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Dissertations

2014

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California Community Colleges Child Development Laboratory Schools, Shari Yates Dec 2014

California Community Colleges Child Development Laboratory Schools, Shari Yates

Dissertations

Community colleges in California are the primary source for preparing the early childhood care and education (ECE) workforce. The California child development lab school mission is to prepare ECE practitioners, provide a laboratory where college students can study and research child development/education, and offer a service to children and families. There are many benefits that are derived from laboratory schools but many community college lab schools have been reduced and/or closed over the past three years. The purposes of this Delphi study were (a) to examine the most pressing issues, problems and barriers facing California community colleges child development labs …

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Digital Finger Painting: A Qualitative Exploration Of The Tablet Computer And Its Artistic Implications In An Early Childhood Setting, Sarah Nicole Ackermann Dec 2014

Digital Finger Painting: A Qualitative Exploration Of The Tablet Computer And Its Artistic Implications In An Early Childhood Setting, Sarah Nicole Ackermann

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to better understand the implications of the tablet computer for learning and, specifically, in the art classroom. A qualitative study was designed following grounded theory measures for data analysis in order to explore timely questions regarding the tablet computer and how young children react to such technology as a drawing tool. An early childhood center was accessed for this research, and 30 children between the ages of three and five years old consented to participate. Four educators and 35 parents were also enlisted in an effort to elicit substantive perspectives regarding the tablet and …

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Mechanisms Of Condition-Specific Regulation Of Mrna Stability By Puf Proteins: From Yeast To Humans, Joseph Russo Dec 2014

Mechanisms Of Condition-Specific Regulation Of Mrna Stability By Puf Proteins: From Yeast To Humans, Joseph Russo

Dissertations

RNA binding proteins regulate mRNA decay and translation, two key steps in the control of gene expression in cells. Controlling mRNA metabolism allows cells to respond rapidly to altering conditions by utilizing already available mRNA, bypassing the wait for newly transcribed mRNA. The Puf family of RNA binding proteins bind specific mRNAs through interactions with sequences located in the 3’ untranslated region (UTR). Puf proteins are conserved throughout eukaryotes and have diverse roles including stem cell maintenance, neuronal development, stress response and organelle biogenesis. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Puf proteins are conditionally regulated in response to the cells metabolic. Specifically, in …

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Implementation Of Sleep Problem Screening In A Pediatric Primary Care Office, Jennifer Erin O'Donnell Dec 2014

Implementation Of Sleep Problem Screening In A Pediatric Primary Care Office, Jennifer Erin O'Donnell

Dissertations

Sleep problems, a major problem for children and their parents, are the most common complaint brought to pediatric clinicians (advanced practice nurses and other healthcare providers) attention but are often ignored and underdiagnosed in the pediatric population (Faruqui, Khubchandani, Price, Bolyard, & Reddy, 2011). “Sufficient amounts of good quality sleep are necessary for healthy development in childhood” (Bordeleau, Bernier, & Carrier, 2012, p. 254). Inadequate sleep in children has been linked to numerous adverse outcomes psychologically as well as physically (Owens, Jones, & Nash, 2011). The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), issued recommendations in 2002 stating screening for snoring, one …

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Schisms In Schooling: Domains Of Power As Seen From Our Students, Kristen Michelle Taylor Dec 2014

Schisms In Schooling: Domains Of Power As Seen From Our Students, Kristen Michelle Taylor

Dissertations

This study investigated the dynamics of power available to students who are assigned to participate in small group instruction as an intervention to low academic scores. It proposes that student experiences of the phenomenon of small group instruction are not currently present in the research literature concerning low student performance in public education, and therefore the research literature is incomplete. A case study was conducted at a public school in St. Louis, Missouri, which resulted in a case of two teachers and five students recruited to participate. Through document analysis, classroom observations, and participant interviews, the participants provided data from …

