Digital Commons Network^™

An Analysis Of Florida Public Community College Foundations' Performance Measures From 2002-2004, Karen Sanders

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research was to examine the performance of Florida public community college foundations from 2002-2004 using performance ratios. The findings from this study may assist community college foundation leaders to better understand the performance of their own organizations, compare this performance to other similar organizations, establish relative performance standards, and influence the strategic initiatives to improve an existing foundation. This study was designed to research the financial performance measurement ratios for the 28 public community college foundations in Florida. Ex post facto data that were publicly available were utilized to acquire the information needed for the statistical …

United States Cold War Policy, The Peace Corps And Its Volunteers In Colombia In The 1960s., John James

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

John F. Kennedy initiated the Peace Corps in 1961 at the height of the Cold War to provide needed manpower and promote understanding with the underdeveloped world. This study examines Peace Corps work in Colombia during the 1960s within the framework of U.S. Cold War policy. It explores the experiences of volunteers in Colombia and contrasts their accounts with Peace Corps reports and presentations to Congress. It intends to show the agency's assessment of volunteer work and how it compares to the volunteers' views and Congressional reports. Although the Peace Corps presented some topics and themes expressed by volunteers, the …

Constructing African American Histories In Central Florida, Katherine Parry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From the time of their occurrence up to the present, people have constructed and revised narratives about violent racial events in Florida. In the case of the racial violence in Ocoee and the lynching of July Perry, multiple accounts coexisted until one particular group in the 1990's contested earlier conservative white Southern narratives with new public memories containing African American perspectives of the events, demanding racial justice and memorialization of the events. A struggle over the power to construct this narrative resulted in compromises between the two sets of memories. While some goals were attained, the landscape of memorization remains …

Top Management's Perceptions Of Service Excellence And Hospitality: The Case Of Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, Taryn Aiello

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated service excellence and hospitality in a healthcare setting. It is unique from other hospitality research in that it considers hospitality and service excellence as separate concepts, applicable across industries. Part of the premise of this study explores how hospitality extends past service excellence to create a comfortable and welcoming environment to combat patient anxiety and stress. Furthermore, this is one of the first qualitative studies on the importance of service excellence and hospitality in the healthcare industry. This case study measured top management's perceptions of service excellence and hospitality within one community-based hospital located in Orlando, Florida. …

The Effect Of Mathematical Manipulative Materials On Third Grade Students' Participation, Engagement, And Academic Performan, Caryn Ross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is the summary of research conducted in a third grade classroom during a unit on multi-digit addition and subtraction. The classroom teacher utilized mathematical manipulative materials throughout the course of this unit as a supplement to aid in the conceptual understanding of addition and subtraction. This study showed the effects of those manipulatives on third grade students' participation, engagement, and academic performance. Data collected from teacher observations and video recordings indicated a positive relationship between manipulatives and student participation and engagement. A pre-test/post-test and student work samples were used to determine effects on academic performance. Data showed students' …

Helping At-Risk Students Solve Mathematical Word Problems Through The Use Of Direct Instruction And Problem Solving Strategies, Lurdes Lopez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This action research study examined the influence mathematical strategies had on middle school students' mathematical ability. The purpose of this action research study was to observe students mathematical abilities and to investigate whether teaching students problem-solving strategies in mathematics will enhance student's mathematical thinking and their ability to comprehend and solve word problems. The study took place in an urban school in Orlando, Florida in the fall of 2004. The subjects will be 12 eighth grade students assigned to my intensive math class. Quantitative data was collected. Students' took a pre and post test designed to measure and give students …

Health-Care Seeking Behaviors Of Puerto Ricans With Diabetes Mellitus Who Live In South Florida: An Exploratory Study, Laura Gonzalez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Latinos are the fastest growing minority population in the United States (U.S.) and have the worst access to health care of any ethnic group. The chronic disease of diabetes is twice as common in adult Latinos as in non-Latino whites, and the risk of death related to diabetes is twofold. Reasons for this disparity have yet to be clearly identified. This study had two purposes: 1) to explore cultural beliefs regarding health-care seeking behaviors in Puerto Ricans with diabetes who live in South Florida; and 2) to examine Puerto Ricans' perceptions about their health-care providers. The cultural phenomena of interest …

