Digital Commons Network^™

A Portrait Of Assessment In Reformed Mathematics Classrooms, James R. Kett

Dissertations

During the past decade, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics published three documents (1989, 1991, 1995) which propose changes in content, instruction, and assessment. These documents call for instructional and assessment goals that support students as they construct their own meaning to mathematics. A next step is to develop assessment models consistent with these goals which would guide and support classroom teachers.

As a result of mathematics reform, many curriculum development projects are underway. One such project is the Core-Plus Mathematics Project (CPMP) . This research documents the assessment practices of four CPMP teachers working in 9th and 10th …

Differential Effects Of Individual And Group Pay Contingencies On Individual Performance, Judith A. Honeywell-Johnson

Dissertations

Individual productivity of high performers was compared under an individual monetary incentive system and a 10-member group monetary incentive system. Subjects were 4 college students, each assigned to a simulated 10-person group. Subjects individually performed four computerized work tasks (SYNWORK) simultaneously, and the total number of points earned on the tasks was the main dependent variable. A within-subject reversal design was used, with hourly pay (A), individual (B) and group (C) monetary incentives implemented in an ABCB pattern. Subjects, when working under the group incentive pay condition, were told that the number of points they earned during each session would …

Mastodon, 80% Complete: Poems, Jonathan Johnson

Dissertations

Many of the poems in this collection are set in the vast woods and along the Lake Superior coastline of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Others take place in and around the poet's remote cabin in northern Idaho where the Selkirk, Bitteroot, and Cabinet mountain ranges converge. However, they all take as their definition of wilderness the complete external beyond the individual consciousness, including the body, other people, and the decaying cultural landscape, as well as vistas of yet unmolested nature. The poems chronicle an ongoing attempt to occupy the borderlands of faith between imaginative will and allegiance to the world, that …

Collision Spectroscopy Of Low Energy Capture By Multiply Charged Ions From Atomic Targets, Kadir Akgungor

Dissertations

State-selective differential cross sections for single-electron capture processes in very slow collisions of Ar^q+ (q = 4 - 6) ions with Ne, and Ar^6+ ions with He have been studied experimentally at laboratory collision energies between 15 and 100 qeV, and at scattering angles between 0° and 8° by means of translational energy-gain spectroscopy technique. The translational energy spectra show that only a few final states are populated depending on the charge state of the projectile, the projectile laboratory scattering angle, and the collision energy. These measurements also show that the dominant reaction channels are due to capture into excited …

The Effect Of Remedial Education Programs On Academic Achievement And Persistence At The Two-Year Community College, Lyn Ann Batzer

Dissertations

Community colleges are open door institutions that serve students who may lack the basic skills necessary to succeed in college. The number of academically underprepared students attending community colleges has been increasing over the years. Thus, there is a corresponding need for effective remedial programs to prepare the academically underprepared students for college-level work.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of remedial education. More specifically, the study was designed to measure the performance of academically underprepared students who complete required remediation compared to academically underprepared students who do not complete remediation.

The study tested two hypotheses: …

The National German-American Alliance, 1901 -1918: Cultural Politics And Ethnicity In Peace And War, Charles Thomas Johnson

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to tell the story of the National German- American Alliance, an organization of middle to upper-middle class well-educated professionals formed in 1901 to promote and preserve aspects of German culture in the United States. Increasingly, however, it found itself drawn into controversial political and diplomatic issues in the rapid political, social and international change that marked the first two decades of the twentieth century.

The dissertation begins with a review of German-America from colonial times to 1899 and serves as a background for the founding of the Alliance within the context of the growth …

The Use Of Data In School-Based Decision Making, Walter J. Deboer

Dissertations

This study examined the extent to which various types of commonly available data were used by staff for school-based decision making at 24 elementary schools in the Grand Rapids Public School district. The level of data use w as correlated with measures of school effectiveness. Further correlational analyses examined: (a) whether principals' attitudes toward data influenced the level of data use, (b) whether staff at more effective schools made exemplary or effective use of data to a greater degree, and (c) whether staff at more effective schools were more likely to overcome traditional barriers to data use.

School effectiveness was …

A Study Of Factors Affecting Responses In Electronic Mail Surveys, Kimberly Post Good

Dissertations

Electronic mail is becoming increasingly popular as a means to communicate information expediently and inexpensively. One use of electronic mail that has not been well researched is its viability as a tool for data collection. A handful of studies have focused on the differences that exist in responses and response rates of electronic mail surveying compared to other methods of surveying (telephone and postal mail). One area that has not been studied at all is the factors affecting the response rates of electronic mail surveys.