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Impact Of The Serotonin Transporter Polymorphism On Emotion Identification In Healthy Older Adults, Staci Erin Scott Dec 2014

Impact Of The Serotonin Transporter Polymorphism On Emotion Identification In Healthy Older Adults, Staci Erin Scott

Dissertations

Older adults exhibit reduced accuracy and efficiency for identifying facial emotion expressions yet it is unclear how genetic or cognitive variables influence these findings. This study examined the impact of serotonin transporter polymorphism 5-HTTLPR on patterns of explicit emotion identification accuracy and reaction time (RT) in healthy older adults. The impact of 5-HTTLPR on measures of processing speed, attention, and executive function as well as correlations between cognitive measures and emotion identification measures were also examined. Methods: Forty-one individuals over the age of 50 were genotyped for bi-allelic and tri-allelic variants of 5-HTTLPR and administered an emotion recognition paradigm and …

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Women In Kazakhstan: A Multifaceted Approach To Female Political Representation, Ashley Gaile Benedict Dec 2014

Women In Kazakhstan: A Multifaceted Approach To Female Political Representation, Ashley Gaile Benedict

Dissertations

This investigation focuses on two competing theories (historical institutionalism and social constructivism) and their explanatory value in regards to female political representation in Kazakhstan. Historical Institutionalism maintains that current institutional dynamics are constrained by past institutional formations, even when these past institutions are no longer relevant. Social Constructivism challenges this theory by upholding that institutions are culturally situated and a reflection of shared ideas rather than material forces as argued by historical institutionalism. Based on Hanna Pitkin’s (1967) four dimensions of representation (formal, descriptive, substantive, and symbolic), I examine how Kazakhstan’s Soviet past and its creation of a Kazakh ethnic-national …

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Who Decides? A Study Of The Effects On Decision Unit Dynamics In Crisis And Crisis Transition, Janet Leigh Drake Dec 2014

Who Decides? A Study Of The Effects On Decision Unit Dynamics In Crisis And Crisis Transition, Janet Leigh Drake

Dissertations

Foreign policy decision-making is often an obscured process, particularly when it involves threats to national security or national interests. Despite the lack of transparency, though sometimes necessary, foreign policy decisions can have far-reaching consequences. Policymakers establish and affect relationships with other governments, and can commit state resources for cooperation or for conflict. The purpose of this study is to determine what types of decision units make foreign policy decisions and what factors influence the dynamics of the unit. I employ the decision units (DU) framework developed by Margaret Hermann to decisions made by the United States and Israel during the …

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The Role Of Violence Within And Across Self-Identified Gang Youth, J. Michael Vecchio Dec 2014

The Role Of Violence Within And Across Self-Identified Gang Youth, J. Michael Vecchio

Dissertations

Whether actual (i.e., direct and vicarious victimization) or anticipated (i.e., fear of crime and perceived risk of victimization) violence, gang youth commonly discuss violence in terms of having an important role in both their gang experiences and daily lives. In particular, violence can play an important role within the specific stages of the gang experience – 1) joining, 2) active membership, and 3) leaving. This includes the importance of protection from violence as a common motivator for joining, the utility of violence as a means of building cohesion between active gang members, as well as the importance of exposure to …

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Onsite Integrative Clinics: Acupuncture, Positive Patient Outcomes, And Frequency Of Provider Office Visits, Sherry Shoemaker Phd Dec 2014

Onsite Integrative Clinics: Acupuncture, Positive Patient Outcomes, And Frequency Of Provider Office Visits, Sherry Shoemaker Phd

Dissertations

Purpose and Aims. There is limited information about outcomes of care, resource utilization, and associated costs for patients who receive acupuncture in integrative health settings. The purpose of this study was to address this gap through the following aims: To examine: (1) changes in patient pain levels pre/post acupuncture treatments; (2) relationships between receiving acupuncture treatments (number of treatments, length of time, select demographic factors, (age, gender), pain level pre and post acupuncture treatments; (3) relationships between number of treatments, length of time, age, gender, pain level (pre/post acupuncture treatments) and provider visits (pre/post acupuncture treatments); and (4) relationship between …

