Digital Commons Network^™

An Inquiry Into How Ipads Are Used In Classrooms, Phu Hoang Vu

Dissertations

This mixed method study combined the paradigms of quantitative and qualitative research to examine how iPads are used from teachers' perspectives. In the first phase, the researcher collected and analyzed the quantitative data from classroom observations. The second phase consisted of collecting and analyzing the qualitative data to help explain, or elaborate on the quantitative results in the first phase. The researcher utilized a convenient sample of 21 elementary and secondary working teachers who had been using iPads in their classroom at their school in southern Illinois. The findings showed that the majority of teachers did not have any iPad …

Personal Protective Equipment And Laboratory Safety Training: The Roles Of Attitude, Subjective Norm, And Perceived Control, Ami A. Ruffing

Dissertations

Chemical and biological agents can cause serious adverse occupational health effects, and can adversely impact environmental health. Adverse incidents occur in laboratories using chemical, biological and radiologic agents, and laboratories pose a number of dangers to workers. Adverse incidents occur more frequently in teaching and research institutions when compared to industrial laboratories. Good laboratory safety practices, including the use of personal protective equipment, can reduce the number and severity of laboratory accidents, thus reducing the risk of chemical, biological and radiologic exposure for workers and for the public. Improving laboratory safety training should also result in fewer lab accidents. This …

Nursing Students' Attitudes Toward Science In The Nursing Curricula, Jill Deanne Maroo

Dissertations

The nursing profession combines the art of caregiving with scientific concepts. Nursing students need to learn science in order to start in a nursing program. However, previous research showed that students left the nursing program, stating it included too much science (Andrew et al., 2008). Research has shown a correlation between students’ attitudes and their performance in a subject (Osborne, Simon, & Collins, 2003). However, little research exists on the overall attitude of nursing students toward science. At the time of my study there existed no large scale quantitative study on my topic. The purpose of my study was to …

The Role Of Service-Learning On College Students' Environmental Literacy: Content Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors, Joanna Lynn Bush Singletary

Dissertations

This study evaluated the relationship of environmental service-learning on environmental literacy in undergraduates. The subjects were 36 undergraduates at a small liberal arts university enrolled in an environmental biology course.To determine the role of environmental service-learning on college students’ environmental knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and environmental literacy, this study utilized concurrent mixed methods approach for qualitative and quantitative analysis. A quasi-experimental repeated measures approach was the design of the quantitative component of the study.Data were collected on attitude, behavior, and content knowledge aspects of environmental literacy as measured by the Environmental Literacy Survey (Kibert, 2000). Hypotheses were tested by independent samples …

Educating Students To Become Culturally Competent Physical Therapists: Issues Of Teaching And Assessment, Lisa Jayroe Barnes

Dissertations

With the growing multicultural population within the United States, healthcare providers need to be prepared to care for and educate adult clients from various cultural backgrounds. The purpose of the study was to examine the teaching and assessment methods being used by faculty in the education of future physical therapists in teaching the construct of cultural competence, how these methods may vary according to the educational background of faculty in relation to the use of concepts specific to adult education that may lead to transformational learning, and faculty opinions about teaching and assessing this abstract construct.

Survey methodology was used …

Teacher Perceptions Of Working With Children With Specific Special Education Exceptionalities In The General Education Classroom, Kimberly Geneva Fisher

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which general education teachers in elementary schools believe they are prepared to teach children/students with specific special education exceptionalities in the general education classroom. The study addresses the exceptionalities of: autism, speech/language disorder, specific learning disability, and emotional disability and using a multiple method quasi-experimental design that yielded quantitative and qualitative data. The study used an original instrument entitled the General Educators Preparedness for Inclusive Education (GEPIE). The instrument used a vignette/scenario design to assess levels of perceived preparedness. Third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers in South Mississippi were …

Students' Confidence In The Ability To Transfer Basic Math Skills In Introductory Physics And Chemistry Courses At A Community College, Reginald Quinn

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the confidence levels that community college students have in transferring basic math skills to science classes, as well as any factors that influence their confidence levels. This study was conducted with 196 students at a community college in central Mississippi. The study was conducted during the month of November after all of the students had taken their midterm exams and received midterm grades.

