Other Education Commons^™

Perceptions By Heartland Educational Consortium (H.E.C.) Elementary Title I School Principals And Assistant Principals: Data Use In Their Role As Achievement-Related Decision Makers, Sherri Albritton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the age of accountability and assessment, there is a need to ensure that data provided regarding student achievement can be effectively and appropriately utilized by school site administrators in a systematic way to improve student achievement.

This study identified Heartland Educational Consortium Title I principals’ and assistant principals’ perceptions of their use of data as decision-makers in raising student achievement, with primary emphasis on Florida’s Differentiated Accountability Model.

Quantitative results revealed statistically significant differences in data use by administrators. Use of data by administrators for professional development was statistically significantly different from school improvement, leadership, or data skills. Data …

Swirling: An Examination Of Time-To-Degree, Reasons, And Outcomes Associated With Multi-Institutional Transfers, Alytrice Robinson Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Swirling is an emergent transfer pattern among college students. Swirlers are students who may have participated in a combination of reverse transfer, lateral transfer, or traditional transfer patterns. The available research on swirling has been predominately quantitative in nature. This study was designed to obtain qualitative data on multi-institutional transfers from a qualitative perspective.

A heuristic phenomenological approach grounded in the transformational learning theory method was used to obtain data. The data were obtained via an online blog-based interview. The interview revealed six themes in regards to why students swirl. This study also addressed time-to-degree and outcomes associated with students …

Principals' Content Knowledge: Examining The Relationship Between Principals' Reading Knowledge And Leadership Actions From Principals' And Teachers' Perceptions, Angela Suzanne Butler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Principals' leadership content knowledge in reading was investigated by examining the relationship between the perceived reading knowledge of principals and perceived leadership actions principals take to support reading instruction. Survey results from 78 principals and 1,876 teachers were analyzed. Results showed a positive, statistically significant correlation between principals' perceptions of their reading knowledge and principals' perceptions of the actions they take to support reading. A stronger positive, significant correlation between teachers' perceptions of their principal's reading knowledge and teachers' perceptions of their principal's actions was also demonstrated. These correlations substantiated studies that purported principals with more reading knowledge are more …

An Examination Of The Impact Of Preconception Health On Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Through The Theoretical Lens Of Reciprocal Determinism, Mary Elizabeth Buie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of preconception health on adverse pregnancy outcomes through the theoretical lens of reciprocal determinism. Thus, this study aims to develop a preconception health conceptual framework that accounts for the interactive relationships among behavior, the environment, and the person.

Rationale for the Study

Women may not recognize a pregnancy until the first or second missed menstrual cycle, a full four to eight weeks or more after conception. Once a woman realizes the possibility of a pregnancy, it takes further time to confirm the pregnancy with a home pregnancy …

Perceived Leadership Practices Of Student Affairs Professionals: An Analysis Of Demographic Factors., Edwing Delamour Daniel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Student affairs professionals in higher education are expected to provide leadership in many ways on their campuses. Obtaining a more complete picture of the leadership characteristics of the profession is therefore important in informing those in the profession who provide continuing professional development programming and for those who teach in graduate student affairs programs. The purpose of this quantitative research study was to determine whether there were differences in the perceived leadership practices of student affairs professionals when analyzed by the independent variables of race, gender, level of current position, age, and highest degree earned.

The instrument used in this …

Saudi Students' Attitudes, Beliefs, And Preferences Toward Coeducational Online Cooperative Learning, Salim Alanazy

Wayne State University Dissertations

In Saudi Arabia, the single-sex learning environment is the only choice for students due to social and religious concerns. Recently, online education is a growing field in Saudi Arabia. However, there is a paucity of research examining coeducational online cooperative learning that allows virtual interaction between male and female learners. The purpose of the study was to investigate the attitude, belief, and preference of Saudi students regarding working in a coeducation online cooperative learning environment. The participants of the study were 707 students from the Saudi students in the USA. An electronic questionnaire was developed by the researcher for the …

An Assessment Of The Readiness Of King Fahad Medical City, Saudi Arabia, In Adopting Effective Online Staff Development Programs, Adnan Dhafer Alwadie

