Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Curriculum And Social Capital On Post-Secondary Educational Attainment Among Public High School Students: A Multi-Level Analysis, Elisabeth Davis

Dissertations

Using a social capital framework, the current study examined the effect of curriculum and cohort size in addition to parental and teacher social capital factors on public high school students' likelihood of college attendance. Using Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling with the ELS (2002), student and school level factors were examined on the likelihood of postsecondary educational attainment among public high school students. At the student level, girls, students with higher SES, more intergenerational closure and higher parent and teacher educational expectations were significantly more likely to pursue postsecondary enrollment. At the school level, lower percentages of girls in the cohort, …

Yo Hablo Ingles: The Influence Of Motivation And Group Cohesion On Learning English In A Workplace Setting, Adam Henry Dehoek

Dissertations

Immigration reform is a current and controversial issue in the United States and around the globe. Although it is unlikely that comprehensive immigration reform is immediately forthcoming in the United States, plans proposed by both liberal and conservative law-makers require those applying for long-term residency to hold employment and demonstrate a working knowledge of the English language. Given that these goals are often difficult to achieve in tandem, enacted immigration reform may suggest that businesses offer English language courses on the job in order to facilitate the legalization process. Answering important questions regarding the process of successful language acquisition, particularly …

Mystery Motivator Calendar: An Interdependent Group Contingency, Variable Ratio, Classroom Intervention, Eva Aleksandra Kowalewicz

Dissertations

Classroom behavior management problems are often seen as one of the primary barriers to achieving an educational environment conducive for academic and social-emotional growth of students. The literature indicates there is a need for evidence-based, easy-to-implement classroom behavioral interventions that align with the positive behavioral support philosophy. This study examined the effectiveness of the Mystery Motivator Calendar, an interdependent group contingency, variable-ratio, classwide intervention as a tool for reducing disruptive classroom behavior in eight diverse, general-education elementary school classrooms across seven different schools. The study employed a single-case, ABAB (baseline, intervention, withdrawal, reinstatement and follow-up), changing criterion design. The effectiveness …

Crisis Preparedness, Charles Maida

Dissertations

School disaster planning is important because schools are places of frequent mass gathering. An estimated 53 million children in the United States attend public and private schools each day. As mass gathering places, schools are prone to mass injury in a natural disaster and unfortunately may serve as a terrorist target (Graham, 2007). Schools must prepare for the worst and hope for the best, because the worst disaster to occur is not preparing for disaster in the first place. Comprehensive crisis management plans must be in place, practiced, revisited, and altered to remain effective.

Community-based strategies have been successful in …

Neuropsychological Functioning, Parenting Behaviors, And Healthcare Behaviors Among Youth With Spina Bifida, Lauren Kelly O'Hara

Dissertations

Objective This study was designed to examine whether neurocognitive functioning (attention and executive functions) and parenting behaviors (acceptance, behavioral control and psychological control) are associated with medical adherence and autonomy among preadolescents and adolescents with spina bifida. Methods Questionnaire and observational data were collected from a sample of 8 to 15 year olds with spina bifida (n = 139) and their mothers, fathers, and teachers. Youth also completed neuropsychological testing. Results Youth with spina bifida demonstrated impairment on measures of attention and executive function, based on questionnaire and test data. Attention, executive function, and parenting behaviors were associated with medical …

Cruel Sorority, Or, Feminizing Enjoyment In American Romance, Carina Dionne Pasquesi

Dissertations

"Cruel Sorority, or, Feminizing Enjoyment in American Romance" analyzes the often-overlooked anti-social figures and affects found on the margins of American Romanticism. Symptomatically registering dissatisfaction and rage at the foreclosure of democratic possibility and public life, these feminized figures represent violent reactions against the dominant disciplinary institutions (e.g. marriage, motherhood, domesticity, slavery) that impoverish their lives. In keeping with the rich imaginative possibilities within the romance genre but often exceeding and redefining these conventions, these figures break with the reformist/inclusive logic that pervades works of the period. This project participates in recent critical discussions in American studies that deal with …

