Digital Commons Network^™

Systematic Review Of Artificial Intelligence In Higher Education (2000-2020) And Future Research Directions, Rajat Gera, Priyanka Chadha

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

The goal of this study is to synthesize the findings, methodology and research themes of peer reviewed studies on Artificial Intelligence in higher education, published between 2000 to 2020. Twenty-nine articles were selected for review by following the PRISMA approach. The demographical and thematic trends suggest that most research is skewed towards few geographical locations (USA, Europe, India, China, Hong-Kong) and recent time periods (2018-2020) and scattered across publications from varied disciplinary traditions. Taiwan and United States contributed most to the number of studies, with 2017 being the most fruitful year. Vectors as well as decision trees were the most …

Teaching Students How To Code Qualitative Data: An Experiential Activity Sequence For Training Novice Educational Researchers, Jennifer E. Lineback

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Coursework on qualitative research methods is common in many collegiate departments, including psychology, nursing, sociology, and education. Instructors for these courses must identify meaningful activities to support their students’ learning of the domain. This paper presents the components of an experiential activity sequence centered on coding and coding scheme development. Each of the three component activities of this sequence is elaborated, as are the students’ experiences during their participation in the activities. Additionally, the issues concerning coding and coding scheme development that typically emerge from students’ participation in these activities are discussed. Results from implementations of both in-person (face-to-face) and …

Syrian Children’S Perceived Integration Into Turkish National Education System, Nurgul Bekdemir, Gulce Kalayci, Nuray Alagozlu

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This study is conducted to analyze Syrian children’s educational life from the perspective of the teachers and explore their acculturation process, and adaptation into the Turkish culture with reference to the difficulties. Moreover, the study will take into account their academic attainment as well as the implemented bilingual education model. Grounded theory was utilized to analyze the data as it enables a scrupulous analysis when there is not much detailed information on the topic. Thematic analysis was conducted as the qualitative research design is required to explore and identify the academic achievement and social adaptation process of Syrian students in …

Beliefs About Teaching (Bats2) - Rasch Model Analysis Of An Instrument Based On Intasc Critical Dispositions, W. Steve Lang, Lasonya Moore, Judy R. Wilkerson

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This research is one of a chain of studies on the development and testing of a battery of teacher dispositions assessments designed to measure the InTASC critical dispositions (InTASC, 2013). Accredited programs in the US are required to use these standards and to assess teacher dispositions. Here, an alternate form of the Thurstone agreement scale (Beliefs About Teaching Survey or BATS, version 2, Form B) was validated with US undergraduate teacher education majors from two public universities (N=149) with this population. Results indicate that Form B of BATSv2 has comparable results to Form A and the first version of the …

The Effect Of Superstitions On Consumer Luck, Horoscope And Evil Eye-Oriented Purchasing Behavior: A Study In Turkey, Ibrahim Avci, Salih Yildiz

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Superstitions have taken an important place in people's lives since the past. Despite the increase in the educational level of people, superstitions still exist. Superstitions, which have been researched especially by studies in the field of psychology, have not been adequately studied in the field of marketing. However, it is known that superstitions have an effect on the behavior of consumers. In this context, the aim of the research is to determine the effect of the superstitions of consumers on their chance-oriented, horoscope-oriented and evil-eye-oriented purchasing behaviors. Data were collected through an online questionnaire due to the pandemic. The survey …

Accelerated Modernity: What Are The Social Media Stories Undergraduate Students Engage With?, Pericles A. Rospigliosi, Sebastian Raza-Mejia

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This paper aims to show how current undergraduate students use social media in their daily lives, taking the first ten minutes of the day as a concentrated insight into their priorities of practice. The work draws on primary data from four focus groups of UK business students in higher education. Through the application of Rosa’s construct of social acceleration, initial findings indicate a hierarchy of priorities, shaped by economic, cultural and structural drivers in what social media is engaged with, in what sequence, and for what purpose. These choices reflect acceleration in the changes to the technology, the pace of …

Strategic Orientation Of Service Enterprises Towards Customers, Korhan Arun, Saniye Yildirim Ozmutlu

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This study investigates the effects of strategic orientation on customer orientation. The importance of the research is depending on that customer orientation not only changes the strategy processes; it also establishes an institutional understanding of the structural and cultural conditions under which the strategic focus. Cross-sectional survey data (n=105) were obtained from top managers of each service firm and analyzed with structural equation modeling technique. The results showed that strategic orientation is a strong antecedent for customer orientation. Additionally, a proactive strategy is higher positively related to customer orientation than future, and defensive strategies. Prescriptions for theory development and practitioners …

