Digital Commons Network^™

Wind And Water, David Versluis

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Why Would Christians Do Jewish Festivals?, Jacques B. Doukhan

Shabbat Shalom: A Journal for Jewish-Christian Reconciliation

No abstract provided.

Sabbath And Israelite Festivals, Roy E. Gane

Shabbat Shalom: A Journal for Jewish-Christian Reconciliation

No abstract provided.

Meta-Inquiry: An Approach To Interview Success, Nancy M. Carlson, Mark Mccaslin

The Qualitative Report

Developing an effective interview strategy presents unique challenges for the novice and master researcher for if the questions one asks are not crucial, then differences in responses are not crucial either (Creswell, 1998, p. 335). To focus qualitative research in the human ecology of the study, our strategy uses an initial interview protocol and preanalysis process, called meta-inquiry, prior to developing our formal interview protocol. Meta-inquiry of initial interview data, obtained in dialogue with key informants in the researched culture, provides us with an inductive tool to assess, modify, enhance, and focus the formal interview protocol. Thus, preparing for the …

Real Middle School Teachers, Rhoda C. Sommers

The Qualitative Report

Effective middle school teachers are more than the sum total of their educational beliefs and practices. They are whole persons whose lives reflect receptivity to growth, treasured relationships, and the intertwining of their personal and professional lives. This article uses the children’s classic, The Velveteen Rabbit, as a metaphor to describe effective middle school teachers.

Indicators Of Resiliency Among Urban Elementary School Students At-Risk, John L. Rausch, Cheryl R. Lovett, Christopher O. Walker

The Qualitative Report

This study was designed to investigate the phenomenon of resiliency among urban elementary school students in an at-risk environment. In contrast with previous studies narrowly focused upon the identification of risk factors, this study utilized a phenomenological qualitative approach to investigate indicators of resiliency from both individual and contextual perspectives. The narrative descriptions of 25 elementary school students in an at-risk environment were analyzed. The results indicated that the participants had strong individual and contextual resiliency indicators through the fifth grade despite being educated in a school district with almost a 60% drop-out rate before high school graduation.

Understanding Reliability And Validity In Qualitative Research, Nahid Golafshani

The Qualitative Report

The use of reliability and validity are common in quantitative research and now it is reconsidered in the qualitative research paradigm. Since reliability and validity are rooted in positivist perspective then they should be redefined for their use in a naturalistic approach. Like reliability and validity as used in quantitative research are providing springboard to examine what these two terms mean in the qualitative research paradigm, triangulation as used in quantitative research to test the reliability and validity can also illuminate some ways to test or maximize the validity and reliability of a qualitative study. Therefore, reliability, validity and triangulation, …

Memories In Context Via Cyber Reminiscing: The Case Of Marilyn Monroe, Kelvin Eng Yong Low

The Qualitative Report

This paper attempts to extend the various existing lieux de memoire available hitherto in the perpetuation and (re)construction of social memory by looking at the cyber landscape. Marilyn Monroe as an icon of American popular culture and thus of popular memory in this context, is explored, by looking at various select websites designed in commemoration of her stardom. Within this investigation, I also invoke the link between the production of social memory, with frames of remembrance and collective memory that therefore indicates memory as indubitably, a social phenomenon. The value of cyber reminiscing is also addressed briefly, by exploring how …

Joint Stories And Layered Tales: Support, Contradiction And Me Aning Construction In Focus Group Research, Agnieszka Kosny

The Qualitative Report

This paper uses focus group data about women’s work experiences gathered in five Canadian east coast communities to examine some of the strengths and weakness associated with focus group research. I explore the case made against the use of focus group methods and the basis for some of the critiques aimed at focus group research. By examining the evolving discussions between focus group members, it is possible to understand some of the benefits of group-talk, including the creation of a unique opportunity for interaction, joint meaning creation and contradiction.

