Digital Commons Network^™

An Evaluation Of Perceptions Of A Mentoring Program Of Beginning Teachers In A Rural East Tennessee Secondary School., Mike Frazier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers, especially beginning teachers, continue a trend of leaving the profession at alarming rates within the first 5 years resulting in excessive costs to school systems and diminished instructional quality. Some programs, however, have shown impressive results. The purpose of this qualitative study, using an emerging interview process, was to examine the perceptions of beginning teachers in their 1st or 2nd year and those of veteran 3- to 5-year teachers regarding the effectiveness of mentoring and other guidance they received as beginning teachers in a secondary school and to understand their vision of how mentoring should be structured for beginning …

And This, Our Measure: Figurative Realism And Workaday Culture., Perry Walter Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Man has created vast and powerful systems. These systems and their associated protocols, dogmas, and conventions tend to limit rather than liberate. Evaluation based on homogeneity threatens the devaluation of our humanity. This paper and the artwork it supports examine contemporary culture and its failings in the stewardship of the humanist ideal.

My paintings referenced herein are satirical narratives. The story told is one of alienation and evisceration. The visual subject matter is the human figure and environments dominated by architectural geometry. The male figures are conspicuously turned from view, a visual cue to their estrangement. Parallel and subordinate thoughts …

Reduced Intestinal Colonization Of Adult Beef Cattle By Escherichia Coli O157:H7 Tir Deletion And Nalidixic-Acid-Resistant Mutants Lacking Flagellar Expression, Gustavo Bretschneider, Emil M. Berberov, Rodney A. Moxley

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The importance of the Escherichia coli O157:H7 translocated intimin receptor (Tir) protein in intestinal colonization and the effect of infection with Tir⁺ strains on protection against subsequent challenge was studied in adult beef cattle. Cattle were orally inoculated (C1) with a Shiga toxin-2⁺+ E. coli O157:H7 strain that was Tir⁺ or Tir^-, and 42 days later were re-challenged (C2) with the nalidixic acid (Nal) ^R parent strain to test whether prior infection had any effect on fecal shedding. During the first 14 days post-C1, the Nal^S wildtype (WT) strain was shed at significantly …

Effect Of Distance Learning Technology As A Training Delivery System For Rural And Small Law Enforcement Agencies, Thomas C. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the perceptions of law enforcements officers employed by rural and small law enforcement agencies on the effectiveness of the use of distance education technology as a delivery system for training programs. Four research questions were designed to assess officers’ perceptions. This study used both quantitative and qualitative analysis of data to assess these questions. Quantitative data were collected through the use of a pretest and post-test, and a survey. Qualitative data were collected through observations of subjects’ interaction with the treatment, interviews with participants, reviews of survey comments, and analyses of budget documents. The results of this …

"W"- Men: Male Nurses' Negotiation Of Masculinity In A Predominantly Female Profession, Deborah Yoder (Deborah Jane Yoder) Miranda

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explores male nurses’ negotiation of masculine gender identities in the nontraditional work of registered nursing. Few registered nurses in the United States are men, and men leave the profession within the first four years after graduation at twice the rate of women. This study builds on previous work by seeking to understand why male nursing graduates of an institution formerly for women only, made the decision to become nurses, how they decided to attend a women’s college over a more gender balanced campus experience, and in what ways they negotiate gender identities in the configuration of nursing …

Agronomic Performance And Beef Cattle Grazing Preference Among Three Prairie Bromegrasses, Allen Stewart Hubbard

Theses and Dissertations

Prairie bromegrass is a cool-season perennial bunchgrass with potential as a valuable forage crop in the southeastern USA. The objective of this study was to compare dry matter production, persistence, nutritive value, and beef cattle grazing preference of two experimental lines and a commercial species (cv. Matua) of prairie bromegrass. Plots were established in a randomized complete block design with four replications. When each plot accumulated at least 20 cm of growth, plots were grazed with Hereford x Angus steers at a stocking rate of 8400 kg/ha until the first plot was grazed down to 7 cm in height. Pre- …

