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Computer Usage By Building -Level Administrators In West Virginia Public Schools, Kevin Gail Cain May 2001

Computer Usage By Building -Level Administrators In West Virginia Public Schools, Kevin Gail Cain

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

By gaining a better understanding of the general computer usage of building-level administrators, effective training programs can be designed to enhance the leadership roles of the school principal. Administrators, supervisors, directors, and program coordinators at the West Virginia Department of Education will be able to use the information found through this study to assist administrators in becoming more effective leaders within their respective schools. More effective leaders will lead to more effective schools. Further, the technologically literate principal will be better equipped to take on a more active role in the technological advancements at his/her respective school.;The purpose of this …

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Relationships And Differences On Self -Regulated Learning, Parental Involvement, Homework, And Academic Achievement, Among High School Students In Rural West Virginia, Samuel R. Heastie May 2001

Relationships And Differences On Self -Regulated Learning, Parental Involvement, Homework, And Academic Achievement, Among High School Students In Rural West Virginia, Samuel R. Heastie

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among self-regulated learning (SRL), parental involvement (PI), homework (HW), and cumulative grade point average (CGPA), and the differences between gender on these variables for high school students in rural West Virginia. Research was conducted at a rural high school, grades nine through 12, in North Central West Virginia. Participants in the study comprised of 50 students and 35 parents, for a combined total of 85 participants. Data were collected for students and parents from teachers' grade book, students' records, and two survey instruments---Bandura's Children's Self-Efficacy Scale (1990) and The Parent …

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Home Schoolers Transition To Public Schools In West Virginia, Anne Mcneer Krout May 2001

Home Schoolers Transition To Public Schools In West Virginia, Anne Mcneer Krout

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigated the issues embedded in the transition of home schooled students entering or reentering public school in West Virginia. The research was primarily qualitative, however; quantitative research was also employed. Two rounds of interviews, for a total of 46 interviews, were conducted over an eight month period. The interviews included three families and their children who had been home schooled and were returning to public school. The public school teachers who had the returning students placed in their classrooms were also interviewed. The following questions guided the research: (1) What were the factors that influenced the home schooling …

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Multimedia -Assisted Reading In Spanish And Its Relationship With The Cognitive Control Of Field Dependence And Field Independence, Laura Janes Little May 2001

Multimedia -Assisted Reading In Spanish And Its Relationship With The Cognitive Control Of Field Dependence And Field Independence, Laura Janes Little

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examines the influence of the cognitive controls of field independence and field dependence on the use of a multimedia-assisted reading program and reading recall. The participants were 11 university students of intermediate Spanish as a second language. The participants were classified as field dependent or field independent based on GEFT scores. The participants read a passage about Mayan architecture that was converted to a multimedia-assisted format. Participants could access as many or as few of the multimedia aids as they chose. After completing the reading, a recall measure was obtained in which participants wrote everything they could recall …

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Sensor Technology For The Breast Examination Training Instrument, Bratislav Matic May 2001

Sensor Technology For The Breast Examination Training Instrument, Bratislav Matic

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Latest medical research has shown high percentage of American women, diagnosed with breast cancer. If detected in its early stage, cancer can be treated successfully. Breast examination might be obtained through three procedures: breast self-examination (BSE), clinical breast examination (CBE) and mammography. Project BETI was developed with idea of educating and training women and health care professionals in BSE. This instrument consists of a silicone breast model, tactile sensors and serial communication capability. Software was developed for a generic PC that supports an integrated system including: (1) an interactive video demonstrating BSE techniques, (2) a practical examination using the instrumented …

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Space-Time Block Coding With Imperfect Channel Estimates, Dirk Alan Baker May 2001

Space-Time Block Coding With Imperfect Channel Estimates, Dirk Alan Baker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Space-time block coding (STBC) is a method that combines diversity and coding without a corresponding increase in bandwidth and with minimal complexity in the receiver. The performance of STBC with perfect channel state information (CSI) being available at the receiver has been shown to provide approximately 10 dB of improvement over uncoded transmission in Rayleigh fading when using Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) at a bit error rate of 10 -3. In this thesis, the performance of space-time block codes is analyzed when the receiver must rely on noisy, or imperfect, estimates of the channel. It is shown that for …

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Message Sequence Chart Specifications With Cross Verification, Timothy Shawn Boles May 2001

Message Sequence Chart Specifications With Cross Verification, Timothy Shawn Boles

