Digital Commons Network^™

Developing Pre-Literacy Skills In Preschool Children: The Utilization Of Parents As A Vital Resource, Ashley N. Sundman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of a parent-implemented intervention on preschool children's development of letter-naming and phonological awareness skills. Six parent-child dyads with children enrolled in a Head Start Program in West Central Florida were selected to participate in the study. A multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the impact of an intervention package that included activities focusing on: (1) using mnemonics to learn letter names and (2) developing phonological awareness of the onsets of words through parent questioning and feedback. Phonological awareness development was measured using the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills First Sound …

Leading Change In Schools: Leadership Practices For A District Supported School-Based Reform Model, Monica C. Verra

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The reauthorization of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 strongly encourages the use of a response-to-intervention (RtI) model to reduce the number of students identified as learning disabled, to increase student achievement, and to close learning gaps between subgroups of students. RtI is based on the systematic assessment of students' responses to high-quality research-based instruction and interventions. The implementation of a research-based school-specific intervention model, such as RtI, may result in significant change for schools and districts.

The purpose of this study was to describe perceptions of the level of change the implementation of RtI represents in a …

Characterization Of The Underwater Light Environment And Its Relevance To Seagrass Recovery And Sustainability In Tampa Bay, Florida, Christopher J. Anastasiou

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The availability of light is a primary limiting factor for seagrass recovery and sustainability. Understanding not only the quantity but the quality of light reaching the bottom is an important component to successful seagrass management and the key focus of this study. This study explores the spectral properties of the sub-surface light field in four shallow Seagrass Management Areas (SMA) in Tampa Bay. Wavelength-specific photosynthetically active radiation (PAR(λ)) and the spectral light attenuation coefficient (K_d(λ)) are used to estimate the percent blue, green, and red light remaining at the bottom relative to the surface. LIDAR Bathymetry is combined …

Latent Newspaper Functions During The Impact Phase Of Hurricane Katrina, Christina A. Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Media is used by audiences for more than its simple role as information provider. Audiences have been found to use news providers output in a multitude of ways. It has been found that some audience members have used such output as a way to gain social capital that aids in the generation of feelings of social cohesion with their community. This has been found to be especially true during the impact phase of a natural disaster, such as a hurricane (Perez-Lugo, 2004). Unfortunately what news providers specifically articulate that might have this latent use by audiences has not been studied …

Gender And Internal Migration In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China: Rural Hometowns, Factory Work, And Urban Experiences, Milena Urszula Janiec-Grygo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on gender and scale as key aspects of the rural-to-urban migration process in China. Its specific aim is to connect economic and social reasons for rural women's migration towards urban factory work. Contemporary large-scale migration studies show inconsistencies and contradictions concerning reasons for migration, especially as it relates to gender. Thus, migration research often emphasizes the positive social changes experienced by women workers, in effect signaling that the most important needs of women migrants can be satisfied without economic gains. In contrast, the proposed study seeks to show that social and economic reasons intertwine within women's experiences …

Rhetorics Of Fear, Deployment Of Identity, And Metal Music Cultures, Gregory Vance Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to analyze the rhetorics of fear operating in public discourses surrounding metal music. This analysis focuses on how the public rhetorics deploy identity on listener populations through both the mediation and legislation of identities. Specifically, this mediation takes place using both symbols of fear and arguments constructed on potential threats. Texts for analysis in this study include film and television documentaries, newspaper articles, book-length critiques of and scholarship on heavy metal, and transcripts from the U.S. Senate Hearings on Record Labeling.

"Heavy metal" and "metal music" are labels that categorize diverse styles of music. …

An Autoethnographic Account: A Description Of Nine Young Children's Literacy Learning Experiences In A Summer Camp, Melinda G. Adams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My research assistant and I employed participant observation to study graduate tutors and children in a literacy camp setting. Research questions were: What types of literacy instruction do nine children receive from graduate education major tutors in a community of interest summer literacy camp? How do nine children respond to literacy instruction they receive from graduate education tutors in a summer literacy camp? We collected data once a week for six weeks. We observed and took notes to determine what instruction graduate tutors offered and how children responded. I used autoethnographic methods to reflect on my former teaching practices. Ellis …

Mathematics Education: The Voice Of African American And White Adolescents, Sharondrea R. King

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Several studies have provided evidence regarding factors that contribute to the mathematics achievement gap between African American and White students. Byrnes (2003) found that 45%-50% of the difference in White and African American students' performance in mathematics was associated with socioeconomic status, exposure to learning opportunities, and motivational aspects of math while 4.5% was explained by ethnicity. The goal in this mixed method study was to examine the mathematics attitude of African American (n = 22) and White (n = 10) high school students and to allow students to voice what practices and supports they perceived enabled them to learn …