The instrument used in this survey was developed and validated by the researcher. The instrument asks the students to rate how confident they were in working out specific math …

Accessing Learning In The Adult Zebrafish With A Novel Associative Learning Task, David Joseph Jouandot Ii

Dissertations

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is accepted in the developmental and genomic communities as a model organism. However, the capacity for the zebrafish as a behavioral model has yet to be fully acknowledged. The research presented provides evidence validating the novel task, aids in gaining a better understanding of the learning processes, and identifies individual differences. The novel associative learning task differs from any present well established behavioral model and lends itself to future development. The task provides the zebrafish community with a high output behavioral task which is readily replicated and allows one researcher to test between eight …

Tactile Behavior In A Group Of Captive Rough-Toothed Dolphins As A Function Of Opportunities To Play With Objects, Kelly Ann Caffery

Dissertations

Cetaceans live in complex physical and social environments that are frequently changing. In contrast, the captive environment for marine mammals is often lacking in stimulation. As a result, enrichment is often used to increase species-typical behaviors and enhance the well-being of the animals. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of enrichment objects on the social behavior of a group of seven captive rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis). Observations of this species in the wild suggest it may have a particular affinity for tactile and object play behaviors. Therefore, these behavior categories were a primary focus …

Dynamic Bioactive Stimuli-Responsive Polymeric Surfaces, Heather Marie Pearson

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the design, synthesis, and development of antimicrobial and anticoagulant surfaces of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) polymers. Aliphatic polymeric surfaces of PE and PP polymers functionalized using click chemistry reactions by the attachment of –COOH groups via microwave plasma reactions followed by functionalization with alkyne moieties. Azide containing ampicillin (AMP) was synthesized and subsequently clicked into the alkyne prepared PE and PP surfaces. Compared to non-functionalized PP and PE surfaces, the AMP clicked surfaces exhibited substantially enhanced antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. To expand the biocompatibility of polymeric surface …

Gene Regulatory Network Reconstruction Using Dynamic Bayesian Networks, Haoni Li

Dissertations

High-content technologies such as DNA microarrays can provide a system-scale overview of how genes interact with each other in a network context. Various mathematical methods and computational approaches have been proposed to reconstruct GRNs, including Boolean networks, information theory, differential equations and Bayesian networks. GRN reconstruction faces huge intrinsic challenges on both experimental and theoretical fronts, because the inputs and outputs of the molecular processes are unclear and the underlying principles are unknown or too complex.

In this work, we focused on improving the accuracy and speed of GRN reconstruction with Dynamic Bayesian based method. A commonly used structure-learning algorithm …

View Of Socioscientific Issues Among Educators: The Willingness Of Teachers To Accept Ssi Into The Classroom And The Reason Underlying Those Beliefs, John Carlos Parr

Dissertations

Socioscientific issues (SSI) are potentially controversial topics, which can be examined using a social and a scientific perspective. The inclusion of these topics in elementary and secondary classrooms has caused a number of conflicts over the past century. In the present study, I explore the willingness of teachers to include three SSI: evolution, stem cell research, and global climate change in the science curricula. Participants included 221 educators currently employed in K-12 schools. Teachers have the greatest impact on classroom instruction, regardless of state curricula. I found most educators willing to include the three previously named SSI in the curricula, …

Examining The Impact Of Motivation, Service Quality, And Value On Satisfaction And Loyalty Among Golf Tourists To Rural Areas, Chad William Maas

Dissertations

Economic development in rural areas has undergone a fundamental change over the past several years as the dependence on agriculture continues to decline in rural economies and rural areas experience depopulation along with an increase of outmigration of educated youth. As a result, tourism has emerged as an alternative economic revitalization strategy in many rural areas. One strategy rural areas have begun to implement to attract visitors to a region is attempting to entice individuals interested in participating in sport and recreation. Sport tourism is one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism industry as more and more destinations …

Learning To Parent Again: An Investigation Of The Role Of Adult Education In The Phenomenon Of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Deborah Annette Stover

Dissertations

This study examined the readiness for self-direct learning of parenting grandmothers. The researcher investigated whether parental self-efficacy beliefs and addiction beliefs were significantly correlated to parenting grandmothers’ readiness for self-directed learning as measured by the Oddi Continuing Learning Instrument. Parental self-efficacy beliefs were investigated using the Parental Self-Efficacy Scale. Using the Addiction Belief Instrument, the researcher investigated the overall correlation of addiction belief to readiness for self-directed learning. The research also investigated whether the following beliefs significantly correlated to parenting grandmothers’ readiness for self-directed: people with substance abuse disorders are unable to control their using and are responsible for their …