The Impact Of A Nurse-Driven Evidence-Based Discharge Planning Protocol On Organizational Efficiency And Patient Satisfaction In, Tracey King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Healthcare organizations are mandated to improve quality and safety for patients while stressed with shorter lengths of stay, communication lapses between disciplines, and patient throughput issues that impede timely delivery of patient care. Nurses play a prominent role in the safe transition of patients from admission to discharge. Although nurses participate in discharge planning, limited research has addressed the role and outcomes of the registered nurse as a leader in the process. The aim of this study was determine if implementation of a nurse-driven discharge planning protocol for patients undergoing cardiac implant would result in improved organizational efficiencies, higher …

A Comparison Of Computer And Traditional Face-To-Face Classroom Orientation For Beginning Critical Care Nurses, Patricia Anzalone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Education of the novice critical care nurse has traditionally been conducted by critical care educators in face-to-face classes in an orientation or internship. A shortage of qualified educators and growth in electronic modes of course delivery has led organizations to explore electronic learning (e-learning) to provide orientation to critical care nursing concepts. Equivalence of e-learning versus traditional critical care orientation has not been studied. The primary aim of this study was to examine the equivalency of knowledge attainment in the cardiovascular module of the Essentials of Critical Care Orientation (ECCO) e-learning program to traditional face-to-face critical care orientation classes …

The Effects Of Foreign Aid On Perceptions Of Corruption In Sub-Saharan Africa, Margaret Wilkie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper is a study of the effects of foreign aid on perceptions of political corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa. In keeping with the consensus on foreign aid effectiveness, this study proposed that Sub-Saharan African countries receiving more foreign aid would be more likely to maintain high levels of perceived corruption. Hypotheses were tested using multivariate regression, controlling for a number of factors which have shown to be influential on perceptions of political corruption. Two models were tested, one to show the regression over a period of nine years, and the other to show the relationship between the foreign aid and …

Gamma Hydroxybutyrate Use Among College Students: Application Of A Memory Model To Explore The Influence Of Outcome Expectancies, Pamela Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) was banned from the consumer market by the Food and Drug Administration in 1991. Despite the ban, use of GHB has continued to contribute to thousands of emergency department visits and numerous fatalities in recent years. Efforts to reduce the use of this drug have had limited impact, which may be the result of using traditional prevention strategies that focus exclusively on educating people about of negative consequences of substance use rather than addressing the factors that motivate use. In an effort to identify motivational factors that could be targeted in future prevention efforts, the present study …

Hysteresis Effects In Driving, Justin Morgan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents two studies examining the interaction between workload history and driver mental workload. The first experiment focuses on testing for the presence of a hysteresis effect in the driving task. The second experiment examines the proposition that cueing impending periods of higher task demand can reduce the impact of any such potential hysteresis effects. Thirty-two licensed drivers served as participants and all served in both studies. Using the directions provided by a Heads-Up-Display navigation system, participants followed a pre-set route in the simulated environment. At specified points within the drive, the navigation system would purposefully fail which required …

Resiliency Factors And Pathways To Incarceration In Female Survivors Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Kia Asberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studies find consistently that survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) are likely to suffer from depression, post-traumatic stress, and problematic substance use, and may experience also a variety of adjustment difficulties in several emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal domains. Involvement with the legal system is one such outcome to consider, especially given the increasing number of women serving time in correctional facilities with nearly two-thirds of these women being survivors of CSA (e.g., Browne, Miller, & Maguin, 1999). The current literature lacks comparisons between female survivors of CSA who have legal involvement and those who do not; hence, the current study …

Controlling Our Emotion At Work: Implications For Interpersonal And Cognitive Task Performance In A Customer Service Simulation, Moshe Feldman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Display rules are used by organizations to define appropriate behaviors and expressions while interacting with others in the workplace. Emotional labor is a function of the effort required to adhere to these display rules and has been associated with negative outcomes such as stress and burnout which can lead to higher levels of turnover and health care costs for the organization. In addition, evidence suggests that emotional labor may come at a cognitive cost as well. Hence, reducing the amount of emotional labor should be beneficial to both employees and organizations alike. The current study used a customer service simulation …