Autoethnographic Verse: Nickys Boy: A Life In Two Worlds, Ronald J. Ricci

The Qualitative Report

This autoethnographic verse is about my childhood experience of two distinct and ethnically representative family cultures. Poetry and qualitative research share in their goals of providing meaning, density, aestheticism, and reflexivity They are also evocative I selected verse as a means to express my experience, and to invite the readers reflections on this experience for themselves and others.

Practice Approaches And The Ethnography Of Communication: Investigating For The Possibility Of A Mutually Beneficial Relationship, Keith Berry

The Qualitative Report

In this essay, I explore the areas of accord and discord between two efficacious modes of research: practice approaches and the Ethnography of Communication (EOC). As an interpersonal and intercultural scholar, I carefully analyze these approaches in order to find innovative ways to describe the diversity that I see in modern social interaction. Working against paradigms that suggest using either one approach or another, I engage this project hoping (expecting?) to find and/both alternatives for communication study. I argue that, in spite of their differences, practice and EOC traditions co-exist in a mutually beneficial relationship for the study of communication …

The Impact Of Devolution On Organizational Effectiveness: An Exploratory Case Study Of Faith-Based Child Care, Javier Stanziola, Tania Schmitz

The Qualitative Report

Although the foundations of President Bush’s faith-based initiative could be traced back at least to Colonial times, the re-packaging of this idea has raised concerns about the role of the federal government in the affairs of faith based organizations, the professionalization of social services, rent seeking, and the crowding out of private funding. This paper aims to examine the local implications of decentralizing the provision of social services in Lee County, Florida. More specifically, we will identify how devolution has affected the organizational effectiveness of faith-based organizations in the day care sector. For this paper, organizational effectiveness was defined in …

Doorway, Doormat, Or Doghouse? The Challenges Facing 4-H Youth Development Scholarship In Land-Grant Universities, Kirk A. Astroth

Journal of Extension

Beginning with establishment of a 4-H professional research and knowledge base in 1986, to the recent launch of an on-line master's degree in youth development by a consortium of land-grant universities, to the implementation of the U.S. Department of Labor's certificate in youth development, youth development has attained recognition as a discipline with an identified academic base. Land-grant universities should join the effort to enhance the scholarship of 4-H youth development professionals, not stifle it. The challenge is to identify appropriate standards and definitions of scholarship. This article presents some of the challenges facing 4-H youth development scholarship in land-grant …

Where Is Extension Scholarship Falling Short, And What Can We Do About It?, Theodore R. Alter

Journal of Extension

The author outlines six challenges to Extension or outreach scholarship that, in his opinion, reflect where current scholarship is falling short. He suggests three fundamental responses to these challenges: action, leadership, and graduate education reform.

Comprehensive Model For Sustaining Community Projects, Jan Carroll, Mary Gross, Robin Leist

Journal of Extension

Local sustainability is a goal from any community-based project's first day. A family literacy project team conceptualized a comprehensive model for sustainability that includes six strategies. The two community sites are documented as successful beyond the term of federal funding. They are housed, staffed, and funded for program delivery to clients. The site directors share their knowledge, experience, insights, results, and recommendations. The best results have come from community investment and grant writing. The biggest challenge has been local fundraising. Marketing, fee-for-service, and 501(c)(3) status have contributed positively.

Using Social Marketing To Plan A Nutrition Education Program Targeting Teens, Gwenn Snow, Jamie Benedict

Journal of Extension

Using focus group interviews, information was gathered from teens describing their perceptions about the benefits and barriers of consuming select nutrient-dense foods, such as dark-green leafy and deep-yellow vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy foods, and whole grains, and their preferences for learning about foods and nutrition. The article demonstrates how social marketing was used to gather, assess, and use descriptive information to plan a nutrition education program targeting teens. While the content was specific to nutrition education and teens, the concepts presented are appropriate for Extension Educators, and applicable to a broad range of health behaviors.