The Influence Of Perceived Social Support From Parents, Classmates, And Teachers On Early Adolescents’ Mental Health, Tiffany N. White

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the relationships among perceived social support, mental health, and achievement in early adolescents, via analysis of an archival data set consisting of 390 middle school students. Specifically of interest was how various sources of social support (i.e., parent, classmate, and teacher) independently and uniquely predicted pathology (i.e., internalizing and externalizing symptoms) and wellness (i.e., life satisfaction) in youth. This study also examined the role of gender in the relationship between social support and mental health outcomes in order to delineate the specific types of support most salient to boys versus girls. Finally, this study explored the …

Determinants Of Nutrition Appointment Non-Attendance Among Male Veterans, Claire Fontenot Bell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During fiscal years 2006 and 2007, nearly 1 in 4 Veterans failed to keep their individual nutrition appointments, impeding clinic workflow, productivity, and management of weight and nutrition related health conditions. The purpose of this study was to identify determinants of nutrition appointment attendance in the Veteran population. This study examined the cognitive and structural factors that influence nutrition appointment attendance. Specifically, the study sought to determine: Veteran reported reasons for non-attendance and factors associated with appointment attendance. The research design entailed sequential use of qualitative and quantitative methods. Individual, semi-structured interviews and a mail survey were used to identify …

Communication, Consumption And Manipulation: The Body As Language In The Films Of Jan Švankmajer, Amanda Marie Dowd

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I will analyze and discuss the work of renowned director Jan Švankmajer. Specifically, I will examine how director Jan Švankmajer’s representation of the body creates a metaphorical language. In addition, I will address what meaning can be gathered from, or made apparent through the commentary of the body’s language and discuss the significance of the socio-political implications. Prior to my discussion of Švankmajer’s work I will give a concise socio-political history of the Czech Republic from 1968-1994; this discussion will provide a framework for the subsequent analyses. In order to provide support for my argument, I will …

Task Oriented Simulation And Control Of A Wheelchair Mounted Robotic Arm, Fabian Farelo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The main objective of my research is to improve the control structure for the new Wheelchair Mounted Robotic Arm (WMRA) to include new algorithms for optimized task execution; that is, making the WMRA a modular task oriented mobile manipulator. The main criterion to be optimized is the fashion in which the wheelchair approaches a final target as well as the starting and final orientation of the wheelchair. This is a novel approach in non-holonomic wheeled manipulators that will help in autonomously executing complex activities of daily living (ADL) tasks.

The WMRA is a 9 degree of freedom system, which provides …

Interrogating Virginia Woolf And The British Suffrage Movement, Gwen Trowbridge Anderson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Interrogating Virginia Woolf and the British Suffrage Movement Gwen Trowbridge Anderson ABSTRACT Much has been written about Virginia Woolf's involvement with feminism and women's rights, but there has been far less exploration about her ties to suffrage. Many of her friends and family are involved in this exploration: Vanessa Stephen Bell, Ethel Smyth, and the Pankhursts (Emmeline, Sylvia, and Cristobel). Other important figures who are relevant to Woolf's work are Sonia Delaunay, Lewis Carroll, and Edmund Spenser. Important concepts like the New Woman, the suffrage movement, feminism, and women's rights are vital to understanding Woolf's involvement with suffrage. This dissertation …

Performance Analysis Of A Binary-Tree-Based Algorithm For Computing Spatial Distance Histograms, Sadhana Sharma Luetel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The environment is made up of composition of small particles. Hence, particle simulation is an important tool in many scientific and engineering research fields to simulate the real life processes of the environment. Because of the enormous amount of data in such simulations, data management, storage and processing are very challenging tasks. Spatial Distance Histogram (SDH) is one of the most popular queries being used in this field. In this thesis, we are interested in investigating the performance of improvement of an existing algorithm for computing SDH. The algorithm already being used is using a conceptual data structure called density …

Hemocompatibility Assessment Of 3c-Sic For Cardiovascular Applications, Norelli Schettini

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The hemocompatibility of crystalline Silicon Carbide (SiC), in its cubic form (i.e., 3C-SiC), has been evaluated and compared to Silicon (Si), the leading material in biosensing applications. Silicon carbide (SiC) is a hard, chemically robust material, very well suited for harsh environment applications, and has been suggested to have very good biocompatibility. Additionally, SiC in its amorphous form, has been used as a coating for medical implantable devices such as bone prosthetics and cardiovascular stents. However, assessment of single crystal 3C-SiC for cardiovascular applications has not been reported. In this research we have studied the interactions of single crystal 3C-SiC …