Food For Thought: The Relationship Between Thought Suppression And Weight Control, Rachel Peterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study assessed the relationship between individuals' tendency to suppress thoughts, particularly related to food and body weight/shape, and outcomes such as weight loss maintenance and diet sabotaging experiences (e.g., binge eating). Community and university individuals (N = 347) who are or previously were overweight completed self-report measures of thought suppression, weight history, and eating behaviors. Suppression of specific thoughts about food/weight/shape was related to weight cycling, binge eating, and food cravings. Participants who believed thoughts of food lead to eating were more likely to attempt suppression of food-related thoughts. Results have implications for improving weight loss maintenance and …

Implementation And Evaluation Of A Classroom-Based Approach To Expectancy Challenge For Reducing Alcohol Use Among First-Year Co, Janani Sivasithamparam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a pervasive belief in the United States that the college experience typically includes frequent social activities characterized by widespread alcohol use. Unfortunately, awareness of the hundreds of deaths and wide variety of other harms experienced by college students as a result of alcohol use is much less pervasive. In an effort to increase awareness of the negative impact of alcohol use on college campuses, the NIAAA commissioned a panel composed of scientists and college presidents to document alcohol-related harms and identify strategies that have been found to be effective in reducing risky alcohol use based on empirical evidence. …

Investigating The Effects Of Tactile Stress On A Military Touniquet Application Task, Razia Nayeem

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In combat, soldiers encounter stress from multiple sources including loss of sleep, extremely high levels of physical and psychological discomfort, extended periods of increased vigilance, and intense danger. Therefore, it is imperative to train such personnel on how to cope with these stressors. One way to do this is to include stressors in different forms of training to acclimate soldiers to the subsequent stress of combat. Due to their advantages, tactile trainers are being investigated increasingly for the use of training Army medics in this context. The present work examines how vibrating tactile sensors, or tactors, can be used as …

Game On: The Impact Of Game Features In Computer-Based Training, Renee Derouin-Jessen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The term "serious games" became popularized in 2002 as a result of an initiative to promote the use of games for education, training, and other purposes. Today, many companies are using games for training and development, often with hefty price tags. For example, the development budget for the U.S. Army recruiting game, "America's Army" was estimated at $7 million. Given their increasing use and high costs, it is important to understand whether game-based learning systems perform as billed. Research suggests that games do not always increase learning outcomes over conventional instruction. However, certain game features (e.g., rules/goals, fantasy, challenge) might …

Feedback-Based Alcohol Interventions For Mandated Students: A Comparison Of Individual, Group, And Electronic Formats, Jacqueline Alfonso

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the effectiveness of personalized alcohol feedback interventions in three different delivery formats on alcohol use and related negative consequences in a sample of mandated college students referred for alcohol-related violations. Participants were randomized to one of three conditions: an individually-delivered face-to-face intervention, a group-delivered face-to-face intervention, or a web-based electronically-delivered intervention. Given that the current study sought to modify factors associated with alcohol use, analyses were conducted using only those participants who reported alcohol use at the baseline assessment. The final sample resulted in 173 participants, 18-years-of-age and over, and consisted of 57% males (n = …

Experiences, Attitudes And Beliefs About Interpersonal Violence: A Study On Costa Rican Adolescents, Monica Mendez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research in Latin America regarding interpersonal violence and adolescents is rare if not nonexistent. In a collaborative effort with the Costa Rican Ministry of Education and the National Institute of Women (INAMU), qualitative data were collected from three high schools and one after-school program from rural and urban locations of the Central Valley. The discussion groups/open-ended questionnaires were done with a total of 154 students ranging from ages 14 to 17 and grade levels 8th to 12th. Information was obtained concerning students' perceptions, definitions and opinions on issues relating to interpersonal violence and gender roles and rules. The results show …

Green Chairs, Fictional Phalluses, Infiltration, And Love On The Rocks: Medical Imaging Artifacts Blown Up, Lynn Koller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This text outlines and applies a methodology for deciphering problems and producing new information by analyzing the artifacts produced by medical imaging technologies - text and images - using practices gleaned from Surrealists, semiologists, and visual artists, emphasizing its own form as being the product of the apparatuses that produce it and therefore untrustworthy. Its basic assumption is that every text contains the information necessary to solve problems of all sorts, though because of the limitations of this text in both form and authorial intellect, we may only reach a starting point for a solution herein. In this regard, we …

A Performance Study And Analysis Of The Role Of Mrs. Medlock In The Secret Garden, Samantha Stern