Practitioners Put Research Into Practice Strengthening Community-Based Pregnant And Parenting Teen Programs, Elizabeth J. Gong, Marilyn J. Johns, Fe Moncloa

Journal of Extension

The United States teen birth rate remains the highest of any industrialized nation. Although nationally the rate is declining, the problem remains complex and significant. Cooperative Extension staff in three San Francisco, California Bay Area counties partnered with six community-based teen pregnancy program site practitioners to adopt a new best practice to improve their programs. This article reports on the process, the implementation, and outcomes for both pregnant and parenting teen participants and programs. Male involvement, family involvement, and youth development/participation in sports and exercise were the best practices chosen for implementation.

Factors Affecting Food Choices Of Men In Production Agriculture In Kansas, Tandy S. Rundus, Betsy Barrett

Journal of Extension

With 86% of American farms individually or family operated, farmers' health becomes imperative to sustaining profitability. This research collected data on food choices of farmers in Kansas to determine potential gaps in nutrition knowledge that could be addressed by Cooperative Extension programs. Participants (N=147) attended nine K-State Research and Extension Agricultural Profitability Conferences in November 2001, completing the Block Brief Questionnaire and eating behavior and demographic questions. Results indicated subjects were overweight and food choices did not meet dietary guidelines. Cooperative Extension should capitalize on its extensive history with this population to provide one-on-one nutrition education materials targeting producer diets.

County Agent Views About Facilitating Public Education And Discussion Of Genetic Engineering Use In Agriculture, J Lynne Brown, Nancy Ellen Kiernan, Elaine S. Smith, Luanne Hughes

Journal of Extension

We conducted seven focus groups with Extension agents from three northeast states in Spring 2000 to learn what agents knew about genetic engineering (GE) applications in agriculture, their view of Extension's role in public discussion and education, and the training needed to assume such a role. While participating agents together knew a fair amount about their target audiences' perceptions of GE, they felt unprepared to deal with the challenges of public issues education in light of the current public debate, the publics' low science literacy, and their own science background. Their expressed training needs reflected these challenges.

Shifting The Focus Of 4-H Record-Keeping From Competition And Subject Matter To Youth Development And Life Skills, Keith G. Diem, Annette Devitt

Journal of Extension

Youth can gain a lot of valuable knowledge and skills in 4-H, especially through 4-H clubs and long-term projects. But they typically don't recognize what they learn while participating. Record-keeping can help them realize more of the value of their involvement in clubs, camps, projects, and other educational activities. And record-keeping can also help Extension staff document the impact of their 4-H programs. A new format for record-keeping developed in New Jersey incorporates key elements deemed needed in a contemporary 4-H record book, including goal setting and reporting of life skills and S.C.A.N.S. workforce competencies.

Assessing The Cultural Dimensions Of The Los Niños Bien Educados Parenting Program, Henry J. Ortiz, Scott W. Plunkett

Journal of Extension

A focus group evaluation was conducted on the Los Niños Bien Educados parenting course to investigate how a cultural frame of reference used in parenting classes for Latinos affects the experiences of the parents who attend them. The findings suggested that a cultural frame of reference in parenting courses for Latinos results in increased motivation to continue attending the classes, stronger connection to the course and information, improved parent-child relationships, improvement in cultural adjustment to the U.S., and improved learning of parenting skills.

Reaching The Hispanic "Green Industry" Workforce: Experiences And Practical Tools For Extension Professionals, Alfredo D. Martinez-Espinoza, Marco Fonseca, Willie Chance

Journal of Extension

There are approximately 500,000 Hispanics living in Georgia. The Green Industry (turfgrass, ornamentals, and landscape sectors) is one of the fastest growing industries in the state. Close to 90% of all Georgia Green Industry companies employ Hispanics as their primary labor force. Language and cultural barriers hamper productivity, efficiency, and safety in the industry. The need to develop training programs in Spanish is widely recognized. We present relevant information and tools to take into consideration when implementing training programs for the green industry's Hispanic workforce.