A Mediational Model Predicting Adjustment In Affluent Adolescents: The Role Of Parental Perfectionism, Perceived Parental Pressure, And Organized Activity Involvement, Edin Randall

Dissertations

The current cross-sectional study evaluated the relative contributions of parental perfectionism (i.e., self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed), perceived parental pressure, and organized activity involvement (i.e,. intensity) on depressive symptoms, anxiety, substance use, and life satisfaction in a sample of affluent adolescents. Findings indicated that parental perfectionism, and specifically other-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism, is an important contextual factor negatively influencing affluent adolescent adjustment. Additionally, perceived parental pressure was found to have robust associations with adolescent adjustment and to explain the link between parental perfectionism and adolescent adjustment. Furthermore, the current study revealed a synergistic association between intensity of organized activity …

Teachers' Concerns Regarding The Implementation Of Integrated Thematic Instruction: A Study Of Primary Grade Teachers In Kanisius Catholic Schools In Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Catur Rismiati

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore primary grade teachers' stages of concern and their implementation of an educational reform initiative called Integrated Thematic Instruction (ITI) in Indonesia. The Indonesian minister of education mandated primary grade teachers to implement ITI in 2006. Using a convenience sampling method, 150 Kanisius primary grade teachers participated in the study. The data collection method used was a questionnaire that consisted of three parts: The Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ), the Integrated Curriculum Implementation Scale, and demographic questions. The data analysis employed in this research were descriptive, a one way ANOVA test and multiple …

Internet Support Groups For Parents Of Children With Add: An Examination Of The Characteristics Of Group Members And The Impact Of Social Support On Parent Functioning, Kriston B. Schellinger

Dissertations

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood psychiatric disorders and is associated with a variety of difficult behaviors. In addition, parents of children with ADHD experience significantly greater parenting stress and psychological distress than parents of children without ADHD. However, social support is a beneficial coping tool associated with increased mental and physical well-being in those experiencing stress. Although many turn to family and friends for social support, people sometimes go outside of their immediate support network and seek support groups. In recent years, Internet support groups have become a popular alternative to face-to-face support groups. However, …

Empirically Supported Treatment Interventions For Persons With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Comorbid Borderline Personality Disorder, Megan Seliga

Dissertations

The overall stigma- and gender-related controversies that surround the diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) present a unique ethical mandate to the practitioner. The relationship between trauma and the BPD diagnosis strengthens the need for carefully designed treatment interventions in order to secure the benefits of trauma-focused work, while minimizing the risk of undue regression. The complexity and risk of harm introduced by a diagnosis of comorbid BPD and PTSD urges the need for clarification of optimal treatment interventions to guide practitioners. Trauma-focused therapies, particularly EMDR, tend to be the treatment of choice for PTSD; however, comorbid borderline pathology has …

Liturgical Celebrations With Emotional Expectations In Auxerre, 840-908, Thomas A. Greene

Dissertations

Scholars traditionally date the origin of "affective piety" to the late-eleventh century. The place of emotions in early medieval devotional activity, therefore, has yet to be properly acknowledged. Based on exegetical and homiletic material written at the monastery of Saint-Germain (Auxerre) between 840 and 908, I argue that liturgical celebrations were to take place in a context suffused with both the experience and expression of emotions.

Role Of Myosin Light Chain Kinase In Binge Ethanol And Burn Injury-Induced Intestinal Barrier Dysfunction, Anita Zahs

Dissertations

Ethanol is a common factor in traumatic injury, including burn injury. Previous studies from our laboratory indicate that ethanol increases both pulmonary and gastrointestinal inflammation as well as susceptibility to infection in burn-injured mice; however, the mechanisms of these responses are not entirely known. Moreover, after burn injury, bacteria and their products leak out of the intestinal lumen and into the bloodstream. These bacteria can disperse throughout the body leading to pulmonary damage, acute lung injury, sepsis, and death. Ethanol in combination with burn injury has been shown to decrease intestinal barrier function greater than either insult alone. Long (210 …