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Current software specification verification methods are usually performed within the context of the specification method. There is little cross verification, pitting one type of specification against another, taking place. The most common techniques involve syntax checks across specifications or doing specification transformations and running verification within the new context. Since viewpoints of a system are different even within programming teams we concentrate on producing an efficient way to run cross verification on specifications, particularly specifications written with Message Sequence Charts and State Transition Diagrams.;In this work an algorithm is proposed in which all conditional MSCs are transformed into an algebraic …

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Scenario-Based Verification And Validation Of Dynamic Uml Specifications, Alaa El-Sayed Ibrahim May 2001

Scenario-Based Verification And Validation Of Dynamic Uml Specifications, Alaa El-Sayed Ibrahim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is the result of the unification process of earlier object oriented models and notations. Verification and validation (V&V) tasks, as applied to UML specifications, enable early detection of analysis and design flaws prior to implementation. In this work, we address four V&V analysis methods for UML dynamic specifications, namely: Timing analysis and automatic V&V of timing constraints, automated Architectural-level Risk assessment, Performance Modeling and Fault Injection analysis. For each we present: approaches, methods and/or automated techniques. We use two case studies: a Cardiac Pacemaker and a simplified Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) banking subsystem, for illustrating …

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Illustrations From The Cd Collection Of Ollie W. Pottmeyer, Ollie William Pottmeyer May 2001

Illustrations From The Cd Collection Of Ollie W. Pottmeyer, Ollie William Pottmeyer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Exhibition Illustrations from the CD collection of Ollie W. Pottmeyer is an ongoing reflection of my life. I make soft sculptural fabric pieces as a way of communicating my thoughts and observations of the way society treats marginalized people like me and as a therapeutic healing. This work has enabled others and myself to feel powerful. I have been introspective and have learned things about myself and people of minority like me that I was too ashamed to face in the past. I want people to know that there is something different and I am part of it.

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Mass Media Framing Of Hip-Hop Artists And Culture, Marc Allen Rutherford May 2001

Mass Media Framing Of Hip-Hop Artists And Culture, Marc Allen Rutherford

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of the mass news media is to inform individuals and society of important issues and events of the day. This coverage is influenced by the reporter's background, experience, time constraints, and a host of other factors. The way a reporter chooses to cover a particular story gives the story its slant or frame. Examining a cross section of media outlets from around the country gives a more complete picture of how a story is presented to society as a whole. Media coverage of hip-hop culture and the artists associated with it on a national level has been decidedly …

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Software Tool For Reliability Estimation, Manish Jhunjhunwala May 2001

Software Tool For Reliability Estimation, Manish Jhunjhunwala

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Reliability engineering is now an essential part of product development. In the area of electronics, reliability needs to be checked for each critical component before the product is shipped. Electronic products can range from computers to pace makers.;Over the years, several tools have been developed to estimate hardware/software reliability. Typically, such tools are either for hardware or software. This thesis presents a Software Tool for Reliability Estimation (STORE), which can be used for hardware components, software components, and for systems having both hardware and software components.;The objective of this research was to study several hardware-software reliability models, existing algorithms to …

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Status And Status Differential As Predictors Of Student Learning, Teacher Evaluation, Teacher Socio-Communicative Style And Teacher Credibility, Boris Hellmann May 2001

Status And Status Differential As Predictors Of Student Learning, Teacher Evaluation, Teacher Socio-Communicative Style And Teacher Credibility, Boris Hellmann

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the relationships of perceived teacher-student status as well as their status differential with student learning, teacher evaluation, teacher socio-communicative style, and teacher credibility. It was found that perceived teacher status is a weak predictor of student cognitive and affective learning, teacher evaluation, teacher socio-communicative style and teacher credibility. Students' perception of their own status was also found to be a weak predictor of the learning loss, teacher evaluation as well as teacher competence, and trustworthiness. Moreover, status differential between teacher and student was found to be a weak predictor of student affective learning as well as teacher …

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Evaluation Of A Fall Stocking Of Adult And Intermediate Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides) Into Two Ohio River Embayments, Eric C. Janney May 2001

Evaluation Of A Fall Stocking Of Adult And Intermediate Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides) Into Two Ohio River Embayments, Eric C. Janney

