Digital Commons Network^™

Implementing A Mastery Model Through Self Quizzing In An Online Learning Environment, Amy E. Scrima

Dissertations

Mastery learning has an extensive and long-standing research base as an efficacious instructional methodology. The use of mastery learning with current technological advances, however, is a new endeavor. The current study evaluated the effects of adding a mastery learning component to an introductory college course by using an online course management system to facilitate frequent, self-given, chapter review quizzes. Thirty-two first- and second-year college students of similar demographic makeup at a midsize community college were the participants for this study. An alternating treatment design was used to assign students to mastery and nonmastery conditions in two sections of an introductory …

Test Procedures For Equality Of Two Variances In Delta Distributions, Jezaniah Kira Sarion Tena

Dissertations

Statistical literature on testing equality of variances is very broad, encompassing a great number of distributional variations. However, the case of a zero-inflated nonnegative continuous random variable has not yet been considered. Such distribution is specified by a positive probability that the variable assumes a true zero value, together with a conditional distribution for the positive values of the variable.

This study considers the special case, delta distribution, where the positive values come from the lognormal distribution. Test procedures were developed using a statistic based on Gini's Mean Difference. Since the asymptotic distribution of the test statistic was shown to …

Degrees Of Institutionalization: Family Planning Policies And Programs In Senegal, 1980-2005, Yazmine Michelle Watts

Dissertations

Senegal's population growth rate of 2.7% is greater than double that of the world average of 1.16%. The Government of Senegal acknowledges the population problem and has made efforts to address this issue. For over the past two decades the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has served as the predominant donor in Senegal's health sector and has been a strong supporter of Senegal's family planning program. The evolution of family planning in Senegal cannot be understood without considering the roles of culture, religion, decentralization and funding in the institutionalization process. This research addresses important questions concerning factors that …

The Effects Of Multiple Exemplar Instruction On Generating Functional Interdependence Between Listener And Intraverbal Categorization Repertoires, Sarah A. Lechago

Dissertations

The results of the present study extend the literature on multiple exemplar instruction (MEI) by demonstrating that MEI was ineffective in producing functional interdependence between listener and intraverbal categorization repertoires. Four typically developing children between the ages of 3 years 11 months and 4 years 7 months participated in the study in which two categorization types (listener and intraverbal) were targeted. Previous research has demonstrated functional independence between these two categorization response forms (Petursdottir, Carr, Lechago, & Almason, 2008). The present study examined the efficacy of MEI in the form of alternating categorization response forms (listener and intraverbal) during training …

Relationships Associated With Long-Term Stepgrandmother Role Behavior, Role Meaning, And Satisfaction, Mary-Catherine. Kane

Dissertations

Remarriage from the mid-1970s through the mid-1990s has resulted in a stepgrandmother role behavior and role meaning, satisfaction with the stepgrandchild relationship, custody arrangements of minor stepchildren, and demographic information. Multiple linear regression revealed significant associations between several dyadic relationships (stepgrandmother-adult stepchild closeness and biological grandmotheradult child closeness) and stepgrandmother role behavior, role meaning and relationship satisfaction. One-way ANOVA revealed a significant difference on stepgrandmother role meaning for stepgrandmothers who lived in shared residential arrangements with the middle generation as minors. Implications for clinical practice, policy, and research are offered. growing cohort of stepmothers transitioning into stepgrandmotherhood. The complexity of …

When Self-Pacing Goes Wrong: A Comparison Of Two Methods For Reducing Computer-Based Racing, Douglas A. Johnson

Dissertations

Self-pacing, although often seen as one of the primary benefits of computer-based instruction (CBI), can also result in an important problem, namely, computer-based racing. Computer-based racing is when learners respond so quickly within CBI that mistakes are made, even on well-known material. This study compared traditional CBI with two forms of CBI designed to reduce computer-based racing: incentives/disincentives and postfeedback delays. All three formats were evaluated in terms of both performance and satisfaction using a between group repeated measures design with pretest and posttest. Dependent measures included posttest scores, satisfaction questionnaire ratings, percentage correct during learning, and total training time. …

Statistical Procedures For Bioequivalence Analysis, Srinand Ponnathapura Nandakumar

Dissertations

Applicants submitting a new drug application (NDA) or new animal drug application (NADA) under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDC Act) are required to document bioavailability (BA). A sponsor of an abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) or abbreviated new animal drug application (ANADA) must document first pharmaceutical equivalence and then bioequivalence (BE) to be deemed therapeutically equivalent to a reference listed drug (RLD). The Average (ABE), Population (PBE) and Individual (IBE) bioequivalence have been used to establish the equivalence in the pharmaco-kinetics of drugs.

