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A Multilevel Modeling Analysis Of The Geographic Variability Of Low Birth Weight Occurrence In Florida, Joseph William Green

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The associations of neighborhood level socioeconomic deprivation and low birth weight were investigated among 1,030,443 singleton live births in the State of Florida between the years 1992 and 1997. Census data for per capita income, unemployment, percent of individuals living below the poverty line, vehicle ownership and educational attainment were used as neighborhood level indicators of socioeconomic status. Additionally, these variables were combined into a deprivation index to measure relative deprivation of neighborhoods across Florida. Birth data were linked to census block groups and tracts, which were used as proxies for low birth weight. Multilevel models were used to model …

Relationships Among Early Lexical And Literacy Skills And Language-Literacy Environments At Home And School, Joseph L. Constantine

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This observational study examined the relationships among home literacy environments, classroom language-literacy environments, and lexical and early literacy skills for 101 (56 male, 45 female) preschool and kindergarten children between the ages of 48 and 69 months. Data for multiple regression analyses were collected from 14 classrooms across 7 early childhood education centers in central Florida using the Home Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ), the Early Language & Literacy Classroom Observation Toolkit (ELLCO), and the Kaufman Survey of Early Academic and Language Skills (KSEALS). Seven classrooms scored in the proficient-to-exemplary range on the ELLCO; 3 were rated as basic, and 4 were …

After Exit: Academic Achievement Patterns Of Former English Language Learners, Ester J. De Jong

Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA)

… The study was concerned with the achievement patterns in English language arts, Math, and Science of former ELLs who attended a bilingual and a English as a Second Language (ESL) program. It also explored whether length of program participation and grade level exited played a significant role in predicting academic achievement patterns for these exited students. ...

Education Policy Analysis Archives 12/50 , Arizona State University, University Of South Florida

College of Education Publications

After exit : academic achievement patterns of former English language learners / Ester J. de Jong.

Editors' Notebook, North American Birds

North American Birds

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between State And District Content Standards: Issues Of Alignment, Influence And Utility, Elizabeth Dutro, Sheila Valencia

Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA)

... In this article we report on a study of the relationship between state and local content standards in reading in four states and districts. Through interviews with key personnel in each state, and district and analyses of state and local content standards in reading, we explored the alignment between state and district content standards, the path of influence between the two, and the role of high-stakes tests in state and districts reform efforts. ...

Education Policy Analysis Archives 12/45 , Arizona State University, University Of South Florida

College of Education Publications

Relationship between state and district content standards : issues of alignment, influence and utility / Elizabeth Dutro [and] Sheila Valencia.

Co-Education And Gender: The End Of The Experiment?, Ian Clark

Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA)

This article has two inseparable aims: (a) to analyze the relative merits of single-sex and co-educational constructs on self-concept, academic performance and academic engagement; (b) to investigate the manner in which each type of schooling interacts with the individual student; student “peers,” close family, and teachers.

Education Policy Analysis Archives 12/41 , Arizona State University, University Of South Florida

College of Education Publications

Co-education and gender : the end of the experiment? / Ian Clark.

Commencement Convocation Program, Tampa Campus, August 7, 2004, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

King O'Neal Scholars - April Lynnette Slack and Cassandra Lynn Ernst; Outstanding Senior - Jason Polk; Distinguished Citizen Award - Chloe J. Coney

Alaskan Caver, Volume 24, No. 4, October 2004, Carlene Allred

Alaskan Caver

Contents: Karst Inventory Performed On Kosciusko Island And Prince Of Wales Island By The Tongass Cave Project, August 19-25, 2003 - Zina Cave Report, By Pete Smith And Kevin Allred - Zina Cave Map, Plan View Of Southwest Portion - Zina Cave Map, Profile View Of Southwest Portion - Zina Cave Map, Plan And Profile Of Northern Portion - Dave’s Den, Report And Map By Kevin Allred - Cave Rescue Seminar, By Bruce White - Island Hopping To A New World, By Alex Markels - Who’s Who In Alaskan Caving, By Bruce White - Letter To The Editor - Rope …