The Confluence Of Attachment Style, Perceived Social Support, And Role Attainment In Women Experiencing Postpartum Mood Disorders, Carrie Jennifer Feig

Dissertations

A purposive convenience sample was used in this mixed methods study. Fifteen postpartum women were given four questionnaires and participated in a brief oral interview. The questionnaires included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the McPhee Scale, the Maternal Attitudes Questionnaire, and the Post-Partum Quality of Life. As determined by the questionnaires, a correlation was found between level of competence and level of depression such that the less competent a woman felt, the more depressed she felt. The hypothesis tested in this study was that postpartum depression occurs when complicated early attachments have not been modified by either a sense of …

Toward A Holistic Interdisciplinary Model Of Human Being: A Hebraic-Christian Perspective Of The Human Observer And Its Beneficial Impact On The Theology-And-Science Dialogue, Society, And The Environment, Karen K. Abrahamson

Dissertations

Problem

A challenge faced by the theology-and-science dialogue is how to effectively communicate across disciplinary lines. The community assumes that there is a methodology or cluster of methodologies that allows for interdisciplinary conversation to take place. However, the community is not in agreement about how this process should occur or the hermeneutical principles that should guide it. Is it possible to surmount the problem of methodological compatibility and to generate mutually beneficial and fruitful dialogue through seeking a point of commonality between all the disciplines of the theology-and-science dialogue?

Purpose

The purpose of this dissertation is to discover a philosophical …

Role Of Pseudomonas Produced Hydrogen Cyanide In Biological Control Of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes, Haytham Aly

Dissertations

Plant-parasitic nematodes are among the most devastating pests world-wide, causing extensive damage to important agriculture crops. The management of nematodes is challenging. Current methods used for nematode control rely mostly on using chemical nematicides and naturally resistant plants. Because of serious health and environmental problems associated with chemical control and over use of resistant plants resulting in resistant breaking strains of nematodes, alternative nematode-control methods are needed. Several potential nematode-biocontrol agents, including bacteria and fungi, have been studied for their antagonistic effect toward plant-parasitic nematodes. However, a concise picture about the biological agent’s mechanisms used to antagonize nematodes remains elusive. …

Effects Of The Exotic Shrub Lonicera Maackii On The Plant Animal Interactions In The Invaded Habitat, Humberto De Paula Dutra

Dissertations

Invasive plants are an economical, political, social, and ecological problem. Some invasive species are a serious concern for society because some of them are diseases, some are agricultural pests, and some become major threats to the ecosystems. Most studies with invasive species are limited because they measure only the impact of the invasion via direct pathways. Unfortunately, the potential for non-native plant species to alter ecosystem functions via indirect pathways mediated by interactions with animals just recently became broadly recognized. This research investigates the interactions of Amur honeysuckle with native fauna and how these interactions indirectly affect other trophic levels …

Study Of The Vaporization Enthalpies By Correlation-Gas Chromatography, Dmitry Lipkind

Dissertations

The focus of this thesis is on the measurement and collection of thermodynamic and physical property data, including vaporization, fusion, and sublimation enthalpies and vapor pressures of large n-alkanes, nitrogen heterocycles and related compounds by a technique developed in our laboratory referred to as correlation-gas chromatography (C-GC). These thermodynamic data are of importance to several disciplines that include chemical engineering, as well as the pharmaceutical and the petrochemical industries. Vapor pressures of large hydrocarbons are fundamental data required in the petroleum industry to develop thermodynamic models for dealing with crude oil. Environmental chemists and engineers use vapor pressures and vaporization …

Elucidating Matrix Protein Import And Beta-Oxidation Pathways In Plant Peroxisomes, Bibi Rafeiza Khan

