Digital Commons Network^™

Training Wayfinding: Natural Movement In Mixed Reality, Ruthann Savage

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Army needs a distributed training environment that can be accessed whenever and wherever required for training and mission rehearsal. This paper describes an exploratory experiment designed to investigate the effectiveness of a prototype of such a system in training a navigation task. A wearable computer, acoustic tracking system, and see-through head mounted display (HMD) were used to wirelessly track users' head position and orientation while presenting a graphic representation of their virtual surroundings, through which the user walked using natural movement. As previous studies have shown that virtual environments can be used to train navigation, the ability to add …

A Study Of Southwest Florida High School Reading Teachers And The Implmentation Of Scientifically Based Reading Research Instruction, Virginia Harper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The literacy mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) swiftly and directly have an impact on reading teachers. The literacy directives of the act constitute a paradigm shift in reading reform, especially at the secondary level. Literacy directives require state and district level administrator's to focus on secondary reading teacher pre and in service training. Effecive secondary reading teachers must be well versed in the foundation sof Scientifically Based Reading Research. Florida is among the first states to implement six comptencies of professional development that leads to endorsement in the teaching of reading. Florida teachers of secondary reading …

Investigating The Mechanisms That Drive Implicit Coordination In Teams, Raegan Hoeft

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to empirically test the oft-noted hypothesis that shared mental models lead to implicit coordination. Specifically, this dissertation investigated the underlying mechanisms of implicit coordination and how different aspects of shared mental models affect the process. The research questions tested in this study were (a)how perceptions of sharedness affect the initiation of implicit coordination, (b) how actual levels of sharedness affect the process of implicit coordination, and (c) how quality of task mental models affects successful implicit coordination. Sixty same-gender, two-person teams engaged in a complex military reconnaissance planning task in which the team members …

Immediate Versus Delayed Feedback In Simulation Based Training: Matching Feedback Delivery Timing To The Cognitive Demands Of Th, Amy Bolton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Optimal delivery of instruction is both critical and challenging in dynamic, scenario-based training (SBT) computer simulations such as those used by the military. Tasks that human instructors must perform during these sorts of simulated training exercises can impose a heavy burden on them. Partially due to advances in the state-of-the-art in training technology and partially due to the military's desire to reduce the number of personnel required, it may be possible to support functions that overburdened instructors perform by automating much of the SBT process in a computer simulation. Unfortunately though, after more than 50 years of literature documenting research …

Initial Testing Of The Continuous Employee Development Model: Outcome Expectations And Work-Related Implicit Theory, Christina Garofano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding and promoting lifelong learning in employees is important for employees' future marketability (Robinson & Rousseau, 1994) and for creating learning organizations (Senge, 1990). To further this understanding, components of a model of the motivation to engage in continuous employee development (Garofano & Salas, 2005) were tested. New scales were created for work-related implicit theory and outcome expectations and the validity of these scales and these variables in the model were investigated. Alternate models were also contrasted with the Garofano and Salas model (2005). The study used self-report surveys administered to staff and faculty recruited from training classes in higher …

The Effect Of Different Presentation Formats Of Hypertext Annotations On Cognitive Load, Learning And Learner Control, Yuanming Yao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation study was intended to verify whether the positive effects of the roll-over annotation presentation format on reducing cognitive load and enhancing vocabulary and comprehension of 5th-grade children (Morrison, 2004) can be extended to college students' learning from a web-delivered text. In order to answer this research question, relevant constructs, such as cognitive load, learner control and learning, have been examined in this experimental study of 149 undergraduate students in a state university at College of Education. No single effect of annotation presentation format on cognitive load was found, but an interaction effect on cognitive load was revealed between …

