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The Development Of Two Units For Btr Tesol: "Basic Principles Of Second Language Acquisition" And "Communicative Language Teacher And Information Gap Exercises", Paul A. Scholes Dec 2010

The Development Of Two Units For Btr Tesol: "Basic Principles Of Second Language Acquisition" And "Communicative Language Teacher And Information Gap Exercises", Paul A. Scholes

Theses and Dissertations

A team of graduate students from Brigham Young University under the supervision of the main author Dr. Lynn Henrichsen collaborated on creating a book, as well as a website, Basic Training and Resources for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (BTR TESOL). The entire project consists of 10 sections with nearly 50 units addressing topics that novice teachers should know before teaching English to non-native speakers. The BTR TESOL program provides basic material for untrained novice teachers that will help them to be better prepared to face the challenges and responsibilities of teaching English. This write-up describes …


Predicting Marital Dissolution Using Data From Both Spouses, Chao-Chin Lu Dec 2010

Predicting Marital Dissolution Using Data From Both Spouses, Chao-Chin Lu

Theses and Dissertations

The present research studies marital dissolution using data from both spouses from the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) and uses the method of multiple imputation to handle missing data. Role theory and another four approaches (social exchange theory, stake theory, gender perspective and heterogeneity perspective) are used to make a methodological argument why using data from both spouses is necessary to study marital stability. Five data sets are imputed and there are 3,777 observations in each imputed data set. Main research findings are as followed. First, the model fits of the data from both spouses on marital dissolution …


African American Women's Health: An Examination Of Resource Needs, Context, And Public Policy Over The Life Course, Cynthia Newbille Dec 2010

African American Women's Health: An Examination Of Resource Needs, Context, And Public Policy Over The Life Course, Cynthia Newbille

Theses and Dissertations

African American Women's Health: An Examination of Resource Needs, Context, and Public Policy over the Life Course


Political Ideology And Ideological (Re)Alignment 1972-2006, Derrick Ryan Shapley Dec 2010

Political Ideology And Ideological (Re)Alignment 1972-2006, Derrick Ryan Shapley

Theses and Dissertations

This study tests the relationship of the 6 ideological variables and 7 contextual variables to shifts in ideological alignment through a latent class regression analysis for three periods of years (1972-1978, 1980-1992, 1993-2006). The latent class regression models determine the number of identifiable classes for each model. Using ideological realignment theory (Abramowitz and Saunders 1998) this study finds there has been a moderate polarization of opinions that has occurred, as well as, a moderate hardening of ideological beliefs with moral issues during the third time period becoming the driving force in ideological makeup. With regard to the culture wars hypothesis …


The Conditioning Effects Of Religiosity On The Relationship Between Strain, Negative Emotions, And Delinquency: A Longitudinal Assessment Of General Strain Theory, Christopher W. Purser Dec 2010

The Conditioning Effects Of Religiosity On The Relationship Between Strain, Negative Emotions, And Delinquency: A Longitudinal Assessment Of General Strain Theory, Christopher W. Purser

Theses and Dissertations

Robert Agnew’s (1992) General Strain Theory significantly revitalized traditional scholarship in the anomie/strain tradition by offering a general theory of crime; purported to account for both criminal and analogous behaviors. GST specifically extends anomie/strain theory by introducing new sources of strain (i.e. loss of positively valued stimuli, presentation of noxious stimuli) into the theoretical framework, as well as elucidating the causal pathways (including mediating and moderating effects) leading from the experience of strain to deviant coping mechanisms. An emerging trend within GST is the identification of previously untapped sources of strain (e.g. victimization, discrimination) that ostensibly have deviancegenerating properties. Concerning …


The Impact Of The Accelerated Reader Software On The Reading Achievement Of Third Grade Students In A Rural Southeastern Mississippi School District, Suzanne Mckee Waddell Dec 2010

The Impact Of The Accelerated Reader Software On The Reading Achievement Of Third Grade Students In A Rural Southeastern Mississippi School District, Suzanne Mckee Waddell

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to determine if a significant difference existed based on the reading achievement of 3rd grade students as measured by the Mississippi Curriculum Test Reading Scaled Score of those students who utilized the Renaissance Learning’s Accelerated Reader Software Management Program and those who did not participate in the program. The impact of gender and ethnicity on reading achievement and the relationship between the STAR Test for Assessment of Reading and the Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT) as measures of reading achievement were also studied. The findings indicate students who participated in the Accelerated Reading Program achieved significantly higher …