This research study sought to build upon the existing research base of what is known …

Critical Thinking Attributes Of Undergraduate Nursing Faculty, Julie A. Coon

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the critical thinking skills of undergraduate nursing faculty to determine how these skills compared with the established critical thinking skill norms for undergraduate nursing students and if the critical thinking skills of nursing faculty were related to the type of program they teach in, their years of experience in nursing education, their level of formal education, their preferred methods of instruction, and their level of formal training in critical thinking. Nursing faculty from 17 Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) programs and 11 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs in the State of …

An Integrated Environment For Problem Solving And Program Development, Fadi Pierre Deek

Dissertations

A framework for an integrated problem solving and program development environment that addresses the needs of students learning programming is proposed. Several objectives have been accomplished: defining the tasks required for program development and a literature review to determine the actual difficulties involved in learning those tasks. A comprehensive Study of environments and tools developed to support the learning of problem solving and programming was then performed, covering programming environments, debugging aids, intelligent tutoring systems, and intelligent programming environments. This was followed by a careful analysis and critique of these systems, which uncovered the limitations that have prevented them from …

Fractionally Sampled Decorrelating Detectors For Time-Varying Rayleigh Fading Cdma Channels, Huaping Liu

Dissertations

In this dissertation, we propose novel decorrelating multiuser detectors in DSCDMA time-varying frequency-nonselective and frequency-selective fading channels and analyze their performance. We address the common shortcomings of existing multiuser detectors in a mobile environment, such as detector complexity and the error floor. An analytical approach is employed almost exclusively and Monte Carlo simulation is used to confirm the theoretical results. Practical channel models, such as Jakes' and Markovian, are adopted in the numerical examples.

The proposed detectors are of the decorrelating type and utilize fractional sampling to simultaneously achieve two goals: (1) the novel realization of a decorrelator with lower …

Analysis Of Safe Separation Distances From Natural Gas Transmission Pipelines, James Stephen Haklar

Dissertations

Accidental rupture of natural gas transmission pipelines with subsequent ignition of the escaping gas can result in the loss of life and property. In the United States, current means of protecting both the pipeline and the public include the establishment of class locations, in which specific pipeline design, construction and operation requirements must be attained. In addition, distances at which the pipelines can be safely set back from the community, called safe separation distances, have been developed in some European countries (e.g., Great Britain, the Netherlands) through use of risk assessment principles. However, to date there has been no simple, …

Automobile Air Bag Inflation System Based On Fast Combustion Reaction, Yacoob Tabani

Dissertations

Current automobile air bag inflator technology is complex, expensive and environmentally unsafe. A new and novel air bag inflator based on fast combustion reactions of methane-oxygen mixtures has been developed and studied. The thermodynamics and mass flow parameters of this new inflator have been modeled and found to be in agreement with experimental results.

The performance of the fast combustion inflator was evaluated in terms of pressure-time relationships inside the inflator and in a receiving tank simulating an air bag as well as the temperature-time relationship in the tank.

In order to develop this fast combustion inflator, several critical issues …

Modeling Study On The Neopentyl+ O2 Reaction System And Experimental And Modeling Study On Mtbe Pyrolysis And Oxidation, Ru Wei

Dissertations

A modeling study on neopentyl radical + O₂ reaction system is conducted in this study. Thermodynamic parameters on all species and important transition states are calculated. A thermochemical kinetic analysis is performed.

Thermodynamic parameters are estimated using group additivity with HBI groups. Transition state energies are evaluated from experimental and theoretical data in the literature, combined with elementary reaction modeling to account for temperature effects. Transition state structures, vibration frequencies and entropies are determined from semi-empirical calculations, MOPAC PM3. Kinetics are analyzed with quantum RRK theory for k(E) coupled with modified strong collision analysis of Gilbert et al for …

Diffusive And Wavelike Phenomena In Thermal Processing Of Materials, John A. Pelesko

Dissertations

Contemporary materials science abounds with novel processing methods. Devices such as lasers, microwave sources, and electron beam guns, provide unprecedented control over the deposition of energy within a material. The modern materials scientist has the ability to deposit energy volumetrically, to precisely control the location of energy deposition within a material, and to deposit energy in extremely short intervals of time. While making possible numerous thermal processing methods, these devices also push the limits of our understanding of the response of materials to energy deposition. In order to optimize and control these processing methods, it becomes necessary to further our …

Electrocatalytic Control Of Exhaust Soot, Victor L. Callahan

Dissertations

The feasibility of combining electrostatic precipitation and use of a catalytic wall in a straight tube reactor as a means of destroying soot particles was investigated. Enhanced particle diffusion to the wall by an applied electric field provided the means of particle capture for subsequent catalytic oxidation at the active surface in a small length tube.