Teacher Retention In Brevard County, Florida K-12 Schools, Kenneth Winn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive study was designed to determine the extent to which selected self-reported practical and professional factors of teaching influenced teacher job satisfaction and retention within the K-12 public education system. The population of the study was 1321 certified teachers from a large Central Florida school district. The researcher developed the survey instrument based on the constructs of teaching known for motivating teachers to remain within the public school setting (Brunetti, 2001; Farkas, Johnson, & Folena, 2005). The researcher's survey was based on the studies of Perie (1997), Brunetti (2001), and Gary (2002). The researcher personally distributed 1321 surveys, respondent …

An Investigation Of Altruism And Personality Variables Amongbeginning Counseling Students, Laura Schmuldt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Altruism is loosely defined as a desire to help others as well as acts and behaviors towards that end, particularly when no expectation of personal gain or reward exists (Batson, Fultz, Schoenrade & Paduano, 1987). It seems likely that individuals who choose to pursue acareer in counseling might be doing so out of some altruistic interest; in other words a desire to come to the aid of others in distress. It has been noted as well that some individuals may enter the counseling profession based more on self-interest; for example, as "wounded healers" hoping to work on personal issues (Wheeler, …

Relationship Violence Among College Students: The Predictive Power Of Sociodemographic Characteristicsand Domestic Violence Beli, Erin Nabors

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines relationship violence among college students, focusing on the predictive roles of their sociodemographic characteristics and domestic violence beliefs. College students experience an extremely high level of abuse among intimate partners, with prevalence rates ranging between 20 and 50%. Since relationship violence among college students is such a widespread problem, it is important to understand what lies at the foundation of this type of abuse. Findings from previous studies demonstrate correlations between sociodemographic characteristics and perpetration of relationship violence as well as correlations between beliefs supportive of abuse among intimate partners and perpetration of relationship violence. However, research …

A Comparison Of Ordinary Least Squares, Weighted Least Squares, And Other Procedures When Testing For The Equality Of Regression, Patrick J. Rosopa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When testing for the equality of regression slopes based on ordinary least squares (OLS) estimation, extant research has shown that the standard F performs poorly when the critical assumption of homoscedasticity is violated, resulting in increased Type I error rates and reduced statistical power (Box, 1954; DeShon & Alexander, 1996; Wilcox, 1997). Overton (2001) recommended weighted least squares estimation, demonstrating that it outperformed OLS and performed comparably to various statistical approximations. However, Overton's method was limited to two groups. In this study, a generalization of Overton's method is described. Then, using a Monte Carlo simulation, its performance was compared to …

The Analysis Of The Relationship Between Learning Styles And The Learners' Knowledge Acquisition And Reactions Through The Online Case Study, Rui Zeng

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between learning styles and student performance on a pre and post test, using an online case study, while also documenting their reactions to the case study. The case studies used in this research contained different storylines that showed multiple perspectives of case scenarios, giving students more choices to see what may happen in real school situations. Working with undergraduate students (N = 138) from the College of Education at a southeastern university, the researcher examined how students learned and responded to an online case study relative to their learning styles. …

The Kiosk Culture: Reconciling The Performance Support Paradox In The Postmodern Age Of Machines, Thomas Cavanagh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Do you remember the first time you used an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM)? Or a pay-at-the-pump gas station? Or an airline e-ticket kiosk? How did you know what to do? Although you never received any formal instruction in how to interact with the self-service technology, you were likely able to accomplish your task (e.g., withdrawing or depositing money) as successfully as an experienced user. However, not so long ago, to accomplish that same task, you needed the direct mediation of a service professional who had been trained how to use the required complex technology. What has changed? In short, the …

The Construct Validity Of A Situational Judgment Test In A Maximum Performance Context, Kevin Stagl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A Predictor Response Process model (see Ployhart, 2006) and research findings were leveraged to formulate research questions about, and generate construct validity evidence for, a new situational judgment test (SJT) designed to measure declarative and strategic knowledge. The first question asked if SJT response instructions (i.e., 'Should Do', 'Would Do') moderated the validity of an SJT in a maximum performance context. The second question asked what the upper-bound criterion-related validity coefficient is for SJTs in talent selection contexts in which typical performance is the criterion of interest. The third question asked whether the SJT used in the present study was …

50+ Recent Young Adult Novels That Can Work In The Classroom, Diana Mitchell

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Science Education Through Engaging Visual Content, David Kavanagh

Theses

In recent years a decline in the number of Irish students choosing to study science, at second level and on into third level, has become potentially harmful to the desired creation of a science-based knowledge economy. A primary contributing factor towards this decline is a lack of interest in the subject within the classroom, as was established by The Task Force on the Physical Sciences in 2002.