Dissertations

Plant peroxisomes function in fatty acid β-oxidation, jasmonic acid (JA) synthesis, and conversion of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) to indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). Peroxisomes lack genetic material; proteins required for peroxisomal processes are imported posttranslationally. The PEX5 and PEX7 receptors import proteins containing one of two peroxisomal targeting signals (PTS1 or PTS2). I took a genetic approach to better understand protein import and to elucidate the role of Acyl-CoA Oxidase (ACX) enzymes in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. ACX enzymes catalyze the first step in β-oxidation. There are six ACX genes in Arabidopsis and each ACX enzyme acts on specific chain-length targets, …

Explaining Investment Policies In Microstates: The Case Of The Fiji Islands, Sudarsan Kant

Dissertations

Prevailing theories have failed to take into account the development of policy and institutions in microstates that are engineered to attract investments in areas of comparative advantage as these small islands confront the challenges of globalization and instead have emphasized migration, remittances and foreign aid (MIRAB) as an explanation for the survival of microstates in the global economy. This dissertation challenges the MIRAB model as an adequate explanation of investment strategy in microstates and argues that comparative advantage is a better theory to explain policy behavior of microstates. These small economies can take advantage of their exotic locations and natural …

The Effect Of Problem-Solving Video Games On The Science Reasoning Skills Of College Students, Tina Marie Fanetti

Dissertations

As the world continues to rapidly change, students are faced with the need to develop flexible skills, such as science reasoning that will help them thrive in the new knowledge economy. Prensky (2001), Gee (2003), and Van Eck (2007) have all suggested that the way to engage learners and teach them the necessary skills is through digital games, but empirical studies focusing on popular games are scant. One way digital games, especially video games, could potentially be useful if there were a flexible and inexpensive method a student could use at their convenience to improve selected science reasoning skills. Problem-solving …

Exploring The Relationship Between Planning And Training, And Response To Campus Safety Incidents, Kimberly Michele Harvey

Dissertations

Over the past 50 years, campus violence has significantly impacted our institutions of higher education. As a result, campus safety has become an increasingly important topic for all colleges and universities. The Virginia Tech tragedy in 2007 highlighted the necessity of emergency management planning and training as well as employee understanding of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Emergency management plans for 27 institutions in Missouri were collected and evaluated to determine how they instructed employees to respond to various campus safety scenarios and how training factored into the campus plans. Two-hundred, fifty-one employees were then surveyed to …

Partial Connectivity In Wireless Sensor Networks, Robert Andre Murphy

Dissertations

Given a bounded region of the 2-dimensional plane, a discrete set of nodes is distributed throughout according to a Poisson point process. Given some fixed, finite, real number, two nodes are said to connect and form an edge if their mutual distance is less than this number. Let G be the graph of all such edges over the set of generated nodes and let C be any set of mutually connected nodes. It is shown that there is a critical mutual distance such that at least half of all generated nodes are mutually connected to form a connected cluster. Now, …

From Juvenile Court To The Adult Criminal Justice System: An Examination Of Judicial Waiver, Sheri Lu Jenkins Cruz

Dissertations

This project was concerned with how extra legal factors impact juvenile court judge‟s decisions to waive juveniles to the adult criminal court. This study had both a general and a specific purpose. Generally, it sought to identify and examine the perceptions of juvenile court judges regarding judicial waiver based on previous positions held and on the state in which the juvenile judge resides. Specifically, this study sought to examine the relationship between individual characteristics of juvenile court judges and their perceptions regarding judicial waiver. Based on the research questions, ten hypotheses were developed and tested. The population for this study …

An Analysis Of Burmese And Iraqi Resettlement Location And Assimilation In A Midsized City: Implications For Educational And Other Community Leaders, Donna Schiess Renaud

Dissertations

Refugees face different circumstances than other immigrants regarding housing in initial resettlement in the U.S. Refugees have no choice of their initial residence as this is determined in advance by the resettlement agency. Refugees who belong to minority ethnic groups and who have little education or skills may experience discrimination and hostility from local citizens. Resettlement areas that are high in population density, rental units, minorities, crime, unemployment, inadequate transportation, and low income may present additional barriers to cultural and economic assimilation.

