Digital Commons Network^™

The National Council Of Teachers Of English And Federal Education Policy, 1958-1966, Curtis Mason

Dissertations

Following the launching of Sputnik in 1957, Congress passed the National Defense Education Act of 1958 that primarily funded research for the teaching of science, foreign language, and math. English was omitted, but in 1961, due to persuading from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), Congress funded a program that established institutes and centers for research for the teaching of English.

In my research I argue that in order to secure federal funding, the NCTE altered its formal mission to accommodate popular educational rhetoric. Ironically, after achieving federal funding for curricula research one outcome was a recommendation for …

Demonstration Of Extractive Cryocooled Inert Preconcentration With Ftir Spectroscopy Instrumentation And Methodology For Autonomous Measurements Of Atmospheric Organics, Patrick I. Buckley

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Children‘S Protagonism At The Centro Cultural Da Criança: A Case Study, Claudia Protasio Ceccon

Dissertations

This dissertation provides a thick description and discussion of how child protagonism, participation and autonomy were implemented in an out of school center – The Children‘s Cultural Center – in a favela, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The researcher visited the center for more than two years, twice a week from February 2008 to June 2009, and once a week from June 2009 to July 2010. She conducted in-depth interviews with educators and children, recorded observation sessions in the activity rooms, and observed actualization sessions for educators and family days. This study describes the perspectives and expectations of the Center‘s …

A Qualitative Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Adults With African American And Korean Heritages, Elizabeth Sue Bradshaw

Dissertations

Scholarship on biracial persons has been primarily focused on those of African American and White heritages. The dominance of research on this one segment of the biracial population has in turn led to the myth of a universal biracial experience. There is a critical need to hear the voices and experiences of those who are members of two or more communities of color. While many researchers have recommended that more studies be done with biracial participants from two or more communities of color, few studies have been conducted. The purpose of this study was to explore exclusively the lived experiences …

Transgender People On University Campuses: A Policy Discourse Analysis, Doris Andrea Dirks

Dissertations

The goal of this study is to examine the language used to discuss transgender people on university campuses. My main research question was: What do university reports describe as problems and solutions for transgender people in universities? The primary data for this study consists of 16 reports issued at four Big Ten schools from 1992-2010. These reports address the inclusion of gender identity and expression in nondiscrimination policies, the status of transgender people on university campuses, or both. This study employs policy discourse analysis, a hybrid methodology that analyzes written documents using feminist, critical, and poststructural theories in order to …

Narratives Of Longevity From The Perspective Of Seventh-Day Adventist School Administrators In North America: A Multiple Case Study, Janet Ledesma

Dissertations

Problem. The average length of stay for school principals in the Seventh-day Adventist system of education in North America is 2.5-4.0 years. Elementary principals remain in leadership for 2.5 years, day academy principals stay for 3.6 years, and boarding academy principals stay for 4.0 years. Many studies have identified reasons why school principals leave their jobs. However, few studies have been conducted to understand why principals in the organization stay.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of principals who have remained in leadership in the Adventist system of education in North America longer than 10 …

The Relationship Between Community Service Involvement And Student Outcomes In Mexican Higher Learning Institutions, Raul Lozano

Dissertations

Problem. Although Mexican Seventh-day Adventist higher learning institutions involve their students in diverse forms of community service, it is not clear whether involvement in service-related projects in these institutions is producing the desired prosocial, spiritual, and personal development in the students.

Method. A mixed methods design combining qualitative and quantitative research approaches was carried out to understand the way community service is implemented in Mexican Adventist higher education and its impact on students. In the qualitative stage, three cases were studied in which 18 people from three Seventh-day Adventist universities in Mexico participated in interviews and focus groups. Data were …

Beyond The American Dream : Tales Of Hispanic Mutimillionaires Who Rose Above Poverty After Immigrating To The United States, Ricardo Norton

Dissertations

Problem. A review of the literature on Hispanics reveals the absence of academic studies on the conditions and life experiences that helped poor Hispanic immigrants become multimillionaires after arriving to the U.S. at 18 years of age and older and without conversational English. Most Hispanic immigrants live in poverty right after arriving to the U.S. and only a few become multimillionaires. A study on how they rose above poverty has the potential to uncovering useful information for other poor immigrants who are still looking who seek financial success. Such study will also add to the larger body of literature information …

A Comparative Study Of The Concept Of Atonement In The Writings Of John R. W. Stott And Ellen G. White, Lawrence O. Oladini

Dissertations

The study examines two evangelical penal substitutionary theologies of atonement presented by John Stott and Ellen White. It adopts a descriptive and analytic approach to examine the respective atonement theologies of both authors. Chapter 1 introduces the purpose of the dissertation and the methodology adopted. Chapter 2 examines the different theories of atonement in Christian theology. Chapters 3 and 4 examine the respective atonement theologies of Stott and White. Chapter 5 is a comparative analysis of the concept of atonement in both authors, while chapter 6 summarizes the conclusions of the study. -- Purpose. The purpose of the research is …

The Influence And Use Of Daniel In The Synoptic Gospels, Reimar Vetne

Dissertations

Scholars have always been aware of influence from the book of Daniel in the Synoptic Gospels. Various allusions to Daniel have been discussed in numerous articles, monographs and commentaries. Now we have for the first time a comprehensive look at all the possible allusions to Daniel in one study.