A Study To Identify The Effects Of Community College Student Recruitment Marketing By Television On Prospective Students, Raymond Benjamin Denton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare and to evaluate the television market segmentation suggested in Massey's 1997 study, to investigate the viewing habits of those potential community college students, and to look for the message that called them to action. Segmentation specifically refers to the difference in preferred call to action messages between directed students, lateopters and drifters. The demographics that make-up the college in this study (Meridian Community College) was of particular interest in determining the suggested segmentation. Research questions put forward in this study were: 1. What are the descriptive profiles of the respondents? 2. Is …

Analysis Of Selected Correlates Of Spouse Abuse And The Policy Implications For The Criminal Justice System., Marlys Kay Tester

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research on spouse abuse has received greater attention during the last 3 decades around the world. This research was conducted to investigate the selected correlates of alcohol use, drug use, and marital status and the effects they have on use of weapons and violent behavior. The secondary data used was from a study done in Chicago from 1995-1998, called the Chicago Community Crime Prevention and Intimate Violence Study. There were 210 domestic violence victims studied in one Chicago area. Each victim was asked a series of the same questions. It was found that 39.4% of the domestic violence cases involved …

Lost Cove, North Carolina: The Life And Death Of A Thriving Community (1864-1957)., Christy A. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the history and events that shaped the people and community of Lost Cove, an isolated Appalachian settlement. Chapter 1 surveys previous written and oral accounts of Lost Cove and the physical/cultural attributes of the community. Chapter 2 explores Lost Cove's identity, name, and first settlers. Chapter 3 explores the community's buildings and the families' livelihood. Chapter 4 examines the effect that the CC & O Railway and the sawmills had on the community. Chapter 5 examines moonshine selling in Lost Cove. Chapter 6 reveals how the church and school acted as a gathering place and how sermons …

Hearing Adam: Gender Relationships In The Short Fiction Of Caroline Gordon., Linda Elaine Hipple

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Writer and critic Caroline Gordon has been a participant on the Southern literary scene since the early 1930s, yet her works have been neither studied nor appreciated as frequently as the works of her male contemporaries. Her novels and short fiction never received the critical acclaim that they merited due to the perpetuation of the erroneous idea that women have little to say. While at the time other female writers were exploring their emancipation, Gordon retreated to the consistent confines of male-dominated tradition and created fiction embodying her conservative philosophy. This thesis will examine five pieces of her short fiction, …

Sixth-, Seventh-, And Eighth-Grade Students' Experiences With The Internet And Their Internet Safety Knowledge., Tonya Berrier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to a 2002 National Center for Education Statistics report, 98% of schools in 2001 were connected to the Internet and 63% of public classrooms had Internet connections. According to a 2003 United States Census Bureau report, 68.3% of homes with children subscribed to the Internet. These statistics reveal the scope of access children have to the Internet. This study focused on the children's voice by investigating the children's report of their online activities and their awareness of cyber security, ethics, and safety issues. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the specific reported online activities and …

Parental Involvement In Two Elementary Schools: A Qualitative Case Study., Vonda K. Stevens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parent involvement is essential if students are to succeed in school. In fact, "parental involvement is more important to student success, at every grade level, than family income or education" (Starr, 2004). Yet many schools struggle to effectively engage parents in the education of their children as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 now requires.

The purpose of this study was to explore parents', administrators', and guidance counselors' perceptions of parent involvement at a Title I elementary school and a non-Title I elementary school, both of which are located in the southern Appalachian region of the United …

Gaining Attention And Encouraging A Response: My Criteria For Successful Graphic Design., Kerry Scott Jenkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As a graphic designer, my goal is to clearly express my clients' message to their intended audience. Based on the diversity of my clients and their products and services, finding a consistent style in my projects might be difficult, although there are usually some typical traits. With examples of my work and dialogue from leaders in the graphic design industry, I intend to point out a common thread that runs through all successful design projects, regardless of the projects' designer, era, or individual design elements (e.g., typography, copywriting, color, layout, imagery). Success comes from graphic design's ability to gain attention …

Design And Construction Of The Audrey Ii Puppet Series For The Play Little Shop Of Horrors., Chad David Fraley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project's objective was to design and build 4 stages of the Audrey II puppet for the East Tennessee State University production of Little Shop of Horrors (Ashman, 1982). The puppets were to be created with consideration for the production space, budget, and operator ease, along with audience impact. This paper will present the design and construction in a step by step-bystep fashion using illustrations and photographic examples.