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will examine the character of Mrs. Medlock in the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre's "Theatre for Young Audiences" stage production of The Secret Garden. While recording my preparation and performance of the role, I will be drawing on and integrating many of the skills I have been acquiring in my Master's Degree program at UCF, including not only acting, movement, and voice, but also theatre research. My goals are twofold: first, to document the method of creating a rich, multi-layered, remarkable character, and second, to try to solidify what I have learned about this process and thus prepare for future …

A Performance Study And Analysis Of The Role Of Soot In The Marriage Of Bette And Boo, Jodi Coleman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 1985, Christopher Durang created a master work titled The Marriage of Bette and Boo which was described by The New Yorker as a "brimming cornucopia of brilliant lines." Frank Rich of the New York Times called it "so speedy and chipper that it could almost be mistaken for a Bob Fosse musical." Douglas Watt of the New York Daily News referred to it as a "farcical study of a disastrous marriage, marked by still births, insanity in the family and divorce." These critical responses indicate the necessity to maintain the complexity of the character of Soot without allowing her …

Haitian American Mothers' Health And Dietary Beliefs Concerning Their Infants, Daniel Schooler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studies on the effects of immigration are becoming more important as the number of immigrants into the United States continues to grow. This study was implemented in order to discover the infant feeding practices and beliefs of Haitians living in Central Florida. A food frequency card sort and interview were conducted with thirty-four Haitian mothers. Mothers were asked to identify which foods they fed their children. Foods pictured on the cards included a majority of Haitian staple foods, some of which are primary to the American diet as well. Low food feeding frequencies were generally attributed to lack of access …

Examining The Effect Of Organizational Policy Changeon Taser Utilizations, Michael Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of organizational policy changes within the Use-of-Force Continuum on taser usage and officer's perceptions of taser effectiveness. Tasers have been used by police since the 1970s and their use is increasing as the technology has improved. Data reveals that tasers are beneficial for controlling non-compliant suspects while preventing serious injuries and rarely has their use resulted in death. Much of the public controversy surrounding tasers centers on when and how often officers deploy them. Use of force data from 890 police citizen encounters during a two-year period was analyzed to …

Marijuana Legalization: Americans' Attitudes Over Four Decades, Anthony Saieva

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Americans have long held a variety of opinions when it comes to the legalization of marijuana. While previous research has mostly focused on use rates and behavior, the purpose of this examination is to specifically analyze people's attitudes towards marijuana legalization. Of particular importance was (1) the extent to which attitudes towards marijuana legalization have changed over the past four decades and (2) how the social factors often associated with marijuana legalization attitudes have changed over the same period. Results indicate that over one-third of Americans now believe marijuana should be made legal. These pro-legalization attitudes are at their highest …

Deploying Mobile Pv Emergency Power System In A Disaster, Florida Solar Energy Center, William Young

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Disasters can be as destructive as Hurricane Katrina, leaving several hundred-thousand people homeless, or as minor as an afternoon thunderstorm that brings down local power lines to your home. After a disaster, utility services may be damaged or destroyed, leaving people without water, sanitation, communication and electricity. In response to a disaster, first responders are deployed with life supporting resources, such as water, food, and medical supplies. Energy resources are often lacking, making recovery efforts difficult in our high-tech world of cell phones, television, computers, refrigerators and many other electronic devices.

After a disaster, the long time tradition used to …

University Of Central Florida Libraries, Annual Report 2007-2008, Ucf Libraries

Libraries' Documents

No abstract provided.

Improved Duct Systems Task Report With Stagegate 2 Analysis, Florida Solar Energy Center, Neil Moyer

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership's work with two industry partners, Cavalier Homes and Southern Energy Homes, in constructing and evaluating prototype interior duct systems will be summarized. Issues of energy performance, comfort, DAPIA approval, manufacturability and cost will be addressed. A stage gate 2 analysis will address the current status of project showing that there are still refinements needed to the process of incorporating all of the ducts within the air and thermal boundaries of the envelope.

Interferometric Sensor For Characterizing Material, Aristide Dogariu

UCF Patents

An integrated optical sensor, using low coherence interferometry, is capable of determining analyte concentration in a material sample based on absorption, scattering and polarization. The sensor includes one or more light collectors, with each collector having a separation distance from the region where the sample is illuminated by the source. The light backscattered from the sample is combined with reference arm light at the same optical path length for each light collector. The intensity of interference may be correlated with the concentration of an analyte in the material, for example the glucose concentration in a turbid medium like skin. The …