All the cases are discussed and given an assessment of either 'no allusion', 'uncertain allusion', 'possible allusion', 'probable allusion', or 'certain allusion'.

After reviewing the most common terminology and methodology used in scholarship in the area of literary influence (ch. 1), the bulk of the cases are discussed one by one …

The Color(S) Of Perfection: The Feminine Body, Beauty Ideals, And Identity In Postwar America, 1945-1970, Elizabeth M. Matelski

Dissertations

Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, a number of models have existed offering women a spectrum of ideal body types and varying opinions about the role of fitness and diet in achieving these forms. In the years following World War II, prescriptive literature, Hollywood, and popular culture in general created and perpetuated the postwar feminine ideal of "the Sweater girl" - a busty, curvaceous figure more sexual than maternal. Yet, this ideal gave way in little more than a decade. In the late 1960s, youth culture placed a cult-like status on Twiggy, a model with a 31-inch bust and 32-inch …

The Seduction Of Feminist Theory, Erin Amann Holliday-Karre

Dissertations

My dissertation, "The Seduction of Feminist Theory," comes out of my research on South African fiction and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and focuses broadly on feminist theory and the question of female power. Traditionally feminist theory has sought to empower women by insisting on their equality to men and by allowing their voices to be heard. But in trying to understand why women did not speak about their personal victimization at the TRC hearings, and why so many women characters in South African fiction are unable or unwilling to speak, I have come to see that women do not …

Education Language Policy Process In Multilingual Societies: Global Visions And Local Agendas In India, Nigeria And Unesco, Desmond I. Odugu

Dissertations

In linguistically heterogeneous societies, language planning constitutes core institutional practice for maintaining social cohesion as well as unique cultural identities. This critical sociolinguistic and comparative analysis examines education language policy process in India, Nigeria and UNESCO to understand the entrenchment of marginalizational language policies in spite of recent paradigm shifts in relevant scholarship. These include the shift from monolingualism to multilingualism as ideal for individuals and societies, perception of multilingualism no longer as a problem but a resource, heightened interrogation of ideological and political dimensionalities of language decisions in society, and an intensification of commitment to language policy and planning …

Effects Of Neuronal Nogo-A On Properties Of Excitatory Synapses Of The Sensorimotor Cortex, Alicia Marie Case

Dissertations

Recovery after central nervous system (CNS) injury has long been a challenge for clinical investigators. Blockade of the oligodendrocyte-associated inhibitor Nogo-A has shown great promise in promoting neuronal regeneration, sprouting, and plasticity, as well as functional recovery in rodent and primate models of CNS injury. The high expression of Nogo-A in neurons of the postnatal CNS led us to look for potential roles of this protein in this stage of development. We hypothesized that postnatal, neuronal NogoA influences the density and morphology of dendritic spines in the developing CNS, in part, by regulating the maturation and stability of glutamatergic synaptic …

Being And Becoming A U.S. Iraq War Veteran: An Exploration Of The Social Construction Of An Emerging Identity, Anna Stachyra

Dissertations

Background: Traditional perspectives of veteran mental health are grounded in physiological and psychological principles of trauma response and recovery. An alternative perspective is needed for the provision of culturally relevant healthcare to our nation's newest veterans. Research Question: Based on the premise that each veteran cohort has a characteristically identifiable cultural form and process of cultural identification and negotiated development, the research question guiding this study was, "What is the culture of the Iraq War veteran?" Study Aim: The purpose of this study was to describe, from social constructivist perspective, Operation Iraqi Freedom [OIF] veteran cultural identity development. Study Design …

Community Assessment Of Cardiovascular Health And Risk Among People Of Mexican Descent In Berwyn, Illinois, Karen Ann Larimer

Dissertations

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death in the United States and affects persons of all races and ethnicities. The number of persons of Mexican ethnicity has increased significantly in the United States, notably in the community of Berwyn, a suburb of Chicago, IL where according to the U.S. 2010 census 60% of the community is now of Mexican descent. The factors that contribute to CVD risk in persons of Mexican decent within this community must be understood before culturally appropriate risk reduction strategies are designed and implemented.