The current procedure of PBE uses Cornish Fisher's (CF) expansion on small samples. Since …

The Comparative Efficacy Of Dosed, Enhanced Dosed, Prolonged Exposure, And Mindfulness In The Reduction Of Anxiety, Sophie Rubin

Dissertations

Exposure-based treatments have proven effective in treating a range of fears and phobias and can be accounted for by mechanisms described in behavioral theory. Enhanced dosed and dosed-only exposure are promising new behavioral approaches for treating fears and phobias. Fifty participants with speech anxiety were randomly assigned to a prolonged exposure condition (PE), a dosed-only exposure condition (DE), a positively enhanced dosed exposure condition (PDE), a negatively-supplemented dosed exposure condition (NDE), or a mindfulness enhanced dosed exposure condition (MDE). End of session results for all of the enhanced groups resulted in significantly lower subjective ratings of discomfort than the non-enhanced …

Characteristics Of Alternative Public High Schools: A National Study Using The 2003-04 Schools And Staffing Survey, Lisa Ryan

Dissertations

Decreasing the high school dropout rate in the United States is gaining a great deal of national attention. One of the key strategies that has been identified to decrease dropout rate is to offer at-risk students alternatives to traditional school. This study contributed to our knowledge about alternative high schools for at-risk students by using data from the large-scale, nationally representative 2003-04 Schools and Staffing Public School Survey. Using an effective schools conceptual framework, the author used logistic regression analyses to compare the characteristics of regular and alternative public high schools. An overall model was created that could predict two …

Technical Adequacy Of Curriculum-Based Measures Of Vocabulary Growth For Preschool English Language Learners, Kathleen M. Vantol

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to design and establish the technical adequacy of curriculum-based measures (CBMs) of vocabulary acquisition for use with preschool children. This study sought to establish the technical adequacy of two tools that can be used for measuring benchmarks of vocabulary acquisition for both native English speakers and for English language learners (ELLs) who are native Spanish speakers. In order to address the instructional needs for students who are Spanish speakers, a Spanish version of the CBM expressive language measure was created.

In this study, CBMs of expressive and receptive vocabulary were developed based upon the …

Testing Equality Of Competing Risks Of Patient Discontinuation Across Multiple Disease States, Eric Nantz

Dissertations

Previous statistical analyses of patient discontinuation in clinical trials have used discontinuation status as the response of interest. These analyses assume that the risks of discontinuation for specific reasons (lack of efficacy, adverse events, other reasons) are independent of each other and that significant risk factors for patient discontinuation have the same effect on the different causes of discontinuation. However, it is possible that the underlying risks of discontinuation for specific reasons could be related and that risk factors for one type of discontinuation could have a very different effect on another type of discontinuation. The competing risks methodology can …

Heteroscedastic Linear Model Estimation Based On Ranks: An Iterated Reweighted Least Squares Approach, Themba Louis Nyirenda

Dissertations

For standard estimators, data that are heteroscedastic in nature contain outlying values which can lead to poor performance. In this study, we present a robust iterative method for estimating the location and scale parameters in the general linear model, using a rank based method. It is assumed that the errors are symmetric about 0 and the variance function model is nonlinear with respect to the scale coefficients and the design. The function is known up to a scale constant. We propose taking the logarithm of the absolute values of the variance function to linearize it. The rank estimation of the …

Curriculum-Based Measures In Writing: A School-Based Evaluation Of Predictive Validity, Christina M. Terenzi

Dissertations

Recent research in the area of Curriculum-Based Measures (CBM) in writing has shown that traditionally used metrics, such as total words written and total words correct, may not be the best tools for measuring writing performance, for both secondary and elementary aged children (e.g., Gansle, Noell, VanDerHeyden, Naquin, & Slider, 2002; Tindal & Parker, 1989a; Watkinson & Lee, 1992). Evidence suggests that more advanced measures, such as production-independent measures (e.g., percentage of correct word sequences) may be stronger predictors of student skill level in the area of writing. The present study replicated portions of a recent seminal study and investigated …

Communications And Positioning In Wireless Networks, Yao Zhao

Dissertations

My doctoral research for the past three years is presented in this report. My research mainly focuses on the communications and positioning for wireless networks and is composed of three parts. First, I explored a new Turbo frequency equalization technique for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communications systems to improve the performance of wireless communications. In the second part of my research, I studied the multiple antenna cooperative communications from the perspective of information theories. The third part of my work is dedicated to extensive research on positioning technology for wireless networks using knowledge of the estimation theory in signal processing.

African-American Girls And Scientific Argumentation: Lived Experiences, Intersecting Identities And Their Roles In Constructing And Evaluating Claims, Phyllis Haugabook Pennock

Dissertations

Scientific argumentation can be traced back to ancient times; yet has seen a recent upswing over the last decade in the area of science education. This is due to current national education standards that ascribe this practice as a way of promoting scientific literacy for all. Current literature reflects an evolution of scientific argumentation – accommodating emerging research that uses socio-scientific issues. National standards highlight the need to teach argumentation, yet also recognize the urgent demand for educational equity of all students.

