Digital Commons Network^™

Occupational Stress And Coping Resources Of K-12 Probationary Teachers, Lori Ann Wagner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to measure what factors impact the stress levels of probationary teachers who may or may not be new to the field of education, to determine what demographic characteristics are related to higher levels of stress, to determine what coping resources were successful in reducing stress, and to compare the stress levels and coping resources of probationary teachers to other professionals.

The study used the OSI-R to determine the stress levels of k-12 probationary teachers as related to role overload, role insufficiency, role ambiguity, role boundary, responsibility, and physical environment as measured by the Occupational …

The Relationship Between Femininity Ideology And Overt And Relational Aggression And Peer Victimization Among Girls, Anne Powell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between gender socialization, assessed by the gender ideologies of inauthenticity in relationships and body objectification (Tolman & Porche, 2000), and overt and relational aggression and peer victimization among 212 girls in five Denver, Colorado public middle schools. A feminist developmental perspective was used to 1) examine whether internalized norms of femininity were related to overt and relational aggression and peer victimization; 2) evaluate whether girls used certain types of aggressive behavior to adhere to, or reject, norms of femininity; and 3) assess whether girls who were victimized were more likely than other girls to internalize …

The Effects Of Individual, Family, And Community Factors On Adult Resilience: A Study On The Tsunami Survivors Of 12/26/2004, Johny Augustine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the various factors at the individual, family, and community level that helped the adult individuals survive the trans-oceanic tsunami which hit the coastal areas of India on December 26, 2004.The study made use of a concurrent mixed methods design to achieve the above objective. The quantitative section of the research examined the effects of individual, family, and community factors on adult post-traumatic growth. The qualitative section of the study sought to capture the subjective experience of the tsunami survivors using a phenomenological approach. The target population were adults, aged 18 to 55 from Kerala, India, who were …

A Vocation As Politics: Work And Popular Theology In A Consumer Culture, Jeffrey E. Scholes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The idea of vocation or a calling is particularly salient in much business motivational literature and popular Christian self-help books alike. Promoted is the idea of vocation that glosses over issues stemming from political power in the corporate workplace in order to given meaning to workers in spite of working conditions. In this form, vocations are unable to engage one's working life in ways that they can and should. I argue that recent trends in academic theologies of vocation as well as the role of consumer culture combine to allow the ascendancy of this form of the idea. I support …

Image Processing Of Oct Glaucoma Images And Information Theory Analysis, Shuting Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Glaucoma is a group of optic nerve disease with progressive structural changes leading to loss of visual function. A careful examination and detection of changes in the optic nerve is the key to early diagnosis of glaucoma. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is one of the known techniques of diagnosis of glaucoma. The patients' eyes are scanned and sub-surface images are captured from optical nerves. Captured OCT images usually suffer from noise and therefore image enhancement techniques can help doctors in better analysis of OCT images and diagnosis of glaucoma. In this thesis, we propose three successful algorithms for enhancing the …

Gene X Environment Interactions In Developmental Dyslexia, Lauren M. Mcgrath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this project was to advance understanding of the complex multifactorial etiology of developmental dyslexia, or reading disability (RD), by investigating gene x environment (G x E) interactions. This project tested for G x E interactions using molecular genetic methods and measures of psychosocial and bioenvironmental risk factors. There are two competing predictions that can be derived from existing G x E models about the expected direction of interactions in RD. There could be "diathesis-stress" interactions in which the effects of genotype are stronger in risk environments, or there could be "bioecological" interactions in which the effects of …

Perceived Closeness To The Deceased And Its Predictive Effect On The Development Of Prolonged Grief Disorder And Suicidality Among Bereaved College Students, Jeffrey Alan Rings

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A growing percentage of college students are experiencing severe and debilitating psychological problems (Caulfield, 2000; Douce, 2004; Kitzrow, 2003). Despite being a commonly-encountered stressor among undergraduates (Currier et al., 2006), the occurrence of bereavement is addressed rarely among the college mental health literature. However, bereavement has been shown to lead to increased suicidality and other problematic mental health symptoms (Prigerson, Bridge et al., 1999). Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD), a newly-defined mental health diagnosis, has been found to be a more accurate indicator of poorer mental health functioning among bereaved individuals than other mental health conditions (Silverman et al., 2000). Some …