Effect Of Gender On Mississippi Hunter Motivations And Substitutability Of Hunting, Vanessa Carina Oquendo Dec 2010

Effect Of Gender On Mississippi Hunter Motivations And Substitutability Of Hunting, Vanessa Carina Oquendo

Theses and Dissertations

Selfministered mail questionnaires were sent to a stratified sample of 1,000 male and 1,000 female Mississippi resident licensed hunters to determine effect of gender on hunting motivations and substitutability of hunting. Exploratory factor analysis and analysis of covariance were used to analyze hunting motivations. Logistic regression was used to determine effects of 14 independent variables on probability of resident hunters reporting a substitute activity. Males and females differed on achievement-oriented “social recognition” and “seeking stimulation” motivations and on affiliative-oriented “family togetherness” motivations. Gender had no significant effect on resident hunter probability of reporting substitute activities. Age and importance of hunting …


Helping Prepare Community College Students To Make The Transition From College To Work, Lagena Arlette Bradley Dec 2010

Helping Prepare Community College Students To Make The Transition From College To Work, Lagena Arlette Bradley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to investigate students’ perceptions about the need for more student training on making the transition from community college enrollment to employment. The hypothesis was that community college students would perceive that additional career counseling services would help them transition successfully into the world of work. Examination of students’ thoughts about career counseling services assisted in finding factors that facilitate and impede students’ desires for career counseling services including career courses. A researcher-developed pen and paper self-report survey instrument was administered to students enrolled in English courses at Meridian Community College during the 2009 fall …


Organizational, Job, And Supervisory Antecedents And Consequence Of Job Embeddedness: The Case Of Vietnam, Vinh Q. Nguyen Dec 2010

Organizational, Job, And Supervisory Antecedents And Consequence Of Job Embeddedness: The Case Of Vietnam, Vinh Q. Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations

A recent major development in the turnover literature is the introduction of the Job Embeddedness (JE) construct. JE is a multidimensional construct conceptualized as the combined forces that tend to keep an employee from leaving his or her job. Research has demonstrated that JE predicts voluntary turnover above and beyond the variables used in traditional turnover models. However, since it is a relatively new construct, JE has received very limited study, especially across cultures. Further research is needed in order to understand both antecedents and consequences of JE. This dissertation, therefore, investigates a range of presumed organizational, job, and supervisory …


Faculty Attitudes Towards College Athletics And The Academic Competency Of Student-Athletes At A Ncaa Division-I Institution, Christopher Atwater Dec 2010

Faculty Attitudes Towards College Athletics And The Academic Competency Of Student-Athletes At A Ncaa Division-I Institution, Christopher Atwater

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to examine faculty attitudes towards the role of college athletics and the academic competency of student-athletes at a NCAA Division-I Institution. By analyzing faculty attitudes, this study contributes to a better understanding of factors associated with how educators view athletics in higher education and how they develop their attitudes towards student-athletes from an academic perspective. Though prior research indicates quantitatively that faculty possess distinct views of these concepts, there was a gap between measured attitudes and known factors that contribute to these attitudes. By analyzing both quantitative and qualitative results, this investigation advanced the …


A Rhetoric Of Change: Church Growth And Social Change At The Richmond Outreach Center, Rebekah Holbrook Dec 2010

A Rhetoric Of Change: Church Growth And Social Change At The Richmond Outreach Center, Rebekah Holbrook

Theses and Dissertations

The Richmond Outreach Center “The ROC” is an independent soulwinning megachurch in Richmond, Virginia. This thesis explores how rhetoric plays a role in the rapid growth of this urban church and considers the church’s response—rhetorically and politically—to the city’s social issues. Through a rhetorical analysis of sermons and written texts by Geronimo Aguilar, the ROC’s founder and pastor, it is concluded that Aguilar has generated a rhetoric of change that says social change must come to Richmond and that everyone, both rich and poor, are responsible for change. Aguilar galvanizes an audience to seek social change because he articulates roles …


A Case Study Of The Impact Of Filmmaker Decisions In The Construction Of A Documentary: Helen Whitney's (2007) The Mormons, Elizabeth Joy Mott Dec 2010

A Case Study Of The Impact Of Filmmaker Decisions In The Construction Of A Documentary: Helen Whitney's (2007) The Mormons, Elizabeth Joy Mott

