Digital Commons Network^™

Parent Involvement: Differences Between African Americans And European Americans In One Florida School District, Michelle Darter-Lagos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to (a) analyze perceptions of parent involvement across raters (i.e., seventh grade students versus their parents) and across ethnicity (i.e., African American versus European American), and (b) examine how perceptions of parent involvement are related to academic achievement. A subsample of archival survey data collected in one central Florida school district was analyzed for the current study. Findings revealed a positive but weak relationship between students' and parents' perceptions of parent involvement regardless of ethnicity. Significant differences were found in the perceived levels of involvement by ethnicity, even when controlling for SES. In …

The Impacts Of The Handoffs On Software Development: A Cost Estimation Model, Michael Jay Douglas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Effective software cost estimation is one of the most challenging and important activities in software development. The software industry does not estimate projects well. Poor estimation leads to poor project planning with resulting schedule overruns, inadequate staffing, low system quality, and many aborted projects. Research on software estimation is needed to build more accurate models of the key aspects of software development. The goals of research in this dissertation are to investigate and improve the modeling of team size and project structures in current software estimation methods.Mathematical models for estimating the impacts of project team size and three variations of …

Vibration Level Characterization From A Needle Gun Used On U.S. Naval Vessels, Scott E. Dunn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

United States (U.S.) Navy sailors are exposed to a very large number of hazards, both chemical and physical. Occupational vibration from pneumatic air tools is one of the potential exposure hazards. There are very limited data as to the exposures to one type of tool, a needle gun or needle scaler, used by the sailors.The purpose of this study was to characterize the vibration levels generated by a needle gun used in the U.S. Navy. The design of the study evaluated the difference pressure had on the acceleration levels generated from the needle scaler. Five subjects were used in the …

Monitoring And Modeling Water Quality At The C.W. Young Regional Reservoir, Daniel Robert Dye

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work explores the relationship between nutrient loading and changes in water quality in a sub-tropical, above-ground, off-stream municipal water supply reservoir, the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir. The three source waters for the reservoir have varied but high levels of nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen. In other reservoirs, these nutrients have been linked to deterioration of water quality and increased expense in water treatment. The need to minimize excess nutrients results led to the primary research question: what allocation of withdrawals from the three sources will minimize the deterioration of water quality? To answer this question, the relationship …

Teachers’ Literacy Beliefs And Their Students’ Conceptions About Reading And Writing, Mildred Falcã³N-Huertas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This investigation examined first-grade teachers' literacy beliefs and practices and its relationship with their students' conceptions about reading and writing. For the first part of the study a sample of 76 first-grade teachers, from two school districts in Puerto Rico, completed the Literacy Orientation Survey (LOS). The combined score of the LOS was calculated and used to categorize teachers according to their literacy beliefs and practices as constructivist, eclectic, or traditional. After matching by years of experience and educational level, a stratified random sample of six teachers, two from each literacy viewpoint (traditional, eclectic, and constructivist), and 48 first-grade students …

Nurse Exposure To Waste Anesthetic Gases In A Post Anesthesia Care Unit, Larry A. Flack

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It has been estimated that over 200,000 healthcare professionals may be exposed to waste anesthetic gases and are at risk of occupational injury. In 1977, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) issued the publication: Criteria for a Recommended Standard....Occupational Exposure to Waste Anesthetic Gases and Vapors. This publication was based primarily on scientific evidence from human and animal studies suggesting that chronic exposures to anesthetic gases increases the risk of both spontaneous abortion and congenital abnormalities in offspring among female workers and wives of male workers exposed to waste anesthetic gases. In this recommended standard, NIOSH defines …

Powerful Submission: Popular Texts And The Subjectivity Of Christian Right Women, Ellen L. Flournoy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Christian Right exerts considerable influence over female identity, especially through its members who have emerged as one of the most powerful voting blocks in the nation---the Christian Right woman. American Christian women, especially those considered to be on the political fringes, are virtually ignored in academic endeavors. Given their power, which defies their categorization as a "fringe" group, this academic silence is a gross oversight, especially in light of the rise of the Christian Right, which has successfully recruited millions of women to its service. This dissertation analyzes texts of Christian popular culture that contribute to the construction of …

