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Feedback Control Of Wave Propagation Patterns In Excitable Media, Florin Chirila May 2003

Feedback Control Of Wave Propagation Patterns In Excitable Media, Florin Chirila

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Numerical and theoretical studies of the excitability boundaries for spiral waves in 2D and scroll waves in 3D are presented. The boundaries are defined by unstable wave segments, which are stabilized by using a negative feedback control algorithm. A kinematic description of the constant-size, constant-shape wave segments is presented for 2D waves. Intricate patterns of wave propagation are exhibited in a chemical reaction-diffusion system with spatiotemporal feedback. Wave behavior is controlled by feedback-regulated excitability gradients that guide propagation in specified directions. Waves reflecting or refracting are observed when interacting with a discontinuity in excitability. Wave trajectories in fixed excitability gradients …

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Novel Control Design And Strategy For Load Frequency Control In Restructured Power Systems, Dulpichet Rerkpreedapong May 2003

Novel Control Design And Strategy For Load Frequency Control In Restructured Power Systems, Dulpichet Rerkpreedapong

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In restructured electric power systems, a number of generation companies and independent power producers compete in the energy market to make a profit. Furthermore, a new marketplace for ancillary services is established, providing an additional profit opportunity for those power suppliers. These services are essential since they help support the transmission of power from energy sources to loads, and maintain reliable operation of the overall system. This dissertation addresses regulation , a major ancillary service also known as the load frequency control (LFC) problem, and presents novel control designs and strategies for the LFC in restructured power systems.;A power system …

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Design Considerations For Longwall Yield Pillar Stability, Khaled Morsy Mohamed May 2003

Design Considerations For Longwall Yield Pillar Stability, Khaled Morsy Mohamed

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Coal mine bumps have presented serious mining problems in the United States throughout the 20th century. Persistent bump problems not only threaten the safety of miners, but also have caused the abandonment of large coal reserves and have led to premature mine closures. Current application of yield pillars shows that it can prevent coal bumps in some Longwall mines. In this dissertation, the need for a new method to design yield pillars in bump prone conditions is established. In order to fulfill this need, a PC-design program based on finite element modeling was developed. This program can design stable yield …

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Effects Of The West Virginia K--12 Ruralnet Project On Elementary School Teachers' Instructional Practices, Marcia L. Marcolini Hoover May 2003

Effects Of The West Virginia K--12 Ruralnet Project On Elementary School Teachers' Instructional Practices, Marcia L. Marcolini Hoover

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Internet is being heralded as a technology capable of transforming education through its vast resources and communication channels. Government agencies, funding organizations, and institutions of higher education are working together to provide resources, training, and incentives for teachers at every level to incorporate the Internet into their teaching. One of the major barriers in the attempt to transform education through technology appears to be adequate teacher training. One project designed to address the need for teacher training, was the West Virginia K--12 RuralNet project. This {dollar}3.1 million National Science Foundation funded initiative was designed to provide a year-long professional …

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Essays On The Opportunity Cost Of Constrained Portfolio Strategies, Alla Anatolyevna Melkumian May 2003

Essays On The Opportunity Cost Of Constrained Portfolio Strategies, Alla Anatolyevna Melkumian

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The dissertation explores the effect of different constrained portfolio strategies on investors' welfare. A constrained portfolio strategy gives investors a sub-optimal asset allocation that results in investors' welfare losses. To measure those welfare losses I compare constrained portfolios with optimal portfolios by using the concept of the proportionate opportunity cost along with various CRRA utility functions.;Chapter 1 discusses reasons the investors use constrained portfolio strategies, describes the different constrained portfolio strategies that are used in the dissertation, derives the proportionate opportunity cost, describes the derivation of the joint probability distribution functions for asset returns, and describes the way the historical …

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The Effect Of Background Music On The Mathematics Test Anxiety Of College Algebra Students., Stephanie E. Haynes Jan 2003

The Effect Of Background Music On The Mathematics Test Anxiety Of College Algebra Students., Stephanie E. Haynes

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigated the effect of background music, played prior to an exam, on the mathematics test anxiety and academic achievement of college algebra students. Two research questions were posed. The first question inquired if the use of background music played while students study 10 minutes prior to an exam, as opposed to the students studying in silence 10 minutes prior to an exam, reduced the level of mathematics test anxiety. The second question inquired if there would be a significant difference in the achievement scores of the students exposed to background music while studying to background music. The participants …