Theses and Dissertations

Informed by theories of media framing, exemplification, and non-fiction film production, this case study used as its sample for textual analysis the typed transcripts from the final cut of Helen Whitney's (2007) documentary film, The Mormons, and the interview transcripts of the 15 key commentators interviewed for the documentary. These theories suggest that (a) media producers condense topics in the media by selecting information that connects news stories to a larger context and imbues them with symbolic value; (b) verbal and visual examples have been shown to be more easily retrieved in memory than abstract ideas and are consequently …


Comparing Levels Of Anti-Fat Bias Between American And Mexican Athletes And Undergraduate Physical Education And Exercise Science Students, Miriam M. Wood Dec 2010

Comparing Levels Of Anti-Fat Bias Between American And Mexican Athletes And Undergraduate Physical Education And Exercise Science Students, Miriam M. Wood

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The present study aimed to replicate and extend Chambliss et al., (2004) research by measuring and comparing the ratings of anti-fat bias between American and Mexican athletes and undergraduate physical education and exercise science students. Second, the study aimed to investigate a possible socially desirable response threat to the validity of the explicit anti-fat bias measure. Method: Undergraduate (n = 63) student in the US (M = 20.85 yr), undergraduate (n = 40) students in Mexico (M= 27.23 yr) and Mexican athletes (n =15) filled out four self-reported questionnaires to investigate their levels of anti-fat bias. The questionnaires included …


Anonymous Pseudo-Autobiographies: Passing The New Southern Studies In The Southerner And The Autobiography Of An Ex-Colored Man, Matthew S. Dinger Nov 2010

Anonymous Pseudo-Autobiographies: Passing The New Southern Studies In The Southerner And The Autobiography Of An Ex-Colored Man, Matthew S. Dinger

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to understand the South as a space through which the contested bodies of two literary characters and the men who authored them can be more fully explored: the Ex- Colored Man in James Weldon Johnson's The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man and Nicholas Worth in Walter Hines Page's The Southerner; each appearing within an early twentieth-century novel masquerading as an autobiography. These bodies serve to help us understand how the regional Other of the South has inflicted itself on individuals living in the South and caused an irreparable fracture to the characters' identities forcing them into …


Evaluation Of Relate Using Rasch Analysis, Keitaro Yoshida Nov 2010

Evaluation Of Relate Using Rasch Analysis, Keitaro Yoshida

Theses and Dissertations

The importance of valid and reliable couple assessment has been increasing with growth in research on couple and family relationships as well as in therapeutic and educational interventions for couples and families. However, self-report instruments–the most popular type of couple assessment–have been criticized at least partly due to limitations in Classical Test Theory (CTT) which has been used solely in developing and evaluating couple assessments for decades. In an effort to address the limitations in the sole use of CTT in developing self-report couple assessments, the present study integrated a modern test theory called Item Response Theory (IRT) and evaluated …


Parental Involvement And Academic Achievement Among Children Of Immigrants, Wade Clinton Jacobsen Nov 2010

Parental Involvement And Academic Achievement Among Children Of Immigrants, Wade Clinton Jacobsen

Theses and Dissertations

Using Bourdieu's model of social and cultural reproduction, I examine student achievement and parental involvement levels across seven immigrant nationalities: Cambodian, Cuban, Filipino, Laotian, Mexican, Nicaraguan, and Vietnamese. I then analyze the relationships between five parental involvement types and GPA, while controlling for student, family, and school characteristics. Finally, I test for interaction effects to examine variations across groups. Results point to parent expectations as a strong predictor of student success, especially among Cubans, Filipinos, and Vietnamese, while other dimensions of parental involvement have little or no effect. Bourdieu's model may not be adequate among immigrant parents and their children …


The Relation Of The Expression Of Offense To Forgiving, Laura Grace Hall Nov 2010

The Relation Of The Expression Of Offense To Forgiving, Laura Grace Hall

Theses and Dissertations

Forgiveness is an essential component of relationship growth and healing, with academic, professional, and public interest in research and writing on the topic continually increasing over the past two decades. Indignation is endemic to interpersonal offense, and a key component of the forgiveness process; few, however, have written about the potentially facilitative role that it may play. Disparate conceptualizations of indignation among researchers and therapists may impede therapeutic progress, individually and interpersonally. This study presents a review of social science literature on forgiveness and a new model of the emotional response to offense that positions corrective, protective indignation on a …


Clergy Marriages: Couple Perception Of Marital Adjustment As The Husband Serves As A Bishop In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Deena D. Strong Nov 2010