This mixed-method study had a twofold purpose. The first was to describe quantitatively how the initial resettlement address …

Caring, Interaction, And Active Teaching Strategies: Factors That Contribute To The Success Of The Associate Degree Nursing Student, Penelope Sue Logsdon

Dissertations

This exploratory study examined successful associate degree nursing students’ perceptions regarding the importance of caring by the nursing faculty, nursing faculty/student interaction, and faculty use of active teaching strategies. Participants completed a researcher developed survey instrument that measured both the importance and frequency of the caring, interaction, and active teaching strategies. The survey instrument measured six demographic factors and 30 statements regarding caring, interaction, and active teaching. Participants rated the statements for both importance and frequency on a four-point Likert scale. Five community and technical college associate degree nursing programs participated in the research with a total of 270 successful …

The Role Of University-Industry Collaboration In Regional Economic Development, Ranjana Srevatsan

Dissertations

Innovation has played an important role in the economic development of regions. It is believed that research collaboration between university and industry has a positive influence on regional growth and development. This research explores the role of university-industry collaboration in regional economic development at the metropolitan level. The collaboration between university and industry is examined through two measures: Industrial research funding (IRF) to universities and science and engineering graduates (SEG). The research is divided into two models. The first model studied the combined effect of the metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and studied the influence of IRF and SEG on per …

Assessing The Efficacy Of A Modified Therapeutic Community On The Reduction Of Institutional Write-Ups In A Medium Security Prison, Lee Maglinger

Dissertations

This study explored the impact a modified Therapeutic Community (TC) had on reducing institutional disorder as documented by institutional write-ups. Substance abuse treatment programs are typically evaluated in terms of their ability to prevent relapse and reduce recidivism. The current study examined the efficacy of a modified TC in relation to these parameters but also explored its overall impact on prison safety and security for both the inmates and staff of a medium security prison located in Kentucky. Specifically, the number of institutional write-ups exhibited by clients participating in a modified Therapeutic Community was compared with the number of write-ups …

Response To Autism: An Assessment Of Services For Students With Autism In Kentucky's Public Schools, Leigh Anne Roden

Dissertations

The full implementation of school-based autism services has grown in importance over the past few decades. School systems are expected to provide high-quality educational services for students with autism spectrum disorders. Though several organizations provide recommendations for appropriate program components, Kentucky does not supply education agencies with a means of evaluating the current autism services offered within their districts and schools.

This descriptive study examined the current level of implementation of school-based autism services within an educational cooperative in Kentucky. The research was conducted to determine whether or not school districts are fully implementing essential program components as recommended by …

Physical And Electrical Properties Of Trimetallic Nitride Template Endohedral Metallofullerenes And Their Polymer Nanocomposites, Hanaa Mohammed Ahmed

Dissertations

The main objective of this study was characterization of pure metallic nitride fullerene, MNF, and MNF containing polymers to evaluate these materials as suitable devices for tunable applications. Polymer-fullerene nanocomposites consisting of linear polyurethane (PU) segments crosslinked via polyhydroxylated fullerenes (C₆₀ and Sc₃N@C₈₀, a metallic nitride fullerene) were prepared and characterized for their mechanical and dielectric properties using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and broadband dielectric spectroscopic techniques. Polyhydroxylated fullerenes C₆₀(OH)₂₉ and Sc₃N@C₈₀(OH)₁₈ were synthesized in a high yield through a solid-state high sheer ball-milling procedure and were …

Plcs: Student Outcomes Evaluation In Midwest High School, Kelly E. Dickinson

Dissertations

This study was an evaluation of student outcomes following a five year implementation of PLCs at Midwest High School in the U.S. Three research questions were addressed: (1) Has student achievement increased during the course of implementing PLCs? If so, is there evidence that this is a result of a contribution from PLC implementation from 2006-2011? (2) Have teacher attitudes toward curriculum rigor, public image, quality of education, and post-high school preparedness changed during the implementation of PLCs from 2006-2011? (3) Is the staff, in April 2011, a mature PLC? For research question one, eight hypotheses resulted in the evaluation …