Gamification In Science Education: The Relationship Of Educational Games To Motivation And Achievement, Kelly Elizabeth Rouse

Dissertations

Community colleges have become increasingly more important in America’s higher education system. Part of this emphasis has been directly due to President Obama’s 2010 directive to produce a competitive workforce in the United States by increasing the community college graduation rate by five million over the next decade (Madhani, 2010). Community colleges allow open admission for students which permits marginally prepared students to enter. These students may lack motivation, which contributes to student attrition (Williams, 2010). The focus of this study is to examine methods that may improve student learning and motivation, which could ultimately lead to higher graduation rates. …

Dialogue As A Tool For Meaning Making, Angela Suzanne Dudley Bruni

Dissertations

In order to empower citizens to analyze the effects, risk, and value of science, a knowledge of scientific concepts is necessary (Mejlgaard, 2009). The formal educational system plays a role in this endeavor (Gil-Perez & Vilches, 2005). One proposed constructivist practice is the use of social learning activities using verbalized, shared cognition among learners. In an effort to investigate the effects of verbally shared cognition, this project sought to determine if social learning opportunities affect the mastery of content in gateway biology courses and to identify the types of dialogue students engage in during cognitive collaboration. Fifty-seven students enrolled in …

Effects Of Food Dispersion On Dominance Related Behaviors In Garnett's Bushbaby (Otolemur Garnettii)?, Kyle Daniel Edens

Dissertations

Socio-ecological theorists tie primate social structure diversity to variations in habitats within which primate species reside. This premise permits laboratory researchers to investigate specific factors that influence or relate to social structure formation and maintenance. The focus of the current investigation was three fold. We first aimed to determine the relationships between traditional and non-traditional behavioral measures of dominance, then evidence for dominance hierarchy formation was examined, and various hypotheses were tested to discern if adjustments in the foraging context altered social behaviors in Garnett’s bushbaby (Otolemur garnettii). It was determined that animals likely to displace conspecifics were …

Slackwire Calliope, Lauren Dale Oetinger

Dissertations

This collection of essays and stories strives to consider questions of belonging and estrangement, family, and the many layers of the human experience. This collection is equally interested in questions of genre, and the potential for genre to stretch its own limits. Above all, this collection endeavors to question what makes a story, and what makes a story good.

Biological And Biologically Inspired Polymers For Interface Modification, Lea Clayton Paslay

Dissertations

Naturally occurring macromolecules are produced for a specific function and have the selectivity to accomplish objectives with little waste in energy. The scientific community strives to develop smart, efficient molecules on an economical scale, thus lessons can be learned from nature and applied to cost effective synthetic systems. First, the mimicry of naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) will be described. AMPs show great potential as alternatives to conventional antibiotics as they can selectively bind and eliminate pathogenic bacteria without harming eukaryotic tissues. Aqueous reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization was utilized to prepare primary and tertiary amine containing AMP polymer …

Interrelationships Between Testosterone, Aggression, And Parental Care Of A Temperate-Zone, Resident Songbird, The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis Cardinalis), Margaret Susan Devries

Dissertations

Interrelationships among testosterone (T), aggression, and parental care have received much investigative attention. Within birds, many studies have focused on examining such relationships using species characterized by relatively brief periods of territoriality and breeding. Few have investigated links between circulating T and reproductive behavior in birds that are year-round territorial residents and have lengthy breeding seasons, such as the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). The following six chapters report and discuss findings from this dissertation’s examination of aspects of T production and potential interconnections with circulating T, aggression, and parental care in male and female cardinals. This work suggests …

Toward A Model For Predicting Depression Among Veterans, Nita Aurora Magee-Cornelius

Dissertations

Major depression, identified as a leading cause of disability in the United States, is often first diagnosed by primary care providers. This disability is associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and a lower quality of life. With approximately one in every three veteran diagnosed with depression and the rate of suicide increasing in the United States military (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2009), the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 items (PHQ-2) can be instrumental in identification and monitoring of depressive symptoms. The purposes of this retrospective study were to determine the prevalence of depression, as measured by the federally mandated PHQ-2 in the VA, …

A Bird In The Binoculars: Understanding Birdwatchers' Potential To Contribute To Sustainable Development And Biological Conservation, Sheri Lynn Glowinski