Coffins, Closets, Kitchens, And Convents: Women Writing Of Home In Gendered Spaces, Nicole Spottke

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coffins, Closets, Kitchens, and Convents uses anthropologist Liz Kenyon's categories of home, Gaston Bachelard's theories on the importance of imagination and metaphor in home building, as well as literary criticism, sociology, and feminist theory to examine values of "home" in various literary works of the eighteenth and twentieth centuries. This dissertation's focus on the struggles within traditional home spheres highlights the female characters' need of a protected space. Yet these characters realize they must allow for connections with various individuals to bring about such a safe space. Through the creative act of writing, Mary Leapor's Mira in the poem, "Crumble …

Fireproofing The Lawn: Reclaimed Water And Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers In Tampa Bay, Ryan C. Davis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Reclaimed water has increased in popularity as a means to recycle water and thus decrease the amount of wasteful water use. This process is widely used in Tampa Bay for watering of lawns. This increase in popularity and use has raised questions as to what contaminants are in the reclaimed water.

The purpose of this study was to analyze reclaimed water for contaminants believed to be detrimental to health and conduct interviews to ascertain perceptions of risk in the local population. As water reuse grows in popularity further research will need to be conducted to address potential human health concerns. …

Running Toward The Apocalypse: John Updike’S New America, Bob Batchelor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation explores two critical points in understanding John Updike's recent career. First, I examine him from a perspective outside the heavily-studied Rabbit tetralogy. Focusing on Updike's novel Terrorist, I attempt to counter the misperception that he offers little beyond the chronicling of middle-class, suburban America. Instead, this work digs for a deeper understanding of Updike.

Next, I consider Updike's role as an artist, professional writer, and celebrity to draw out a sense of the writer's life in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Using him as a case study enables the analysis to include his changing role as a …

Investigation Of Residual And Thermal Stress On Membrane-Based Mems Devices, Lynford O. Davis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Thin films have become very important in the past years as there is a tremendous increase in the need for small-scale devices. Thin films are preferred because of their electrical, mechanical, chemical, and other unique properties. They are often used for coatings, and in the fabrication of Microelectronic devices and Micro-electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS). Internal (residual) stress always exists when a thin film is employed in the device design. Residual and thermal stresses cause membrane bow, altering the anticipated dynamic response of a membrane-based MEMS design. The device may even become inoperable under the high stresses conditions. As a result, …

Mercury Perception, Community Awareness And Sustainability Implications For The Tampa Bay Region, Florida, Trina Halfhide

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over one million acres of land and water in Florida has been classified as impaired by mercury. Approximately 80% of national fish advisories are issued due to mercury contamination. There have been a number of consumption advisories in the Tampa Bay Region for locally eaten fish such as largemouth bass (

Micropterus salmoides), bowfin (Amia calva), and alligator gar (Lepisosteus osseus). The main purpose of this study was to determine if there is adequate dissemination of mercury related risk information by government agencies to recreational and subsistence fishermen in the Tampa Bay Region. This research …

Pulsed Power And Load-Pull Measurements For Microwave Transistors, Sivalingam Somasundaram Meena

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A novel method is shown for fitting and/or validating electro-thermal models using pulsed I(V) measurements and pulsed I(V) simulations demonstrated using modifications of an available non-linear model for an LDMOS (Laterally Diffused Metal Oxide Semiconductor) device. After extracting the thermal time constant, good agreement is achieved between measured and simulated pulsed I(V) results under a wide range of different pulse conditions including DC, very short (<0.1%) duty cycles, and varied pulse widths between these extremes. A pulsed RF load-pull test bench was also assembled and demonstrated for a VDMOS (Vertically Diffused Metal Oxide Semiconductor) and an LDMOS power transistor. The basic technique should also be useful for GaAs and GaN transistors with suitable consideration for the complexity added by trapping mechanisms present in those types of transistors.

Handover Performance In The Mobile Wimax Netrworks, Yongxue Yu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mobile terminals allow users to access service while on the move. This unique feature has driven the rapid growth in the mobile network industry, changing it from a new technology into a massive industry in less than two decades.

In this thesis, an in-depth study of the handover effects of mobile WiMAX networks is carried out. The mobile WiMAX technology is first presented as literature study and then the technologies of handovers for previous generations are introduced in detail. Further, the hard handover of the mobile WiMAX is simulated by Network Simulator-2 (NS-2). In addition, the "ping-pang" effect of handover …

Environment, Channel, And Interference Awareness For Next Generation Wireless Networks, Serhan Yarkan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Wireless communication systems have evolved substantially over the last two decades. The explosive growth of the wireless communications market is expected to continue in the future, as the demand for all types of wireless services is increasing. Beside providing higher data rates, next generation wireless networks (NGWN) are expected to have advanced capabilities such as interoperability, efficient spectrum utilization along with a wide variety of applications over different domains (e.g., public safety and military, aeronautical networks, femtocells, and so on) to the mobile users while serving as many users as possible.

