Digital Commons Network^™

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.

Governing Wayward Consumers: Self-Change And Recovery In Debtors Anonymous, Adam Morenberg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous research on self-change in support groups has focused on the ways individuals accomplish self-change in the "local cultures" of the support group settings. This ethnographic study of the 12-step self-help group Debtors Anonymous (DA) departs from that tradition by focusing on the ways that DA members achieve self-change by employing "recovery" strategies learned from the group in their everyday lives. DA members enter the group during financial crises, and often believe they cannot manage their own personal finances. By learning techniques of financial management taught by the group, DA members gradually gain "sobriety" and financial management skills. This analysis …

Women, Domestic Abuse, And Dreams: Analyzing Dreams To Uncover Hidden Traumas And Unacknowledged Strengths, Mindy Stokes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Domestic abuse is the number one cause of injury to women in the United States. Women and their children flee everyday to shelters to escape the abuse. Once inside the shelters, material resources are rendered so that the women can continue to lead lives outside the shelter and different therapies are employed so that the women can better understand the abuse and their options once leaving. A type of therapy used in other therapeutic forums, such as patients sexually abused as children, is dream analysis. This type of therapy has allowed formerly traumatized victims a safe space to uncover hidden …

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 …

A Comparative Analysis Of Travel Time Expenditures In The United States, Lavenia Anne Toole-Holt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Literature on transportation planning and modeling is replete with the concept of a travel time budget. According to this concept, average daily travel times tend to be relatively constant. However, evidence from the 1983 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey and the 2001 National Household Travel Survey suggest that the average daily travel time has increased by 1.9 minutes per year.

Understanding travel time expenditures is important for forecasting travel demand, especially future vehicle miles of travel. Historically, travel demand models considered vehicle availability and income as limiting factors for travel, but going forward time may be the constraint. As individuals spend …

Do Emo-Operated Character Schools Serve Disadvantaged Students?: The Influence Of State Policies, Natalie Lacireno-Paquet

Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA)

… By combining data from the US Department of Education’s Schools and Staffing Survey with data on the characteristics of state charter school policies, this article examines how different types of charter schools respond to the policy and market signals established by state charter legislation, and the impact of such signals on the willingness and ability of charter schools to serve disadvantaged student populations. ...

Education Policy Analysis Archives 12/26 , Arizona State University, University Of South Florida

College of Education Publications

Do EMO-operated Charter Schools Serve Disadvantaged Students? The Influence of State Policies / Natalie Lacireno-Paquet.

The Influence Of School Policy And Practice On Mathematics Achievement During Transitional Periods, Janet K. Holt, Cynthia Campbell

Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA)

In this study, the effects of school policies and practices on math achievement growth, as students transitioned from middle to high school, were examined while controlling for school contextual variables. …

Education Policy Analysis Archives 12/23 , Arizona State University, University Of South Florida

College of Education Publications

Influence of school policy and practice on mathematics achievement during transitional periods / Janet K. Holt [and] Cynthia Campbell.

What Faculty Know About Designing Online Materials In Compliance With Current U.S. Copyright And Fair Use Laws, Phyllis C. Sweeney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Digital technology has vastly increased the ability of individuals to copy, produce and distribute information, making the behavior of individuals a far more significant factor in the enforcement of copyright and fair use laws than in the past. This research investigates the resources used by university faculty and their knowledge of fair use regarding web-based course materials. Specifically, the research A) identifies prevailing trends in faculty use of resource materials in the development of web-based courses including digital images, text, video and sound; B) determines how faculty members have gained and applied their fair use knowledge; and C) interprets any …

Un Estudio Multinivel Sobre Los Factores De Eficacia Escolar En Países En Desarrollo: El Caso De Los Recursos En Brasil, José Luis Gaviria, Rosario Martínez-Arias, María Castro

Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA)

Classic research on school effectiveness ensures that the material resources of schools do not have any relevant effects on the academic performance of the pupils. Such research was carried out in developed countries, with no serious economic problems. This research is based on a secondary data analysis from the evaluation of basic education in Brazil in 1995. ...