Wayne State University Dissertations

Internet access has grown in Saudi Arabia between 2000 and 2005 by more than 1000% and many governmental organizations are starting to provide part of their services using the internet. In addition, the Ministry of Higher Education has provided funding to all governmental universities to start developing strategies and guidelines for online education. Healthcare services in Saudi Arabia are funded by the government and are provided to all citizens free of charge. In addition, the majority of healthcare workers are expatriates. King Fahad Medical City (KFMC) is a tertiary healthcare organization that provides specialized medical care. To assure quality of …

Computer Simulation In Mass Emergency And Disaster Response: An Evaluation Of Its Effectiveness As A Tool For Demonstrating Strategic Competency In Emergency Department Medical Responders, Daniel Joseph O'Reilly

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study examined the capability of computer simulation as a tool for assessing the strategic competency of emergency department nurses as they responded to authentically computer simulated biohazard-exposed patient case studies. Thirty registered nurses from a large, urban hospital completed a series of computer-simulated case studies of virtual biohazard-exposed patients. The completed case studies were assessed by the host computer according to computer-programmed criteria. The same case studies were also assessed by a trio of emergency medicine physicians acting as subject matter experts according to their own criteria. The results of this study demonstrated a significant correlation between computer-assessed and …

The Effect Of Interactive Technology On Informal Learning And Performance In A Social Setting, Timothy Clay Boileau

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study is based on a qualitative multiple case study research design using a mixed methods approach to provide insight into the effect of interactive technology on informal learning and performance in a social business setting inhabited by knowledge workers. The central phenomenon examined is the variance in behavioral intention towards interactive Web 2.0 technologies in learning and performance-related activities, depending on social and cultural setting, observable in individual and group usage patterns.

The theoretical foundation for this study is drawn primarily from the activity theory model developed by Engeström (1987) and related research enabled by an ongoing review of …

Best Practices, Leadership Strategies And A Change Model For Implementing Successful Online Programs At Universities, Sangeetha Gopalakrishnan

Wayne State University Dissertations

Taking the perspective that establishing large-scale online programs at universities is a matter of leading organizational change, this research examined the online efforts of institutions successful in online learning (OL). Best practices and leadership strategies for the move to OL were first identified and then a model for OL implementation that encapsulated these practices and strategies was developed.

The participants of this study were eleven institutions successful in OL and ten OL leaders, individuals with lead responsibility for institution-wide online initiatives at these institutions. All the participating institutions were under public control and most had faculty tenure systems. Three were …

Women And The High School Principalship: Metropolitan Detroit Principals' And Superintendents' Perceptions Regarding Barriers And Facilitators For Job Attainment, Heidi Schnabel Kattula

Wayne State University Dissertations

WOMEN AND THE HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPALSHIP:

METROPOLITAN DETROIT PRINCIPALS' AND SUPERINTENDENTS' PERCEPTIONS REGARDING BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS

FOR JOB ATTAINMENT

by

HEIDI SCHNABEL KATTULA

2011

Advisor: Dr. Michael Addonizio

Major: Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Degree: Doctor of Education

Through multivariate analysis, this study determined if there was a significant difference between the perceptions of men and women high school principals and superintendents in Metropolitan Detroit regarding barriers and facilitators for women who aspire to gain a position as a public high school principal in Michigan. Gender and other variables that may influence perceptions of high schools principals within Michigan's Oakland, …

Interface Design To Support Situation Awareness In Virtual Puppetry, Keisha Joy Harthoorn

Honors Program Theses

"Virtual Heritage" is the use of digital media to reconstruct cultures and cultural artifacts as they are today or as they might have been in the past. The central element is usually a threedimensional computer model of a person, place, or thing. Frequently, these are ancient monuments, temples, homes, and other social spaces (Jacobson, 2008). The goal of Virtual Heritage is to draw viewers into the virtual world and allow them to directly experience the overall context of the environment. This phenomenon is known to researchers as “presence.” It is a long held belief that the increased presence yields better …

Weatherford: Undergraduate Catalog 2011-2012, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Undergraduate Catalogs