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Sensation Seeking Characteristics And Neuroendocrine Responses To An Acute Psychological Challenge In Latent Forensic Identifiers., Jonathan W. Roberti Jan 2003

Sensation Seeking Characteristics And Neuroendocrine Responses To An Acute Psychological Challenge In Latent Forensic Identifiers., Jonathan W. Roberti

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined various characteristics of 29 (20 females and 9 males) undergraduate participants interested in latent forensic identification. Participants completed a basic demographics questionnaire, information about daily stressors and psychosocial stressors (HPS: Scotti, 1992, 1999), the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS-V; Zuckerman, Eysenck, & Eysenck, 1978) and Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ; Zuckerman, Kuhlman, Joirement, & Kraft, 1993). Salivary cortisol samples and perceived distress were assessed before and during exposure to an acute psychological challenge. Participants self-reported handling daily stressors well and to have had minimal experience with psychosocial stressors. Compared to published normative data on the SSS-V and ZKPQ, males …

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A Normal Accident Theory-Based Complexity Assessment Methodology For Safety-Related Embedded Computer Systems., John J. Sammarco Jan 2003

A Normal Accident Theory-Based Complexity Assessment Methodology For Safety-Related Embedded Computer Systems., John J. Sammarco

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Computer-related accidents have caused injuries and fatalities in numerous applications. Normal Accident Theory (NAT) explains that these accidents are inevitable because of system complexity. Complex systems, such as computer-based systems, are highly interconnected, highly interactive, and tightly coupled. We do not have a scientific methodology to identify and quantify these complexities; specifically, NAT has not been operationalized for computer-based systems. Our research addressed this by operationalizing NAT for the system requirements of safety-related computer systems. It was theorized that there are two types of system complexity: external and internal. External complexity was characterized by three variables: system predictability, observability, and …

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A Study Of Classic Films And Their Portrayal Of The Mentally Ill., Allison Marie Plants Jan 2003

A Study Of Classic Films And Their Portrayal Of The Mentally Ill., Allison Marie Plants

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The media have an enormous influence on the way the public views mental illness. Their frequent and often flawed portrayals of the mentally ill cause negative feelings to develop. Media framing plays a powerful role in the portrayal of the mentally ill. The way the media portray the mentally ill directly affects how they are viewed in real life.

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A Comparison Of Soft Tissue Prediction Tracings Using The Andrews And Ricketts Diagnostic Techniques., Bryan Keith Roos Jan 2003

A Comparison Of Soft Tissue Prediction Tracings Using The Andrews And Ricketts Diagnostic Techniques., Bryan Keith Roos

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in soft tissue profiles using the Andrews and Ricketts diagnoses, as judged by professionals and laypersons. 25 patients were selected from the WVU Department of Orthodontics. Quick Ceph ProTM software was used to create simulated profiles according to the Andrews and Ricketts diagnoses. Profiles were rated at Time 1 and Time 2 by each group. Using t tests and correlation means to compare groups, it was found that there was a statistically significant preference by the professionals towards the Andrews profiles, M = 2.4, t (25) = …

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Cooperative Learning Versus Direct Instruction: Which Type Of Instruction Produces Greater Understanding Of Fractions With Fourth Graders?, Amy J. Shupe Jan 2003

Cooperative Learning Versus Direct Instruction: Which Type Of Instruction Produces Greater Understanding Of Fractions With Fourth Graders?, Amy J. Shupe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine which method of instruction, cooperative learning or direct instruction, would produce greater understanding of fractions with fourth graders. A pretest was administered to determine prior knowledge of fractions. Two thematic units were designed, one consisting of lessons using cooperative learning strategies with the other unit consisting of lessons using direct instruction methods. Each unit was presented to separate classes of fourth grade students. Upon completion of the units, a posttest was administered. The results showed a noticeable difference in the improvement of the test scores between the two groups. Students taught with …

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The Extent To Which Sensitive Information Is Secured By Institutions That Donate Computers To Educational Settings., Ngoni Murandu Jan 2003

The Extent To Which Sensitive Information Is Secured By Institutions That Donate Computers To Educational Settings., Ngoni Murandu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The research in this study focused on the question of data security. The primary education community is the recipient of large numbers of surplus and used computers from government and Universities. This study reviewed the levels of risk associated with the procedures to sanitize disk media before computers are used by K-12 public schools. National surveys and a localized sample, provide data on the levels of awareness among academic administrations for the need to safeguard electronic data.