Education Policy Analysis Archives 12/20 , Arizona State University, University Of South Florida

College of Education Publications

Estudio multinivel sobre los factores de eficacia escolar en países en Desarrollo : el caso de los recursos en Brasil / José Luis Gaviria, Rosario Martínez-Arias [and] María Castro.

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

What Predicts The Mobility Of Elementary School Leaders? An Analysis Of Longitudinal Data In Colorado, Motoko Akiba, Robert Reichardt

Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA)

While many studies have reported the predictors of teacher attrition, we know little about what predicts the attrition of school leaders. Using the Colorado state data on elementary school principals’ and assistant principals’ career paths from 1999 to 2001 and school achievement-level data, we addressed two research questions: 1) How do the age-specific attrition rates differ by gender and race? and 2) What other conditional factors are associated with the attrition of school leaders?

Education Policy Analysis Archives 12/18 , Arizona State University, University Of South Florida

College of Education Publications

What predicts the mobility of elementary school leaders? An analysis of longitudinal data in Colorado / Motoko Akiba [and] Robert Reichardt.

Policy Issues For Australia's Education Systems: Evidence From International And Australian Research, Gary N. Marks, Julie Mcmillan, John Ainley

Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA)

Our purpose here is to discuss education policy issues in the context of empirical evidence. We note that many commonly held beliefs about Australian education such as, the relative performance and participation levels of Australian students; the importance of socioeconomic background on educational outcomes both relative to other countries and changes over-time; gender differences in mathematics and science; and the labor market situation of early school leavers; are not supported by empirical research.

Education Policy Analysis Archives 12/17 , Arizona State University, University Of South Florida

College of Education Publications

Policy Issues for Australia, Äôs Education Systems: Evidence from International and Australian Research / Gary N. Marks, Julie McMillan [and] John Ainley.

Reform Ideals And Teachers' Practical Intentions, Mary M. Kennedy

Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA)

Reformers have been trying for decades to alter the fundamental character of classroom instruction in the United States, but have repeatedly been unsuccessful in fostering significant change in teaching practice. Several hypotheses have been put forward to account for this problem–that teachers lack sufficient knowledge (hence we need more professional development), that they lack sufficient will (hence we need accountability systems) or that they disagree with reform ideals or find other agendas to be more compelling in their classrooms. ...

Education Policy Analysis Archives 12/13 , Arizona State University, University Of South Florida

College of Education Publications

Reform ideals and teachers, Äô practical intentions / Mary M. Kennedy.

Organizational Uncertainty Management: Developing A Framework For Public Relations Practitioner Involvement, Marcia L. Watson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the concept of organizational uncertainty and the involvement of public relations practitioners. Understanding organizational uncertainty is imperative to the success of an organization, but the effects of uncertainty have been relatively undertheorized within public relations.

To close the gap, this study blended multidisciplinary theories pertaining to uncertainty with a triangulated methodological approach. First, this study took a macro-organizational look at uncertainty by analyzing trends in the literature and conducting qualitative in-depth interviews with members of management and employees in an organization. The results of this portion of the study found uncertainty to be multi-layered and the most …

Educational Choices Of Undergraduate Women In Public Relations: A Quantitative Study, Moira K. Davis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Public relations is one of the fastest growing majors chosen by college students throughout the United States, and most of these students are women. This thesis attempts to define the important role that women play in the practice of public relations and to determine why female students choose this major as their desired field of study more often then men. There is a need for such a study because in 1996 women accounted for only 37 percent of managers in marketing, advertising, and public relations, although they comprised 62 percent of all public relations specialists in this country. This research …

Real Time Digital Signal Processing Adaptive Filters For Correlated Noise Reduction In Ring Laser Gyro Inertial Systems, David A. Doheny

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Existing opportunities in advanced interceptor, satellite guidance and aircraft navigation technologies, requiring higher signal processing speeds and lower noise environments, are demanding Ring Laser Gyro (RLG) based Inertial Systems to reduce initialization and operational data latency as well as correlated noise magnitudes. Existing signal processing algorithms are often less than optimal when considering these requirements. Advancements in micro-electronic processes have made Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) a fundamental building block for system implementation when considering higher-level signal processing algorithms.