The primary aim of this Masters research is to investigate the role of visualisation in making the study of science more accessible and engaging to students to counter this decline. To this end …

Are Nouns Easier To Learn Than Verbs? Three Experimental Studies, Jane B. Childers, Michael Tomasello

Psychology Faculty Research

A current controversy in the study of word learning is whether it is conceptually easier to learn nouns as compared to verbs early in development. This chapter describes three experiments which address the noun-verb question in different ways. In the first experiment, researchers asked how many times (and on how many days) does a 2-year-old need to hear a word to be able to learn it, and does this differ for nouns and verbs? This second study investigates whether — when nouns and verbs are presented in comparable sentence contexts, controlling the number of exposures, and presenting a dynamic event …

Personal And Political Bias In The Debate Over Federal Income Taxation Rates And Progressivity, Richard Kovach

Akron Law Faculty Publications

Recently, the Boston College Law Review published a symposium issue containing twelve articles on federal income taxation issues pertaining to rates, progressivity, and budget processes. These articles are well written, copiously researched, and representative of contemporary legal scholarship. For the most part, these articles variously support the idea that our federal taxation system is insufficiently progressive. Often this body of work attributes deleterious social effects to insufficient progressivity caused by tax cuts legislated in 2001 and 2003. Some of the symposium writing advocates for increased federal taxation on wealthy taxpayers without structural limitations beyond those that might be necessary to …

Front Matter

Intercultural Human Rights Law Review

Front Matter includes Masthead, advisors, and Table of Contents for the Intercultural Human Rights Law Review Volume 1 (2006).

Putting Lives Back Together: Women Helping Women The Italian Experience Of Women Religious, Eugenia Bonetti

Intercultural Human Rights Law Review

Remarks by Sister Eugenia Bonetti, Consolata Missionary Sister and Coordinator of the Counter-Trafficking Sector, USMI National (Unione Superiori Maggiori d'Italia), entitled by "Putting Lives Back Together: Women Helping Women the Italian Experience of Women Religious".

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act: A Work In Progress, Terry Coonan

Intercultural Human Rights Law Review

From the time when Congress passed and the President enacted the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 ("TVPA"), this innovative law has changed the contours of the U.S. legal landscape.I Given even more teeth by the subsequent passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003 ("TVPRA"), the law provides unprecedented tools for U.S. governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations ("NGOs") to combat trafficking in persons, both within the U.S. and abroad. While neither the law's format nor its implementation has been without problems, significant progress has been made since its enactment in countering trafficking and prosecuting traffickers. Such progress …

Invisible Chains: Psychological Coercion Of Human Trafficking Victims, Elizabeth Hopper, Jose Hidalgo

Intercultural Human Rights Law Review

The terror that grips a victim of abuse can be the same whether physical violence or psychological force is used. Rashi was a victim of modem-day slavery for over ten years. She was brought to the United States as a domestic servant and was forced to work from morning to night, was not paid, and was made to sleep on a mat on the floor. She was forced to beg for her meager portions of food and suffered from untreated tuberculosis because she was not allowed to seek medical care. Rashi had no contact with the outside world because her …

Human Security Or State Security - The Overriding Threat In Trafficking In Persons, Mohamed Y. Mattar

