Digital Commons Network^™

Secondary National Board Candidates And Attitudes Toward Assessment: A Qualitative Study, Vincent Aleccia

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This study investigated the impact that National Board certification had on the assessment practice of secondary candidates in Eastern Washington. The study was framed by three research questions: (a) To what extent do National Board candidates think about the place of assessment in their classroom practice before they begin the process? (b) Does the National Board certification process impact their beliefs about assessment so that they see assessment in a different light by the time they complete the process? (c) Do teachers who have undergone the National Board certification process change the type of assessments used in their classroom practice …

Truthful Dialogue, Nancy Meltzoff, Carla Gary

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

We explore truthful dialogue as a means of developing cultural competence, in particular the skill of managing the dynamics of difference. We discuss specific incidents in a year-long conflict which occurred in a teacher-education cohort between an African-American Christian woman and a White Jewish lesbian. In truthful dialogue, the participants are encouraged to examine themselves--their feelings and their experiences—and to speak together in the pursuit of mutual understanding. The facilitator(s) assist them in communicating in a way that feels safe for all involved, so that they use the experience as a way to increase their personal cultural competence. Finally, if …

Methodological Note: On Using Personal Digital Assistants (Pdas) For Survey Administration In The Study Of Youth Development, Mona M. Abo-Zena, Amy Eva Alberts Warren, Sonia S. Isaac, Dan Du, Erin Phelps, Richard M. Lerner, Robert W. Roeser

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Applied developmental scientists face the challenge of identifying research methods that enable the efficient collection of data from youth of diverse social backgrounds (e.g., ethnic. racial, religious, economic) and varying levels cognitive-linguistic and attentional skills. In addition, because access to youth during school time is often limited by educators’ desire to preserve instructional time, finding methodologies to collect data from youth that are highly efficient, and also those that are feasible in less structured settings, are needed. This article outlines some of the benefits and limitations of using a voice enhanced survey delivered on a personal digital assistants (PDA) as …

Educational Change Through The Lens Of Complexity Science: Changing Thinking For Changed Learners, Suzann Girtz

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

As education professionals work in times of exponential change, how they think is as important as what they do. Our thought processes frame our creations—and for hundreds of years that frame has been a linear, Newtonian paradigm. Due to advances in hard sciences, we now know that there are other ways of framing our thoughts and understanding our world, and that is through complexity science. Complexity science is a powerful metaphor to use in reviewing our common understandings of school systems and how to reform them to better serve students. This paper includes a primer of complexity science terms and …

Deficiencies In The Practicum Phase Of Field-Based Education: Students’ Views, Edwin Ralph, Keith Walker, Randy Wimmer

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

A supervised practical experience of on-the-job training forms an essential part of the pre-service preparation of professionals across disciplines. This article reports results from a recent study examining the views of 234 teacher candidates regarding the most negative aspects of their experiences in the 16-week extended-practicum. Four broad themes reflected the post-interns’ responses on the negative elements: (a) individual personal/professional challenges, (b) site-based interpersonal concerns, (c) university- related policy/procedural problems, and (d) practicum-office difficulties. Implications are discussed for the practicum leaders of this program and those from other institutions interested in preventing or reducing such limitations from hampering the effectiveness …

The Social Bottom Line Of Community Development Financial Institutions: What Facilitates Or Inhibits The Uptake And Use Of Meaningful Social And Community Impact Reporting?, Kelly Haines

Dissertations and Theses

Businesses, governments and communities are increasingly interested in measuring the non-financial impacts of their activities and investments. This assessment often takes the form of measurement models that utilize a Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework, namely looking at the areas ofthe environment, the economy, and the social simultaneously. Despite its many accounting flaws, more and more organizations adopt this philosophy by applying it literally in the form of impact reports. In this framework, the social dimension is the most challenging to measure. Because of its complexities, this aspect of TBL reporting has often been vague and lack rigor.

