Digital Commons Network^™

Energy Crises And Cooperation: Do International Institutions Matter?, Vessela P. Chakarova

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The risk of an oil supply disruption still exists. Oil reserves are increasingly concentrated in a handful of unreliable regimes, plagued by piracy and terrorism. Natural disasters and chokepoint incidents have increased in frequency. In addition, oil is expected to remain a significant part of the energy mix up until 2030. By that time Europe will be importing 90% of its oil. Thus, oil supply security will become an increasingly important feature of European politics.

One way to counter the noxious consequences of an oil disruption is to cooperate. International cooperation is a critical factor in any type of crisis, …

Academic Engagement: The Impact Of Personal, Cultural, And School Factors On African American Student Academic Effort, Ruth Alisha Jenkins Hill

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Using the cultural-ecological and the personal perspective theory, this study examined the relationship of sociological and psychological factors on academic effort. This research used multiple linear regression analyses and data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 to examine the extent to which personal, cultural, and school structural variables predict academic effort among a sample of 10th grade African American students.

African American students' personal perceptions characterizing their belief in the importance of education, their value of schooling, and their desire for higher learning were strongly correlated with academic effort. The results also indicated parental involvement and parental aspirations played …

Determining The Utility Of Technology For Education, Brian Spencer Dillon

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

There is a substantial debate concerning the place of technology in education. This debate has been going on over every technology introduced through at least three millennia although the modern version takes place in journal articles. Technology, in the general sense, is already in the educational arena 1n ways which have become so commonplace that we hardly question them today. More modern technologies, however, meet perpetual resistance in achieving their potential. This paper calls into question the most recent trend in research and suggests a new research paradigm which focuses not only on student achievement, but on a variety of …

Untangling Fear Of Crime: A Multi-Theoretical Approach To Examining The Causes Of Crime-Specific Fear, Mariel Alper

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Fear of crime has been a major research topic over the past several decades. However, multiple explanations have been proposed and no clear theoretical model exists. Building on existing research, this study attempts to build a crime type-specific theoretical model of fear. In particular, the predictive power of three theoretical models is explored. This study addresses several methodological shortcomings by measuring offense type-specific, emotionally-based fear of violent and property crime. The results suggest that the predictors of each type of fear vary, and some theoretical models are a better explanation of one type of fear than the other. Overall, the …

Domestic Violence And Recidivism: Does Stake In Conformity Matter?, Sara R. Olson

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Domestic violence is a pervasive problem throughout society and has been in existence since the beginning of interpersonal relationships. There have been changes in how the academic community, law enforcement, and the general public respond to this problem in the last thirty years. Punishments have become more punitive and mandatory arrest policies have been instituted. Mandatory arrest for domestic violence batterers has increased the number of batterers that are involved with the criminal justice system. In response to this increase, diversion to batterer treatment and other community based programs has taken the place of jail time for many offenders. This …

Adjunct Faculty Organizational Sense Of Belonging And Affective Organizational Commitment, Constance L. Merriman

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

In recent years all public higher education institutions have increased their reliance on adjunct faculty. Adjuncts provide expertise in key areas, are available at times that meet the needs of the changing student demographic, and cover an increasing number of introductory courses. It has been suggested that adjunct faculty may be more weakly linked to their students, colleagues, and institution. This may, in turn, be detrimental to the organizational health of the institution. Prior research has indicated that adjunct faculty have different motivations and expectations from teaching that impact the connections they form in the higher education workplace. This study …

Patient Centered Care Approach To Adherence With Cardiovascular Medications: Self-Determination Theory Integration, David S. Li

Health Services Research Dissertations

Problem statement. Behavioral intervention is used to improve adherence with medication in patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), but the effect was not sustainable. Patient-centered care (PCC) as a consumer movement has gained acceptance, but it lacks a theoretical framework. Self-determination theory (SDT) may provide an alternative to improve patients' adherence to chronic cardiovascular medication, as well as a theoretical framework for PCC. Both approaches to CVD management have not been evaluated.

Methods. The study was a quasi-experimental pretest posttest comparison design with consecutive sampling of a hospitalized cardiac patient population. Sixty patients each for the usual care (UC) …

Flowers Of Purgatory, Emily Louise Zimbrick

English Theses & Dissertations

Set over the course of a seven-day trip to the United Kingdom, Flowers of Purgatory explores how Beatrix Tompkins, a high school principal from small town Oregon, seeks closure to her decades of mourning the loss of her English fiancé. While she tries to maintain control over her young co-sponsor and the five students, Beatrix must come to terms with the reality of her emotional, psychological, and spiritual poverty. Though hardened by her life's circumstances, Beatrix receives undeserved grace. Flowers of Purgatory contemplates the nature of redemption, the burdens we bear, and the cost of letting them go.