Research of real time adaptive signal processing algorithms embedded in ASICs for use in RLG based inertial systems will help to …

Where The Palm Grows: The Ybor City Revitalization Project, Alexandra Fitos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasingly there has been a new model for inner-city redevelopment and revitalization, in which an urban area is commodified and turned into a festival market and an exclusive shopping district referred to as a shopertainment area. Ybor City in Tampa, Florida, is typical of this new model of redevelopment where urban entertainment and shopping with an active nightclub and dinning scene, entices new visitors to area, and most recently a growing residential population. The residential population that is developing is one of exclusivity and privilege, exceedingly far removed from Ybor City's humble beginnings as a company town or the blighted …

An Analysis Of Print Media Reporting Of Established Religions And New Religious Movements, Lonnie F. Griffin Iii

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reports findings from a content analysis of 720 newspaper articles and 3,052 newspaper article cases focused on the issue of print media bias. Sunday editions of three major newspapers were drawn from the six-year period 1998-2003 for analysis. Prior research has uncovered print media bias in reporting of religious groups, and this thesis examines the substance of those claims pertaining to both established religions and new religious movements. Research findings show that established religions and their members are typically described in favorable or neutral terms, while new religious movements and their members are consistently described with pejorative terms. …

Level Of Demoralization As A Predictor Of Stage Of Change In Patients With Gastrointestinal And Colorectal Cancer, Cheryl Anne Cockram

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Demoralization is a concept that evolved out of the study of individuals under stress. It is defined as the combination of distress and subjective incompetence in the presence of inadequate social bonds. When patients with alcohol abuse problems are diagnosed with cancer they may become demoralized and be unable to summons adequate resources to address issues associated with changing their addictive behavior. The Stage of Change Model (SOC), one of the primary approaches in addiction therapy, is used to guide individuals through the process of behavioral change.

This two phase study examined the relationship between demoralization and stage of change. …

The Interaction Between Victim Race And Gender On Capital Sentencing Outcomes: An Exploration Of Previous Research, Amy Reckdenwald

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study is an exploration and extension of previous research on the interactive effects of victim-race and victim-gender on death sentence outcomes. Williams and Holcomb's (2004) study suggests that an interactive effect exists between victim-race and victim-gender on Ohio death sentencing outcomes, such that killers of White women are especially singled out for capital punishment. The current study analyzes a sample of death eligible cases at the trial level in North Carolina to determine if Williams & Holcomb's findings hold up for a different sample of cases and in a different state. Logistic regression is used to determine if there …

The Social Construction Of Workplace "Diversity", Brenda G. Shawver

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This is a study of "workplace diversity" from a social constructionist perspective. The perspective holds that while human meaning is socially created, it is the social order which gives us resources for making this meaning. There is much literature about workplace diversity from objectivist standpoints that takes for granted the term "diversity." What is missing is a comprehensive understanding of diversity: what does this term mean? What does it conceal? I attempt to contribute to a better understanding of diversity by interrogating its construction in popular culture.

I analyze the content of an advertising supplement called "Diversity Works," published in …

Improving The Environment In Distance Learning Courses Through The Application Of Aesthetic Principles, Darryl J. Hancock

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary goal of this project has been to research and create aesthetic visual environments in distance-learning media through the application of expert criteria and to explore the effects of those environments on student satisfaction and motivation. To accomplish this three instructors with distinct courses were selected to apply aesthetic criteria within the process of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. Courses selected were Art Appreciation -- ARTS 1100, Advanced Surveying -- ENGR 2502, and Introduction to Sociology -- SOCI 1101.

The project goal was subdivided into four objectives.

1) Develop criteria for the inclusion of visual aesthetics in the …

Weblogs And The Technology Lifecycle: Context, Geek-Chic And Personal Community, James M. Milne

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Weblogging is an Internet social practice that became known as a technology. This project investigated weblogging (blogging) as an example of a media technology that arose under particular historical circumstances. To investigate this, blogs were examined in detail, participant-observation was used to construct and run a blog, and practicing bloggers were interviewed. The study found that blogging, like all technology, originates within existing social practice (context); has a diffusion process that causes it to spread between people (Geek-Chic); and leads to certain social outcomes (Personal Community). This is seen as a general pattern for the lifecycle of technology, serving to …