A Study To Identify The Factors That Inhibit High School Principals And Teachers From Pursuing Bachelor's And Master's Degrees In Busia District In Kenya., Samuel Okwako Obaki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to examine the factors that inhibited principals and teachers from pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Busia District in Kenya. Up to the mid-1990s, teachers of all professional grades studied for National Examinations as private candidates. Those who met university admission requirements were admitted and the Teachers Service Commission granted each of them a study leave with 80% of his or her salary. Some of those who met university admission requirements were admitted to foreign universities, and the Ministry of Education either granted them study leave with or without salary. On passing their examinations or completion of …

Parent-Child Interaction: Development Of Measure For A Naturalistic Setting., Valarie N. Holzwarth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parent-child interaction could arguably be the most important factor in child development, including academic achievement, behavior, and personality. This study suggests that the quantity of parent-child interaction is just as important as quality, and we test the reliability and validity of our instrument developed to quantitatively measure parent-child interaction in the home under realistic conditions. Twenty-eight children’s parents participated in the study over four days. Eight families had two research observers complete the instrument simultaneously with them, and reliability measures were taken between parents (74%), parent and one research-observers (78%), and two research observers (97%). Validity measures yielded scores of …

Host-Pathogen Interactions In A Segregating Population Of Bc2f2 Hybrid Castanea Dentata And Other Chesnut Hybirds After Exposure To Hypovirus-Containing And Hypvirus-Free Strains Of Cryphonectria Parasitica, Stephen Henry Alexander

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

An F2 population of second backcross interspecific hybrid chestnut trees (BC2F2) and the progeny of the Chattanooga Chestnut Tree Project (CCTP) breeding program were exposed to three isogenic strains of Cryphonectria parasitica. Strain Ep155 (virus-free) was used to screen the 4- 7 year old chestnut trees for resistance to chestnut blight disease. Two virus-containing, hypovirulent strains, Ep155(CHV1-Euro7) and Ep155(CHV1-Ep713), were used to investigate interactions of host disease resistance and expression ofhypovirulence. The BC2F2 population varied from highly susceptible to highly resistant, as measured by Ep155 (virus-free) canker length at 95 days. Disease resistance in the CCTP population varied from highly …

The Relativity Of Reliability, Edward J. Imwinkelried

Seton Hall Law Review

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents - Vol. 34, No. 1 2003

Seton Hall Law Review

No abstract provided.

What Is Your Diagnosis?, Pranee Tuntivanich

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

No abstract provided.

Differences Seen In The Pelvic Bone Parameters Of Male And Female Dogs, Kriengyot Sajjarengpong, Adisorn Adirekthaworn, Kongkiat Srisuwattanasagul, Sayamon Sukjumlong, Damri Darawiroj

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

The aim of this study was to measure some of the variable parameters of canine pelvic bones and to make a comparision between the sexes. Eighteen variable measurements of pelvic bones from 34 adult dogs (18 female and 16 male) were studied. The results showed that the variable parameters of pelvic bones in the male dogs were higher than those found in females except for four variables which were the conjugate diameter (C), the length of the pubis (LP), the distance between the iliac crests at their most lateral points (IC) and the shortest distance from the middle of the …

Inadequate Physician Knowledge Of The Effects Of Diet On Blood Lipids And Lipoproteins., Mary M. Flynn, Chris N. Sciamanna, Kevin C. Vigilante

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND:To assess the nutrition knowledge of physicians on the basic effects of diet on blood lipids and lipoproteins.

METHODS:Anonymous mailed dietary knowledge surveys to 6000 randomly selected physicians in the United States licensed in either Internal Medicine or Cardiology.RESULTS:Response rate: 16% (n = 639). Half of the physicians did not know that canola oil and 26% did not know olive oil were good sources of monounsaturated fat. Ninety-three percent (84% of cardiologists vs. 96% of internists; p < 0.001) did not know that a low-fat diet, in general, would increase blood triglycerides. Approximately three-quarters (70% of cardiologists vs. 77% of internists; p < 0.01) did not know a low-fat diet would decrease HDL-c and almost half (45%) thought that a low-fat diet would not change HDL-c.

CONCLUSIONS:If physicians are to implement dietary and cholesterol management guidelines, they will likely need to become more knowledgeable about nutrition.