Each puppet in the series was originally conceived using references to living plants and animals combined with an artistic vision of the designer. The puppets were built with light, modern materials using …

From Teacher To Teller: How Applied Storytelling Informs Autobiographical Instruction., Peggy Rosann Kent

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses autobiographical inquiry to "re-member" how I came to understand that applied storytelling was a valid teaching tool in facilitating autobiographical expression in mature learners. It is an examination of how story sharing and story listening can transform a continuing education classroom into a learning community. Applied storytelling can help elders reframe their negative mental models about the value of their stories, memory, and mythology and create opportunities for positive story sharing experiences. I selected highlights of my journey that best represented my experience and use of applied storytelling techniques. Each chapter includes an exercise and reflection as …

Ethics Training: Views Of Tennessee Local Elected Officials., Kimberly Pearman Arms

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if local elected officials in Tennessee perceive ethics training will affect ethical behavior, and, if so, what format they recommend for ethics training including length of time, delivery methods, and instructors' qualifications. This study provides information regarding whether ethics training is likely to be efficacious and how officials feel about the training. Specifically, this study informs officials and others who invest with both time and financial resources about the value of training, what to teach if they are going to offer ethics training, and who should teach ethics.

More than 2,000 local …

Blood Into Milk: Poems, Ginny Kaczmarek

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Disaster Response System, Shiquan Fu

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

With integration of geospatial information system into a conventional information system a basic disaster response information system is implemented. The result is a report on various useful technologies and software engineering methodologies that could be utilized to implement a preliminary system, which in turn clarifies many uncertainties and surprises that are typical of many such systems. The foundations of my project include the Unified Process of software development, the relational data models, the decision tree technique, class design principles such as the MVC pattern.

Fighting The Lethargy: Creating The Role Of Masha In Anton Chekhov's The Three Sisters, Lisa Picone

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis serves as documentation of my efforts to define accurately my creative process as an actor in creating the role of Masha in The Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov. This includes research, character analysis, rehearsal journal and an evaluation of my performance. The Three Sisters was produced by the University of New Orleans Department of Film, Theatre and Communication Arts in New Orleans, Louisiana. The play was performed in the Thrust Theatre of the Performing Arts Center at 8:00 pm on the evenings of April 19 through 21 and April 26 through 28, with one matinee at 2:30 pm …

Probability And Statistics For Third Through Fifth Grade Classrooms., Melissa Taylor Mckinnon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This document contains a variety of lesson plans that can be readily used by a teacher of intermediate students. This thesis contains two units in Probability and one unit in Statistics. Any educator can supplement this document with any curriculum to teach lessons from vocabulary to concept.

Stakeholders' Perceptions Of Community Engagement In A System-Wide Educational Change Effort: Implications For Building Partnerships., Lindsay K. Nickels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study should provide insight into stakeholders' perceptions of a system-wide educational partnership focused on a change effort to increase student achievement in a school system located in a large, metropolitan city in the southeastern United States. The importance of partnering to assure that all children are succeeding in school has never been more important to local communities and our nation. Not only are definitions of educational partnerships expanding, but so are the parameters, the players, and the structures. As educational improvement initiatives are put into effect by local, state, and national governments, schools across the country are realizing …

Current Public Relations Status In China., Fang Meng

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is to explore the status of public relations in China. It examines if J. Grunig and Hunt's (1994) four models of public relations-press agentry, public information, two-way asymmetrical, and two-way symmetrical-are practiced by Chinese public relations practitioners and if there are additional patterns of practicing public relations in China. It is a qualitative study. Long interviews with 10 participants were conducted to learn about the phenomenon of public relations in China. The interviews were based on one-to-one chat via the Microsoft Messenger software online. The data were collected using open-end questions that allowed the participants to provide in-depth …

The Virginia Sol Eighth Grade Writing Test In Relationship To The National Commission On Writing Recommendations, Grade Configuration, Region, And Socioeconomic Status., Jeffrey R. Comer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine Virginia Standards of Learning 8^th grade writing assessments to determine if there was any association between school passing rates and the recommendations suggested by the 2003 National Commission on Writing to improve writing proficiency. This study further examined the possible differences in school passing rates that may exist due to the grade configuration of a school, the location of a school, the availability of a comprehensive writing plan, and the student percentage on free and reduced-price lunch. Data collection consisted of a self-administered survey sent to all 364 schools in …

Principal Leadership And Its Perceived Influence On Teacher Morale In Elementary Schools., Anne Runyan Littleford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to construct a theoretical framework explaining the connection between principal leadership practices and the phenomenon of teacher morale. The study also focused on principal leadership practices and the perceived effects that style has on how teachers feel about themselves and their jobs. First, a review of extant literature defined what constitutes effective leadership in school related environments. Second, the researcher defined teacher morale, both high and low, and how it relates to work performance. Third, the researcher attempted to explore how teacher morale and the leadership style of their principals relate.