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Network Flexibility For Recourse Considerations In Bi-Criteria Facility Location, Jeremy North Dec 2014

Network Flexibility For Recourse Considerations In Bi-Criteria Facility Location, Jeremy North

Dissertations

What is the best set of facility location decisions for the establishment of a logistics network when it is uncertain how a company’s distribution strategy will evolve? What is the best configuration of a distribution network that will most likely have to be altered in the future? Today’s business environment is turbulent, and operating conditions for firms can take a turn for the worse at any moment. This fact can and often does influence companies to occasionally expand or contract their distribution networks. For most companies operating in this chaotic business environment, there is a continuous struggle between staying cost …

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Electrochemical Synthesis Of Nanostructured Noble Metal Films For Biosensing, Jay Kishan Bhattarai Dec 2014

Electrochemical Synthesis Of Nanostructured Noble Metal Films For Biosensing, Jay Kishan Bhattarai

Dissertations

Nanostructures of noble metals (Au and Ag) are of interest because of their important intrinsic properties. Noble metals by themselves are conductive, physically robust, chemically inert, and strongly bind to thiols. However, when the nanostructures are formed, they in addition possess high surface area and unique optical properties tunable by adjusting the shape and size. All of these properties make nanostructures of noble metals suitable candidates to be used as a transducer for biosensing. Individual nanostructures might be easier to prepare but difficult to handle to be used as a transducer. Therefore, we prepared and analyzed nanostructured films/coating of noble …

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Synchronous And Asynchronous Collaboration Technology Use In Teamwork, Thanaporn Sundaravej Dec 2014

Synchronous And Asynchronous Collaboration Technology Use In Teamwork, Thanaporn Sundaravej

Dissertations

With the increasing geographic dispersion of project teams and the evolution of collaboration technologies, organizations are increasingly facilitating synchronous and asynchronous collaboration amongst dispersed team members using information technologies. While the facilitating role of collaboration technologies to enhance the outcomes of project teams has been examined in prior research, little, as of yet, is known about the influence of a project team member’s task characteristics and extent of usage of collaboration technologies on that member’s project task outcomes. This study drew upon media richness theory to examine the impacts of a project team member’s task characteristics and extent of usage …

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Exploring A Diabetic Registry For Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Mary C. Anziano Phd Dec 2014

Exploring A Diabetic Registry For Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Mary C. Anziano Phd

Dissertations

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. There were over 18 million people diagnosed with diabetes in 2002. These disease processes together combine for significant health burden on society (American Diabetes Association, 2008). The purpose of the study was to describe the relationship between select demographics, and clinical characteristics to determine risk factors for cardiovascular disease in a diabetic population. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted using a diabetic registry database containing patients diagnosed with diabetes from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2012. Study variables included age, gender, socio-economic status, glycosylated hemoglobin …

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Motivated To Adapt: Applying Goal-Setting Theory, Primed Subconscious Goal, And Implementation Intention, Graham Benjamin Wohler Dec 2014

Motivated To Adapt: Applying Goal-Setting Theory, Primed Subconscious Goal, And Implementation Intention, Graham Benjamin Wohler

Dissertations

This study investigated the effects that several motivational interventions have on transition and reacquisition adaptability. Goal-setting, whether assigned or self-set, had no effect on either form of adaptability; however, the two goal-setting conditions differed from each other once goal commitment was taken into consideration. High commitment was negatively associated to transition adaptability for assigned goals, but positively related for self-set goals; this trend was marginally significant in reacquisition adaptability as well. Primed subconscious goals were found to have no effect on either form of adaptability. An implementation intention was found to negatively relate to transition adaptability and to have no …