The research question …

Oregon's Acts, Cross-Jurisdictional Collaboration And Improved Transportation Planning, Susan Brody, Richard D. Margerum

National Policy Consensus Center Publications

The Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) created Area Commissions on Transportation (ACTs) to improve coordination, help prioritize infrastructure investment, and provide input on statewide transportation issues. The structure of the ACTs is designed to provide a cross-section of input from the state, regional, local, private, and community sectors. A research project was initiated to: assess the role and experiences of ACTs, research comparative approaches in the state and nationally, and develop and assess options for improving coordination and increasing effectiveness. This study used interviews, an on-line survey, case studies from Oregon and comparative studies from three other states to assess ACTs …

Community, Conversation, And Conflict: A Study Of Deliberation And Moderation In A Collaborative Political Weblog, Samantha Isabella Soma

Dissertations and Theses

Concerns about the feasibility of the Internet as an appropriate venue for deliberation have emerged based on the adverse effects of depersonalization, anonymity, and lack of accountability on the part of online discussants. As in face-to-face communication, participants in online conversations are best situated to determine for themselves what type of communication is appropriate. Earlier research on Usenet groups was not optimistic, but community-administered moderation may provide a valuable tool for online political discussion groups who wish to support and enforce deliberative communication among a diverse or disagreeing membership.

This research examines individual comments and their rating and moderation within …

Where Professional Meets Personal: A Curriculum To Improve Conversations Between Human Resource Professionals And Employed Parents, Julie M. Rosenzweig, Anna M. Malsch, Eileen M. Brennan, Lisa Maureen Stewart, Kathryn L. Mills

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

PDF version of a presentation given at Building on Family Strengths: Research and Services in Support of Children and their Families. Portland, OR, June 2009.

Structural Basis For Binding Specificity Between Subclasses Of Modular Polyketide Synthase Docking Domains, Tonia Buchholz, Todd W. Geders, Frank E. Bartley Iii, Kevin A. Reynolds, Janet L. Smith, David H. Sherman

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bacterial type I polyketide synthases (PKSs) assemble structurally diverse natural products of significant clinical value from simple metabolic building blocks. The synthesis of these compounds occurs in a processive fashion along a large multiprotein complex. Transfer of the acyl intermediate across interpolypeptide junctions is mediated, at least in large part, by N- and C-terminal docking domains. We report here a comprehensive analysis of the binding affinity and selectivity for the complete set of discrete docking domain pairs in the pikromycin and erythromycin PKS systems. Despite disconnection from their parent module, each cognate pair of docking domains retained exquisite binding selectivity. …

A Photochemically Initiated Chemistry For Coupling Underivatized Carbohydrates To Gold Nanoparticles, Xin Wang, Olof Ramström, Mingdi Yan

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The sensitive optoelectronic properties of metal nanoparticles make nanoparticle-based materials a powerful tool to study fundamental biorecognition processes. Here we present a new and versatile method for coupling underivatized carbohydrates to gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) via the photochemically induced reaction of perfluorophenylazide (PFPA). A one-pot procedure was developed where Au NPs were synthesized and functionalized with PFPA by a ligand-exchange reaction. Carbohydrates were subsequently immobilized on the NPs by a fast light activation. The coupling reaction was efficient, resulting in high coupling yield as well as high ligand surface coverage. A colorimetric system based on the carbohydrate-modified Au NPs was …

Electron Microscopy And Optical Characterization Of Cadmium Sulphide Nanocrystals Deposited On The Patterned Surface Of Diatom Biosilica, Timothy Gutu, Debra K. Gale, Clayton Jeffryes, Wei Wang, Chih-Hung Chang, Gregory L. Rorrer, Jun Jiao

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Intricately patterned biosilica obtained from the shell of unicellular algae called diatoms serve as novel templates for fabrication of optoelectronic nanostructures. In this study, the surface of diatom frustules that possessed hierarchical architecture ordered at the micro and nanoscale was coated with a nanostructured polycrystalline cadmium sulphide (CdS) thin film using a chemical bath deposition technique. The CdS thin film was composed of spherical nanoparticles with a diameter of about 75 nm. The CdS nanoparticle thin film imparted new photoluminescent properties to the intricately patterned diatom nanostructure. The imparted photoluminescent properties were dependent on the CdS coverage onto the frustules …

Pathways Across The Work-Life Boundary: How Parents With Children With Mental Health Challenges Avoid Stigmatization And Reach Flexibility, Lisa Maureen Stewart, Anna M. Malsch, Julie M. Rosenzweig, Eileen M. Brennan

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Slides from a presentation delivered at the 13th annual conference of the Society for Social Work and Research, Research that Promotes Sustainability and (Re) Builds Strengths, New Orleans, LA.