However, these advanced capabilities and services must …

Cultural Competence In Health Care: A Client-Based Perspective, Karon L. Phillips

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In response to the presence of health disparities among a diverse population of older adults, creating culturally competent health care services has emerged as a possible method to help reduce and eventually eliminate inequalities in health care. However, little information exists concerning the effectiveness of cultural competence, and even less is known about how culturally competent clients perceive their providers to be. This dissertation examined a number of indicators related to cultural competence, including the predictors of client-provider racial/ethnic concordance, client perceptions of the interpersonal sensitivity of their health care providers, and the overall satisfaction with care reported by older …

A Data Link Layer In Support Of Swarming Of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, Daladier Jabba Molinares

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Communication underwater is challenging because of the inherent characteristics of the media. First, common radio frequency (RF) signals utilized in wireless communications cannot be used under water. RF signals are attenuated in such as way that RF communication underwater is restricted to very few meters. As a result, acoustic-based communication is utilized for underwater communications; however, acoustic communication has its own limitations. For example, the speed of sound is five orders of magnitude lower than the speed of light, meaning that communications under water experience long propagation delays, even in short distances. Long propagation delays impose strong challenges in the …

Medicare Part D Program: Prescription Drug Plan Copayment Structure And Premium Sensitivity, Rui Dai

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since January 2006 Medicare beneficiaries have the option to purchase prescription drug benefits from Medicare under the Part D program. The addition of outpatient drugs to the Medicare programs reflects Congress’ recognition of the fundamental change in recent years in how medical care is delivered in the U.S. It recognizes the vital role of prescription drugs in the health care delivery system and the need to modernize Medicare to assure their availability to Medicare beneficiaries. The Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) created the Medicare drug benefit and specified a standard plan. The law also enables …

Evaluation Of A Self-Monitoring Program To Increase Treatment Integrity Of Behavior Intervention Plans, Lela E. Taylor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The growing number of school-aged children displaying challenging behavior has increased the need for effective interventions. School-based consultants (SBC) report using behavioral consultation to assist teachers in designing behavior intervention plans (BIP) that help students engage in appropriate behavior in the classroom. Research indicates that direct training methods increase teacher's implementation of the BIP. One commonly used direct training method, performance feedback (PF), is used to assess teachers' treatment integrity. Research also indicates that checklists (non-direct measures) are more cost efficient methods. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate a direct training method used to train teachers to self-monitor …

Portraits Of Online Teaching And Learning: The Experiences Of An Instructor And Six Graduate Students In A Course Entitled Educating Students With Autism, Sarah R. Semon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the last decade (1999-2009) Florida's Bureau of Exceptional Education Student Services, in partnership with Institutions of Higher Education created the Florida Virtual ESE program to develop and deliver online professional development courses. The state also provided tuition support for teachers to participate in online professional development coursework to earn credentials necessary to be considered Highly Qualified. Online course delivery is thought to be a cost-effective approach to the provision of professional development for in-service teachers. However, there is a need to examine what it takes to create meaningful online learning experiences that facilitate the goals and objectives particular to …

The Effects Of Professional Development Efforts On Educator Beliefs And Perceptions Of Competency Within A School-Based Response To Intervention Model, Joshua Nadeau

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify and understand relationships between educators' perceived skills, observed practices, and stated beliefs - as well as the impact of evidence-based professional development upon those relationships - during the first year of ongoing school-based implementation for Florida's Statewide Problem- Solving/Response to Intervention (PS/RtI) Project. The PS/RtI model is conceptualized as providing a data-based template to drive student service delivery decisions; as providing a tiered framework of assessment and evaluation to maximize efficiency of allocated school funds; and as defining the determination of eligibility for special education services to be based solely upon a …

Myth Management: The Nature Of The Hero In Callimachus’ Hecale And Catullus’ Poem 64, Oraleze D. Byars

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Two of the best known examples of the Hellenistic epyllion are the Hecale by Callimachus and poem 64 by Catullus. Both poems feature Theseus, a traditional hero whose mythology dates to Homer and Hesiod. Callimachus chose an episode from the Theseus tradition which highlighted his positive side, while Catullus picked a chapter from the mythic stores which put him in the worst possible light. This paper will examine the two poet's use of mythological material - how they suppressed, included and altered the earlier traditions - to make their very antithetical cases for Theseus. In addition to Theseus, I will …