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

On October 20, 1998 the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources stocked adult and intermediate size hatchery reared largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) into two Ohio River embayments in an attempt to supplement existing populations. Prior to stocking each fish was fitted with an anchor tag and a visible implant elastomer mark to help ensure recognition as a hatchery-origin fish. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of this stocking event for enhancing largemouth bass populations and improving angling opportunities in Ohio River embayment areas. A multifaceted sampling approach was incorporated to: (1) evaluate the persistence and return …

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Fourth Grade Elementary Students' Perception Of The Motivational Aspects Of Using Computers To Write In The "Student As Authors" Project, Karla Ribeiro De Assis May 2001

Fourth Grade Elementary Students' Perception Of The Motivational Aspects Of Using Computers To Write In The "Student As Authors" Project, Karla Ribeiro De Assis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to describe fourth grade elementary students' perception of the motivational aspects of using computers to write in the "Student as Authors" Project. The following questions were answered in this research: (a) how do fourth grade students perceive the importance of computers in the "Students as Authors" Project? (b) what are the motivational aspects of using a computer to write in the "Student as Authors" Project from fourth grade students' perspective? The researcher used questionnaire, and interviews as modes of data collection. This study indicates that students consider computer important in the "Student as Authors" …

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English In The University Of Excellence, Joe Morris May 2001

English In The University Of Excellence, Joe Morris

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

"The modern University," according to Bill Readings, "has had three ideas: the Kantian concept of reason, the Humboldtian idea of culture, and now the technobureaucratic notion of excellence." "Excellence" euphemistically describes the principle of the university as corporation, as geared toward revenue rather than ideology. This portrayal raises difficult questions for the humanities, as ideological domains. Taking Readings's The University in Ruins as a starting point, this study examines the English discipline within the "university of excellence," considering West Virginia University's department as a case study. It begins by charting the evolution of WVU's self-understanding, from an institution of culture …

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Propagation Of Updates To Replicas Using Error-Correcting Codes, Karthik Palaniappan May 2001

Propagation Of Updates To Replicas Using Error-Correcting Codes, Karthik Palaniappan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With the increase in percentage of replicas of data in the Internet, reducing the amount of bandwidth needed for propagation of updates across the replicas has become a major issue. Objective of our investigation is to design an update propagation mechanism focused on reducing the amount of bandwidth needed to propagate the change across multiple distinct versions of the replicas in a distributed system. We obtain the estimated amount of bytes changed from the user and generate parity information needed to correct these bytes using Error Correcting Codes. Transferring the parity information propagates the update. The updated data can be …

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Israel's 1982 Invasion Of Lebanon: Israeli Blunders, American Hypocracy, And Lebanese Selfishness., Lloyd Robert Coughenour Iv Jan 2001

Israel's 1982 Invasion Of Lebanon: Israeli Blunders, American Hypocracy, And Lebanese Selfishness., Lloyd Robert Coughenour Iv

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

On June 6, 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon. Defense Minister Ariel Sharon was the invasion’s planner. Some American officials backed the invasion, because the PLO and Syria had obtained weapons from the Soviets. The United States also had a history of aiding Israel. Nevertheless, America attempted to make peace between Israel and its enemies. The United States sent marines to Lebanon twice. On October 23, 1983, 241 Americans were killed in a bombing attributed to an Iranian-supported group. On February 8, 1984, President Reagan withdrew American forces to ships off shore. This paper discusses three aspects of the Israeli invasion of …

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Social Exchange Theory, Interpersonal Communication Motives, And Volunteerism: Identifying Motivation To Volunteer And The Rewards And Costs Associated., Michael Wesley Corrigan Jan 2001

Social Exchange Theory, Interpersonal Communication Motives, And Volunteerism: Identifying Motivation To Volunteer And The Rewards And Costs Associated., Michael Wesley Corrigan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The research objective of this study was to identify the motives behind an individual’s reasons for volunteering and discuss the equilibrium of rewards versus costs needed in order to sustain and better manage volunteer staffs. The participants for this study were drawn from a sample population of 177 individuals from three states (Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia) who actively participated as volunteers. The sample participants were active volunteers in six different organizations that assisted hospital patients, underprivileged or at-risk youth, church related concerns, schools, and other miscellaneous services. Answers to the research questions proposed in this study offered a start …

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Vocabulary Cards As A Strategy For Vocabulary Acquisition Of English As A Second Language: The Learners' Perspectives., Maria Teresa Barbosa Das Neves Jan 2001

Vocabulary Cards As A Strategy For Vocabulary Acquisition Of English As A Second Language: The Learners' Perspectives., Maria Teresa Barbosa Das Neves