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Technology Integration For Common Core State Standards Implementation: Developing Differentiated Professional Development Based On The Concerns-Based Adoption Model, Tami Boatright Dec 2014

Technology Integration For Common Core State Standards Implementation: Developing Differentiated Professional Development Based On The Concerns-Based Adoption Model, Tami Boatright

Dissertations

Teachers must learn how to integrate technology for CCSS implementation in an educational environment tasked with preparing 21st century students to not only survive, but thrive in a knowledge-based global society. The changes required for 21st century learning to prepare 21st century students is transformational in nature and represents a paradigm shift for many teachers. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the differences in teachers’ Stages of Concern with integrating technology for implementation of CCSS according to age, gender, and years of teaching. In addition it was the purpose of this study to use information obtained from …

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The Case Of Reintegration Of Women Post Incarceration, Deana Raley Noble Phd Dec 2014

The Case Of Reintegration Of Women Post Incarceration, Deana Raley Noble Phd

Dissertations

Women released from prison or jail face particular obstacles and challenges on reentry to the community, many of which are related to their childhood and to gender roles as women and mothers. This study relates the lived experience of one woman's successful transition to economic and mainstream societal reintegration and family reconnection after release from prison and the insights gained by the researcher. Case study methodology congruent with Miller's Relational-Cultural Theory philosophical framework was utilized in this in-depth, single case design and represents a unique case. The overall purpose of this descriptive and explanatory research was to explore precursors to …

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Retired African American Female Urban Middle Schoolscience Teachers Beliefs And Practices, Frances Mary Whitney Dec 2014

Retired African American Female Urban Middle Schoolscience Teachers Beliefs And Practices, Frances Mary Whitney

Dissertations

The purpose of this paper is to give a voice to a dedicated group of professionals who unselfishly labored twenty-five plus years educating the children of America’s poorest taxpaying citizens. These retired African American female urban middle schools sciences teachers’ (RAAFUMSST) explain the experiences that gave them the fortitude to stay in the urban school systems until their retirement. The goal is to give you a glimpse into the distractions, challenges, and victories they encountered as they strove to teach science in an overcrowded, underserviced, and depressed urban school district of a major city. Most times sacrificing self for service, …

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Honors Program As A Predictor Of College Readiness Of Private School Students In Arkansas, Jonathan G. Jones Dec 2014

Honors Program As A Predictor Of College Readiness Of Private School Students In Arkansas, Jonathan G. Jones

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to add to the research available related to college readiness. Each of the four hypotheses were constructed to determine the predictive effects of academic program type (honors or regular) over and above the predictive effects of gender, Plan test scores, number of times the ACT was taken by individuals, and longevity in years on mathematics, English, science, and reading performance measured by ACT scores for 12th grade students in a private Christian school in Arkansas. A review of the literature identified the various aspects of college readiness, the characteristics of effective programs for college …

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Read180 Computer Software By Gender And Ethnicity On Reading Achievement For Identified Special Education Students, Sherrie Bayles Dec 2014

Read180 Computer Software By Gender And Ethnicity On Reading Achievement For Identified Special Education Students, Sherrie Bayles

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to conduct an independent study to determine the effectiveness of the READ 180 reading intervention program when implemented with middle and junior high school students with disabilities. To address the first and third hypotheses, gender (male versus female) and change over time (fall, mid-year, and at the end of the school year) served as the independent variables for sixth/seventh and eighth/ninth grade students with disabilities, respectively. For the second and fourth hypotheses, ethnicity (White versus all non-White students) and change over time served as the independent variables for sixth/seventh and eighth/ninth grade students with …

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Differences In Mathematics And Literacy Achievement Between African American Males And Other 11th-Grade Students, Jeffery Flanigan Dec 2014

Differences In Mathematics And Literacy Achievement Between African American Males And Other 11th-Grade Students, Jeffery Flanigan