Purpose: The purpose of this community-based study is …

Justice Across Group Boundaries: Extending Empathy-Motivated Helping To Out-Groups, Elizabeth K. Jacobs

Dissertations

This research integrates the theoretical perspectives of three separate but related areas of social-psychological research to hypothesize about relationships between the emotion of empathy and an individual's effort to extend helping behaviors to out-groups. The literatures on social justice, prosocial behavior, and group stereotypes are reviewed. An experimental study manipulated empathic concern for an out-group by varying the perspective through which participants interpret an experience that is had by a fictional immigrant group to America. In addition, the study manipulated the stereotypes that characterized the immigrant group. The effects of these independent variable manipulations on psychometric measures of empathic concern, …

Personal Beliefs And Public Print: The Influence Of Pre-Existing Attitudes And Pretrial Publicity Information On Final Verdicts, Sara Marie Locatelli

Dissertations

Pretrial publicity (PTP), defined as any news story about a case not yet in trial, has been shown to affect trial outcomes. Results, however, are mixed, with studies finding strong effects, others weaker effects, and some no effects. These differences are sometimes attributed to methodology and study stimuli. In the present research, the effect of participant attitudes was explored. Participant attitudes can have a strong influence on perceptions about a piece of information, and could explain differences in use of PTP as well as findings that judicial remedies to alleviate PTP effects are ineffective. Participants were exposed to one of …

Minority Stress Predictors Of Substance Use And Sexual Risk Behavior Among A Cohort Sample Of Men Who Have Sex With Men, Michael P. Dentato

Dissertations

This study examined the impact of factors associated with minority stress theory, including experiences of external prejudice, expectations of rejection and internalized homophobia, upon a cohort sample of men who have sex with men (MSM). Resultant associations with substance use, defined as one time use of a club drug prior to baseline; and sexual risk behavior, defined as unprotected insertive and receptive anal intercourse with primary and non-primary partners, was examined. In addition, this study compared whether each individual aspect of minority stress (external prejudice, expectations of rejection and internalized homophobia) independently or collectively predicted substance use and sexual risk …

Negotiating The Boundaries Of Mental Health And Illness: A Study Of Recovery In Permanent Supportive Housing, Dennis P. Watson

Dissertations

Current sociological understandings of the effect that mental health services on consumers' daily lives are still heavily informed by research conducted during the era of institutional treatment. This is problematic considering that changes to mental health care have shifted the locus of treatment to community settings for the majority of those living with serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI). With this shift there has been a greater focus on consumer-centered recovery in mental health care. The current study addresses this gap in the research by studying the recovery process for formerly chronically homeless individuals with dually diagnosed serious and persistent …

Teachers' Perspectives On Race And Gender: Strategic Intersectionality And The Countervailing Effects Of Privilege, Laurie Cooper Stoll

Dissertations

As a policy prescription, education is often considered a panacea for racism and sexism, and teachers therefore the conduits for social equality. Strategic intersectionality suggests that teachers who have marked identities, especially those who inhabit more

than one, may under certain circumstances experience a "multiple identity advantage" that can situate them as particularly effective advocates for others who are disadvantaged. This institutional ethnography explores the underlying premises of strategic

intersectionality and the countervailing effects of privilege through observations and indepth interviews of teachers in a primarily white elementary school, a primarily Hispanic elementary school, and a primarily African American elementary …

Filiación-Fraternidad: The Hope Of Human Existence In Light Of Global Disparity. Exploring The Theological Anthropologies Of Karl Rahner And José Ignacio González Faus., Scott M. Myslinski

Dissertations

This dissertation argues that there is a need for Christian theology to critically re-examine human existence through social and structural categories in response to the current direction of globalization which threatens the humanization of human existence. Specifically, there exists a need for a contemporary Christian theological anthropology that is in dialogue with the social sciences and that attempts to develop an understanding of human sin, grace, and redemption in structural and social categories in order to offer an alternative vision of what it means to be human in light of the prevailing anthropology that is at the heart of the …

The Synthesis And Host-Guest Applications Of Synthetic Receptor Molecules, Zachary Richard Osner

Dissertations

Host-guest chemistry involves the complimentary binding between two molecules. Host molecules have been synthesized to bind negative, positive, and neutral molecules such as proteins and enzymes, and have been used as optical sensors, electrochemical sensors, supramolecular catalysts, and in the pharmaceutical industry as anti-cancer agents.1 The field of nanoscience has exploited guest-host interactions to create optical sensors with colloidal gold and Dip-Pen nanolithography technologies. Gold nanoparticles, have been functionalized with DNA, and have been developed as a selective colorimetric detection system, that upon binding turns the solution from a red to blue in color.2

