothesized that higher levels of social support and lower levels of family criticism would moderate this relationship. Both linear and logistic multivariate hierarchical regression analyses were …

Preliminary Executive Summary: Aserl Interlibrary Loan Needs Assessment And Best Practices Survey, David P. Atkins, John Burger, William Gee, Judy Greenwood, Pam King, Kristine Shrauger, Shirley Thomas

David P Atkins

A working group of ASERL librarians designed a survey to assess resource sharing issues and identify best practices. The results will assist ASERL in identifying programming and project areas to support resource sharing. The survey will also produce ILL and resource sharing benchmarks useful for future planning and assessment. The survey inquires into fundamental resource sharing outputs, networks, and technologies. To measure current best practices, the survey also incorporates Rethinking Resource Sharing "STARS" A Checklist Interlibrary Loan Assessment, devised by ALA/RUSA/STARS.

Instant Assessment: Using Response Systems To Evaluate Student Comprehension In Library Instruction, Leslie G. Adebonojo, Kathy Campbell, Mark Ellis

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Automatic Assessment Of Library Resources Utilizing Libguides, Leslie G. Adebonojo, Kathy Campbell, Mark Ellis

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Unfiltered?: A Content Analysis Of Pro Athletes' "Twitter" Use., Justin A. Shockley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As new media grow, so do the users who navigate the virtual world. People and organizations are forced to adapt in order to stay relevant in a technologically driven marketplace. The sports world has been changed drastically because of new media. Athletes no longer communicate with the general public solely through traditional media outlets such as newspapers. Social networking sites such as Twitterallow athletes to directly communicate with mass audiences. This direct communication raises several questions with regard to dynamics of communication and uses of Internet portals. A content analysis examined professional athletes' "Twitter" posts to help …

Associations Between Mindfulness And Symptoms Of Anxiety., Leisa L. Wells

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This cross-sectional exploratory study considered the associations between mindfulness and symptoms of anxiety. The participants in this study were 183 undergraduate students at a regional university in the southeastern United States. The general hypothesis was that higher levels of mindfulness would be associated with lower levels of anxiety. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to examine the association between a variety of aspects of mindfulness and symptoms of anxiety while controlling for a variety of demographic and historical variables, including previous experience with meditation. Results suggest that not all aspects of mindfulness were related to anxiety. Of the 12 specific …

Family Income, Maternal Marital Status, Maternal Employment, And The Development Of Overweight And Obesity During Childhood., Shaoqing Gong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the longitudinal associations of family income level, maternal marital status, and maternal employment with body mass measurements and the development of overweight and obesity. Multiple linear and logistic regressions were used to assess the effects of the exposure variables on weight status with simultaneous adjustment for the exposure variables and the covariates. Key findings include: Children in families with incomes below the poverty line at child's 24 or 54 months of age were at a higher risk of becoming overweight and obese at child's third grade than children in families with incomes above the poverty line; longer …

"Knowing Where I Am At": The Experience Of Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose For People With Non-Insulin-Requiring Type 2 Diabetes., Dana Elisabeth Brackney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Eleven participants living with non-insulin-requiring Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) discussed their self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) experience. All had been recently diagnosed (< 2 years) and treated for diabetes with a self-regulating SMBG guideline for primary care practice. Their digitally-recorded interviews and photographed logbooks were analyzed thematically and interpreted through the lens of numeracy literature to answer 2 questions: 1. What is the meaning of SMBG among people with non-insulinrequiring T2DM? 2. How do people with non-insulin-requiring T2DM perceive the function of SMBG in diabetes self-management? The meanings of SMBG were patient competence, "It is easy, just a little pin prick"; patient control, "I can control it. It doesn't control me"; and patient security, "It is not that way anymore." Three periods of lived time were observed: Diagnosis "The numbers say I have diabetes"; "I just can't figure out why it does that"; and Routine "I make my numbers." Prominent numeracy functions emerged by time period. During Diagnosis primary numeracy functions included comparing SMBG results to target values. Participants expressed this experience as, "I am some kind of O.K." During applied numeracy functions included taking medication correctly. SMBG readings were experienced as a clue to the diabetes mystery, sometimes confusing the participants, "I just don't …

East Tennessee State University Faculty Attitudes And Student Perceptions In Providing Accommodations To Students With Disabilities., Terre D.M. Byrd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine ETSU faculty attitudes and student perceptions in providing academic accommodations to students with disabilities.

