Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Pfiesteria Toxin On General Activity And Performance On The Elevated Plus Maze In Rats, Sarah Ann Schultz

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Marine toxins that cause fish kills also threaten human health. Pfiesreria piscicida and Pfiesteria shumwayae are marine microorganisms responsible for periods of massive fish death and are implicated as causative agents in the neurocognitive decline of humans exposed to the aerosols of the Pfiesteria toxin. Past research with animals has demonstrated that exposure to Pfiesteria does result in impaired learning and memory performance. The present study aimed to investigate whether Pfiesreria-exposed animals behaviorally indicate greater anxiety or differing levels of activity compared to control animals; both anxiety and activity might affect learning and memory performance. The behavior of twelve …

The Evaluation Of Child Safety Seat Misuse And Driver Training To Increase Correct Use In A Local Community, Michelle Lynn Rose

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Many researchers have shown that child safety seats are being misused 80 to 85% of the time. In the present study, child safety seat checks were conducted at two local daycare facilities, in which child safety seats were checked for misuse and drivers (at one site) received hands-on training from certified technicians. Hands-on training, for the purposes of this study, was defined as showing drivers mistakes in their seat installations, then having the drivers re-install the seats correctly with coaching by the technicians. For the first phase of checks, there were 67 drivers who participated (22 from the trained Site …

Before Things Get Rough, John T. Williams Jr.

English Theses & Dissertations

Imagery is often defined as language that appeals to the senses. Imagery, however, is the meat of any poem, and going beyond this simplistic definition. One of the most important functions of imagery is to help establish tone, and relationship between imagery and tone enables a poem to describe, declare, assert, or imagine-to use voices that are objective, personal, opinionated, or wildly speculative.

Tonally, the poems were aggressive, and something had to temper their edge. I went to the other extreme, looking to the most basic function of imagery-description. Obviously, all poems are, on some level, descriptive. Descriptive imagery is …

An Examination Of Relationships Of Reading And Writing Self-Efficacy Beliefs, Standardized Placement Test Scores, And Diverse Community College Students' Perceptions Of Those Relationships, Ann Woolford-Singh

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

Social cognitive theory explains the role that one's level of confidence plays in the accomplishment of a specific task. According to Bandura (1982, 1995), self-efficacy beliefs should align with performance. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among reading/writing self-efficacy beliefs and reading/writing standardized placement test scores of diverse community college freshmen. Additionally, this study sought to understand the sources of these students' reading/writing self-efficacy beliefs through the descriptions of experiences they feel have influenced those beliefs.

There were three major research questions: (1) What is the strength of the relationships among reading/writing self-efficacy beliefs and reading/writing …

Fly, Bob Kunzinger

English Theses & Dissertations

In February of 1980, Joe Kohn arrived in my dorm room at Saint Bonaventure University where I was then a freshman. For the next several months we talked about my planned bicycle trip across the United States, recounted his own ride to Brazil, and uncovered dark stories from his three years in Zaire. One night he told me of an idea he had: He planned to canoe the entire length of the Congo River alone. For the following year or so, we mapped routes and studied the dangers. He left in the late fall of 1980, but his anticipated completion …

Suffer The Skin, Leona Ripley

English Theses & Dissertations

This thesis contains the poems of a full-length boule manuscript as well as an introduction discussing the major themes and craft concerns of the poems. The major themes of the poems are: the construction of self, feminism, non-religious spirituality and mythos, and the construction of language.

The Satisfaction And Perspectives Of Recent Graduates Of Accredited Post-Certification Graduate Athletic Training Programs As It Relates To Their Educational Experiences, Jacqueline R. Gaida

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the satisfaction and opinions of graduate athletic trainings students, who graduated from 2001-2003, as it relates to their programs. A list of graduate names and e-mail addresses from the fourteen accredited graduate programs were acquired through the GRC and the NATA on-line directory. Subjects were e-mailed a scripted letter and a link to the on-line survey. The survey consisted of a variety of questions that asked information regarding the subjects' graduate program style, clinical experience, job placement, reasons for program choice, certificates of added qualifications, curriculum satisfaction, clinical supervisor satisfaction, certification and …

The Impact Of An Urban Outreach Teaching Project: Developing Cultural Competence, Carol H. Ott, Lynn H. Doyle

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to explore the development of cultural competence in a group of university nursing students in the context of an interactive substance abuse prevention project attached to a health promotion course with 414 racially diverse high school students. The project provided opportunities for contact, interaction, and reflection. A descriptive approach was utilized to elicit the meaning attached to the experience. Data included written content from an exit survey, field notes from onsite debriefings, transcriptions of a focus group interview, and an analysis of theoretical papers. Findings indicate that when university students participate in an urban …

Including Organizational Cultural Parameters In Work Processes, Holly A. H. Handley, Nancy J. Heacox