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Fragm: A Blasting Fragmentation Model Of Rocks., Sergey Victorovych Zagreba Jan 2003

Fragm: A Blasting Fragmentation Model Of Rocks., Sergey Victorovych Zagreba

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fragmentation is a major concern of any blasting operation. Information on the degree and size distribution of fragments within a blasted rock mass is essential for efficient rock loading and crushing operations. Detailed literature review shows that majority of the previous researchers estimated blast fragmentation by considering four basic variables, i.e. rock properties, explosive properties, drilling pattern and bench geometry. However, when considering the effect of burden on rock fragmentation, simplified assumptions were made and its variability along the bench height was often ignored. In reality, because of the non-uniform burden along the bench height, the actual powder factor in …

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A Survey Of The Minkowski ?(X) Function., Randolph M. Conley Jan 2003

A Survey Of The Minkowski ?(X) Function., Randolph M. Conley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Minkowski defined the question mark function ?(x) in 1904 as a map from the rational numbers in the interval [0,1] onto the dyadics in [0,1]. The map can be extended over the entire interval. In providing an historical survey of this function, I review basic results concerning Farey fractions and continued fractions. Then I examine Minkowski’s definition and its extension, and I give a new proof of a basic fact about the extension. By stepping through the literature, I outline the known properties of ?(x) and state some generalizations of the function. Finally, I present an interesting connection to a …

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A Tolerance Initiative Versus Multicultural Education: Portraits Of Teachers In Action., Raphael Chesare Heaggans Jan 2003

A Tolerance Initiative Versus Multicultural Education: Portraits Of Teachers In Action., Raphael Chesare Heaggans

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Shadypine Middle School has recently implemented what they called a Teaching-for-Tolerance initiative designed to help all students become tolerant of cultural perspectives. This initiative involved teachers adding multicultural education to current curricula to show students groups of people who were discriminated and prejudiced against and their reaction to the discrimination and prejudice. Since teachers are using multicultural education as a base for this initiative, this study investigates how the tolerance initiative illustrates or exemplifies levels of multicultural education as described by Sonia Nieto. This study also investigates what the reactions of the parents and students are. This qualitative study employed …

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The Influence Of The Monitoring Process On Special Education Services In West Virginia., Judith Hale Robertson Jan 2003

The Influence Of The Monitoring Process On Special Education Services In West Virginia., Judith Hale Robertson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the West Virginia Department of Education, Office of Special Education's monitoring system in bringing district special education programs into compliance with federal and state standards. Data for the study were obtained by surveying special education directors (22), special education teachers (848), and parents of students with exceptionalities (2,410) from 22 county school systems in West Virginia. The monitoring report for each of the 22 counties for the 1997–1998 and 1998–1999 school years and the previous monitoring report were analyzed. The 1996–1997 federal Office of Special Education Programs monitoring report …

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Essays On The Predictability Of Equity Returns: The Roles Of Profit Income And Intangible Assets., Duo Zhang Jan 2003

Essays On The Predictability Of Equity Returns: The Roles Of Profit Income And Intangible Assets., Duo Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

My dissertation considers, in one theoretical essay and two empirical essays, the implications of an unequal distribution of wealth and of firms' intangible assets for the predictability of the returns on stocks. The first two essays are concerned with the effect of wealth distribution on the stock market. Essay I shows how to conceptualize the wealth distribution effect on stock returns. It starts with the assumption that some individuals are, and some are not, liquidity-constrained in their consumption; hence some save in the stock market and some do not. Then it is derived that stock returns depend on two factors: …

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The Effects Of The Gifted Program Screening Process On The Self-Concept And Academic Achievement Of Students., Mark Andrew Barney Jan 2003

The Effects Of The Gifted Program Screening Process On The Self-Concept And Academic Achievement Of Students., Mark Andrew Barney

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Little has been written concerning the effects of student testing for participation in gifted programs. Moreover, few studies have sought to apply a sociological perspective to the understanding of student testing. This research examines the academic achievement and selfconcept of high-achieving students in two West Virginia counties who were targeted for testing for the gifted program. Three subgroups are examined; 1) students tested for gifted programs and accepted; 2) students tested for the gifted program who were not accepted; and 3) students who were not tested but meet the criteria for initial screening. This examination consists of comparing classroom academic …

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Using The Internet To Collect Data On Psychological Symptoms: An Investigation Of Psychometric Properties., Beverly Lynn Fortson Jan 2003