Using Mnemonic Illustrations In First Reading And Writing: The Case Of Turkish Alphabet, Baris Kalender, Adem Gulec

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This study aims to create mnemonic illustrations for the letters in the Turkish alphabet to be used at the stage of first reading and writing in the first grade. The principles of Pavio's Dual Coding Theory and Sweller et al.'s Cognitive Load Theory were used in the creation of mnemonic letters. This study was designed as a qualitative research in which photo-elicitation method was used in data collection. The study group of the research consists of 25 classroom teachers and 300 students who completed pre-school education and were about to start primary school. The data collection process of the research …

A Pedagogical Framework For A Paradigm Shift In Emergency Paramedic Training: Rescue Service Schools Between Requirement Conflicts And Learning Culture Development, Thomas Prescher, Heiko Konig, Christian Wiesner

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

The discussion around changing the culture of teaching and learning with a stronger focus on competence-oriented teaching within a framework of self-development and self-appropriation is not a new discussion in pedagogy. It is apparent that a competence-oriented learning paradigm is required, the need for its implementation has been clearly recognized, however the way to achieve it remains unclear. This paper outlines the paradigm of competence-oriented teaching and learning based on the understanding of constructive alignment. This is the basis for demonstrating, from a system-theoretical perspective, contradictions and conflicting requirements between the entities of the health care system, which can only …

The Evolution Of Human Resources Empowerment Theory: A Literature Review (1970–2020), Theodoros Stavrinoudis, Moschos Psimoulis

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This paper examines and classifies the methods of human resources (HR) empowerment and their features, as recorded in the international scientific literature. To this end, 132 scientific papers were drawn on and conclusions were reached regarding the evolution of the theory of empowerment from 1970 to 2020, through the method of Content Analysis. The concept of empowerment encompasses many dimensions that are examined separately in the international literature without an extensive grouping and codification of the methods found. This paper classifies the most common methods of HR empowerment and their respective features, so that future researchers have a comprehensive database …

Artificial Intelligence In Retailing, Ibrahim Kircova, Munise Hayrun Saglam, Sirin Gizem Kose

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Advances in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies have brought a completely new level of data processing that provides deeper business insights. Purchasing advice, dynamic pricing, personal content and advice have become widely used in the retail industry thanks to artificial intelligence. Almost real-time results can be achieved by expanding the scope of data obtained from existing customers and algorithms that mimic human-like behavior. In addition, interactions with machines are more widely accepted than before, allowing consumers to accept innovations faster and thus increase brand loyalty. On the other hand, the success of artificial intelligence, which will change the future …

Power In The Cyberspace Using Online Discussions Boards, Babak Khoshnevisan, Vahideh Alipour

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Recent technology has afforded both teachers and learners to interact in a rather safe online environment. Given the cutting-edge technology used in education, online discussion boards are being used in distance education. Wide permeation of online discussion boards in online education has been inevitable. It is then important to uncover aspects that contribute to a quality discussion in order to fashion a sound learning experience for students. While our understanding of the benefits of face-to-face and online discussions to engage students is well developed, the data do not apply to pre-service teachers’ perceptions of engagement who participate in the online …

The Effect Of Authentic Task-Oriented Applications On Problem-Solving Skills In Robotic Programming Teaching, Yunus E. Ozenoglu, Sehnaz Baltaci

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This study aims to examine the effect of authentic tasks in group programming education on the problem-solving skills of secondary school 5^th-grade students. A weak experimental single-group pretest-posttest model was applied to gather data. The study participants consisted of 56 5th grade students, 25 girls, and 31 boys, studying in a private secondary school in the 2018-2019 academic year. The "problem-solving skill scale" was applied as a pre-test and post-test to define the participants' problem-solving skills. There is no statistically significant difference in students' problem-solving skills (p = 0.657) according to related (dependent) samples t-test results. The effect …

Socio-Intercultural Entrepreneurship: A Case On A Postgraduate Program In Economics And International Business Of An Indigenous University, Ernesto Guerra-Garcia, Jose G. Vargas-Hernandez

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This article presents a critical approach to the proposal of socio-intercultural entrepreneurship. The concept of cultural and social entrepreneurship and that which has been as a product of neoliberalism is limited, so a framework analysis is necessary to improve the understanding of socioeconomic realities. Through an exploratory and analytical research methodology, a review of pertinent literature and the exemplification of the specific case of a postgraduate program in economics and international business at the Universidad Autónoma Indígena de México, it is concluded that socio-intercultural entrepreneurship presents a theoretical and methodological frame that allows entrepreneurs to have a major perception of …

“Practice Basic Hygiene, And You’Ll Stay Healthy”: How Primary School Reading Textbooks Transmitted Cultural Education In The Soviet Union, Victoria Storozenko