Translation, Adaptation And Validation Of An Instrument To Evaluate Hiv/Aids Knowledge And Attitudes For Use With Salvadorian High School Students, Carlos Salvador Zometa Iii

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study translated, cross-culturally adapted and validated an instrument's scores for use in public high schools in San Salvador, El Salvador. The original instrument consisted of items developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assess HIV/AIDS knowledge and five dimensions of attitudes (Abstinence, Peer-pressure, Condom use, Drug use, and Threat of HIV) in grades 7 to 12 in the United States. Items were translated into Spanish using the back-translation method. The instrument was cross-culturally adapted using guidelines proposed by Guillemin, Bombardier, and Beaton (1993). A cross-culturally equivalent version of the original instrument was obtained using three …

Reclassification Of English Learners, James B. Grissom

Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA)

Ron Unz, originator of Proposition 227, claimed, prior to the passage of Prop. 227, that the five percent annual reclassification rate of English learners to fluent English proficient indicated bilingual education was a failure. Critics of Prop. 227 have countered that the annual reclassification rate has changed little since the passage of Prop. 227, indicating the new legislation had no effect on reclassification rates. Unfortunately, the annual reclassification rate does not provide a clear indicator of how long it takes students to be reclassified after entering the school system. To better estimate reclassification rates for English learners in California, cohorts …

Education Policy Analysis Archives 12/36 , Arizona State University, University Of South Florida

College of Education Publications

Reclassification of English learners / James B. Grissom.

Reasonable Decisions In Portfolio Assessment: Evaluating Complex Evidence Of Teaching, Aaron Schutz, Pamela A. Moss

Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA)

A central dilemma of portfolio assessment is that as the richness of the data available to readers increases, so do the challenges involved in ensuring acceptable reliability among readers. Drawing on empirical and theoretical work in discourse analysis, ethnomethodology, and other fields, we argue that this dilemma results, in part, from the fact that readers cannot avoid forming the data of a portfolio into a pattern—a coherent "story" or "stories"—in order to evaluate it. ...

Education Policy Analysis Archives 12/33 , Arizona State University, University Of South Florida

College of Education Publications

Reasonable decisions in portfolio assessment : evaluating complex evidence of teaching / Aaron Schutz [and] Pamela A. Moss.

The Weekly Challenger, July 8, 2004, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The July 8, 2004, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

Fuzzy C-Means Clustering Approach To Design A Warehouse Layout, Vaibhav C. Naik

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Allocation of products in a warehouse is done by various storage policies. These are broadly classified into three main categories: dedicated storage, randomized storage, and class-based storage. In dedicated storage policy a product is assigned a designated slot while in random storage policy incoming product is randomly assigned a storage location close to the input/output point. Finally, the class-based storage is a mixed policy where products are randomly assigned within their fixed class. Dedicated storage policy is most commonly used in practice. While designing large warehouse layout, the product information in terms of throughput and storage level is either uncertain …

Institutionalized On The Margins: An Organizational History Of The Preparation Of Teachers Of College Composition, Gregory A. Giberson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The preparation of new college teachers of composition has been a disciplinary topic of interest as well as an institutional concern since the establishment in the late 1800s of the modern English department. In this project, I offer a critical history of the treatment of the topic of the preparation of teachers of college composition by the three most historically significant organizations to English as a discipline and Composition as a field of study within that discipline: the Modern Language Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the Conference on College Composition and Communication. By analyzing the treatment …

High-Stakes Testing In The Warm Heart Of Africa: The Challenges And Successes Of The Malawi National Examinations Board, Elias Chakwera, Dafter Khembo, Stephen G. Sireci

Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA)

… The purposes of this paper are to (a) familiarize the measurement community in the US about Malawi’s assessment programs, (b) discuss some of the unique challenges inherent in such a program, (c) compare testing conditions and test administration formats between Malawi and the US, and (d) provide suggestions for improving large-scale testing in countries such as the US and Malawi. ...