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Recent work in modeling decision-making work processes has focused on including the national culture of individual decision-makers in order to emphasize the differences in decision criteria between decision-makers of different nationalities. In addition to nationality, a decision-maker is also a member of an organization and brings this organizational culture to his role in the work process, where it may also affect his task performance. In order to represent the organizational impact on the work process, five organizational cultural parameters were identified and included in an algorithm for modeling and simulation of cultural difference in human decision-making. While the five modifiers …

The Curriculum Content Of Master's Level Fashion Merchandising Programs Throughout The United States, Christine Aulicino

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The following objectives were established to answer this problem: 1. Identify the schools offering master's degrees in fashion merchandising; 2. Identify the courses offered within master's programs at the different schools; 3. Identify the requirements needed for students to graduate from schools with fashion merchandising master's programs; 4. Determine the mission of graduate programs in fashion merchandising; 5. Determine specific courses needed to be offered by Old Dominion University in order to produce a respected graduate fashion merchandising program.

Does Excessive Absence From Class Lead To Lower Levels Of Academic Achievement, Janet L. Faison

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

Based on this problem, the following hypothesis has been proposed: 1. Students who have higher records of absenteeism (absent four times or more during a given semester) will have lower academic achievement levels (GPA) while attending community college.

Determination Of Why Students Enrolled In Bluefield Regional Medical Center School Of Medical Technology Cannot Receive Government Financial Assistance, James E. Gibberson

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The goals established to guide this study were as follows: 1. Determine why students cannot receive government financial assistance while performing their clinical training at Bluefield Regional Medical Center Laboratory; 2. Determine other means in which students may obtain financial assistance in order to pay for their clinical education at Bluefield Regional Medical Center; 3. Determine how can the institutions, Bluefield Regional Medical Center, Bluefield State College and Bluefield College, work together to form a system of financial assistance for students if government financial assistance is not available.

Impact Of Kindergarten Format On First-Grade Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening Assessments, Gail W. Ricks

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

To solve this problem, the following hypothesis was developed: 1. Students that attended full-day kindergarten programs will outperform those students that attend half-day kindergarten on the fall first-grade Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS).

Does Participation In The Academic Continuance Experience For Success Program Increase Academic Achievement And Persistence Of Students Readmitted From Suspension, Norlisa Mayes

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine if participation in an intervention program improved academic achievement and retention of at-risk college students at Old Dominion University.

The Effects Of Reading Readiness And Student Achievement In The Primary Grades Through The Use Of Phonemic Awareness, Curtis A. S. Campbell

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of the study was to determine the effects that reading readiness, such as phonemic awareness, alphabet knowledge, concept of word, and letter-sound knowledge, and the relationship it has on student achievement on the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) Test on a kindergarten class at Deep Creek Central Elementary School in Chesapeake.

The Relationship Between Learner Responsibility And Performance Of Students Enrolled In Career And Technical Education Core Curriculum Courses, Linda B. Mills

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

To guide this study the following hypotheses were established: 1. Students who take responsibility for their academic outcomes will out perform those students who do not in Marketing Education courses; 2. Female students will take more responsibility for their academic outcomes and will outscore males in the same Marketing Education courses.

Do Distance Learning Students Taking Business And Technology Courses At Olympic College Achieve The Same Grade Point Averages As On-Campus Students In The Same Courses, Steven J. Ericson

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

To guide this problem, the following hypothesis was established: 1. There will be no significant difference in the GPAs of online and on-campus students in the same Business and Technology courses at Olympic College.

The Relationship Between Pals Scores And Classroom Performance, Robin Jordan

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

To guide this problem, the following hypotheses were established: 1. Students who earn a superior score on the PALS test will perform better on phonics assessments; 2. A majority of students who receive a failing grade on phonics assessments will meet or exceed the PALS benchmark score.

Sometimes, Practice Makes Imperfect: Overcoming The Automaticity Of Challenging Behavior By Linking Intervention To Thoughts, Feelings, And Action, Robert A. Gable, Richard Van Acker

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

In schools throughout the country, education personnel express concern over the aggressive and antisocial behavior of children and youth. The frequency and severity of these acts compel us to find more effective strategies for decreasing and eliminating these behaviors. In this article, we argue for a broader explanation of the nature and treatment of aggressive behavior, especially when it rises to what is essentially an automotive response level. We contend that both assessment and intervention must account for internal and external influences on behavior and that treatment should encompass cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions of the problem. Finally, we discuss …

Perspectives On Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Executive Functions, Working Memory, And Language Disabilities, Carol Westby, Silvana Watson

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

The conceptualization of the nature of attention deficit hyper-activity disorder (ADHD) has changed in the last decade. ADHD is now viewed as a neurologically based condition with primary deficits in executive functions and working memory (WM). Students with ADHD have deficits in discourse organization, inferring, and monitoring that are related to their executive function and WM deficits. A large number of students with ADHD also have comorbid reading and language disabilities that exist in addition to the deficits directly associated with the ADHD. Comprehensive evaluation of students with ADHD is essential to address their specific learning needs