Dissertations

The gap in school performance between African American students and students of other subpopulations has shown up in a range of academic success measures including course grades, test scores, course selection, and college graduation rates (Johnston & Viadero 2000); college and high school grade point averages [GPAs] (Banks & Banks, 2004); and dropout rates (Gordon, 1999; Green, 2001; Irvine & Armento, 2001; Jencks & Phillips, 1998; Kober, 2001; Lee, 2002). These indicators all point to a disturbing pattern in the educational system and beg the question: What is going on with the education of African American males in the United …

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The Effect Of Functional Fixation In Problem Solving Among Preschool, Second Grade, And Ninth Grade Children, Michael Kenneth Nehring Dec 2014

The Effect Of Functional Fixation In Problem Solving Among Preschool, Second Grade, And Ninth Grade Children, Michael Kenneth Nehring

Dissertations

Functional fixedness is a cognitive function whereby an individual becomes fixated on a given function of an object, which prevents the individual from using the object in an alternative fashion to solve a problem (Duncker, 1935/1945). The current study analyzed the effect of functional fixedness on 36 children from three different age groups, preschool, second grade, and ninth grade. The children were presented with a problem solving activity based on a problem used by German and Defeyter (2000), in which they concluded that young children are immune to the effects of functional fixedness. Research conducted by Chrysikou (2006) indicated using …

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A Co-Teaching Program Evaluation In A School District In Missouri, Tanya Marie Deering Dec 2014

A Co-Teaching Program Evaluation In A School District In Missouri, Tanya Marie Deering

Dissertations

This study was a program evaluation on the co-teaching model within the Smallville School District (a pseudonym) measuring its effectiveness defined by the perceptions of leaders in the field of special education. This study filled the gap of previous co-teaching studies by investigating a rural school district, across all buildings. The researcher selected the tools of classroom observations; convenience sample interviews; administrator, teacher, student, and parent surveys; and secondary data from High Quality Professional Development (HQPD) and the school budget. The researcher collected data with surveys, observations, and interviews to determine the perceptions of all stakeholders involved in the co-teaching …

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Perceptions Of Urban High School Teachers Transitioning From Traditional Instruction To Blended Learning, Michael Wayne Hamilton Dec 2014

Perceptions Of Urban High School Teachers Transitioning From Traditional Instruction To Blended Learning, Michael Wayne Hamilton

Dissertations

Increasing demands for technology integration at the K-12 level have led school districts to explore blended learning as an option for sustaining productive instructional strategies while increasing technology integration in the classroom. Furthermore, Disruptive Innovation Theory (Christensen, 1997) offers insights as to the potential impact of blended learning on the field of education. This phenomenological study attempted to capture the lived experiences of urban high school teachers who were transitioning to a blended learning instructional strategy. In addition, this study utilized the Stages of Concern (SoC) component of the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) to isolate the phenomenon and provide …

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Pre-Service Teachers: A Study Of Self-Theories Of Intelligence And Attitudes About Web 2.0, Lee Ann Smith Dec 2014

Pre-Service Teachers: A Study Of Self-Theories Of Intelligence And Attitudes About Web 2.0, Lee Ann Smith

Dissertations

This study examined the relationship of pre-service teachers’ self-theories of intelligence (mindset) and their attitudes about Web 2.0. The research questions evaluate: (a) Whether a significant correlation exists between pre-service teachers’ mindsets and attitudes about Web 2.0 (social media), and (b) Whether significant differences exist between demographic groups (e.g., age, certification area, gender) and their attitudes about Web 2.0 (social media). Results of the study indicate that a weak correlation between pre-service teachers’ perceived mindsets and perceived attitudes about Web 2.0 was statistically significant. In addition, significant differences were found based upon certification area, gender, and age with the sample’s …

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The Effect Of Stress And Perceived Social Support On Job Satisfaction: A Comparison Between U.S Born And Foreign-Born Faculty, Lisa Owen Dec 2014