Education Policy Analysis Archives 12/29 , Arizona State University, University Of South Florida

College of Education Publications

High-stakes testing in the warm heart of Africa : the challenges and successes of the Malawi National Examinations Board / Elias Chakwera.

Growth And Financing Of Elementary Education In Uttar Pradesh: A Province In India, P. Geetha Rani

Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA)

The present article attempts to study financing patterns of elementary education in Uttar Pradesh. ...

Education Policy Analysis Archives 12/25 , Arizona State University, University Of South Florida

College of Education Publications

Growth and financing of elementary education in Uttar Pradesh : a province in India / P. Geetha Rani.

Adaptation Of The State Trait Anxiety Inventory In Arabic: A Comparison With The American Stai, Qutayba A. Abdullatif

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The main goal of the present study was to develop an Arabic adaptation of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI, Form Y, Spielberger, 1983). In addition, cultural and linguistic influences on the experience and expression of anxiety were assessed. The American STAI and fifty initial Arabic items were administered to 286 university students at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. The American STAI was also administered to 336 university students at the University of South Florida.

Item and factor analyses were conducted on responses of the calibration sample to obtain the final set of Arabic items, which was validated using …

Perceptions From The Principals’ Desks: African American Elementary Principals And Reading Curriculum And Instruction In A Central Florida County, Keva Latrice Mitchell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This was a collective case study of African American elementary principals in a central Florida county. The study intended to discover through qualitative means, African American elementary principals perceptions of reading curriculum and instruction. More specifically, the study was concerned with discovering and presenting the attitudes, experiences,and beliefs of this specific population of leaders. The African American principal has the unique perception of one who has grown-up and been educated in the midst of the European American dominated system of education, thus making their perceptions of reading curriculum and instruction relevant to gaining additional knowledge in the area of literacy …

Time Course Of Perceptual Grouping In User Interface Displays, Melissa F. Schulz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Perceptual grouping describes the organization of small elements into larger objects. Research in user interface (UI) design has demonstrated effects of perceptual grouping on attention and navigation. However, grouping can be mediated by a variety of task factors. One such mediator is processing time. Recent discoveries in vision science suggest that elemental grouping can occur in more than one way, depending on how long elements are displayed. These findings have led to a new understanding of perceptual organization of elements in real-world spatial environments. However,these findings had not been explored within the context of UI environments. Time limits to UI …

Commencement Convocation Program, Tampa Campus, May 1, 2004, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

King O'Neal Scholars - Cindy Bethel, Christopher Hagemo, Olumide Olulade, Ralph Skibinski, Brad Decker, Oluwaseun Akinbo, Stephanie Alford, Ricardo Berrios, Susan Kremmel, Erin Laureano, Roxanna Paulin, Patricia Summers, and Steffanie Wilson; Honorary Doctorate of Visual and Performing Arts - Dick Hyman; Honorary Doctorate of Engineering and Military Science - General Tommy Franks; President's Fellow Medallion - Lee Bird Leavengood; President's Fellow Medallion - Victor Leavengood; Outstanding Senior - Julia Lucille Licorish

The Achievement Gap: Should We Rely On Sat Scores To Tell Us Anything About It?, Dale Whittington

Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA)

Increasing numbers of students taking the SAT have declined to identify their race/ethnicity. I examined the impact of non-respondents on the validity of reported racial/ethnic differences and year-to-year changes in test performance. ...

Education Policy Analysis Archives 12/12 , Arizona State University, University Of South Florida

College of Education Publications

Achievement gap : should we rely on SAT scores to tell us anything about it? / Dale Whittington.

Competencies And Skills In The Globalized Workforce, Mary Ellen, Reilly

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of international programs in preparing participants for effective engagement in the world's economy and the complexity of multiple societies and cultures. The study's objective is to identify and assess the skills and competencies that are in demand for graduates of international programs, from both the United States and foreign perspectives, and their main economic social and civic contributions.

This research project develops, pilots and validates a list of critical competencies and skills for persons starting careers in international settings, creating a unique and valuable product. In addition, the project …