Struggling, Coping, And Thriving: Sense-Making In Stepfamily Couples' Narratives About Coparenting, Andrea L. Smith Sisk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The term coparenting implies a bioparental dyad that often excludes the stepparent's role in sharing parenting across joint-custody households. Focusing solely on this dyad also precludes gaining an understanding of how stepfamily couples manage together the communication and sharing of parental responsibilities with the parent(s) in the shared children's other home. In a departure from this bioparental dyad-focused approach, this study locates the stepfamily couple at the center of an inquiry into managing coparenting across households. This mixed methods design study included in-depth interviews of 32 stepfamily couples whose narratives about coparenting were analyzed using grounded theory methods. Forty-one percent …

Adhd And Working Memory: The Impact Of Central Executive Deficits And Overwhelming Storage/Rehearsal Capacity On Observed Inattentive Behavior, Michael Kofler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Inattentive behavior is considered a core and pervasive feature of ADHD; however, an alternative model challenges this premise and hypothesizes a functional relationship between working memory and inattentive behavior. The current study investigated whether inattentive behavior in children with ADHD is functionally related to domain-general central executive and/or subsidiary storage/rehearsal components of working memory. Objective observations of children's attentive behavior by independent observers were conducted while children with ADHD (n=15) and typically developing children (n=14) completed 10 counterbalanced tasks that differentially manipulated central executive, phonological storage/rehearsal, and visuospatial storage/rehearsal demands. Results of latent variable and effect size confidence interval analyses …

Post Treatment Alternatives For Stabilizing Desalinated Water, Susaye Douglas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of brackish water and seawater desalination for augmenting potable water supplies has focused primarily on pre-treatment, process optimization, energy efficiency, and concentrate management. Much less has been documented regarding the impact of post-treatment requirements with respect to distribution system. The goals of this study were to review current literature on post-treatment of permeate water, use survey questionnaires to gather information on post-treatment water quality characteristics, gather operation information, review general capital and maintenance cost, and identify appropriate "lessons learned" with regards to post-treatment from water purveyors participating in the Project. A workshop was organized where experts from across …

A Study Of The Effects Of Parental Involvement On The Success Of Students On A High-Stakes Examination, Jill Ashbaugh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States federal government, through the No Child Left Behind Act, is holding schools accountable for students' proficiency on academic standards. However, standards-based curriculum and instruction, along with school-based support and remediation programs, are not enough to help 100 percent of students to reach proficiency. It is imperative that schools work with parents and communities to maximize each child's potential. Children of involved parents tend to exhibit higher educational goals and perform at academically higher rates than those of parents who do not get involved in their education.

The PSSA Parent Partnership is a program that involves parents, teachers, …

Why People Fail To Use Condoms For Std And Hiv Prevention, David T. Brunner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The world is almost 30 years into the AIDS pandemic. People know how to prevent HIV by using abstinence, monogamy and condom use. Despite this awareness, people still put themselves at risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Why? This thesis catalogues the various reasons why people fail to use condoms during sexual intercourse. The qualitative information represents specific selections from anonymous personal interviews with over 1500 individuals combined with other available data and information from other HIV field workers and organizations. The findings show four major categories of influences effecting an individual's decision to engage in unprotected sexual …

The Experiences Of Japanese Men During The Transition To Fatherhood, Hiroko Iwata

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the meaning of the lived experience of the Japanese men during the transition to fatherhood. Review of the literature revealed a lack of men's own perspective and justified the need of this study. Hermeneutic phenomenology was chosen because it was most useful to answer questions of meaning of the lived experience. Participants were 12 Japanese men who had a first-time healthy child younger than 1-year of age, who were sought by using a purposeful sampling technique. Data generation and data analysis were guided by philosophy of hermeneutic phenomenology. The findings revealed the …

An Investigation Into Hotel Employees' Perception Of Green Practices, Sun-Hwa Kim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how employees of the hotel industry perceived green practices. Data was collected from 220 employees working in eight green certified hotels in Orlando. Research results revealed that performance levels of green practices implemented by hotels were lower than the importance levels of those same green practices as perceived by hotel employees. The results of the study illustrated that (1) the employees' perception regarding green practices was not different than one of hoteliers in terms of importance and performance, and (2) employees weighted the green practices that were beneficial to them as more important than green practices that …

Roses Are Red, Violets Are Bluehow Poetry In Science Can Help Students Learn Something New, Kimberly Casselman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was an attempt to examine how poetry integrated with science could assist eighth graders in the memorization of key science vocabulary words. Furthermore, it would investigate if student attitude, interest, and motivation would improve with the use of the poetry. Instruction was adjusted to implement poetry into astronomy lessons. Memorization activities such as poems, chanting, and repetition were used to help students remember the vocabulary and the definitions. Pre/post tests were used to interpret if the poetry did assist in the memorization of the astronomy vocabulary. Science interest surveys and science attitude surveys were used to interpret if …