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Russia’s Cultural Revolution, beginning after the October Revolution in 1917, produced a broadly defined understanding of culture and cultural education at Russian schools that encompassed even basic hygiene and health. Drawing from postdoctoral research, this paper discusses the Cultural Revolution’s impact and its ideas on cultural education as presented in textbooks for 10-year general education schools in the Soviet Union. Discourse analysis revealed that the schoolbooks acted as an interface between a functional education system and changes in its surrounding environment, especially changes due to the Cultural Revolution. Amid today’s COVID-19 pandemic, the study’s findings raise several questions about what …

Influence Of Psychological Empowerment On Employee Competence In Nigerian Universal Basic Education System: The Mediating Role Of Work Engagement, Isah Sani, Rashidah B. M. Ibrahim, Fazida Karim

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

The main purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of work engagement (WE) on the link between psychological empowerment and employee competence (EC). The Ability Motivation Theory (AMO) stress the importance of practices that are capable of enhancing individual’s competence towards the achievement of organizational objectives. While considering psychological empowerment as one of the best practices influencing employee competence in an organization, some previous studies only considered other internal resources such like human resource practices. Studies that attempt to investigate the effect of psychological empowerment on EC and the mechanism through which it influences employee’s competence seem …

Quantitative Literacy And Guns, William Briggs

Numeracy

Briggs, William. 2017. How America Got Its Guns: A History of the Gun Violence Crisis; (Albuquerque, University of New Mexico Press). 352 pp. Paperback: ISBN 978-0-8263-5813-4. E-book ISBN 978-0-8263-5814-1.

Quantitative literacy and statistics are just two of many disciplines required to understand the problem of gun violence in America. However, it’s also useful to appreciate their limitations in an issue that is so complex.

Guns And The Limits Of Numeracy: Review Of How America Got Its Guns: A History Of The Gun Violence Crisis, By William Briggs., Joel Best

Numeracy

William Briggs. 2017. How America Got Its Guns: A History of the Gun Violence Crisis; (Albuquerque, University of New Mexico Press). Paperback: ISBN 978-0-8263-5813-4. E-book ISBN 978-0-8263-5814-1.

Mathematician William Briggs (co-author of the well-regarded Understanding and Using Mathematics) has written a remarkably thorough and evenhanded analysis of gun policy in the United States that draws upon the work of historians, legal scholars, social scientists, and advocates. He gives respectful hearings to claims about the importance of both gun rights and gun control. The breadth of his coverage makes it almost certain that any reader will discover new angles …

Considering What Counts: Claims About Nearly-Ubiquitous Social Problems, Joel Best

Numeracy

Press coverage of a recent survey suggests that sexual harassment is nearly ubiquitous in the UK. Thinking critically about claims of nearly-ubiquitous social problems requires: (1) asking how the statistic was produced; (2) considering questions of measurement; and (3) recognizing that the the most severe forms that social problems take tend to be much less common than less serious forms

Informing Indigent Health Care Service Programs Within A Local Government Context: Strategies For Population-Based Service Planning, Assessment, And Policy Development, Joshua Troy Barnett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The number of medically indigent adults continues to grow in the United States, despite recent expansions in health care coverage to individuals who are non-disabled, low income, and uninsured. Indigent health care programs (IHCPs) are safety net services that are often funded and operated by local governments. These IHCPs provide access to health services at low to no-cost which protect the health and financial welfare of the individuals these programs serve and support the sustainability of the health systems that treat them. Although localities continue to expand their presence in safety net health care delivery, little is known about locally …

Border Policing: A History Of Enforcement And Evasion In North America, Edited By Holly M. Karibo And George T. Díaz. Austin, Texas: University Of Texas Press, 2020. Isbn 978-1-4773-2067-9. 288 Pages, $42.75 (Kindle E-Book) $45.00 (Hardback)., Howard Campbell , Phd

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Poetic Justice: A Counter-Narrative Of The First Black Male Principal In A Coastal Community Since The Desegregation Era, Adrian Anthony

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Entering a new school as a new principal, and the first black male administrator in a community since the desegregation era, was fraught with challenges that have a universal cadence. Additionally, the three-year school turnaround initiative I entered had its own unique barriers. My voice quivers, my head sinks low, my eyes averted but this no more, for I uphold the mantle of men of bronze, for I will lead within this challenge and my voice will go on (Anthony, 2020). Using critical race theory as a framework with counter-storytelling I examined leadership and different forms of racial and gender …

"They Say We're Expendable:" Race, Nation, And Citizenship In The Dominican Republic., Edlin Veras