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of The Self-Perceived Principal Leadership Styles In An Era Of Accountability, Kathlene L. Bentley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive, quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional study was to determine the self-perceived leadership style of principals in an era of accountability. The research instrument was the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire with added demographic questions. In addition to the determination of the self-perceived principal leadership style, the intention of this study was to determine the possible relationship of demographic variables such as principal gender, experience, ethnicity, school type (elementary, middle school, and high school), school grade, and school socioeconomic status determined by Title I on leadership styles. The participants of the study were principals from three large school districts in …

The Impact Of An Online Learning Community Project On University Chinese As A Foreign Language Students' Motivation, Shengrong Cai

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study empirically investigated the impact of an online learning community project on university students' motivation in learning Chinese as a foreign language (CFL). A newly-proposed L2 motivation theory - the L2 motivational self system (Dörnyei 2005; 2009) - was used as the theoretical framework for this study. The three aspects of motivation (ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, and L2 learning experience), as described in this theory, were measured before and after the online project. Specific motivating and demotivating features of the online project were generated from participants' responses. Four individuals with different heritage and technology backgrounds were selected …

Impact Of A Wellness Clinic Visit On Cardiovascular Risk Biomarkers In Employees Of A Va Medical Center, Margaret Asomaning

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Worksite screening programs are increasingly being provided by employers as a means to reduce cardiovascular risk in employees. A screening program that consists of fasting serum analysis of glucose plus a lipid panel is offered yearly to employees at the VA medical center in Tampa. A retrospective study was conducted to determine if a wellness clinic exposure resulted in significant changes in employees' markers of cardiovascular risk.

Methods: Computerized records were used to follow serial outcomes for glucose, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol in employees whose screening results showed abnormal levels of one or more of …

The Performance Production Process Of An Outstanding High School Choir, Kathy K. Rolsten

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the interest in and importance of producing high quality choral performance, the question "How is superior performance produced?" has not been addressed in a holistic and naturalistic way. A synthesis of previous research findings suggests that a combination of actions, interactions, relationships, and conditions produce superior choral performance. Yet a holistic examination of this multi-faceted production process has not been conducted. In order to identify all factors contributing to the production of superior performance and how these factors work together, I comprehensively examined an extreme case of superior performance. This extreme case of superior performance was one high school, …

The Relationship Of Mid-Pregnancy Levels Of Cytokines, Stress, And Depression With Gestational Age At Delivery, Melissa Molinari Shelton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pregnancy is a time of alternating states of inflammation. The establishment of pregnancy is marked by controlled inflammation and transition toward an anti-inflammatory state for much of the gestational period before returning to an inflammatory state at the onset of labor. Stress and depression trigger the HPA Axis to produce cortisol and levels are maintained in a state of elevation during pregnancy and continue to rise before parturition.

The aim of this research was to explore the relationship of gestational age at delivery with mid-pregnancy levels of cytokines, stress and depression. Participant samples (N = 122) were collected between 16 …

A Multi-Methodological Study Of A Possible Syndemic Among Female Adult Flim Actresses, Candace Danielle Sibley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Existing literature provides support for a possible syndemic among adult film actresses. Multiple studies emphasize that a combination of economic, social, and cultural issues work together in tandem to synergistically amplify HIV/STI risk in this vulnerable population. It is critical to acknowledge how the detrimental effects of the high prevalence of substance abuse, psychological distress, intimate partner violence, and childhood sexual abuse work together in a system to heighten HIV/STI risk among adult-film actresses. Additionally, issues including the retrogressive dynamic and unequal power and hegemony in the industry function as facilitators which lower the overall health profile of adult-film actresses. …

Crystal Engineering Of Multiple Component Crystal Forms Of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, David Rudy Weyna

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Enhancing the physicochemical properties of solid-state materials through crystal engineering enables optimization of these materials without covalent modification. Cocrystals have become a reliable means to generate novel crystalline forms with multiple components and they exhibit different physicochemical properties compared to the individual components. This dissertation exemplifies methodologies to generate cocrystals of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API's) based upon knowledge of supramolecular interactions (supramolecular synthons), while focusing on enhanced delivery through in vitro and in vivo processes with both salts and cocrystals respectively.

The utility of mechanochemistry involving small amounts of an appropriate solvent, or solvent drop grinding (SDG), has been shown …