Urban Elementary Students' Views Of Environmental Scientists, Environmental Caretakers And Environmentally Responsible Behaviors, Patricia Lynne Horne

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine the nature of the relationship between urban elementary fifth graders, environmental workers, and the environment. The study examined 320 urban fifth grade elementary students' drawings of environmental scientists (DAEST) and environmental caretakers (DAECT). Additionally, semi-structured interviews were included to elucidate student illustrations. The study's sample represented one-third of all fifth graders in the mid-Atlantic school district selected for this research. Approximately 5% of participants were chosen for follow-up semi-structured interviews based on their illustrations.

A general conclusion is some of the stereotypes, particularly related to gender, revealed in prior research (Barman, 1999, …

Noncognitive Predictors Of Academic Performance And Persistence In Horizontal And Vertical Transfer Students By Academic Level, Christopher A. Davis

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

College students increasingly are transferring among institutions of higher education in pursuit of their educational goals. The existing research on transfer students, however, does not adequately explore the unique characteristics of this heterogeneous population. The literature on transfer students suggests that transfer students are at-risk for experiencing academic difficulty and attrition. Research indicates that degree attainment is associated with the success of the student and their parents. Furthermore, attrition negatively impacts higher education finances, so colleges and universities that focus on helping students be successful and persist to graduation maintain revenue streams.

Many studies have focused on cognitive measures of …

English Language Proficiency And Academic Achievement Of International Students: A Meta-Analysis, Rachawan Wongtrirat

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Studies have been conducted to determine the impact of English language on the academic achievement of international students in higher education institutions in the United States. The results of these investigations have been varied and at times contradictory. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to investigate studies from 1987–2009 that examined the correlation between the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) on grade point average (GPA) and course completion. The results indicated that the TOEFL has a small predictive ability on GPA and course completion of international students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The findings are …

Effectiveness Of The Combat Operational Stress Control Training Program: Expectations Of The U.S. Marine Corps, Marek M. Sipko

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the U.S. Marine Corps combat operational stress preventive training program to determine whether the program meets the training effectiveness criteria of the Marine Corps. This evaluation entailed both qualitative and quantitative inquiries to answer the subject matter research questions.

The participants consisted of active duty and reserve Marines on active duty. For the purposes of the quantitative analysis, the researcher obtained a random sample of 480 Marines. Additionally, the researcher obtained a purposefully stratified qualitative sample of 12 active duty Marines consisting of four junior non-commissioned Marines, four staff non-commissioned officers, and four commissioned …

Female Ph.D. Completion: How Field Of Study Moderates The Predictive Relationships Between Social And Academic Interactions With Faculty, Research Productivity And Degree Completion, Miki Yoshimura

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to seek further understanding of how field of study moderated the predictive relationships between social interactions with faculty, academic interactions with faculty, research productivity, and female Ph.D. students' degree completion. A survey was conducted to collect data on the participants' degree completion, satisfaction with social and academic interactions with faculty, research productivity as well as their field of study. The sample included 412 female former Ph.D. students in various fields at a large, public research university in the mid-Atlantic region who were enrolled between 1993 and 2004.

Logistic regression analyses were conducted to see …

Weight Stigma Consciousness And The Effects On Attitudes And Behaviors: The Stigma Of Obesity In America, Eric J. Clayton

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examines participants of all weight statuses and their levels of weight stigma consciousness, self consciousness, depression, anxiety, stress, relationship satisfaction, and weight-based rejection sensitivity. The 263 participants (I 93 females and 70 males) had their physical and perceived weight statuses measured and the relationships with these variables with scores on the remaining variables were examined. Individuals with higher weight statuses are significantly more weight stigma conscious and more rejection sensitive in terms of weight. Also, higher levels of weight stigma consciousness were significantly related to higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, and lower levels of relationship …

What Did I Do To Susan Orlean And Other Stories, Brian C. Wilson

English Theses & Dissertations

From the seat of a bicycle, behind the stage of a lumberjack competition, atop a boatful of oyster shells, and from other unusual perspectives the nonfiction stories in this collection explore a variety of subjects. In some cases I position myself as an outsider, learning through research, interviews and observation. In others I begin as an outsider and then dive in personally, making myself the subject of the experiment. Through it all I hope to make readers, at least temporarily, as interested in online encyclopedias, fixed-wheel bicycles, replica schooners and hungry stingrays as I am.