Taking It On: Disclosure, Stigmatization, And Self-Esteem, Eileen M. Brennan, Anna M. Malsch, Lisa Maureen Stewart, Julie M. Rosenzweig, John Conley

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Employed parents of children with emotional or behavioral disorders face many potential challenges when striving to find balance between their work and family responsibilities. While responding to the demands of the workplace, they must also attend to the unique caregiving needs of their children such as facilitating on-going treatment, responding to frequent emergencies, and arranging adequate child care (Rosenzweig, Brennan, Huffstutter, & Bradley, in press). These parents often develop strategies to gain the flexibility at work they need in order to care for their child while still maintaining a high level of job performance (Rosenzweig, Brennan, & Ogilvie 2002). Whether …

A Professional's Guide To Supporting Families Of Children With Mental Health Disorders, Eileen M. Brennan, Julie M. Rosenzweig, Anna M. Malsch, Lisa Maureen Stewart, Kayti Mills

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

PDF version of a presentation given at Building on Family Strengths: Research and Services in Support of Children and their Families, Portland, OR, June 2009.

The 2009 Portland National Youth Summit Report, Rebecca Strachan, L. Kris Gowen, Janet S. Walker

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The following report outlines the planning process, the agenda, and the outcomes of the 2009 Portland National Youth Summit. The purpose of the Youth Summit was to invite systems-experienced youth (e.g., those who have been involved with the services such as mental health, child welfare, and/or juvenile justice systems) together to create a “Call to Action” that outlines positive solutions to improve the mental health services they receive. This Summit took place in conjunction with the Research and Training Center’s (RTC) Building on Family Strengths Conference, Monday, June 22, 2009. A Youth Summit Advisory Board comprised of four young members …

Investigating Engagement, Thinking, And Learning Among Culturally Diverse, Urban Sixth Graders Experiencing An Inquiry-Based Science Curriculum, Contextualized In The Local Environment, Sybil Schantz Kelley

Dissertations and Theses

This mixed-methods study combined pragmatism, sociocultural perspectives, and systems thinking concepts to investigate students' engagement, thinking, and learning in science in an urban, K-8 arts, science, and technology magnet school. A grant-funded school-university partnership supported the implementation of an inquiry-based science curriculum, contextualized in the local environment through field experiences. The researcher worked as co-teacher of 3 sixth-grade science classes and was deeply involved in the daily routines of the school.The purposes of the study were to build a deeper understanding of the complex interactions that take place in an urban science classroom, including challenges related to implementing culturally-relevant instruction; …

Paraprofessionals Who Work With Elementary Grade Students With Significant Disabilities In Inclusive Settings, Regina Moreno

Dissertations and Theses

The use of paraprofessional services is an established and crucial aspect in the pursuit of a free and appropriate public education for students with disabilities. Paraprofessionals are often the primary providers of instruction for students with severe disabilities yet are the least trained instructional personnel in schools. Identified competencies and necessary training content for paraprofessionals who serve students with severe disabilities are nearly absent in the professional literature.

This study extended the current literature regarding paraprofessionals who serve students with disabilities in public schools by focusing specifically on those paraprofessionals who serve students with severe disabilities in inclusive general education …

Literacy Leadership In Secondary Schools: A Case Study Of Teaching And Learning In Two School Districts, Gregory Berry

Dissertations and Theses

Improvement in literacy learning in secondary schools requires a dual focus: a district and school organizational leadership approach, and a classroom- and instruction-focused approach. To help close the achievement gap and improve learning for all students, whole school reform efforts must be focused on literacy. Elements of whole school reform may include professional development programs such as professional learning communities, peer coaching, and literacy coaching. The sociocultural contexts that these approaches incorporate can help improve the learning of both teachers and students and can bring about significant secondary school reform and academic improvement.

This dissertation study is a qualitative, collective, …

The Portland Spectator, December 2008, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

Portland Spectator

Editor: Sarah J. Christensen

Articles in this issue include: Romeo Sosa: The success story of a Guatemalan activist; Resouces for you! Fitness writer shares the secrets of the Stott Center; Vulgarity in TV and film: Keith Moore shows his disdain Hollywood’s use of vulgarity and violence; Dis-unity in our parties: Our writer looks at the power of failure; and Oregon's smoking ban: What this really means for your rights.