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The use of vocabulary cards has been advocated by various authors (Gairns and Redman, 1986; McCarthy, 1990; Schmitt and Schmitt, 1995; Hopkins and Bean, 1997) as a strategy to enhance vocabulary acquisition in both first language and second language acquisition. However, there has not been much focus on the students’ perspectives of this strategy. The present study examines the learners’ perspectives of the use of vocabulary cards as a vocabulary learning strategy with special emphasis given to the use of drawing as a strategy. Data were collected via a questionnaire, in class observation and interviews with both learners and instructors. …

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The Effects Of Personality Traits On General Disclosiveness., Aaron Douglas Johnson Jan 2001

The Effects Of Personality Traits On General Disclosiveness., Aaron Douglas Johnson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential relationship between an individual’s temperament and her/his general disclosiveness. This study utilized Eysenck’s model of temperament and the Five Factor model of personality to predict an individual’s level of general disclosiveness and the sub-components of disclosiveness. The results indicated that both models were relatively equal predictors of general disclosiveness. Both models were moderately strong predictors of the valence and honesty dimensions of an individual’s disclosiveness. A moderately strong negative correlation between neuroticism and the valence dimension of disclosiveness was established. Finally, psychoticism and three factors (openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) of …

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Mechanotransduction In Bone: Passive And Load-Induced Fluid Transport In Rat Femora., Bixia Li Jan 2001

Mechanotransduction In Bone: Passive And Load-Induced Fluid Transport In Rat Femora., Bixia Li

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The capacity of bone tissue to alter its mass and structure in response to mechanical demands has long been recognized but the mechanisms involved remained poorly understood. Load-induced interstitial fluid flow has been postulated to provide a mechanism for transduction of the mechanical signals to the cellular level to activate bone adaptation. This research is to investigate experimentally the effects of mechanical loading on fluid flow in bone by introducing stain/tracer. Rat femurs were used to test the passive diffusion and mechanical transport properties of the stain in bone. It was found that fluorescein is compatible with an animal model …

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"Playing To The Cameras": The Presence Of An Entertainment Perspective In Political Panel Programming And The Implications Of Making Politics Palatable And Appealing., Marcus Edward Snyder Jan 2001

"Playing To The Cameras": The Presence Of An Entertainment Perspective In Political Panel Programming And The Implications Of Making Politics Palatable And Appealing., Marcus Edward Snyder

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The proliferation of political television talk shows as a modern media form appears to have had a profound influence on the dimensions and depth of public discourse. While the majority of these public affairs programs position themselves as forums for the serious discussion of consequential events and ideas, many media critics have suggested that these programs have diminished the quality of the national political dialogue by presenting and interpreting information according to television’s penchant for drama and amusement. Although public affairs programs have been the target of much criticism, their has been little academic exploration of the ways which these …

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An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Student Learning Style And Oral Communication Competence., Danette Ifert Johnson Jan 2001

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Student Learning Style And Oral Communication Competence., Danette Ifert Johnson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Increases in communication competence and willingness to communicate and decreases in communication apprehension are frequent goals of general education oral communication courses. The present investigation examined the relationship between Kolb’s learning styles and student changes in communication competence, willingness to communicate, and communication apprehension while enrolled in a basic oral communication course. Results suggest modest relationships between some of Kolb’s learning modes and styles and the communication outcomes.

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The Perceptions Of Traditional And Nontraditional Students Toward The Level I Spanish Textbook., Tyrone Frederick Parker Jan 2001

The Perceptions Of Traditional And Nontraditional Students Toward The Level I Spanish Textbook., Tyrone Frederick Parker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study posed ten hypotheses based on 13 pedagogical elements contained in the literature concerning the unique needs of nontraditional students. The study tested the hypotheses that traditional and nontraditional students' evaluation of the foreign language textbook would not differ based on gender, full-time or part-time status, age, having a high school diploma or a general equivalency diploma (GED), and grade point average. The textbook evaluation instrument chosen for this study was the Proficiency-Oriented Textbook Evaluation Form. It was chosen for this research study because of its proven usefulness in evaluating the value of foreign language textbooks and because all …

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The Impacts Of Technology On Interactivity In A Distance Learning Course., Christine Ann Peterson Jan 2001