Chemical Investigation Of Two Antarctic Invertebrates, Synoicum Adareanum (Chordata: Ascidiaceae: Enterogona:Polyclinidae) And AustrodorisKergulenensis (Molusca: Gastropoda:Nudibranchia: Dorididae), Thushara Kelum Kaviraj Diyabalanage

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Synoicum adareanum is a colonial tunicate commonly found on the benthos around Palmer Station on Anvers Island, Antarctica. A comprehensive chemical investigation of the lipophilic extract of the frozen tunicates gave a new series of polyketide macrolides, palmerolides A-E and H. The structure elucidation of these compounds was accomplished by extensive NMR and mass spectral studies.The palmerolides are unusual 20-membered macrolides displaying functionality more commonly found in sponges or cyanobacteria. Palmerolide A, the major member of the group, shows significant and selective in vitro cytotoxicity against melanoma with three orders of greater sensitivity relative to other cell lines tested, in …

An Attributional Analysis Of Counterproductive Work Behavior (Cwb) In Response To Occupational Stress, Angeline Goh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of hostile attribution style (HAS) on the processes linking job stressors and CWB. Self and peer data were collected via online questionnaires from employed participants recruited from undergraduate classes and non-student employees. Using data from 147 dyads of employees and coworkers, the effects of HAS on three areas were examined: the influence of HAS on the appraisal of psychosocial (incivility, interactional justice, and interpersonal conflict) and nonsocial (organizational constraints and workload) stressors; HAS as a moderator of the link between stressors and CWB; and HAS as mediator of the link …

An Instrumental Case Study Of The Phenomenon Of Collaboration In The Process Of Improving Community College Developmental Reading And Writing Instruction, Patricia C. Gordin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Focusing upon the intersections between community college faculty and assessment professionals (e.g., institutional researchers) in improving student learning outcomes, the purpose of this study was to describe, analyze, and interpret the experiences of these professionals as they planned for and conducted student learning outcomes assessment in developmental reading, writing, and study skills courses. This instrumental case study at one particular community college in Florida investigated the roles played by these individuals within the larger college effort to develop a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), an essential component of a regional accreditation review. The methodology included individual interviews, a focus group interview, …

An Investigation Of The Effects Of Perceived Feedback Accuracy On Performance, Ashley A. Gray

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study built upon the theoretical feedback process of Ilgen, Fisher and Taylor (1979), as refined by Kinicki, Prussia, Wu, & Mckee-Ryan (2004), to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanism underlying an individual's response to performance feedback. The feedback model implicates source credibility and the feedback-rich environment as critical elements in the process explaining recipient accuracy perceptions and responses. Thus the sign and perceived accuracy of performance feedback were investigated in a 3 x 3 (plus control) experimental design. One hundred fifty-six undergraduate students were randomly assigned to feedback conditions, in which they performed on a three-trial …

Calling All Learners: An Explanatory Integrative Research Study Of Efl Learner-Learner Corrective Feedback Patterns Within On-Line Synchronous Environments, Annmarie Gorenc Zoran

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods research study centers on learner-learner interactions; thus, contributing to the on-going investigation within negotiation and interaction, computer-mediated-communication and its role in second language learning. The specific aim was to investigate corrective feedback types, incidences, and the relationship between error and feedback type among peers within online synchronous environments in EFL classes in Slovenia, Europe. Interactional characteristics of corrective feedback with learners having a documented special need (SN) also were explored using qualitative analyses. The study encompassed 208 students that were randomly placed into 104 dyads within intact classes of Grades 7, 8, 10, and 11. There were …

Ferrite-Ferroelectric Thin Films With Tunable Electrical And Magnetic Properties, Ranko Heindl