The proper audience for the …

Urban School Counselors' Perceptions Of Low-Income Families, Rebekah F. Cole

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

There is a paucity of research on the topic of professional school counselors and their perceptions of families. The purpose of this phenomenological, qualitative study was to examine how urban professional school counselors perceive low-income families in their schools. To accomplish this investigation, ten school counselors in two urban school districts were interviewed twice and were then sent an email with follow-up questions. The data was analyzed for themes and patterns, which were subjected to verification procedures. Three categories emerged from the data: urban school counselors' perceptions of the low-income families in their schools, effects of school counselors' perceptions on …

The Effects Of Cooperative And Collaborative Strategies On Student Achievement And Satisfaction In Blended And Online Learning Environments, Christine E. Nickel

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine whether cooperative versus collaborative strategies used for a group project had differential effects on students' achievement, process and solution satisfaction, value and preference for collaboration, and perceptions of community of inquiry in online and blended environments. The study sample consisted of teacher education students enrolled in a technology integration course. Students' age, academic level, online experience, and teaching experience were used as covariates in an effort to identify differential effects associated with student characteristics. Cooperative and collaborative strategies were differentiated by the amount of structure imposed by the instructor as well as …

The Effect Of Individual Or Group Guidelines On The Calibration Accuracy Of High School Biology Students, Camilla C. Walck

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The effect of individual or group guidelines on the calibration accuracy of high school biology students was investigated. The study was conducted with 102 International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program biology students in a public school setting. The study was carried out over three testing occasions. Students worked in group or individual settings with and without calibration guidelines. Four intact classes were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: groups calibrating without guidelines; groups calibrating with guidelines; individuals calibrating without guidelines; individuals calibrating with guidelines. The students participated in the calibration activities one block before they actually took each of the …

The Relationship Between Leader Behaviors And Subordinate Performance: Examining The Moderating Influence Of Leader-Member Exchange, Kurt L. Oborn

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Subordinates interpret and react to the behaviors of their leaders. Based on a theory of organizational trust, it was argued that greater trust between subordinate and leader is required to respond appropriately to relations-oriented behaviors than task-oriented behaviors due to a higher level of personal risk to the subordinate. As a consequence of responding appropriately to relations-oriented behaviors, a subordinate immediately becomes identified with or connected to a leader. Such identification requires the specific LMX currency of professional respect be present in order for an adequate amount of trust to be developed. In contrast, task-oriented behaviors ally the subordinate with …

Trust Judgments And The Hindsight Bias Effect, Martin Daniel Smith-Rodden

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

A decision to trust or not to trust can be examined within a broader category of cognition research concerning decisions under uncertainty. The purpose of this research was to investigate trust decisions through the lens of the hindsight bias effect. The hindsight bias effect (sometimes known as the "I knew it all along" effect) is a consequence that often follows judgments under uncertainty. Two experiments examined participants' evaluations of trust outcomes to determine if and how judgments of trust might be susceptible to hindsight biases. Experiment 1 exposed participants to vignettes depicting a third-party trust transaction between friends, with outcomes …

The Effects Of Cocaine And Ecstasy On Cardiac Myocytes And The Intact Myocardium, David A. Tiangco

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Cocaine and ecstasy are widely used illicit drugs. Both drugs have undergone intense scrutiny as information regarding their side-effects has become available. One important yet incomplete area of investigation pertains to their effects on the heart. The purpose of the current studies was to test the hypothesis that exposure to cocaine or ecstasy will adversely affect cellular homeostasis and normal heart function. Cultured cardiac myocytes (H9c2) and New Zealand White rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were used to measure the responses to various concentrations of cocaine or ecstasy at both the cellular and intact organ system levels. We observed that cocaine and …

Understanding The Relationship Between Peer Mentoring And Undergraduate Capitalization, Jonathan M. Holland

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Research has demonstrated the importance of various forms of mentoring across multiple contexts. However, the topic of informal peer mentors has not been sufficiently explored. This study investigated the role of peer mentors in encouraging participation in voluntary development activities (i.e., capitalization). An online survey was completed by 288 undergraduate students. As hypothesized, mentoring was positively related to high levels of participation in capitalization activities and intentions to mentor in the future, and capitalization participation was positively related to higher levels of student satisfaction, continuance commitment, and career involvement. Contrary to expectations, capitalization participation was not significantly related to affective …

The Experiences Of Secondary Social Studies Teachers With Historical Thinking Skills, Denise Lorraine Trombino