Awareness Of Increased Risk For Heart Disease And Cardiovascular Risk Factors In Women With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Patricia Weinstein

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) develop cardiovascular disease (CVD) earlier and at a more accelerated rate compared to women without SLE. Many women with SLE are unaware of their increased risk despite years spent in the health care system, thus giving the atherogenic process time to accrue damage. Research has not explained fully why women with SLE are unaware of their increased risk for CVD or why awareness does not correspond to risk-educing behaviors. Stage theories of behavior like the Precaution Adoption Process Model (PAPM) propose that health behavior change proceeds through qualitatively different stages, and people at one …

Aspects Of Goals And Rewards Systems As Antecedents Of Abusive Supervision: The Mediating Effect Of Hinderance Stress, Mary Bardes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I draw on research on goal setting, stress, and aggression to examine contextual antecedents of abusive supervision. I suggest that a characteristic of the supervisors' goals (viz., goal difficulty) can contribute to abusive supervisory behaviors through the effect it has on the supervisors' level of hindrance stress. I also propose that this mediating process is moderated by two characteristics of the supervisors' rewards (viz., goal-contingent reward and reward interdependence). Thus, I suggest a moderated mediation model predicting supervisors' hindrance stress acts as a mediator of the relationship between supervisors' difficult goals and abusive supervision. Moreover, I also …

Parental Involvement With Special Needs Children In A Rural School District, Mary Elizabeth Lenda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Formalized education has been around for a long time and the role of the parents has been to facilitate their child's academic success. The quality of parenting can vary widely. This study will explore parental involvement in their special needs child's educational process. More specifically, parental involvement with special needs children in a rural school district is the focus explored in the south western New York quadrant of Chautauqua County. Using Baumrind's (1967) research on parenting styles as a framework, the purpose of study is to (a) investigate the styles of parental involvement with children of special needs in rural …

The Influence Of Heel Height On Sagittal Plane Knee Kinematics During Landing Tasks In Recreationally Active Collegiate Females, Kelly Lindenberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if varying heel lift heights added to athletic shoe wear would alter sagittal plane knee kinematics when landing from jumping maneuvers. The hypothesis was that increased heel height would increase knee flexion at initial contact (KAIC), increase the peak knee flexion angle (KAPeak), and slow the rate of knee excursion (RKE). Fifty recreationally active, college-age females participated. Subjects performed two single-limb landing tasks: a forward hop and a jump-landing maneuver. Each participant performed five repetitions of each jump while wearing three different heel lifts placed on the under-side of a standardized athletic …

Do Benchmark Assessments Increase Student Achievement On State Standardized Tests?, Patrick Hefflin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since 4Sight Benchmark Assessments are being promoted by politicians and educational departments throughout many states, this study was needed to determine the correlation between students' scaled scores on 4Sight and state standardized tests (PSSA). This study also uncovered teachers' perceptions of 4Sight and the extent that they used 4Sight data to modify classroom instruction.

In summary this research discovered a strong correlation between 4Sight and the PSSAs. There were significant statistical results that supported a connection between the scaled scores on 4Sight Benchmark Assessments and student scaled scores on the PSSA for this rural school district. Even though the results …

Investigation Of Damage Detection Methodologies For Structural Health Monitoring, Mustafa Gul

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is employed to track and evaluate damage and deterioration during regular operation as well as after extreme events for aerospace, mechanical and civil structures. A complete SHM system incorporates performance metrics, sensing, signal processing, data analysis, transmission and management for decision-making purposes. Damage detection in the context of SHM can be successful by employing a collection of robust and practical damage detection methodologies that can be used to identify, locate and quantify damage or, in general terms, changes in observable behavior. In this study, different damage detection methods are investigated for global condition assessment of structures. …

They've Come A Long Way Since P.L. 94-142: Standards-Based Instruction And Its Impact On Increasing School Attendance Rates For Students With Disabilities, Lywinda Anne Siegler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students with disabilities have a higher rate of missed days of school as compared to their nondisabled peers. This dissertation will examine the effect Standards-based Instruction has on the school attendance rates of children with disabilities. The purpose is to determine whether rates of attendance will increase for students with disabilities who receive standards-based instruction over the period of the 2003 -2004, 2004 -2005, and 2006-2007 school years. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania implemented standards in mathematics and reading, writing, speaking, and listening in 1999. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has 500 public school districts. The Pennsylvania Department of Education has designated …

