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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

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Prosody In Text-To-Speech Synthesis Using Fuzzy Logic, Jonathan Brent Williams Dec 2005

Prosody In Text-To-Speech Synthesis Using Fuzzy Logic, Jonathan Brent Williams

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For over a thousand years, inventors, scientists and researchers have tried to reproduce human speech. Today, the quality of synthesized speech is not equivalent to the quality of real speech. Most research on speech synthesis focuses on improving the quality of the speech produced by Text-to-Speech (TTS) systems. The best TTS systems use unit selection-based concatenation to synthesize speech. However, this method is very timely and the speech database is very large. Diphone concatenated synthesized speech requires less memory, but sounds robotic. This thesis explores the use of fuzzy logic to make diphone concatenated speech sound more natural. A TTS …

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Ensemble Learning For Ranking Interesting Attributes, Erik W. Sinsel Dec 2005

Ensemble Learning For Ranking Interesting Attributes, Erik W. Sinsel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Machine learning knowledge representations, such as decision trees; are often incomprehensible to humans. They can also contain errors specific to the representation type and the data used to generate them. By combining larger; less comprehensible decision trees, it is possible to increase their accuracy as an ensemble compared to the best individual tree. The thesis examines an ensemble learning technique and presents a unique knowledge elicitation technique which produces an ordered ranking of attributes by their importance in leading to more desirable classifications. The technique compares full branches of decision trees, finding the set difference of shared attributes. The combination …

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Parents' Perceptions Of The Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet For Their Children With Autism, Annette Puglisi Dec 2005

Parents' Perceptions Of The Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet For Their Children With Autism, Annette Puglisi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the factors that affected parent's decision for putting their autistic children on a gluten free casein free diet (gfcf diet). Parents completed a fifteen question survey relating to multiple factors affecting their lives while having their children on a gfcf diet. In addition, parents were asked to fill out a three day diet history for their child for a nutrient analysis.;Fifty three surveys (21%) and ten diet histories were returned. The majority of parents first heard of the gfcf diet either on the Internet (28%) or from Parent Magazine (32%). Desperation (25%) was the main reason parents …

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The Effects Of Asynchronous Computer Voice Conferencing On Learners' Anxiety When Speaking A Foreign Language, Maria Isabel Charle Poza May 2005

The Effects Of Asynchronous Computer Voice Conferencing On Learners' Anxiety When Speaking A Foreign Language, Maria Isabel Charle Poza

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigated the influence of asynchronous computer voice conferencing on learners' anxiety when speaking in a foreign language. The technology chosen was the voice board powered by Wimba. Three research questions guided this study: Research Question 1: What is the learners' perception of their language anxiety when speaking in the asynchronous computer voice conferencing environment?, Research Questions 2: How empowered do the learners feel to take risks in the asynchronous computer voice conferencing environment?, and Research Question 3: How concerned are the learners about being evaluated by others when making oral mistakes in the foreign language in the asynchronous …

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Text-Independent Speaker Recognition, Smitha Gangisetty May 2005

Text-Independent Speaker Recognition, Smitha Gangisetty

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research presents new text-independent speaker recognition system with multivariate tools such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Independent Component Analysis (ICA) embedded into the recognition system after the feature extraction step. The proposed approach evaluates the performance of such a recognition system when trained and used in clean and noisy environments. Additive white Gaussian noise and convolutive noise are added. Experiments were carried out to investigate the robust ability of PCA and ICA using the designed approach. The application of ICA improved the performance of the speaker recognition model when compared to PCA. Experimental results show that use of …

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Perceptions Of Mothers Labeled Adolescent Or Adult And Their Infants, Nichole L. Elliott May 2005

Perceptions Of Mothers Labeled Adolescent Or Adult And Their Infants, Nichole L. Elliott

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The aim was to examine how adolescent and/or unmarried mothers and their infants are perceived. Negative appraisals by others of adolescent and/or unmarried mothers and their infants may contribute to the difficulties they encounter. Psychology students viewed videotapes of adult mothers labeled as adolescent or adult and as unmarried or married interacting with their infants. Participants were asked to rate the infants, the mothers and their interactions. Results show that there were cases in which those labeled adolescent and unmarried were seen less positively than those labeled adult and married. There were also instances of counterintuitive findings of lower ratings …

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Paradise Negotiated: Early Modern Women Writing Utopia, 1640--1760, Lisa K. Brewer Jan 2005