Hard Times And An Uncertain Future: Issues That Confront The Field Of Emotional/Behavioral Disorders, Robert A. Gable

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

In this article, I examine challenges to better preparing teachers of students with emotional/behavioral disorders (E/BD). Foremost among these challenges is the lack of agreement regarding a conceptual framework upon which to build quality prevention/intervention practices; instead, various authorities advocate disparate approaches, not all of which have empirical support. I assert that unresolved issues surrounding translating scientific research into classroom practice further hinder efforts to apply the most efficacious intervention options, as does our failure to exert control over the infrastructure of public education and the context in which we serve students with E/BD. Finally, I offer some modest proposals …

An Understanding Of The Application Of Research Methods In Engineering Management, Andres Sousa-Poza, Rafael Landaeta, Leonardo Bedoya, Ipek Bozkurt, Yaneth Correa

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

In this article, the use of research methods in the field of Engineering Management is analyzed. For this study, a database was formed by using articles from three journals in the Engineering Management field: the Engineering Management Journal (EMJ), the IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management and the Journal of Engineering and Technology Management (JETM). Articles written between 1999 and 2003 were analyzed and an Engineering Management research position map was developed to describe holistically the research methods being used in Engineering Management. No judgment on the Engineering Management field per se was undertaken as a result of this study. Instead, …

"Two Guns, A Girl And A Playstation™": Gender In The Tomb Raider Series, Marc A. Ouellette

English Faculty Publications

This article considers the combination of game play and narrative which combine to produce cross-gender identifications in video games, a previously underexamined potential for the production of alternate genders, one which calls into question the stability of gender, particularly masculinity, as a construct.

The Status Of Ethics In Technology Education, Philip A. Reed, Susan Presley, Angela Hughes, Diane Irwin Stephens, Roger B. Hill (Ed.)

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Ethics is not a new concept within technology education. The inclusion of ethics evolved naturally from the progression of technological activity in the latter part of the twentieth century. During this shift to a postindustrial society, people started to look at technology from a more humanistic view than they previously had. To keep pace with these changes, a "new ethic" was suggested to help advance technological literacy by highlighting the relationship between humans, the environment, and technology (DeVore, 1980, 1991).

How far have we come? This chapter reviews the current state of ethics within technology education. In the first two …

Reconstructing The Fables: Women On The Educational Cyberfrontier, Jim Dwight

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

Computer technology and the Internet inspire narratives based upon modernist tropes. The frontier narrative stands out as one of the most intriguing tropes. Often the language for the Internet regulation and administration of computers, particularly in education, plays on tropes of the Wild, Wild West. Sojourners brave the untamed expanses of cyberspace laying claim to virgin territories. Often, writers represent the frontier as a pure form of woman, the object of masculine desires for conquest such as Natty Bumppo's symbolic marriage to the disappearing frontier in James Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans (1981 [1826]), Odysseus' conquest of …

Of Technology And Apocalypse, Or Whose Independence Day?, Christopher Keep

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

The scene is now familiar. The cities of the world are in ruins. The Empire State Building obliterated. The White House reduced to rubble. The remnants of humankind gather in the desert, scrounging together what remains of their air defence systems for one last effort to repulse the alien invaders. Haggard but determined, the last American President prepares to lead his motley crew of resistance fighters into the fray. He takes the hand mic, tests it once or twice, and his voice crackles over the speakers. In less than one hour, he announces, aircraft from here will join …

Fantasy And The Concert Hall: Musical Performance In The Electroacoustic Age, Matthew Malsky

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

In 1941, the famously despondent Theodor Adorno worried about the detrimental effects of radio broadcast upon the symphony. He theorized that much of value was lost when listeners experienced an orchestral performance of a composition in symphonic form through its electronic transmission to their kitchens rather than in a concert hall. Based upon empirical research done in collaboration with Paul Lazarsfeld and the Princeton Radio Research Project, he argued that the presence of music was lost to the radio listener, and with it a part of music's auratic spell, its uniqueness in time and place, its ritual, cultish …

Review Of G4m3rs, By Kiyash Monsef, Bryan-Mitchell Young

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Note Taking On Student Grades, Amy K. Keenan

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

To guide a solution to this problem, the following hypothesis was established: Students in OTS 220, the Fashion Industry, who received a copy of the PowerPoint lectures for a specific unit of instruction from the instructor will earn higher grades on exams than when they received a basic fill in the blank note taking guide.

Social Interaction And Reading Achievement Among Children In Poverty, Kendra M. Boykin

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference in the reading achievement of children in a Title I school between children with high social interaction and those with low social interaction after school.