Participants of the study were ETSU students with disabilities who are registered with the Disabilities Services office and faculty members of ETSU. Students with disabilities were interviewed. An online survey was sent to faculty members via the ETSU email system. Disability law and disability compliance year books served as the primary documents that were reviewed for pertinent information.

Grounded theory using a constant-comparison methodology served as the conceptual framework for the study. The grounded-theory approach allowed for the …

Review Of Organizing For Social Change, Rebecca Tolley

ETSU Faculty Works

Review of Organizing for Social Change : Midwest Academy Manual for Activists. Kim Bobo, Jackie Kendall, and Steve Max Forum Press. 2010. 401p, 9780984275212 $29.95

An Analysis Of The Tennessee Center For Performance Excellence Examiners' Continuous Improvement Process., Anita Paige Ricker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the continuous improvement process of the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCP). Results of surveys conducted annually by the TNCPE from postapplicants provided data from the state award applicants. Their responses offered indicators of satisfaction among different industry sectors (education, government, healthcare, manufacturing, nonprofit, and service) with the TNCPE services (criteria booklet, feedback report, site visit policy, TNCPE staff, and team of examiners). The survey data were obtained from the TNCPE office in Nashville, Tennessee in which award applicants were provided a series of survey questions. These questions involved the overall award …

Project 3rd Grade Environment: Descriptive Phenomenological Study Of The Physical And Learning Environment In A Transformed 3rd Grade Classroom., Charity Gail Hensley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is a descriptive phenomenological study of a 3rd grade classroom in East Tennessee that was transformed in late spring 2009 to be consistent with principles incorporated in the 21st Century Model for Teaching and Learning and Educational Change (Evanshen, 2010). The objectives of this study were 1)to document the current physical and learning environment and 2)interview the participant regarding a classroom transformation in relation to teaching and learning. Methods of data collection included: interview questions related to the classroom environment pretransformation and posttransformation, observation field notes, and photographs of the current environment. In addition, archival photographs of the pretransformation …

Hamlet From The Stage., David Blair

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hamlet From The Stage is a video production designed to be an extra feature on the DVD video of the stage production of Hamlet, performed by the Division of Theatre and Dance at East Tennessee State University, and filmed by the Department of e-Learning during the Spring Semester of 2009. Hamlet From The Stage is a professional interview style video package of the cast of Hamlet designed to help inexperienced collegiate actors learn some useful tools when approaching a Shakespearean audition or performance. This video package represents over eleven months of production: concept, writing, set design and studio setup, interview …

Graduation Rates: A Comparison Of First-Time, Full-Time Freshmen Who Entered A Community College Prepared And Those Who Entered Underprepared For College-Level Work., Kathy Jo Yates

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Each year millions of young people graduate from high school and enroll in colleges and universities across the country, and many of these students are underprepared for the demands and academic rigor of college-level courses. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were significant differences in graduation rates between students who entered college academically underprepared and those who entered academically prepared to enroll in college-level courses.

The subjects of the study were a selected group of students enrolled at a public, 2-year comprehensive community college located in Northeast Tennessee. The criteria used for selecting the subjects included: …

Tracking Sources Of Enrollment At Etsu Through The Use Of Gis., Charles Thomas Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research is to look at fall freshmen enrollment data for East Tennessee State University and see if patterns in the enrollment exist. This paper focuses on fall freshmen enrollment during the years 1997, 2002, and 2007 at ETSU. Once the data were gathered, they were mapped and statistically analyzed using geographic information systems (GIS) and statistical analysis software.

Many things were learned from the GIS maps created and statistical analysis. First, the maps showed that from 1997 to 2007, ETSU's enrollment became more consolidated in the East Tennessee region and moved westward into Middle and Western …

How Four Reform Initiatives Helped Develop Attitudes Regarding Change In Two Middle Schools In East Tennessee., Vicki Ann Clevinger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Schools and districts are implementing more change initiatives because of an increase in accountability through national, state, and city requirements. Teachers and administrators are responsible for adhering to change initiatives and producing the results to bring the reform initiative to a successful fruition. This study explores the attitudes that are prevalent in the schools regarding reform initiatives and the change process.

A qualitative research method was used to explore the prevailing attitudes about change among teachers and administrators. Teachers were not opposed to changing if their students would benefit from the change; however, changing just for change sake was not …