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A growing need for developing new multi-functional materials operating at microwave frequencies is demanding a better understanding of ferroelectric and ferrimagnetic materials and their combinations. Some of these materials exhibit tunable physical properties, giving an extra degree of freedom in the device design. New multifunctional ferroelectric and ferrimagnetic thin film structures are investigated in this dissertation research, in which dielectric and magnetic properties can separately be tuned over a certain frequency range. The materials of choice, Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 (BST) and BaFe12O19 (BaM), both well studied and used in many microwave applications, were prepared using rf magnetron sputtering and pulsed laser ablation. …

Brain-Compatible Research: Using Brain-Based Techniques To Positively Impact Student Learning, Laurie A. Herson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses brain-based methodology and how educators can use brain-based techniques to impact, support, and advance cognitive growth. Current research on learning and memory is enabling educators to better understand how the brain learns and what environmental factors assist in or detract from student learning. Brain-based learning techniques are considered by brain-based researchers as one way to create a learning environment that fosters student learning at individual academic levels while concurrently challenging each student and promoting academic growth. Teachers can further student academic advancement through the direct manipulation of the classroom environment rather than by purchasing a particular program …

Confronting College: Foster Care Youth Deciding Whether To Participate In Higher Education Programs, Linda K. Herlocker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study's purpose was to explore the college choice process for foster care youth who are aging out of Florida's protective services system. The research methodology included three components. First, a survey of the Independent Living Coordinators throughout the state of Florida solicited data regarding participation rates and enrollment patterns among foster care youth. Next, in a meeting setting, a survey was administered to foster care youth, probing the extent to which they considered certain college choice decision factors. Finally, upon completion of the survey, participants remained for a guided focus group discussion to further explore their decision criteria.The results …

The Influence Of The “Book Of Job” On The Middle English Morality Plays, Cameron Hunt-Logan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Book of Job was extremely popular in the Middle Ages, especially in England, because of its role in liturgy as well as lay religious devotion. I argue that the Book of Job was heavily influential in the writing of the medieval morality plays Castle of Perseverance, Mankind, Wisdom, and Everyman. In the plays, the dramatists mirrored many of Job's structural and artistic elements, creating direct parallels between the Biblical text and the morality plays. The authors also relied on Job's ideological framework to establish their own arguments, forming not only a textual but ideological linkage. Yet the most intriguing …

Effects Of A-Beta Immunotherapy And Omega-3 Fatty Acid Administration In Alzheimer’S Transgenic Mice, Maren T. Jensen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Major therapeutics against Alzheimer's disease (AD) are targeted towards reducing beta-amyloid in the brain and improving cognitive performance. Transgenic mouse models of AD have become critical in the development of such therapeutics to protect against or treat AD. This dissertation examined the potential protective effects of both active A-beta immunotherapy and dietary omega-3 fatty acid administration to AD transgenic mice. First, immunization with A-beta 1-42 from 2-16 1/2 months of age provided protection against cognitive impairment in APP/PS1 transgenic mice well into older age. At both adult (4 1/2-6 month) and aged (15-16 1/2 month) test points, an extensive 6-week …

Measuring Culture: The Development Of A Multidimensional Culture Scale, Haitham A. Khoury

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fundamental to the debate of culture and its impact is the identification of the dimensions that comprise it. The impact of culture as an explanatory variable can be found in various social, scientific, and economic arenas, such as social perception, economic development, and the organization of industries and companies. By identifying and measuring these dimensions, researchers can then organize cultures empirically and develop complex descriptions of various cultures. The study aimed to test the structure of the dimensions proposed by Ho and Chiu (1994) by means of scale development. Test-item writers involved psychology graduate students of various nationalities with the …

Part-Time Faculty Job Satisfaction: A Study Of The Influence Of Instructional Technology On Part-Time Faculty In Post-Secondary Institutions, John P. Kurnik