The purpose of this research was to narrow the gap dividing argumentation studies from other science discourse research. …

Synchronicity Of The Community College Mission And The Role And Responsibilities Of Academic Advisors, Zalika A. Brown

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to identify how the role and responsibilities of academic advisors support the mission of community colleges; to explore how academic advising is viewed by community college administrators and academic advisors; and to explore how academic advisors play a vital role in retaining students until they have completed their program of choice.

There is a strong link between the community college mission and the job functions performed by academic advisors; however, there is a lack of knowledge and understanding about how academic advisors can play a vital role in achieving the goals established by the …

The Effects Of Reading Nonfiction Aloud On The Vocabulary Acquisition Of Middle-School Students, Patricia Ann Braun

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if eighth-graders could acquire vocabulary incidentally while listening to nonfiction read-alouds connected to the physical sciences curriculum. In this quasi-experimental study 3 of 6 intact eighth-grade science classes listened to 14 nonfiction read-aloud selections of nonfiction passages selected from books not commonly found in schools but which related to the curriculum which the students would be experiencing in eighth grade. Pretests and posttests were administered to all 6 classes comprising 154 students. Reading ability was included as a variable. Target words comprised of technical and nontechnical words. Assessments included a vocabulary matching …

Culturally-Relevant Information Literacy: A Case Study, Rob Morrison

Dissertations

Information Literacy is a process for finding, using, evaluating and incorporating information into an individuals’ knowledge base. This process has been formalized into the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. The concept of Information Literacy as articulated in the ACRL Standards is based on Western knowledge and ways of knowing that resides in academic disciplines. This knowledge is privileged and regarded as universal, rational, and superior to other forms of knowledge and does not incorporate or reflect non-Western epistemologies. This study questioned the universality of this process as reflective of being grounded in Western culture and knowledge.

The …

Entanglement Perturbation Theory For Antiferromagnetic Spin Chains, Lihua Wang

Dissertations

In this dissertation, we use the recently developed Entanglement Perturbation Theory (EPT) to solve antiferromagnetic spin chain problems, for both spin 1/2 and spin 1. We firs use EPT-g (EPT algorithm for ground state) to get the ground state properties. We calculated precisely energies, magnetization and spin-spin correlations. The precision of the long range spin-spin correlation functions for spin 1/2 chains is unprecedented. Due to its special structure, we also use EPT-g to calculate the firs excited state properties for spin 1 chains. Hence we plotted the phase diagram for spin 1 xxz chains. Also a generalization of EPT (EPT-e) …

“The Negro Speaks Of Rivers” An African Centered Historical Study Of The Selfethnic Liberatory Education Nature And Goals Of The Poetry Of Langston Hughes: The Impact On Adult Education, Sarah E. Howard

Dissertations

The purposes of this historical study were to 1) document the Selfethnic Liberatory adult education nature and goals of the poetry of Langston Hughes (from 1921 to 1933); and 2) to document the impact this poetry had on members of the African Diaspora. In addition, the goal of this research was to expand the historical knowledge base of the adult education field, so that it is more inclusive of the contributions of African Americans.

This study addressed the problem that the historical and philosophical literature of the field does not to any significant degree include the intellectual and adult education …

Gender Differences In Depression And Immune Response In Colorectal Cancer, Barbara Anne Rose Phd, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

The focus of this descriptive comparative study was to examine the relationship between gender and depression and immune system function in patients with colorectal cancer. The research questions were answered through secondary analysis, using data obtained from the answers of 117 men and women (71 men and 46 women) enrolled in a colorectal cancer study conducted between 1990 and 1991 in Pennsylvania. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample, and general estimating equations were used to analyze depression and immune system function between men and women. Depression was measured by the Beck Depression Inventory, and immune system function was …

Science Education Policy For Emergency, Conflict, And Post-Conflict: An Analysis Of Trends And Implications For The Science Education Program In Uganda, Betty Pacutho Udongo

Dissertations

This study analyzes the impact of armed conflicts on the development of education policy and particularly science education program in Uganda. Since independence from the British colonial rule, Uganda has experienced a series of armed conflicts, with the most devastating being the 21 years of conflict in Northern Uganda.