Using The Internet To Collect Data On Psychological Symptoms: An Investigation Of Psychometric Properties., Beverly Lynn Fortson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The reliability and validity of internet-based questionnaires was assessed in a large sample of undergraduates (n = 411) by comparing data collected via the internet with data collected in a more traditional format, that is with paper and pencil questionnaires. Ninety percent of participants reported using the internet on a daily basis, with 22% of those participants meeting criteria for internet abuse. Number of traumatic events experienced by participants, rates of depression, and rates of PTSD were similar to rates found in other studies with college students. Statistical analyses demonstrated that the psychometric properties of internet-based questionnaires are similar to …

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The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy Expectations And Career-Choice., Geraldine January Jan 2003

The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy Expectations And Career-Choice., Geraldine January

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Analysis of responses from (N = 64) undergraduate students enrolled in Learning Strategies and Orientation courses on the Career Decision Making Self-Efficacy scale and the Occupational Self-Efficacy Scale, revealed that participants who selected male-dominated careers scored higher on the goal selection subscale compared to participants in the female-dominated group. Similar results were observed for career decision-making, self-efficacy and major status. As predicted, the scores for males on the OSES indicated that males reported equally higher scores for male and female-dominated occupations, whereas females reported higher self-efficacy for female-dominated occupations compared to male-dominated occupations.

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An Advanced Data Acquisition System And Noise Analysis On The Aluminum Reduction Process., Congxia Dai Jan 2003

An Advanced Data Acquisition System And Noise Analysis On The Aluminum Reduction Process., Congxia Dai

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Aluminum reduction process is a nonlinear, time varying electro-chemical process, during which alumina is electrolyzed to produce molten aluminum. Al2O3 A main concern of the aluminum reduction process is the ‘Current Efficiency’-an indicator of the productivity of aluminum reduction cells. How to achieve higher current efficiency with lower energy consumption has always been a central objective of aluminum reduction process control in aluminum reduction industry. Noise is generally considered hostile to cell Current Efficiency. Therefore noise control is an important issue in commercial cell automatic control system. A key contribution of this research is the examination of the effects …

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A Numerical Study Of Current Distribution Inside The Cathode And Electrolyte Of A Solid Oxide Fuel Cell., Suryanarayana Raju Pakalapati Jan 2003

A Numerical Study Of Current Distribution Inside The Cathode And Electrolyte Of A Solid Oxide Fuel Cell., Suryanarayana Raju Pakalapati

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fuel cells have the potential of becoming the prime power sources in near future. They offer many advantages over conventional power generators. Fuel cells are being extensively researched where Numerical Modeling plays an increasingly important role. The present study comprises of a new modular approach to the three dimensional modeling of a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC). The new approach resolves important scales and details of pertinent processes inside various SOFC components. The model calculates the spatial distributions of current, temperature and specie concentrations inside the SOFC. Simulations are performed on cathode of a SOFC showed interesting results. Also a …

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Physical Activity Perceptions In Adolescents: A Qualitative Analysis., Lindsey M. Parker Jan 2003

Physical Activity Perceptions In Adolescents: A Qualitative Analysis., Lindsey M. Parker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this research was to investigate adolescent perceptions of overweight and physical activity. Focus groups were used to collect information. Eight age- and gender- specific focus groups consisting of 48 participants (10 middle school males, 10 middle school females, 15 high school males, and 13 high school females). Perceptions of overweight, benefits, barriers and facilitators to being physically active were gathered among the groups and compared using age and gender. Males and females were found to differ in their overweight perceptions, perceived benefits of physical activity, their activity preferences, and barriers to physical activity. High school aged adolescents …

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The Play Behaviors Of Hospitalized Children., Tracey M. Craddock Jan 2003

The Play Behaviors Of Hospitalized Children., Tracey M. Craddock

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study was aimed at identifying the play behaviors of hospitalized preschool aged children. Hospitals that had child life programs were the focus. Two hundred informational surveys and playroom observation forms were mailed throughout the United States. Surveys asked about the hours of operation of the child life program, hours of operation of the institution’s playroom, whether adults had to accompany children to the playroom, and whether a member of the child life staff was always present in the playroom. Number of child life staff at the institution and child life staff to patient ratio was also recorded. Participants were …

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A Comparison Of Distraction Strategies For Venipuncture In Young Children., Jill E. Maclaren Jan 2003

A Comparison Of Distraction Strategies For Venipuncture In Young Children., Jill E. Maclaren