Soot particles flowing in a gas stream are influenced by the following transport mechanisms: convective flux as a result of bulk flow, diffusion flux as a result of particle concentration or number density gradient, and an electrostatic flux from the coulombic attraction as charged …

An Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of Selected Nonpharmacologic Pain Interventions In Infants, Cindy Smith Greenberg Dnsc, Ms, Rn, Cpnp

Dissertations

Infants subjected to painful stimuli respond with deleterious physiologic and metabolic effects, behavioral changes, and potentially long term effects on painful stimuli processing and response. There are few studies that address effective pain interventions for infants, particularly those interventions that staff nurses can implement independently. Interventions must be identified and their effectiveness must be validated for this vulnerable population. Pharmacologic management of pain may cause deleterious side effects and needs to be ordered by physicians or nurse practitioners. Nonpharmacologic methods to manage pain can usually be implemented by staff nurses independently. This study evaluated the efficacy of two nonpharmacologic pain …

Registration Of Apprenticeship Programs And The Turnover Of Skilled Trade Employees, Dennis J. Bona

Dissertations

The primary purpose of the study is to provide empirical evidence that refutes arguments made by employers who resist registering an apprenticeship program because they believe it will increase turnover of their skilled trade employees. To do this, data were collected to test the hypothesis that companies that have a registered apprenticeship program experience less turnover of their skilled trade employees compared to companies that do not. Secondary hypotheses were also developed to compare turnover ratios with union orientation, size, and wage structure of employers to help validate the results and demonstrate alternative explanations for turnover of skilled trade employees. …

Effects Of Linear And Non-Linear Incentive Pay Systems With Individual And Group Payouts On The Social Psychology Phenomenon Of Social Loafing, Delores A. Tinley Smoot

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was twofold. First, the experiment investigated the occurrence of social loafing behavior when individuals are engaged in a production task. Social loafing is defined as a decrement in individual performance when working co-actively with a group. Second, the experiment compared the effectiveness of three incentive pay systems (linear, positively and negatively accelerating) in eliminating social loafing behavior and in generating performance levels higher than those generated by a flat or hourly pay system.

Sixteen undergraduate students, all female, participated in twenty-five 15- minute work sessions in which they made widgets from pop beads. Subjects …

The Impact Of Sex And Gender-Role Orientation On Student Evaluations Of Professor Competence In Counselor Education And Counseling Psychology, Suzanne M. Hobson

Dissertations

The focus of this study was on the potential impact of sex and gender-role orientation on one form of evaluation within higher education. Specifically, this study investigated sex and gender-role orientation as they relate to graduate student end-of-course evaluations of professors in the Counselor Education and the Counseling Psychology fields.

Students enrolled in graduate courses in counselor education or counseling psychology at a large university in the Midwest completed the Instructional Development and Effectiveness Assessment (IDEA) end-of-course rating form, a modified version the Bern Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) short form, and a student questionnaire. Professors also participated by completing the IDEA …

Discrimination Against Female Graduate Teaching Assistants, Joanne Ardovini-Brooker

Dissertations

Many studies have been done concerning the classroom climate, particularly in the university setting. It has been found that the classroom climate for women is one that is cold, unreceptive, unwelcoming, and even hostile to women. This chilly reception is endured by female undergraduate students, graduate students, and professors. This researcher believes that the chilly classroom climate also extends to female graduate teaching assistants/instructors. I also believe that this chilly climate may be chillier and more hostile for them, since graduate teaching assistants/instructors do not have the status associated with a doctoral degree. This concept is the basis for what …

The Clastogenic Effects Of Cyclophosphamide And A Sixty Hertz Electromagnetic Field On Bone Marrow Cells Of Cd-1 Mice, Kevin K. Block

Dissertations

Extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) have been correlated with the induction of cancer in a number of epidemiological studies (Feychting and Ahlbom, 1993; T,m and Lee, 1994; London e t al. 1991; Lovely et al., 1994; Tomenius, 1986; Wertheimer and Leeper, 1979, 1982). Two hypothesis were tested in the present study. The first hypothesis tested was that exposure to a 7.3 G magnetic field for 24 hours would increase the frequency of clastogenic and/or mutagenic events in bone m arrow cells of mice. The second hypothesis tested was that exposure to a 7.3 G magnetic field for 24 …

What’S Good For Gm… : Deindustrialization, And Crime In Four Michigan Cities, 1975-1993, Rick Matthews

Dissertations

This study examines the effects of deteriorated economic conditions caused by General Motor's deindustrialization efforts between 1975 and 1993 on crime rates in four Michigan cities. The Michigan cities ofFlint and Saginaw are used as examples of cities that were highly dependent on General Motors for their economic well-being, and are compared with Lansing and Grand Rapids which had more diversified economies and experienced less social disorganization. It is hypothesized that General Motor's deindustrialization efforts in Flint and Saginaw caused social disorganization to increase, which, in turn, caused crime rates to increase. Lansing and Grand Rapids, on the other hand, …

Systematics Of Stable Isotopes And Radionuclides In Precipitation At Kalamazoo, Michigan, Usa, Madhav V. Machavaram

Dissertations

Precipitation samples were collected at Kalamazoo from June 1992 to March 1995. The samples were analyzed for their 8D and 8lgO values. The 5D - 5I80 relationship is comparable to that of Meteoric Water Line (MWL). The monthly mean isotopic values in precipitation exhibited strong seasonality, being higher in summer and lower in winter months. This behavior is apparently a direct consequence of the temperature effect on isotope fractionation.