Paradise Negotiated: Early Modern Women Writing Utopia, 1640--1760, Lisa K. Brewer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Utopian writing by early modern women traditionally has been left out of the canon of utopian literature because it has been overlooked, undervalued, and often does not conform to the genre characteristics set forth by the example of Thomas More and other male writers of "classic utopias." The works recognized by scholars as fitting into this genre have all been written by men, and the few agreed upon works considered as "utopia proper" describe an imaginary, perfect, political state. However, because class and gender greatly influence the form and content of utopia, I argue for the expansion of the definition …

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An Acting Process Analysis And Record Of The Wvu 2004 Production Of "Kolonists" With A Focus On The Character Alexei., Marc Louis Friedman Jan 2005

An Acting Process Analysis And Record Of The Wvu 2004 Production Of "Kolonists" With A Focus On The Character Alexei., Marc Louis Friedman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An exploration of the acting process in the play Kolonists by Stephen Dykes, focusing on the character Alexei, with special examination of the socio-political context in post-Soviet Estonia, actor/character choices, and ensemble dynamics.

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The Emergence And Decline Of The Delaware Indian Nation In Western Pennsylvania And The Ohio Country, 1730--1795, Richard S. Grimes Jan 2005

The Emergence And Decline Of The Delaware Indian Nation In Western Pennsylvania And The Ohio Country, 1730--1795, Richard S. Grimes

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Many past and current generations of historians, anthropologists, and literary writers have acknowledged the existence of a Delaware Indian nation. They, however, have failed to thoroughly understand or address the historical and cultural dynamics that contributed to both the formation and quick decline of this Indian nation. This multidisciplinary study includes the oral traditions and oratory of Delaware Indians, the observances of Moravian missionaries and colonial-revolutionary officials, and contemporary anthropological and historical sources, to construct the building of the Delaware nation during the eighteenth century.;Once decentralized and living in the Delaware River watershed, three phratries or animal tribes (Turtle, Turkey, …

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Arithmetic And Algebra Word Problems: Preservice Teachers' Content Knowledge, Attitudes, And Appreciation Of Students' Strategies, Marc D. Michael Jan 2005

Arithmetic And Algebra Word Problems: Preservice Teachers' Content Knowledge, Attitudes, And Appreciation Of Students' Strategies, Marc D. Michael

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The arithmetic and algebraic word problem-solving skills, strategy preferences, and attitudes of preservice elementary and secondary teachers were investigated using a mixed methodology. Teachers' appreciations of student solutions were also examined. Prospective elementary teachers demonstrated flexible problem-solving behaviors while their secondary counterparts tended to prefer algebraic strategies exclusively. In general, the prospective teachers did not demonstrate a greater appreciation for those types of strategies that were typical to their level of training. When communicating the characteristics of an effective strategy, preservice teachers were concerned with organization and clarity rather than the mathematical relevance or appropriateness of the strategy itself. The …

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The Svetlana In Me: How I Embraced By Turkish Identity In Order To Play A Russian/Estonian For An American Audience., Setenay Yener Jan 2005

The Svetlana In Me: How I Embraced By Turkish Identity In Order To Play A Russian/Estonian For An American Audience., Setenay Yener

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There are actors of all cultures and nationalities, and when exercising their craft in another culture; that task becomes a challenging experience. This thesis explores my personal journey as I exercised the acting craft in a culture that is not my own. Specifically, it examines my experience of creating the role of Svetlana, in West Virginia University’s production of Kolonists, a play that explores two cultures, both different than my own and my audience’s. The introduction section, outlines why I was driven to this study, and the discoveries I made, along with a play synopsis. The following sections examine the …

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The Monyton Diaspora: A History Of The Middle Ohio River Valley, 1640-1700., Isaac J. Emrick Jan 2005

The Monyton Diaspora: A History Of The Middle Ohio River Valley, 1640-1700., Isaac J. Emrick

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

During the seventeenth century a vibrant group of Native Americans, the Monytons, controlled southern West Virginia and northeastern Kentucky. The effects of contact with Europeans destabilized their societies as far inland as the Ohio Valley. This began the process which eventually pushed most Monytons from the region. The Five Nations Iroquois, pressured by social changes farther north, attacked the Monytons further drawing people out of the Ohio Valley. A growing southern Indian slave trade also contributed to the decay of Monyton dominance in the region. A central point in this thesis is that Monytons formed and reformed traditions to deal …