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 1990, two-year colleges nationwide reported that approximately 38% of their faculty were part-time. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics' (NCES) 1999 National Study of Post-Secondary Faculty (NSOPF), this percentage continues to rise, and currently exists at 40% or more in some two-year and four-year institutions. To retain competent, qualified, and successful teachers, it is critical for higher education administrators to determine factors that may contribute to part-time faculty's job satisfaction. This study investigated whether the use of instructional technology for curriculum delivery affected part-time faculty job satisfaction by investigating four specific areas that may be affected. The …

Three Science Teacher Educators With Elementary Teaching Experience: What Do We Bring To Science Teacher Education?, Cyndy S. Leard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research explored the common experiences, values, and beliefs of three science teacher educators with elementary teaching experience and how these commonalities influenced their thinking about teaching preservice elementary teachers. This qualitative study used a life story approach and included an autobiographical component. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and archival records. The findings were shared in eight chronologically ordered vignettes that portrayed an individual representing a composite of the participants. The participants shared numerous life experiences including: growing up in small towns, having older parents, being part of a two sibling family, having strong female role models, learning science …

Measuring Social Stressors In Organizations: The Development Of The Interpersonal Conflict In Organizations Scale (Icos), Valentina Bruk Lee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Interpersonal conflict in organizations has been recognized as a leading social stressor across occupations with detrimental effects on employee well-being and organizational outcomes. However, reliable and valid measures of conflict are scarce and even the most widely used scales are limited by weaknesses in construct definition. In order to address the need for an improved measurement tool, the 63-item Interpersonal Conflict in Organizations Scale (ICOS) was developed. The ICOS was based on a comprehensive conceptualization of conflict that defines the construct on the basis of three definitional components: disagreement, interference, and negative emotion (Barki & Hartwick, 2004). In addition, the …

The Signature Poetics Of Sharon Olds And John Cage, Walter E. Lewallen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation studies and applies the signature theory of Jacques Derrida to two American poets, Sharon Olds and John Cage. I begin by looking at the two texts by Derrida that most closely apply signature theory to poetics: Glas and Signsponge. Along the way, I narrow the scope of Derrida's writing somewhat by focusing on psychoanalytic aspects that relate to Jacques Lacan's ideas and to the concept of the superego. From this work I isolate some protocols for reading, which are then used to study Olds and Cage, two poets who have clearly developed their own signature styles. Here are …

An Evaluation Of A Pedagogical Reform Designed For College Chemistry Teaching With Large Classes, Scott Edwin Lewis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work presents an evaluation of a reform teaching practice, known as peer-led guided inquiry, that combines guided inquiry and cooperative learning for college chemistry teaching. Integral to implementing the reform in a large class (greater than 100 students) was the role of peer leaders, undergraduate students who have successfully completed the target course. These peer leaders facilitated cooperative learning groups during weekly guided inquiry activities in general chemistry. The evaluation, using data collected over a 3-year period, had two main foci: effective teaching and promotion of equity in the classroom. Both of these aims were evaluated using hierarchical linear …

Saharan Dust And Phosphatic Fidelity: A Three Dimensional Biogeochemical Model Of Trichodesmium On The West Florida Shelf, Jason M. Lenes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The availability of iron within the surface waters of the broad, oligotrophic West Florida shelf (WFS) controls periodic blooms of the pelagic marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium. Summer delivery of iron (Fe), in the form of Saharan dust, alleviates this growth constraint, shifting limitation to the efficiency of phosphorus (P) cycles. Florida's rivers drain Miocene phosphorus deposits to supply the WFS with freshwater nutrient supplies at molar dissolved inorganic nitrogen/phosphate (DIN/PO4) ratios of less than 6. These diazotrophs draw upon ubiquitous stocks of dissolved nitrogen gas, once stimulated by Fe-deposition within P-replete waters of the West Florida shelf. An extensive in situ …

Future Foreign Language Teachers' Social And Cognitive Collaboration In An Online Environment, Nike Arnold, Lara Ducate

Applied Linguistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Discussion boards provide an interactive venue where new and future language teachers can reflect, evaluate, solve problems or simply exchange ideas (e.g., Bonk, Hansen, Grabner-Hagen, Lazar, & Mirabelli, 1996; DeWert, Babinski, & Jones, 2003; Kumari, 2001; Pawan, Paulus, Yalcin, & Chang, 2003). In addition, encouraging future teachers to learn with technology before teaching with it allows them to become comfortable using various computer applications.