The research study was guided by the following questions: (1) What is the level of government funding towards improving science education program in Uganda? (2) Have recent initiatives, such as free Primary and Secondary education, compulsory science, and 75% sponsorship for science-based courses, had a measurable impact on the proportion of …

Special Education Preschool: Perceptions Of The Parent Participation And Education Component, Denise Ann Ludwig

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine parent and early intervention professional perceptions and experiences of the legislative requirement of the parent participation and education component of Early Childhood Special Education. The study focuses on examination of reports of parent and early intervention professional experiences and analysis of child outcome data of children receiving intervention among three different service delivery models of Early Childhood Special Education. Data are collected from 24 parent and early intervention professionals, each experiencing one of three service delivery models, and record review of developmental outcomes for language, social, and motor skills for 120 children …

A Cross-Sectional Approach To Institutional Anomie And Gang-Related Homicide, Michael T. Klemp-North

Dissertations

Gangs have recently migrated from major metropolitan areas to suburban and rural communities throughout the United States (Maxson 1998; NAIGA 2005). This migration creates a need for further research and understanding of the gang phenomenon in the United States. One commonly studied aspect of gangs is their propensity to participate in homicide and violent behavior (e.g., Curry and Spergel 1988; Decker and Curry 2002). This tendency has been tested and written about in the literature; however, none of the research addresses the migration and dispersion of gangs throughout states. Therefore, new approaches are needed to better understand gangs and their …

Homemaking In Asian American Women's Writing: Chuang Hua, Bharati Mukherjee And Meena Alexander Performing The Diasporic Home, Yan Jiang

Dissertations

This dissertation examines how homemaking, as depicted in contemporary Asian American literature, reflects the bigger issue of Asian diaspora and identity transformation. I analyze how Asian immigrants, especially Asian women, make the home in America in varying ways, seemingly following their ancestral pattern or the mainstream American model but eventually transcend both. Following Judith Butler, I suggest that Asian immigrants' homemaking is performative. In this study, I look to the ideas of cultural identification and identity formation as a foundation for contemporary definitions of the diasporic home and contend that far from being a static mimicking of their former homes, …

I/Q Imbalance Mitigation For Space-Time Block Coded Communication Systems, Mingzheng Cao

Dissertations

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) space-time block coded (STBC) wireless communication systems provide reliable data transmissions by exploiting the spatial diversity in fading channels. However, due to component imperfections, the in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) imbalance caused by the non-ideal matching between the relative amplitudes and phases of the I and Q branches always exists in the practical implementation of MIMO STBC communication systems. Such distortion results in a complex conjugate term of the intended signal in the time domain, hence a mirror-image term in the frequency domain, in the data structure. Consequently, I/Q imbalance increases the symbol error rate (SER) drastically in MIMO STBC …

Self Similar Flows In Finite Or Infinite Two Dimensional Geometries, Leonardo Xavier Espin Estevez

Dissertations

This study is concerned with several problems related to self-similar flows in pulsating channels. Exact or similarity solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations are of practical and theoretical importance in fluid mechanics. The assumption of self-similarity of the solutions is a very attractive one from both a theoretical and a practical point of view. It allows us to greatly simplify the Navier-Stokes equations into a single nonlinear one-dimensional partial differential equation (or ordinary differential equation in the case of steady flow) whose solutions are also exact solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations in the sense that no approximations are required in order …

Freeway Speed-Flow Relationships Under Rain And Congested Conditions, Jongho Byun

Dissertations

A procedure to account for the impact of rain and congested conditions on the average speed estimates is provided in this study. Although the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) provides some discussion on the impact of adverse weather on speed-flow relationships, these impacts are not quantified. Using data collected under rain and congested conditions, a procedure for estimating the average speed under these conditions is provided, which is an improvement over the existing HCM (2000) procedures. Using the speed-flow relationships provided in the HCM (2000) for basic freeway segments as a starting point, new numerical relationships suitable for New Jersey roadways …

Predictive Decoding Of Neural Data, Yaroslav O. Halchenko

Dissertations

In the last five decades the number of techniques available for non-invasive functional imaging has increased dramatically. Researchers today can choose from a variety of imaging modalities that include EEG, MEG, PET, SPECT, MRI, and fMRI.

This doctoral dissertation offers a methodology for the reliable analysis of neural data at different levels of investigation. By using statistical learning algorithms the proposed approach allows single-trial analysis of various neural data by decoding them into variables of interest. Unbiased testing of the decoder on new samples of the data provides a generalization assessment of decoding performance reliability. Through consecutive analysis of the …

Autonomous Migration Of Vertual Machines For Maximizing Resource Utilization, Hyung Won Choi

Dissertations

Virtualization of computing resources enables multiple virtual machines to run on a physical machine. When many virtual machines are deployed on a cluster of PCs, some physical machines will inevitably experience overload while others are under-utilized over time due to varying computational demands. This computational imbalance across the cluster undermines the very purpose of maximizing resource utilization through virtualization. To solve this imbalance problem, virtual machine migration has been introduced, where a virtual machine on a heavily loaded physical machine is selected and moved to a lightly loaded physical machine. The selection of the source virtual machine and the destination …