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Art Interpretation: Constructing Meaning Through Poetic And Non-Verbal Responses., Lori A. Mcpherson Jan 2005

Art Interpretation: Constructing Meaning Through Poetic And Non-Verbal Responses., Lori A. Mcpherson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Critical inquiry and personal response models with regard to art interpretation are composed of many forms of activities and response exercises that are both poetic and non-verbal. Students have been responding to art using critical inquiry, but there has been relatively nothing written in regard to poetic expression and non-verbal responding in the teaching of art interpretation. This project will discuss how a poetic model (the use of figurative language to form ideas about constructing personal meaning in a work of art) and a non-verbal model (creating a visual response to exemplify meaning) work together in the construction of meaning. …

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Lift Every Voice: African American Students' Beliefs Of Their School Climate., Constinia Charbonnette Jan 2005

Lift Every Voice: African American Students' Beliefs Of Their School Climate., Constinia Charbonnette

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The general purposes of this study were three-fold. The first purpose was to gain an in-depth understanding of West Virginia African American students’ beliefs of their overall school climate. The second purpose of this study was to examine African American students’ beliefs of factors that may positively and negatively affect their academic achievement. Last, the third purpose was to examine participants’ beliefs of high and low achieving African American students. A purposeful sample of 151 secondary students (grades 9-12); in eight West Virginia counties were surveyed and interviewed, using the Generalized Belief Measurement instrument and focus group interviews. Findings from …

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Impact Of The West Virginia University Student Support Services /Trio Program From 1998-2004., Barbara Copenhaver Bailey Jan 2005

Impact Of The West Virginia University Student Support Services /Trio Program From 1998-2004., Barbara Copenhaver Bailey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Institutions of higher education are facing more challenges today than ever regarding student retention and graduation rates. Graduation rates in higher education have been declining over the past several years. Because of this, many institutions are becoming increasingly interested in the needs of special populations in an effort to retain them at higher rates. One of these special populations is first-generation, low-income college students. The federal TRIO grant, Student Support Services (SSS) program is funded by the United States Department of Education to serve this population to increase their graduation rates. The purpose of this study was to examine the …

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Para-Verbal Avoidance During Public Speaking: The Relationship Between Self -Disclosure And Social Anxiety., Michael F. Detweiler Jan 2005

Para-Verbal Avoidance During Public Speaking: The Relationship Between Self -Disclosure And Social Anxiety., Michael F. Detweiler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Unlike dyadic conversation where the social burden of conversation can be shared, the quantity and quality of speech produced during a public speaking challenge is primarily dependent upon the speaker. This study examined whether differences in disclosure patterns reflect a form of subtle avoidance during public speaking challenges. Termed para-verbal avoidance, it was hypothesized individuals with increased anxiety would refrain from talking about themselves for fear of revealing potentially embarrassing personal information. Also, it was proposed individuals with increased anxiety would avoid discussing subjective information, as it can be debated by others and used as the basis for forming a …

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A Study Of Assessment Policies And Practices Of Directors In Pre-Kindergarten Programs In West Virginia., Janet Dozier Jan 2005

A Study Of Assessment Policies And Practices Of Directors In Pre-Kindergarten Programs In West Virginia., Janet Dozier

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As education for young children becomes more standards-based there has been a cry for more assessments. Developmentally appropriate assessment for young children has been defined by the twelve guidelines developed by the National Association for Young Children. The purpose of this study was done by surveying the 440 pre-kindergarten program directors in West Virginia regarding his/her perception of importance and implementation of those national assessment guidelines and followed by ten structured interviews of directors across the program descriptions. The study found the implementations of guidelines to be positively correlated to the director's perception of importance. Further it found that all …

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What Is The Impact Of Parental Support On Early Literacy?, Deborah K. Bush Dec 2004

What Is The Impact Of Parental Support On Early Literacy?, Deborah K. Bush

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Today, more than 75 percent of women ages 25--34 and 75 percent of women with a child under six years of age participate in the labor force. When both parents work outside the home, they often want to send their child to preschool, but preschool classes aren't always available, and often those that are available are the government programs that are open only to those of lower socio-economic status.;In addition, parents often want to support the emergent literacy of their children and help prepare them for kindergarten but aren't sure of how to provide the type of assistance that might …

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Teachers' Beliefs In Relation To Their Instructional Technology Practices, Deniz Palak Aug 2004