Cyclotriveratrylene (CTV) 1 is a common …

Factors Related To The Racial Socialization Of Asian American Children, Kimberly Langrehr

Dissertations

Within the last decade, research on racial awareness, ethnic identity, and racial socialization strategies among transracially adoptive parents' has increased, reflecting the unique racial, cultural, and family dynamics among American families. The purpose of this study is to expand upon this literature, exploring the racial makeup of adoptive parents' interpersonal relationships and how this relates to racial awareness and racial socialization practices of children adopted from Asian countries. Given that this study specifically focuses on parents' of children adopted from Asian countries, this study will also look at adoptive parents' knowledge concerning the racial reality faced by Asian Americans in …

Considering Care: Infant Teachers, Reflective Function And The Care Environment In Child Care Centers, Cynthia C. Jurie

Dissertations

The present study sought to explore infant teachers' understanding of the mental states of the infants in their care in child care centers. The goal of the study was to examine whether reflective function could be assessed through semi-structured interviews with infant teachers and whether the care environment of the center was

influential in supporting reflective capacity. To assess the care environment provided by the child care center, director interviews, teacher and director questionnaires and subscales of the Infant/Toddler Environmental Rating Scale, Revised (Harms, Cryer &

Clifford, 2003) were used. Participants in this study were 25 infant teachers and 24 …

A Meeting Of Character: An Examination Of Teaching Social, Brannon Terese Aiello

Dissertations

The study's purpose was to examine student and teacher perceptions of classroom meetings by using the lessons in Social Decision Making/Social Problem Solving (SDM/SPS)--as prescribed by Elias and Butler (2005). The research problem determined whether SDM/SPS lessons taught in classroom meetings were a good strategy to teach character education.

The study quantitatively measured participant perceptions of classroom meetings regarding the classroom environment while implementing the character education program SDM/SPS. First, students' perceptions of classroom meetings, where their classroom teacher teaches SMD/SPS lessons within the context of classroom meetings, were quantitatively measured using a survey. Second, teachers responded to a survey …

Response To Violent Prone Female Adolescents: The Chicago Public School Approach, Marian E. Dozier

Dissertations

School violence has become increasingly more prevalent among adolescent females over the last ten years. As administrators, teachers, parents, and law enforcement officials try to control and decrease the number of violent incidents that occur in our schools, adolescent females continue to exhibit inappropriate and violent behavior at an alarming rate within our school communities. Adolescent females who behave badly have historically been overlooked or ignored, as girls have often been perceived as being incapable of demonstrating hostile conduct in an academic setting.

The purpose of this study was to investigate, describe, and analyze the frequency and nature of violent …

The 1995 Chicago School Reform Amendatory Act And The Cps Ceo: A Historical Examination Of The Adminstration Of Ceos Paul Vallas And Arne Duncan, Leviis Haney

Dissertations

This study provides a historical analysis of the 1995 Chicago School Reform Act, as well as an analysis of the tenures of Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officers Paul Vallas and Arne Duncan. It provides an analysis of words and actions of the two CEOs through the interpretive framework of Thomas Serviovanni's Five Sources of Authority. The sources of authority are bureaucratic, psychological, technical-rational, professional and moral. Each source of authority represents certain assumptions that are dominant if the particular source is primarily utilized.

This dissertation will answer six questions through the lens of Sergiovanni's Five Sources of Authority: What …

Comics And Conflict: War And Patriotically Themed Comics In American Cultural History From World War Ii Through The Iraq War, Cord A. Scott

Dissertations

Illustration has been an integral part of human history. Particularly before the advent of media such as photography, film, television, and now the Internet, illustrations in all their variety have been the primary visual way to convey history. The comic book, which emerged in its modern form in the 1930s, was another form of visual entertainment that gave readers, especially children, a form of escape.

As World War II began, however, comic books became an integral part of war propaganda as well providing information and education for both children and adults. This dissertation looks at how specific comic books of …

Doing History In The Adirondacks: Interpreting The Park, The People, And The Landscape, Maria F. Reynolds

Dissertations

Occupying a large portion of Northern New York State, the Adirondack Park includes six million acres of public and private land that compromise over 85 % of all wilderness lands east of the Mississippi. Unique in many ways, the Adirondack Park remains a model for sustainable living and wilderness land management. This dissertation explores the way history is used to both complicate and enrich the relationship between humans and nature in the Adirondack Park. By analyzing historic preservation, cultural landscape management, material culture, and museums this project examines the way that Park history has been told through exhibits, public programs, …