Clergy Marriages: Couple Perception Of Marital Adjustment As The Husband Serves As A Bishop In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Deena D. Strong

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study was designed to produce a theoretical model to illustrate marital adjustment as a husband becomes a bishop (a lay-clergy position) in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Individual interviews were conducted with the husband and wife of six married couples wherein the husband was currently serving as a bishop. Grounded theory methods and elements of phenomenological research were used to collect and analyze the data. The model presented depicts the adjustment process that begins with the marital relationship prior to the husband becoming an LDS bishop. The husband then becomes an LDS bishop and begins …


Lufta Dhe Intervenimi I Nato-S Në Kosovë, Edona Bislimi Nov 2010

Lufta Dhe Intervenimi I Nato-S Në Kosovë, Edona Bislimi

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Individual Contributions To Stigma And Attitudes Toward Help-Seeking Among Rural Emerging Adult College Students, Margaret Gsell Oct 2010

Individual Contributions To Stigma And Attitudes Toward Help-Seeking Among Rural Emerging Adult College Students, Margaret Gsell

Theses and Dissertations

Rural communities are by definition less densely populated and more geographically isolated than non-rural communities, which often translates into higher rates of poverty and poor access to health care, especially mental health care. Previous research has found that persons residing in rural communities endorse higher rates of stigmatized beliefs towards individuals with mental illness and subsequently lower rates of professional help-seeking when compared to persons residing in non-rural communities. This study evaluated whether these attitudes were also present among emerging adults (18-24 years old) who had lived in a rural community for at least 10 years and were currently enrolled …


Retention And Graduation Of Hispanics In American Community Colleges, Claudia M. Griffin Sep 2010

Retention And Graduation Of Hispanics In American Community Colleges, Claudia M. Griffin

Theses and Dissertations

The Hispanic population in the United States is the fastest growing ethnic group. It is also one of the least-educated and poorest groups and one of the least researched nationally. The purpose of the study was to identify the variables that affect the persistence of Hispanic college students who begin their postsecondary educations at community colleges. The study used data from the 2004/06 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. Persistence was defined as either graduating from or being enrolled in any Title IV postsecondary institution three years after the beginning of the study. Community …


The Decision To Stay: A Multiple-Case Study Exploring College Choice And Persistence Factors Of Second-Year Students At Religiously-Affiliated Institutions Associated With The Churches Of Christ, Patti Jo White Sep 2010

The Decision To Stay: A Multiple-Case Study Exploring College Choice And Persistence Factors Of Second-Year Students At Religiously-Affiliated Institutions Associated With The Churches Of Christ, Patti Jo White

Theses and Dissertations

Factors that influenced the college choice and persistence of twenty-eight undergraduate, second-year students at religiously-affiliated institutions associated with the churches of Christ were examined using a cross-case comparative qualitative analysis. Student pre-college characteristics and campus environment factors were also investigated regarding their influence on the students' decisions to choose a college and to remain for the second year at their respective initial institutions. Four religiously-affiliated institutions associated with the churches of Christ, categorized in four different Carnegie basic classifications, were selected as the sites for the case studies to achieve maximum requisite variety across the cases. These classifications included one …


Factors Influencing The Academic Success Of Second Generation Immigrant College Students, Natalya V. Boureiko Sep 2010

Factors Influencing The Academic Success Of Second Generation Immigrant College Students, Natalya V. Boureiko

Theses and Dissertations

The changing demographic situation in the U.S. creates paramount social problems as the population of immigrants grows. Because the higher education is the most effective tool for incorporating the immigrant populations into the society, the purpose of the proposed study was to determine what students' characteristics, parents' characteristics, as well as students' actions affect the academic attainment versus grade point average (GPA) of immigrant population in college. The study was based on longitudinal datasets NPSAS 2000, NPSAS 2004, and NPSAS 2008. There were three cross-sectional samples and statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and stepwise regression. The findings of the study …


She's Leaving Home: The Effect Of College Experiences On Homeschooled Students, Henry Thomas Smiley Sep 2010

She's Leaving Home: The Effect Of College Experiences On Homeschooled Students, Henry Thomas Smiley

Theses and Dissertations

Most existing homeschool research focuses on one of two concerns: the efficacy of home education and the socialization of the homeschooled student. The purpose of this study was to examine how the beliefs, values, and worldviews of homeschooled students were affected by their experiences at the post-secondary level, specifically in the multicultural environment of public four-year colleges and universities. Data were collected through interviews with eleven participants: six homeschooling parents and five homeschooled students. Homeschooled students who formed close relationships with students unlike themselves and who were involved in leadership roles in their respective post-secondary institutions seemingly assimilated different worldviews …