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

In this descriptive, mixed methods study, the researcher investigated secondary social studies teachers' college course experiences with and classroom use of historical thinking skills (HTS). Questionnaires were distributed to 160 teachers in a large public school system in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Forty percent of the questionnaires were returned. From the 40%, a purposeful sample was created. Observations, interviews, and analysis of instructional documents were used to gather data from the purposeful sample. The results showed that high school social studies teachers reported a range of experiences with and use of HTS. Teachers reported more exposure to …

Examining The Impact Of Leadership Style And School Climate On Student Achievement, Tina Robinson

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate whether or not leadership style and school climate are significant predictors of student achievement. The target population consisted of elementary and high school teachers from Virginia public schools who had taught under the leadership of their respective current principals for at least 4 years. Nine school divisions were randomly selected from each of the following regions—rural, suburban, and urban—within the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Data were collected using two surveys. Bass's (1985) Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Form 5X) was used to assess principals' leadership style—transactional, transformational, or laissez-faire—as perceived by teachers. The Organizational …

A Hierarchical Examination Of The Immigrant Achievement Gap: The Additional Explanatory Power Of Nationality And Educational Selectivity Over Traditional Explorations Of Race And Socioeconomic Status, Kathryn A. Simms

Theses and Dissertations in Early Childhood Education

This study compared immigrant and nonimmigrant educational achievement (i.e., the immigrant gap) in math and reading by reexamining the explanatory power of race and socio-economic status (SES)—two variables, perhaps, most commonly considered in educational research and policy formation. Four research questions were explored through growth curve modeling, factor analysis, and regression analysis based on a sample of participants in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort of 1998 (ECLS-K) from kindergarten to eighth grade (N = 6,861). Findings indicated that immigrant students who had been in the United States since at least their preschool years had lower math and reading …

Group Ii Metabolic Glutamate Receptors In The Basal Amygdala Regulate Sleep And Fear-Induced Alterations In Sleep, Enheng Dong

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Glutamate is a major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain and it has been recognized as playing an essential role in activating and maintaining arousal. Group II metabotropic glutamate (mGlu II) receptors are expressed in the amygdala, a brain structure important in the regulation of stress and anxiety as well as in the regulation of sleep and arousal. Our lab has found that the central nucleus of the amygdala (CNA) is involved in the emotional modulation of sleep. The basal amygdala (BA), which has direct connections with the CNA, is involved in conditioned fear and fear extinction. However, the potential role …

An Experimental Analysis Of Couple Aggression Using A Response Choice Paradigm, Claudia R. Viggiano

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Research suggests that a majority of the violence reported by couples involves mutual, low-level acts of aggression; however, there is a dearth of research examining this "common couple violence" using a true experimental paradigm. The current study was designed to more closely approximate a naturalistic situation involving common couple violence by allowing participants to choose whether to retaliate in the face of provocation by their partner. Couples were randomly assigned to four conditions representing different patterns of provocation. Based on the assigned condition, participants received varying amounts of bad tasting juice allegedly poured for them by their partners across 5 …

A Genetic Algorithm Approach For Optimized Routing, Pavithra Gudur

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Genetic Algorithms find several applications in a variety of fields, such as engineering, management, finance, chemistry, scheduling, data mining and so on, where optimization plays a key role. This technique represents a numerical optimization technique that is modeled after the natural process of selection based on the Darwinian principle of evolution. The Genetic Algorithm (GA) is one among several optimization techniques and attempts to obtain the desired solution by generating a set of possible candidate solutions or populations. These populations are then compared and the best solutions from the set are retained. Subsequently, new candidate solutions are produced, and the …

A Decision Making Construct For Complex Situations, Van Edward Brewer

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The uncertainty inherently associated with complexity challenges decision-making processes, indicating a need for a construct for decision making in complex situations. A review of the literature on systems, complexity, and paradigms indicates that such a construct must be internally consistent with well-defined philosophical foundations and further that systems and complexity (as used in complex situations) are not necessarily internally consistent with traditional philosophical foundations. Therefore, a decision making construct for complex situations requires research into different foundations. This research addresses these gaps, deriving axiological and methodological components based on a set of principles consistent with the ontology and epistemology of …

Towards A Theory Of Understanding Within Problem Situations, Jose J. Padilla

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The concept of understanding is ambiguously used across areas of study, such as philosophy and cognitive sciences. This ambiguity partly originates from understanding's generally accepted definition of 'grasping' of something. Further, the concept is confounded with concurrent processes such as learning and decision making. This dissertation provides a general theory of understanding (GTU) that explains the concept of understanding unambiguously and separated from concurrent processes.

The GTU distinguishes between the process of understanding and its outcomes. Understanding, defined as a process, is the matching of knowledge, worldview, and problem. The outcome of this process is the assignment of a truth …