Teachers' Beliefs In Relation To Their Instructional Technology Practices, Deniz Palak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigated how teachers' beliefs and factors other than teachers' beliefs relate to teachers' instructional technology practices. Teachers' beliefs were identified as teacher-centered beliefs, student-centered beliefs, and attitudes toward technology integration. Teacher confidence and comfort, technical support, general school support, and ratio of computers-to-students in the classroom were identified as factors other than teachers' beliefs.;The study employed both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. The research population of this study involved 113 technology-using P--12 teachers who worked in technology-rich schools in West Virginia. The quantitative research methods employed two surveys and computed a series of correlational and multiple regression analyses …

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Information Fusion Schemes For Real Time Risk Assessment In Adaptive Control Systems, Martin Mladenovski Aug 2004

Information Fusion Schemes For Real Time Risk Assessment In Adaptive Control Systems, Martin Mladenovski

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Intelligent Flight Control System (IFCS) deploys a neural network for in-flight aircraft failure accommodation. Verification and validation (V&V) of adaptive systems is a challenging research problem. Our approach to V&V relies on real-time monitoring of neural network learning. Monitors detect learning anomalies and react to different failure conditions. We investigated data fusion techniques suitable for the analysis of neural network monitors. Monitor outputs are fused into a measure of confidence, indicating the belief in the correctness of failure accommodation mechanism provided by the neural network. We investigated two data fusion techniques, one based on Dempster-Shafer theory and the other based …

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Multicultural Competence And Levels Of Effectiveness In Adventure -Based Counseling, David M. Cummins May 2004

Multicultural Competence And Levels Of Effectiveness In Adventure -Based Counseling, David M. Cummins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The current study explored the relationship between adventure based counselor multicultural competency and their levels of effectiveness as perceived by youth at risk. The sample consisted of 22 counselors (19 White and 3 ethnic minority) who competed the Multicultural Knowledge and Awareness Scale and 86 youth at risk participants (52 White and 34 ethnic minority) who completed the Counselor Effectiveness Rating Scale. Analysis of the data suggests a very small negative relationship between multicultural competence of adventure based counselors and their levels of effectiveness as rated by the ethnic minority and White youth at risk participants. Limitations of the study …

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Origins And The Twentieth-Century Long Poem, Joe W. Moffett May 2004

Origins And The Twentieth-Century Long Poem, Joe W. Moffett

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The long poem is often seen by critics as beginning in the nineteenth-century with the publication of Walt Whitman's Song of Myself. It is generally agreed, however, that the form did not come of age until the following century when it became a premier poetic endeavor. Although the long poem has been used to various ends, one theme identifiable among a variety of twentieth-century texts is a concern with origins. In this dissertation poets are seen as seeking to evaluate the societies in which they live by looking into the past to find originary cultures from which their own descend. …

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The Breaking Of The Vessels: Identity And The Traditions Of Jewish Mysticism In Gustav Meyrink's "Der Golem"., Eva Christina Schmidt Jan 2004

The Breaking Of The Vessels: Identity And The Traditions Of Jewish Mysticism In Gustav Meyrink's "Der Golem"., Eva Christina Schmidt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the use of symbols and imagery originating from the traditions of Jewish Mysticism in Gustav Meyrink`s most noted work Der Golem, as they relate to the overall theme of identity. Philosophic and religious traditions of early Gnostic teachings, Hebrew and Aramaic texts such as the Book of Enoch will be compared as part of the analysis of the Golem saga and the key topics featured in the novel. The myth of the Golem itself epitomises the struggle of the individual, the notion of creator and creature are recurring ideas in the novel. …

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An Empirical Measurement Of Interpersonal Community Engagement: Implications To Youth Communication Behaviors And The Instructional Setting., Michael W. Corrigan Jan 2004

An Empirical Measurement Of Interpersonal Community Engagement: Implications To Youth Communication Behaviors And The Instructional Setting., Michael W. Corrigan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Past social science research has theorized the importance of community in the development process of youth (Bruner, 1985; Cruz, 1987; Dasen, 1977; Dewey, 1983; Patterson, 1992; Piaget, 1969; Putnam, 2000; Vygotsky, 1978). Many proponents of community believe that youth who are more integrated or engaged within one's community are more socially adapted and less likely to place apathetic attributions towards education. However, recently, few have measured quantitatively the role of one's connection to community and how it relates to the instructional setting. Therefore, this research focused on the development, validation, and the educational utility of a quantitative-based scale created to …

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The Role Of Joint Control In The Manded Selection Responses Of Non-Vocal Children With Autism., Joyce C. Tu Jan 2004

The Role Of Joint Control In The Manded Selection Responses Of Non-Vocal Children With Autism., Joyce C. Tu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the present study, joint control training was applied when teaching selection responses to four non-vocal children with autism. This study is a systematic replication of Tu (2001). The children were two males (ages six and seven), and two females (ages twelve and thirteen). The result showed that it was only after the joint tact/self-mimetic/sequelic control training that the symmetrical performance of manded selection responses appeared with no additional training.