This article examines transcripts from a semester-long asynchronous discussion between foreign language methodology classes at two different universities. Social and cognitive presence in the discussions was analyzed using Garrison, Anderson, and Archer's Framework of a Community …

Breathing Easier: Ethnographic Study Of Acute Respiratory Infection In Children In Rural Ecuador, John S. Luque

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation research utilizes anthropological methods to determine the degree to which the signs and symptoms female caregivers identify as causes of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in under-fives in rural Ecuador correspond with Western biomedical categories. By employing both a semi-structured medical history questionnaire and more open-ended ethnographic methods such as in-depth informant interviews and focus group research, the researcher identifies the factors which determine timely health care-seeking behaviors of female caregivers in this case study. Economic factors such as the cost of medications and lost work hours were determined to be the primary financial obstacles for timely health care-seeking. …

The Role Of The Home Literacy Environment In The Development Of Early Literacy Skills And School Readiness In Kindergarten Children From Low Socioeconomic And Minority Families, Nicole R. Martin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated the relationship between two predictor variables and children's Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy Initial Sound Fluency (ISF) and Letter Naming Fluency (LNF) scores, as well as Early Screening Inventory-Kindergarten (ESI-K) scores. The two predictor variables were 1) parents' perception of their home literacy environment, and 2) parental beliefs about the importance of literacy (race had to be dropped out of the study due to the limited amount of participants per race variable). The participants were 68 kindergarten students and their parents from two schools in a school district in West Central Florida. Results showed that the …

Moderating Effect Of Negative Affectivity On The Job Satisfaction-Turnover Intentions And Justice-Turnover Intentions Relationships, Joseph J. Mazzola

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although many people experiences dissatisfaction with their jobs at some time or another, not all of them quit their jobs because of it. Why do some employees simply continue to work in an unsatisfying environment? In this study, it is hypothesized that part of the reason is based on the individual's personality, specifically their scores on positive and negative affectivity. Results showed that neither NA nor PA moderated the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intentions/job search, contrary to previous literature. This study suggests that the moderation effect of personality on this relationship, either does not exist or is more …

The Ethics Of The Spirit In Galatians: Considering Paul’S Paranesis In The Interpretation Of His Theology, Steven Douglas Meigs

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The faith versus works dichotomy that has been a foundation of Protestant Christianity for centuries is derived in large part from a flawed understanding of Paul's theology in the epistles to the Galatians and Romans. In the wake of WWII, scholars began reexamining Pauline theological constructs and proposing new ways of understanding Paul's arguments regarding faith and works. James D. G. Dunn dubbed this dialogue the "new perspective." This paper will contribute to one particular aspect of new perspective dialogue: understanding the relation of the paranetic material in the final two chapters of Galatians to Paul's theological arguments in the …

Pediatric Healthcare Providers’ Screening Practices: Impact Of Training On Early Identification Of Autism, Aja M. Meyer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the effectiveness of the Autism System of Care (ASC) trainings by measuring change in pediatric healthcare providers' method of identifying young children at-risk for autism spectrum disorders. The majority of participants were pediatricians working in either hospitals or clinics who voluntarily participated in the training. A pretest-posttest nonequivalent-groups design was used in this study. Pre- and post-test questionnaires were used to measure change in participants' screening practices. Due to a small number of participants, most findings from the study were not statistically significant. The small number of healthcare providers who participated in the ASC training was a …