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Distraction has been used successfully as an intervention to decrease children’s distress during painful procedures. However, distraction protocols differ in various ways, most notably in the attention required by the participant to engage in the distraction. This study compared two empirically supported distraction strategies that differed in the degree to which they required children’s interaction (interactive toy and cartoon movie) during venipunctures. Standard treatment was used as a control condition. In addition to the examination of treatment effects, exploratory analyses evaluated relations among children’s age, engagement in distraction, and distress. Results indicated that children watching the movie were more distracted …

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A Geological And Geophysical Investigation Of Ice Mountain Algific Talus, Hampshire County, West Virginia, Kevin M. Andrews Jan 2003

A Geological And Geophysical Investigation Of Ice Mountain Algific Talus, Hampshire County, West Virginia, Kevin M. Andrews

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ice Mountain is an algific talus slope located in Hampshire County, West Virginia, protected for its status as a biological refugium. Both the origin of the slope and the mechanism by which cold air is produced from the base of the slope have remained mysteries to local residents and tourists for many years. This research effort takes a scientific approach to exploring the mysteries of Ice Mountain. Bedrock and surficial geologic mapping provides an understanding of the physical environment of the slope area, while geophysical survey data provide clues to the subsurface of the slope. The algific talus consists of …

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The Use Of Cooperative Grouping In Inclusive Elementary Classrooms., Stephanie G. Pack Jan 2003

The Use Of Cooperative Grouping In Inclusive Elementary Classrooms., Stephanie G. Pack

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With the advent of inclusion students with disabilities have been placed in settings that can maximize their opportunities to interact with their nondisabled peers. However, the inappropriate social behaviors of students with disabilities often prevented them from acceptance or classroom membership. Cooperative learning has been seen as one means of teaching all students in an inclusive classroom. Teacher support in the form of management systems and reward structures used in cooperative groupings are examined in this study. The use of qualitative research methods (observations, interviews, document analysis) in combination with a quantitative element (simple count) helped to determine the effectiveness …

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An Inverse Boundary Value Problem From Semiconductor Modeling., Mingying Lu Jan 2003

An Inverse Boundary Value Problem From Semiconductor Modeling., Mingying Lu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this thesis, we investigate an inverse boundary value problem arising from the study of semiconductor transistors. The problem is to recover a number of parameters in the coefficient function from the knowledge of the solution at some accessible boundary. We first review the mathematical models that describe the current flow in a transistor into an integrated circuit. We then obtain the theoretical results pertaining to this inverse problem, such as existence, monotonicity, differentiability, asymptotic properties and identifiability. We also formulate the partial differential equation model into a boundary integral equation model. For the differential equation model, we employ both …

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An Exploratory Examination Of The Relationship Between Motivational Factors And The Degree To Which The Higher Education Faculty Integrate Computer -Mediated Communication (Cmc) Tools Into Their Courses., Francis Ndwiga Murage Jan 2003

An Exploratory Examination Of The Relationship Between Motivational Factors And The Degree To Which The Higher Education Faculty Integrate Computer -Mediated Communication (Cmc) Tools Into Their Courses., Francis Ndwiga Murage

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The stated research problem of this study was to examine the relationship between motivational factors and the degree to which the higher education faculty integrate CMC tools into their courses. The study population and sample involved higher education faculty teaching in science departments at one public university and three public colleges in the state of West Virginia (N = 153). A Likert-type rating scale survey was used to collect data based on the research questions. Two parts of the survey were adopted from previous studies while the other two were self-constructed. Research questions and hypothesis were analyzed using both descriptive …

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The Effects Of Science Engineering Mathematics Aerospace Academy (Semaa) Participation On Engagement Rates Of Sixth- And Seventh-Grade Students In Regular Mathematics Classes., Donna R. Carr Jan 2003

The Effects Of Science Engineering Mathematics Aerospace Academy (Semaa) Participation On Engagement Rates Of Sixth- And Seventh-Grade Students In Regular Mathematics Classes., Donna R. Carr

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of participation in a short-term, co-curricular, mathematics and science program (Science Engineering Mathematics Aerospace Academy, SEMAA) on the engagement rates of sixth and seventh grade students in public school mathematics classes. The outcome variable (engagement) was measured with the Student Record of Behavior at three time intervals. A 22.3 mixed ANOVA design was utilized to investigate three main effects (participation, grade level, and time) and their primary and secondary interactions. Results reflected no discernable impact of the SEMAA program on student engagement rates. Conclusions include alignment of ancillary programs and …

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