Teacher Education And Technology Integration: How Do Preservice Teachers Perceive Their Readiness To Infuse Technology Into The Learning Environment?, Anne Koch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the past twenty years, substantial investments have been made in educational technology at the K-12 level. While increased integration of technology in K-12 teaching is more likely to occur when prospective teachers are exposed to a variety of computer uses in the majority of their undergraduate courses prior to their teaching in schools, due to the limited exposure in the use of technology by university teachers as well as the fast paced changes, preservice teachers often are not prepared for integrating and using technology in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of preservice …

Discerning Redeeming Communities: Rita Nakashima Brock And Elizabeth A. Johnson In Dialogue, Alison Downie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rita Nakashima Brock's Journeys by Heart: A Christology of Erotic Power and Elizabeth A. Johnson's Friends of God and Prophets: A Feminist Theological Reading of the Communion of Saints offer resources for reflecting upon what redemptive community is, how it functions, and how women, in particular, experience redemption.

With deep roots in Trinitarian creation theology and a strong trunk of feminist theological anthropology, the branches of Christian feminist reconstructionist theology produce rich soteriological fruits. Without rootedness in creation theology, theological anthropology is anthropocentric, not sufficiently holistic or ecologically aware. Similarly, without development of a feminist theological anthropology, soteriology inevitably reflects …

Multifunctional Nanocomposites For High Damping Performance, Lee Algozzini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Composite structures for aerospace and wind turbine applications are subjected to high acoustic and vibrational loading and exhibit very high amplitude displacements and thus premature failure. Materials with high damping or absorbing properties are crucially important to extend the life of structures. Traditional damping treatments are based on the combinations of viscoelastic, elastomeric, magnetic, and piezoelectric materials. In this work, the use of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) in the form of interconnected self-supportive paper as reinforcement can significantly improve damping performance. The interfacial friction is the primary source of energy dissipation in CNF paper based nanocomposites. The approach entailed making CNF …

Water And The Mountains: Maya Water Mangement At Caracol, Belize, James Crandall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Water management techniques in the Southern Maya Lowlands are both regionally diverse and site specific. This thesis examines the water management strategies of the Classic Period Maya at the site of Caracol, Belize. While it is likely that elites at Caracol controlled the redistribution of resources, i.e. craft and agricultural products, it is probable that the production of agricultural resources and the maintenance of water resource acquisition took place on a more local level. In order to test this hypothesis, a sample of five reservoirs were examined through original research -- and situated in conjunction with past settlement studies -- …

A Biocultural Analysis Of Nubian Fetal Pot Burials From Askut, Sudan, Lauren Britton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The skeletal remains in this study were excavated from the Nubian archaeological island fortress site of Askut (ca. 1850 BC - 1070 BC, New Kingdom/Third Intermediate period), located at the 2nd Cataract of the Nile river in Sudan. These remains were recovered as part of an archaeological expedition from 1962-1964, which was an effort to learn as much as possible about this site before the building of the High Dam in Aswan. Seven fetal skeletons (dated ca. 1260-770 BC) were examined for their biocultural significance. Biological analysis of these individuals indicates a range in developmental age from 36 to 40 …

Working Hard And Barely Making It: Ideological Contradictions And The Working Poor, Wendi Kane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The existence of large, relatively comfortable, middle and working classes is what has set the advanced capitalist societies apart from most societies throughout history. These classes, while not quite "privileged," offer the hope of opportunity and upward social mobility for those who work hard. Yet in the last 30 years a growing class of "working poor" has emerged who invest many hours working but at wages that keep upward social mobility beyond their grasp. The existence of the working poor, it seems, dispels a key element in the ideology of individualism; they work hard yet do not "get ahead." This …

No Child Left Behind?: The Relationship Between Education Policy And Student Success, Brittany Resmann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated how education policy influences student success, and if there are linkages between K-12 education policy and higher education. Historically, education has primarily been a function of state and local governments. The role of the federal government drastically changed with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001. This thesis focused on the influence of No Child Behind on several indicators of student success in K-12 and postsecondary education. All fifty states were examined in this study. This approach is rather unusual since it is typical to focus on one state or a small group …

Outside The Circle: The Juxtaposition Of Powwow Imagery And Cherokee Historical Representation, Dana Brumley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis looks at the juxtaposition presented by the Eastern Cherokee's struggle to present an accurate historical representation of 'Cherokee' against the backdrop of the more lucrative 'Tourist-ready Indian', influenced by powwow imagery. The thesis gives a brief history of the contemporary powwow, discusses the debates surrounding its intrinsic value to American Indians as historically representative, and then examines the shared elements of Cherokee and powwow history. There is an analysis of the influence of powwow imagery on notions of Cherokee history and its correlation to the expectations of visitors to the Cherokee Reservation. Thus, the author argues that the …