The summer precipitation at Kalamazoo is derived predominantly from the water vapor originated in the Gulf of Mexico. A box model calculation showed that a Rayleigh type distillation with Gulf moisture …

Human Impulsivity: Effects Of Reinforcement Procedure, Catherine A. Karas

Dissertations

In this study, positive and negative reinforcement procedures were directly compared across subjects to determine whether more impulsive responding would occur with one reinforcement procedure when compared to the other, under a discrete-trial choice procedure. For both reinforcement procedures, taped music served as the reinforcer. For the positive reinforcer, subjects brought in their own music, from which tapes were made for use in the study. Subjects then ranked the tapes according to their preferences. For the negative reinforcers, the investigators made tapes of various types of music, and all subjects ranked their preferences for these tapes. Subjects were then presented …

Underdevelopment As Meta-Axiological Dilemma: The Socioeconomic Implications Of African Axiology For Rational Choice Determinants Of Microeconomic Agency, Sundiata Keita Ibn-Hyman

Dissertations

The intergenerational problems of indigence, poverty and social dysfunction that plague African societies are inextricably grounded in the broader issue of ethnocentrism in neoclassical microeconomics. Economic anthropology provides a methodological critique of the conceptual limitations of neoclassical micro-behavioral assumptions narrowly imposed on non-westem economic organization. While recognizing non-westem economic praxes, the sociological implications of strict neoclassical microeconomic agency for non-westem socioeconomic development is conspicuously ignored. The critique fails to specifically consider the impact of neoclassical ethnocentrism to non-westem sociocultural organization and improvement.

This research utilizes an African-centered, social psychological approach to examine the paradigmatic implications of rational choice criteria for …

A Test Of A Rapid Developer Model: Workplace Factors Associated With Learning And Development, James A. Alexander

Dissertations

The speed at which individuals and organizations learn and develop is a vital contributor to organizational change and organizational effectiveness. This study postulated the notion of "rapid developers”, those persons who learn and acquire job competence more quickly than their peers. The purpose of this study was to identify, define, and differentiate the factors associated with "rapid development."

The author constructed a rapid developer model based upon the review of the disciplines of training, performance technology, total quality, organization learning, and organization culture. The model identified and defined the contextual factors that could be expected, based on an understanding of …

The Lived Experience Of Women Prior To Hospitalization For Acute Myocardial Infarction, Llamae R. Hughes Dnsc

Dissertations

Recent research indicates that the majority of women underestimate their risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD claims the lives of more women than all forms of cancer; however, women have not received the symptom recognition or treatment that has been accorded to men with CAD. Review of literature indicated a lack of research regarding the experiences of women with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This phenomenological study explored the lived experience of women with AMI immediately prior to hospitalization. The lines of inquiry focused on descriptive language regarding pre-event feelings, the symptoms experienced at AMI onset, their response to …

Clashing Cultures Or Collaborating Networks: A Study Of Organization Culture In Breast Cancer Prevention, Joseph V. Raffa Edd

Dissertations

This study explored organization culture and policy within the community/metaorganization formed by diverse arenas of breast cancer prevention. The subject area of breast cancer was chosen due to its social significance as a major health issue. The phenomenon of organization culture was chosen due to the interest of the researcher, and the implications for collaborative leadership within the cancer prevention community. The community/metaorganization includes formal and informal relationships between organizations that have a role in the prevention of breast cancer. Included were individuals working/volunteering in different arenas across organizations with undefined lines of authority and communication. Four arenas of involvement …

A Phenomenological Inquiry Of Nurse Transition To Family-Centered Perinatal Nursing, Paula Kaye Lilja Dnsc, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to obtain a better understanding of how nurses caring for perinatal patients and their families view their clinical practice role after experiencing the transition from traditional maternity care to family-centered perinatal nursing. The volunteer participants in the study were 13 female registered nurses employed on a family-centered perinatal unit in one of four hospital settings. The researcher conducted unstructured interviews with the participants and analyzed the qualitative data. The history of the transition and the context in which the family-centered perinatal nursing model was being practiced are presented. Two major features of the …