Dissertations

The three studies comprising this research drew from local economic development and environmental sociology to understand aspects of human dynamics that influence the conservation of birds. Using survey data collected from birdwatchers visiting coastal Alabama, the first study examined the local economic impact of birdwatching tourism and the factors that participants deemed important with respect to their recreation. Birdwatchers spent $103,305 during the four month study period. The total annual economic impact of this recreation on the area was estimated at $937,470, producing a multiplier of 1.48 and the equivalent of 20.3 full time jobs. Infrastructural variables (parking, bathrooms, site …

Phytoplankton Community Distribution And Light Absorption Properties In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Sumit Chakraborty

Dissertations

The theme of this dissertation was to understand the spatio-temporal dynamics of the phytoplankton community, its light absorption properties, and its relationship to underlying physicochemical processes. Understanding these phenomena will benefit efforts to predict pathways of carbon transformation in the ocean, to estimate primary productivity (PP) and to characterize distributions of phytoplankton communities using ocean color remote sensing.

This research entailed four different studies, which address different objectives. The first two studies dealt with phytoplankton community composition and its relationship to environmental variables. A chemotaxonomic approach was used, which was successful in revealing distinct phytoplankton assemblages in distinct water mass …

Perceptions Of Workplace Bullying Among Practicing Registered Nurses, Crystal Regina Threadgill

Dissertations

Workplace bullying (WPB) is a social and organizational problem. Within the health care arena, employees, particularly registered nurses, are at risk. WPB has several adverse effects and has been cited in the literature as closely associated with burnout and nurses leaving their positions. This quantitative study examined workplace bullying among practicing registered and its relationship with burnout and nurses’ intent to leave their current position.

The surveys utilized were the Negative Acts Questionnaires-Revised (NAQ-R), Maslach Burnout Inventory Survey, Intention to Turnover Scale and a demographic survey. Of the surveys distributed, a total of 185 were returned from one selected hospital …

Utilizing Polymer Topology In Peptide-Based Block Copolymers: Unique Aqueous Assembly And Responsive Behavior, Jacob Griffin Ray

Dissertations

This document details work in the area of amphiphilic polypeptide-based block copolymers that are able to self-assemble into well-defined nanostructures in aqueous solution. The main focus of this work is to understand the impacts of polymer topology on self-assembly behavior and response to external stimulus, particularly pH. Poly(L-lysine) and poly(L-glutamic acid) are two pH-responsive, hydrophilic polypeptides that possess the unique property of undergoing α-helix to random coil secondary structure transitions with pH, and this responsiveness can lead to global morphology changes such as changes in aggregate size or even morphology transitions. These polypeptides are synthesized via ring opening polymerization of …

Characterization Of Whole Pine Tree Substrates For Adventitious Rooting Of Cuttings And Initial Growth Of Seedlings, Anthony Lynn Witcher

Dissertations

Processed whole pine (Pinus taeda L.) trees have been extensively evaluated to supplement peatmoss and pine bark usage in container substrates for greenhouse and nursery crop production. The suitability of whole pine tree (WPT) substrates for crop propagation has not been investigated. Demonstrating the versatility of WPT substrates is essential to expanding their commercial availability and use.

The objective of this work was to evaluate WPT substrates for stem cutting and seed propagation of ornamental crops, and to identify factors affecting root development. Stem cutting and seedling root development was evaluated in WPT and traditional (peatmoss and pine bark) …

A Case Study Exploring Science Competence And Science Confidence Of Middle School Girls From Marginalized Backgrounds, Yeni Violeta García

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Transforming Hierarchical Relationships In Student Conduct Administration, Kelly A. Jacobson

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Pedagogies, Perspectives, And Practices: Mobile Leraning Through The Experiences Of Faculty Developers And Instructional Designers In Centers For Teaching And Learning, Kim A. Hosler

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Nutritional Status Of Patients With End Stage Liver Disease: An Outpatient Assessment, Anna Marie Cumming-Browne Hefner Phd, Msn, Cpnp, Rn

Dissertations

Cirrhosis is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States. It is well documented end stage liver disease drives a patient to a catabolic state thus depleting them of essential nutrients. Malnutrition is often unrecognized and untreated in outpatients. Though BMI, nutritional intake, anthropometric measurements have been used in clinical trials, there still remains no standard nutritional assessment. The purpose of this dissertation was to (1) identify the incidence of malnutrition in patients with compensated and decompensated liver disease utilizing defined nutritional parameters (Subjective Global Assessment, anthropometric measurements, hand grip strength, and laboratory values) and (2) correlate with …