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An Exploratory Analysis Of Personal Naming Practices Of Western North American Indians., Elizabeth L. Compton Jan 2004

An Exploratory Analysis Of Personal Naming Practices Of Western North American Indians., Elizabeth L. Compton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This exploratory analysis examined the sociocultural parameters of 172 Western North American Indian tribes to determine if patterns would emerge in relation to personal naming practices. Five sociocultural parameters (fixity of settlement, dominant form of polygamy, descent pattern, postnuptial residence, and geographical/cultural area) and four personal naming dimensions (nicknames, timing of naming, name bestower, and naming ceremonies) were selected for analysis. Loglinear regressions were conducted. With an alpha level of .05, six significant relationships emerged: 1) nicknaming practices and polygamy, p = .0326, 2) nicknaming practices and descent patterns, p = .0574, 3) timing of naming and the geographical/cultural area, …

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Investigating Science Teachers' Beliefs About Science And Science Teaching: Struggles In Implementing Science Education Reform In Saudi Arabia., Saleh A. Al-Abdulkareem Jan 2004

Investigating Science Teachers' Beliefs About Science And Science Teaching: Struggles In Implementing Science Education Reform In Saudi Arabia., Saleh A. Al-Abdulkareem

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purposes of this quantitative, descriptive study were to investigate Saudi science teachers' beliefs about science and science teaching, and to determine how do Saudi science teachers view educational reform in science and how do they view change in education. In addition, the study sought to establish whether Saudi science teachers would be able to participate in implementing science education reform in Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire was used to collect data, addressing personal characteristics of the participant, teachers' beliefs about science and nature, about school science, about teacher - student relations in the classroom, and environmental factors affecting teaching science. …

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Estructuras Paralelas En Pedro Páramo Y The Sound And The Fury, Herlinda Flores Jan 2004

Estructuras Paralelas En Pedro Páramo Y The Sound And The Fury, Herlinda Flores

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In spite of their linguistic and cultural differences, William Faulkner’s The Sound and The Fury and Juan Rulfo’s Pedro Páramo offer striking structural similarities when analyzed within the framework of Comparative Literature. Not only do both novels treat the same fundamental and universal themes, but they also, each in its own right, signify a rupture with a traditional literary form by altering considerably the modalities of the narrative syntagm. Particular economic and socio-historical circumstances led Faulkner and Rulfo to portray their own social reality through two similar narrative currents, Southern Gothic and the Simbolismo mágico, and a comparative study of …

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The Influence Of Legal Language Upon Supreme Court Voting In Civil Liberties Cases., Sean Wilson Jan 2004

The Influence Of Legal Language Upon Supreme Court Voting In Civil Liberties Cases., Sean Wilson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Scholars such as Jeffrey Segal and Harold Spaeth contend that U.S. Supreme Court decisions are based primarily upon the ideological beliefs of the justices. However, in this work I show that this conclusion is exaggerated. The aggregation of votes into a summary statistic (the percent liberal rating) and its use by Segal and Spaeth in a regression having only 21 cases creates misleading results. The truth is that political ideology is a fluctuating influence upon the Court. In some areas of civil liberties voting, ideology is a poor explanation of how cases are decided (e.g., core political speech). But in …

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The Influence Attitude Has On Student Achievement In A Developmental College Algebra Course., Michael T. Wilder Jan 2004

The Influence Attitude Has On Student Achievement In A Developmental College Algebra Course., Michael T. Wilder

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Faced with unacceptable failure rates in introductory mathematics courses, institutions of higher learning are incorporating methods of placing students into their math courses based upon the students' preexisting math knowledge or skills. West Virginia University is no exception and is currently incorporating a combination of ACT/SAT scores with an internal placement exam to properly place students in the appropriate math course. This method is not working in that failure rates continue to rise in spite of continual increases in placement requirements. Based upon anecdotal evidence by experienced faculty over a ten year period it became clear that factors other than …

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