Intercultural Human Rights Law Review

Trafficking in persons is a violation of human rights that mainly affects women and children. For this reason, it should be recognized not only as a crime against the state but as a crime against the individual that poses a threat to human security. This paper will inquire into how national legal systems take into consideration the concept of human security in designing the appropriate legal response to trafficking in persons. This paper will focus on the following issues: personal security and safety versus human security; the methods that can be employed by legislation to protect the rights of a …

Motion Analysis Of A Back Handspring, Sarah Knoll, Jaclyn Minar, Melissa Moos

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the joint angles and segmental motion of gymnasts during a back handspring in a tumbling series. The difference in lower extremity motion of the individual gymnasts with different levels of experience was compared.

Subjects: 13 gymnasts were recruited by gymnastics coaches at Red River Valley Gymnastics. Only subjects with qualifications of being competitive in USA Gymnastics program, varying in levels 5-10, were included. Subjects were required to be able to perform a tumbling series consisting of a round off, a back handspring, and a back tuck-salto on a floor exercise mat …

Effect Of Instruction On Emg Activity Of The Rectus Abdominis During A Crunch On A Swiss Exercise Ball, Tina J. Boyer, Suzanne S. Hammer, Tyler L. Jepson, Eric G. Thompson

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the benefit of instruction from a physical therapist in participant performance of an abdominal crunch on a Swiss ball, determined through electromyography (EMG) of the rectus abdominis.

Subjects: Our subjects included male (n=15) and female (n=15) college students between the ages of 18-50 years old. Exclusion criteria included a history of low back pain, prior spine surgery, pregnancy, previous formal instruction of crunches on a Swiss ball, and an allergic reaction to rubbing alcohol. Instrumentation: EMG biofeedback was used to test rectus abdominis muscle activity. This activity was transmitted by a …

Vol. 31, No. 5: Holiday 2006, School Of Medicine & Health Sciences

North Dakota Medicine Archive

No abstract provided.

Caring For Your Lymphedema: A Guide To Everyday Action, Beryl J. Olson

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The purpose of this scholarly project is to present a workbook that assists patients with lymphedema and their therapists to develop a home management program that can successfully be integrated into the patient's daily occupations. The workbook utilizes the principles of the Occupational Adaptation theoretical frame of reference to guide the patient through the steps of making an adaptive response to the occupational challenge of lymphedema management. A review of the literature describes the physical aspects, psychosocial aspects, and the lived experience of the person with lymphedema. The literature review also indicates that currently the preferred method of treatment for …

Graduate Catalog 2006-2007, University Of North Florida

UNF Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Undergraduate Catalog 2006-2007, University Of North Florida

UNF Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

The Making Of The Mini-Documentary: "Pockets", Tricia Opstad

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Opstad, Tricia, M.A., Autumn 2006 Fine Arts, Integrated Arts and Education The Making of a Mini-Documentary: “Pockets”, the Concept, Artistic Process and Personal Reflection Chairperson: Karen Kaufmann In the making of my first movie, titled “Pockets”, I worked to understand documentary making by interviewing members of the community in Missoula, Montana. The immediate and multi-faceted nature of video as a medium gave me many opportunities to actively participate in the creative process and thrive in the spontaneity of interactions in the moment. Along with videographer Felicia Edwards, I asked random people on the streets, one question: “What’s in your pockets?” …

E-Healthcare In Abc County Health Department (Abcchd): Trade-Offs Analysis And Evaluation, Keng Siau, Hwee-Joo Kam

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The issue of privacy stirred a tumultuous uproar when the ABC County Health Department (ABCCHD) was planning for an e-Healthcare system that utilized information technology to streamline the administration process of patients. ABCCHD had hired a software vendor, Info-Health, a company that specialized in information system development for the healthcare industry to help in the project. The privacy of patients with Sexually Transmitted Diseases/Human Immunity System was a thorny issue in the implementation of the e-Healthcare system. A trade-off between privacy and cost was discussed and debated. Three alternatives, with varying degrees of privacy and cost, were considered.