The Effect Of Stress And Perceived Social Support On Job Satisfaction: A Comparison Between U.S Born And Foreign-Born Faculty, Lisa Owen

Dissertations

Research indicates that academic work-stress is a significant and growing problem for faculty members. General work-stress studies suggest that social support may buffer the negative impact of stress on faculty job satisfaction. To date, little research has been conducted in this area. Even fewer studies have examined the potential differences between U.S.-born and foreign-born faculty members regarding these variables. This quantitative, non-experimental multivariate study utilized a survey to assess academic stressors, perceived departmental social support, and job satisfaction at a large U.S. university. The surveyed institution consisted of 807 full-time faculty members. The three-week survey yielded a response rate of …

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Paper People And Digital Memory: Recreating The Public And Private In Japan, Meghan Sarah Fidler Dec 2014

Paper People And Digital Memory: Recreating The Public And Private In Japan, Meghan Sarah Fidler

Dissertations

This research examines how reading and writing on digital platforms establishes public and private spheres in Tokyo, Japan. Based upon findings from a group of students at an international University, I develop new modes of thinking about people and their use of Internet capable devices by exploring the paradoxes present in contemporary literacies. Contextualizing reading and writing within the speech patterns and exchange rituals (aisatsu) which mark public spheres in Japan, writing practices are found to reflect multiple nuanced identity performances in which the varied use of the cultural principles uchi/soto (inside/outside) and ura/omote (back/front) create parallel publics. Constructed by …

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On Women And Running: A Feminist Rhetorical Investigation Into The Political And Ontological Implications Of Consciousness-Raising Via The Sharing Of Women's Running Stories, Janelle Leann Briggs Dec 2014

On Women And Running: A Feminist Rhetorical Investigation Into The Political And Ontological Implications Of Consciousness-Raising Via The Sharing Of Women's Running Stories, Janelle Leann Briggs

Dissertations

The goal of my dissertation is to further our understanding of the political ramifications of women's running stories by focusing on the intersections of feminist rhetoric, women in sports studies, political theory, and ontology. To this end, I examined six books written by women, about women, who participate in the sport of running. Since I am most interested in how gendered concepts teach us how to be "appropriate," and due to the fact that what is considered appropriate gendered behavior changes over time, I start from a place of understanding that "appropriateness" is necessarily both hegemonic and unstable. As a …

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The Effect Of Instruction In Alternative Solutions On American Ninth-Grade Algebra I Students' Problem Solving Performance, Erin Elizabeth Sagaskie Dec 2014

The Effect Of Instruction In Alternative Solutions On American Ninth-Grade Algebra I Students' Problem Solving Performance, Erin Elizabeth Sagaskie

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the use of an Alternative-Solution Worksheet (ASW) on American ninth-grade students' problem solving performance, and to determine the extent to which instruction in alternative solutions promotes "look back" strategies. "Look back" strategies are based on Polya's (1973) problem solving steps, and they are an examination of what was done or learned previously. The ASW was designed to encourage students to utilize "look back" strategies by generating alternative solutions to the problems. This mixed-methods study was conducted with two existing groups of ninth-grade Algebra I students. An experimental group of …

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"I Don't Want To Hurt Anyone's Feelings": Using Race As A Writing Prompt In First Year Writing, Dianna Shank Dec 2014

"I Don't Want To Hurt Anyone's Feelings": Using Race As A Writing Prompt In First Year Writing, Dianna Shank

Dissertations

First Year Composition (FYC) is one of the most important courses for any incoming college student. This course (often designated as English 101) provides students the rhetorical tools to fully engage in critical thinking and writing on the college level. One of the most common methods of organizing FYC is to use a topic as the center of all the reading and writing prompts. The use of outside subject matter to teach FYC is a common practice that is rarely interrogated for its effectiveness. However, the Hairston debate in the early 1990s opened up a public discussion of how FYC …

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