This qualitative …

Women And The Men Who Oppress Them: Ideologies And Protests Of Redstockings, New York Radical Feminists, And Cell 16., Meggin L. Schaaf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The American civil rights movement created a ready environment in which exploited people protested their social status and demanded change. Among the forefront, women contended against their male oppressors and demanded autonomy. Ultimately, however, women disagreed amongst themselves regarding the severity of their oppression and the ideal route to implement change. Thereafter, radical feminism became a strong force within the women's liberation movement. Group members denied that capitalism oppressed women, and countered that women's status as a sex-class remained the essential component in their subjugation. To obtain true freedom, women had to reject the deeply ingrained social expectations. As radical …

Evidence Of Ecological Speciation In Phacelia., Pamela Michele Glass

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phacelia purshii Buckley and P. fimbriata Micheaux are two species that are nearly morphologically indistinguishable. Seed germination experiments showed that the high elevation endemic, P. fimbriata requires lower temperatures to trigger germination. Following interspecific crosses, pollen tubes enter ovules and maternal tissue of the gynoecium matures but hybrid diploid and triploid organs fail to develop. DNA sequences from the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed region showed that P. fimbriata and P. purshii comprise a monophyletic clade but that P. fimbriata is more differentiated from related species. In contrast, P. purshii supported significantly higher levels of intraspecific polymorphism. Phacelia fimbriata and P. …

Integration Of Fifth Grade Math And Science Curriculum, Accompanied By Increased Parental Involvement, Produces Higher Virginia Test Scores., Kathy Diane Perkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The National Educational Society, through much research and testing, discovered that American students are not performing as well on the academic level as their counterparts. As a nation the math and science scores fell behind other tested disciplines. The Virginia Department of Math and Science Report Card scores confirm that students are struggling in these areas.

As a resolution to correct this problem a proposal for the integration of fifth grade math and science curriculum accompanied by increased parental involvement was devised. The program involved thirteen elementary students and their parents. Pretesting, math and science labs, worksheets, posttesting, and a …

Relationships Between Student Attendance And Test Scores On The Virginia Standards Of Learning Tests., Jeffrey Cassell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between student attendance and student test scores on a criterion-referenced test, using test scores of all 5^th graders in Virginia who participated in the 2005-2006 Standards of Learning tests in reading and mathematics. Data collection for this study was performed with the cooperation of the Virginia Department of Education using a state database of student testing information. Pearson correlation coefficients were determined for the overall student population and for the subgroups of economically disadvantaged, students with disabilities, limited English proficient, white, black, and Hispanic. The results of this study indicate that there is a …

Claudius Greer Clemmer, Doctor Of Humane Letters January 4, 1911-November 20, 2005., Sheila Breen Agen Pedersen Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While there are facts that are known about Claudius Greer Clemmer, there is much that is not known. By most accounts, he was a generous man who grew up during some of the hardest years of the Great Depression, worked to get an education, and had a successful teaching career. Clemmer worked diligently to do what he could to support himself and his family, working at two jobs. When his career track changed from teaching to business, in 1946, he experienced success in business and investments, sharing that wealth with East Tennessee State University and others. The intent of this …

I Think I Can: Identity And Social Experiences Of Adolescents With Physical Disabilities., Amy Sorensen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An online survey was completed by 40 adolescents and young adults (ages 12 to 22) with physical disabilities for the purpose of exploring their social experiences. The survey focuses on key variables associated with individual identity, group identity, social relationships and activities, and future aspirations. Positive outcome variables were explored including: self-esteem, self-efficacy, body satisfaction, cultural identity, relationship quality, activity participation, and future orientation. Independent variables included sex, population size, ability level, and proximity to disability. Ability level proved to be the most predictive of positive outcomes. Sex, population size, and proximity to disability exhibited small associations to some of …