Self-Directedness In Foreign Language Learners: A Phenomenological Study Of College Students And Foreign Language Instructors, Sueid Fauaze Moreira Sep 2010

Self-Directedness In Foreign Language Learners: A Phenomenological Study Of College Students And Foreign Language Instructors, Sueid Fauaze Moreira

Theses and Dissertations

The intent of the qualitative research was to investigate if students experience self-directedness when taking foreign language classes at the college level. The research was based on learners' perspectives of the phenomenon both verifying the use of self-directedness among learners and understanding the paradigms of self-direction. Guided by scholarly research, the construct elements for the research were a) Characteristics of Instruction, b) Characteristic of Learner, and c) Self-Directedness. Four groups of students were identified in the study. Individual students' interview responses revealed that their perceived needs varied according to their degree seeking and career goals. Interview data combined with scores …


Improving Information Products For System 2 Decision Support, Neal Gibson Sep 2010

Improving Information Products For System 2 Decision Support, Neal Gibson

Theses and Dissertations

The creation, maintenance, and management of Information Product (IP) systems that are used by organizations for complex decisions represent a unique set of challenges. These challenges are compounded when the purpose of such a systems is also for knowledge creation and dissemination. Information quality research to date has focused mainly upon treating IP independent from the actual users, despite the obvious interdependency between the two. Research in cognitive psychology has established a dual-process model for human cognition. Designing IP systems in recognition of these differing methods of human cognition represents a new approach to improving their quality. Education data and …


In Search Of Critical Thinking: A Case Study Of A Midwestern University's Center For Teaching Excellence, Lourene Pike Thaxton Sep 2010

In Search Of Critical Thinking: A Case Study Of A Midwestern University's Center For Teaching Excellence, Lourene Pike Thaxton

Theses and Dissertations

Research indicated that students often graduate from colleges and universities without encountering critical thinking skills in undergraduate coursework. The first national report raising concerns over the declining quality of education stemmed from the National Commission on Excellence in Education (1983), and findings based on disappointing test scores were essentially repeated with the Spellings Report (2006) twenty years later. Although numerous scholars, experts, and politicians voiced concerns regarding what were perceived to be deficient methods of instruction in higher education, missing were the voices of professors who devised the curriculum and delivered student instruction. The intention of this study was to …


The Effect Of Advanced Placement And Concurrent Enrollment On Post Secondary Math Achievement, Angela L. Kremers Sep 2010

The Effect Of Advanced Placement And Concurrent Enrollment On Post Secondary Math Achievement, Angela L. Kremers

Theses and Dissertations

Unprepared postsecondary students and poor high school retention rates emphasize a significant issue with education in the U.S. Although there have been increases in the number of programs to address retention and matriculation to degree attainment, little research has been completed to examine outcomes of these programs. Advanced placement and concurrent enrollment are two such programs in which high school students are purported to be better prepared for college while getting a head start on college credits. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of advanced placement and concurrent enrollment on post secondary math achievement. The multi …


A Freelance Writer's Guide To Marketing Online, Rachel Leanne Deason Sep 2010

A Freelance Writer's Guide To Marketing Online, Rachel Leanne Deason

Theses and Dissertations

"A Freelance Writer's Guide to Marketing Online" describes and demonstrates how freelance writers can use the most current social networking tools and basic marketing principles to market themselves online and find freelance writing work. Potential users of this trade book are experienced Internet users who do not have an extensive business or marketing background. Accompanying the manuscript, provided on a cd, is an analytic cover piece.


Analysis Of Alternative Methods For Long-Term Wind Speed And Initial Site Assessment For Purposes Of Wind Energy Production Estimation, Ryan Mcdevitt Sep 2010

Analysis Of Alternative Methods For Long-Term Wind Speed And Initial Site Assessment For Purposes Of Wind Energy Production Estimation, Ryan Mcdevitt

Theses and Dissertations

A need exists for identification and evaluation of viable sites for wind energy. However, this is made difficult by the site-specific nature of the wind. A review of current industry practices shows that linear regression is the preferred method, although little work has been done to investigate alternative approaches. To address this, various methods were tested on 23 target sites with data measured over a long-term period. Each site was analyzed with the chosen best reference station, across 10 data periods for each method with results classified as mean absolute percentage error in energy density between the projected and measured …