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 2013, new Dominican legislation left approximately a quarter-million Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent at risk of being undocumented and/or stateless in the Dominican Republic. While the histories of racial and ethnic tensions between the Dominican Republic are well-studied, few qualitative works have explored how these harsh migration policies impact Haitians’ everyday experiences. In my dissertation, I sought to understand: 1) How day-to-day experiences of racialization practices shape the lives of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent, and 2) investigate how migration policies impact Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent’s quality of life. I tend to these questions by …

Diaspora By Design: The Systematic Displacement Of Tampa's African-American Populace, 1925-1974, Shannon D. Bruffett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Diaspora by Design: The Systematic Displacement of Tampa’s African-American Populace, 1925-1974 is a political and economic history that maps the transformation of the city’s urban landscape through a variety of federal programs. It examines the the ways that Tampa city leaders employed a variety of federal programs, and funding, to shape the economic, social, and cultural environment of Tampa’s Black population over the course of five decades.

Waive It Away: Systemic Injustices Against Black And Brown Faculty And Staff Professionals, Past And Present, Marquis B. Holley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates perceptions and experiences of systemic injustices/racism, which is reflected in policy misuse and/or abuse at a large Research One (R1) university located in the Southeastern United States. In particular, the study will provide a lens for viewing the shortcomings regarding hiring practices, with the misuse of the Waiver of Advertisement, which was an initiative aimed at addressing the underrepresentation of Black and Brown professionals in faculty and staff/administrative positions. It is critical to note that the assumption of this project is that white faculty and staff/administrators are the beneficiaries of the waiver. The study will assess this …

How Culture And Storytelling Can Influence Urban Development: An Ethnographic Look At The Community-Driven Revitalization Of Newtown In Sarasota, Florida, Michala Head

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When Americans think of Florida, tourist attractions often trail the initial thoughts of alligator sand chaos. Disneyworld and its neighboring parks are set up for optimal experience and consumption, the thought of a trip South along the coast for a sweltering beach day, sipping on a frozen drink in January sings to Midwesterners. For residents of these seaside cities, such as Sarasota, the experiences of the space are much more complex. Within the broader contexts of the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of George Floyd and a global pandemic that impacted America’s marginalized populations disproportionally, …

Data-Driven Studies On Social Networks: Privacy And Simulation, Yasanka Sameera Horawalavithana

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Social media datasets are fundamental to understanding a variety of phenomena, such as epidemics, adoption of behavior, crowd management, and political uprisings. At the same time, many such datasets capturing computer-mediated social interactions are recorded nowadays by individual researchers or by organizations. However, while the need for real social graphs and the supply of such datasets are well established, the flow of data from data owners to researchers is significantly hampered by privacy risks: even when humans’ identities are removed, or data is anonymized to some extent, studies have proven repeatedly that re-identifying anonymized user identities (i.e., de-anonymization) is doable …

Analysis And Modeling Of Strategic Interactions In Health Systems To Improve Patient Care Access, Jorge A. Acuña Melo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Affordable health care access that provides well-coordinated and high-quality services on time is a goal that governments and health organizations strive for. Regrettably, most countries deal with access problems that affect the population's health, such as long waiting lists for specialized medical services, overcrowding of emergency departments, and high health prices. In the present doctoral dissertation, I model and analyze the strategic interactions that inhabit the health system machinery to uncover possible structural problems that led to the aforementioned issues. The study involves operation research, data science, and game theory techniques to address the health care access predicament.

Each research …

Presenting Selves And Interpreting Culture: An Ethnography Of Chinese International Tourism In The United States, Fangheyue Ma

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I situate my dissertation research within cultural sociology, specifically the cultural phenomenon of international tourism, and social psychology, particularly the subfields of identity, interaction, and emotion. I conducted a qualitative study of participants in international package tourism and individual travelers, more specifically, Chinese tourists who travel to the United States. Main topics of exploration included tourists’ experience of their trips and package tours, how they interpreted American culture and compared it to their own, how they constructed and performed identities both as tourists and as Chinese nationals, their emotional experiences and how they made sense of an environment that they …

Making A Home Away From Home: A Qualitative Study Of African Students’ Practices Of Integration In The United States, Alphonse O. Opoku

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the last two decades, the population of international students in the world has significantly increased. More and more students from diverse backgrounds cross national borders to study. The observed increase in numbers and diversity has led to an uptick in scholarly research that focuses on the adaptation and experiences of international students. Most of these studies, particularly in the US, are informed by the acculturation theories and assimilationist frameworks of the 1900s. Also, an exclusive focus is placed on the host country, with few studies acknowledging the impact of the origin country on the international student experience. Such approaches …