The Institutionalization Of Diversity And Gender Equity Norms And Values In Higher Education Settings, Rowanna Lynn Carpenter

Dissertations and Theses

Universities in the United States increasingly experience demographic, business, and community pressure to hire, retain, and educate women and ethnic minority faculty, staff, and students. Responses to this pressure have changed over time from isolated open-door initiatives to comprehensive diversity initiatives designed to create welcoming campus environments for people of all backgrounds. Current literature on the assessment of diversity initiatives in higher education suggests the need to use approaches that include attention to the entire university, and to institutionalize the norms and values associated with diversity initiatives as part of the change process. Despite this shift toward a comprehensive understanding …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet December 2008, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The December 2008 Monthly packet includes the December agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held November 2008

Using Archived Its Data To Measure The Operational Benefits Of A System-Wide Adaptive Ramp Metering System, Robert L. Bertini, Christopher Monsere, Oren Eshel, Soyoung Ahn

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A System-Wide Adaptive Ramp Metering (SWARM) system has been implemented in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, replacing the previous pre-timed ramp-metering system that had been in operation since 1981. SWARM has been deployed on six major corridors and operates during the morning and afternoon peak hours. This report presents results of a "before" and "after" evaluation of the performance of two freeway corridors as part of ongoing efforts to measure the benefits of the new SWARM system, as compared to the pre-timed system. The study benefited from using the existing regional data, surveillance and communications infrastructure in addition to a …

Alagnak Wild River Visitor Use Project: Alagnak Wild River Resident User Study, Douglas Deur

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report represents a thematic summary of findings from the Alagnak Wild River Resident Users Study, the final project in a larger series of studies conducted for the National Park Service (NPS) as part of the Alagnak Wild River Visitor Use Project. The National Park service administers the 56 miles of designated Wild River along the Alagnak in collaboration with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, which manages fish and wildlife populations along the river. The NPS is charged with managing the river’s natural and cultural resources, as well as preserving the river’s lands and resources for current and …

How Can We Best Manage Freeway Congestion?, Robert Bertini, Christopher Monsere

TREC Project Briefs

Researchers from Portland State University evaluate Oregon’s Implementation of System-Wide Adaptive Ramp Metering (SWARM).

Graphical User Interfaces As Updatable Views, James Felger Terwilliger

Dissertations and Theses

In contrast to a traditional setting where users express queries against the database schema, we assert that the semantics of data can often be understood by viewing the data in the context of the user interface (UI) of the software tool used to enter the data. That is, we believe that users will understand the data in a database by seeing the labels, dropdown menus, tool tips, help text, control contents, and juxtaposition or arrangement of controls that are built in to the user interface. Our goal is to allow domain experts with little technical skill to understand and query …

Hardware Architectures And Implementations For Associative Memories : The Building Blocks Of Hierarchically Distributed Memories, Changjian Gao

Dissertations and Theses

During the past several decades, the semiconductor industry has grown into a global industry with revenues around $300 billion. Intel no longer relies on only transistor scaling for higher CPU performance, but instead, focuses more on multiple cores on a single die. It has been projected that in 2016 most CMOS circuits will be manufactured with 22 nm process. The CMOS circuits will have a large number of defects. Especially when the transistor goes below sub-micron, the original deterministic circuits will start having probabilistic characteristics. Hence, it would be challenging to map traditional computational models onto probabilistic circuits, suggesting a …

More Than Screening Tools? : An Examination Of Preliminary Applicant Evaluation Methods, Matthew Eric Paronto

Dissertations and Theses

The increased prevalence of technology in organizations has had significant impacts on the recruiting, screening, and hiring processes. However, little is known regarding whether preliminary applicant evaluation methods provide meaningful candidate information beyond possession of minimum qualifications. To address this gap in the literature, two preliminary applicant evaluation procedures used at a major utility company were examined across two separate studies.

Study 1 examined online applicant prescreening protocols across three positions. Archival prescreening data from 5,619 applicants were analyzed in terms of item characteristics that distinguished candidates at different points in the score distribution (high vs. low; highest vs. high), …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet November 2008, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The November 2008 Monthly packet includes the November agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held October 2008

Raps Sheet, November 2008, Retirement Association Of Portland State

RAPS Sheet: Monthly Newsletter

No abstract provided.