The Impacts Of Technology On Interactivity In A Distance Learning Course., Christine Ann Peterson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the impacts of technology on interactions in a distance learning course. This study was directed by three categories of research questions: (1) How does technology impact interactions overtime? (2) How does technology impact interactions at host versus remote sites? (3) How does technology impact interactions according to students' perceptions? The population consisted of 14 master's level students in a distance learning course delivered via video conferencing technology (two-way audio and video) at West Virginia University. The students were registered in a Family/Community/Rural Health Systems nursing course conducted during the summer, 2001. The course was delivered to two …

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Relationships Among Grammatical Accuracy, Discourse Features, And The Quality Of Second Language Writing: The Case Of Thai Efl Learners., Charuporn Pongsiriwet Jan 2001

Relationships Among Grammatical Accuracy, Discourse Features, And The Quality Of Second Language Writing: The Case Of Thai Efl Learners., Charuporn Pongsiriwet

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study attempted to combine the study of grammatical accuracy with the study of discourse features of second language writing. It was designed to investigate (1) the frequent types of grammatical errors in EFL writing; (2) whether there is a relationship between scores on grammatical accuracy and discourse features of writing; and (3) the effects of grammatical accuracy and discourse features on the evaluation of writing quality. The participants of the study consisted of 155 university freshmen majoring in agriculture, education, engineering, English, and general science who enrolled in Foundation English at Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen Campus in Thailand. Data …

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Reading Instructional Leadership: A Survey Of Middle Level Principals In West Virginia Public Schools., Mary Lee Porter Jan 2001

Reading Instructional Leadership: A Survey Of Middle Level Principals In West Virginia Public Schools., Mary Lee Porter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A review of the literature on reading and principals' reading instructional leadership indicates that nationally there is a crisis in middle level reading (grades, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9). This study focused on the reading instructional leadership of Middle Childhood Level principals in West Virginia. Principals in West Virginia are held legally responsible for the academic achievement of their schools and thus, are charged with instructional leadership and assuring that “best practices” are used in their schools. This study attempted to identify the beliefs, experiences, demographic criteria, and best practices that principals believe have impacted SAT9 test scores at …

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The Economic Impact Of The Americans With Disabilities Act: An Analysis Of Title I., Beth Ann Loy Jan 2001

The Economic Impact Of The Americans With Disabilities Act: An Analysis Of Title I., Beth Ann Loy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study analyzed the economic impacts of Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which was passed by Congress to eliminate workplace discrimination on the basis of disability. Specifically, the main objectives of this study were to answer five research questions and estimate an interaction model. The ADA was intended to spark an economic revolution by drastically increasing the employment rate of people with disabilities. Because of the potential societal impacts, it is vital to successful future economic planning and policymaking that the economic effects of the law be examined. Various datasets from 1985 through 2000 …

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Chaozhou Gong And Drum Music Through The Study Of The Rhythm And Drumming Technique Of "She Qing" ("Celebration Of The Community") By Chen Zuohui From A Percussionist's Point Of View., Heung Wing Lung Jan 2001

Chaozhou Gong And Drum Music Through The Study Of The Rhythm And Drumming Technique Of "She Qing" ("Celebration Of The Community") By Chen Zuohui From A Percussionist's Point Of View., Heung Wing Lung

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This paper is an analysis of both the rhythm and the drumming technique of a contemporary composition She Quing (Celebration of the Community) by Chen Zuohui. Through the detailed study of the work, one will start to understand and appreciate the uniqueness of this folk drumming in south China. The tuning of the gongs and cymbals to specific pitches, as well as the spectacular conducting hand movements of the master drummer are the two major characteristics of this type of folk drumming. Various hand movements of shaking, swinging, pointing, chopping, drawing, knocking, and even sword drawing and poking from the …

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An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Saudi Teachers' Curriculum Perspectives And Their Preference Of Curriculum Development Models., Mansour A. Bin Salamah Jan 2001

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Saudi Teachers' Curriculum Perspectives And Their Preference Of Curriculum Development Models., Mansour A. Bin Salamah

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between Saudi teachers' curriculum perspectives and their preference of curriculum development models. The sample of the study consisted of science, math, and social studies teachers who taught in elementary, middle, and secondary schools in the Riyadh District of Saudi Arabia. The data were randomly collected from 423 teachers by utilizing a questionnaire. The questionnaire was composed of three parts. The participants were asked to determine their preference of the three curriculum perspectives and the three curriculum development models that were based on: Essentialism-Behaviorism, Pragmatism-Cognitivism, and Existentialism-Humanism. Frequencies, percentages, and means …

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