Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

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.

Chromatic Number Of The Alphabet Overlap Graph, G(2, K , K-2)., Jerry Brent Farley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A graph G(a, k, t) is called an alphabet overlap graph where a, k, and t are positive integers such that 0 ≤ t < k and the vertex set V of G is defined as, V = {v : v = (v₁v₂...v_k); v_i ∊ {1, 2, ..., a}, (1 ≤ i ≤ k)}. That is, each vertex, v, is a word of length k over an alphabet of size a. There exists an edge between two vertices u, …

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 …

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 …

Life And Debt For Etsu Graduate Students., Laura Nelson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Through in-depth interviews with 21 participants, this thesis investigates how graduate students at East Tennessee State University feel about their finances. Although all adults, by necessity, have everyday money concerns, this study explores the unique experiences that post-baccalaureate students have with debt, how they talk about it, and what meanings they attach to student loans in their daily lives. This study is novel in that little research to date has examined how graduate students' perceptions of adulthood are connected to their financial situations and their stage in life. For example, saving money is important to this population mainly because it …

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 …

Examining Significant Differences Of Gunshot Residue Patterns Using Same Make And Model Of Firearms In Forensic Distance Determination Tests., Heather Lewey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In many cases of crimes involving a firearm, police investigators need to know how far the firearm was held from the victim when it was discharged. Knowing this distance, vital questions regarding the re-construction of the crime scene can be known. Often, the original firearm used in commission of a suspected crime is not available for testing or is damaged. Crime laboratories require the original firearm in order to conduct distance determination tests. However, no empirical research has ever been conducted to determine if same make and model firearms produce different results in distance determination testing. It was the purpose …

The Long March Of The German 68ers: Their Protest, Their Exhibition, And Their Administration., Gracie M. Morton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The postwar children coming of age in the late 1960s in West Germany mounted a widesweeping socio-political protest against what they saw as the strangling silence of their parents, the Nazi generation. These protesters, referred to as the 68ers for their pivotal year, continued their struggle in following decades, incorporating an important and controversial exhibition, and finally culminating in their own administration thirty years from their defining moment. Using such diverse kinds of information as parliamentary debates, interviews, and contemporary criticism, this thesis explores the impact of the 68ers' initial protest and the influence they ultimately had on their nation …

A Simple Two-Equation Turbulence Model For Transition-Sensitive Cfd Simulations Of Missile Nose-Cone Geometries, Joseph Matthew Jones

Theses and Dissertations

This study reports the development and validation of a modified two-equation eddy-viscosity turbulence model for computational fluid dynamics prediction of transitional and turbulent flows. The existing terms of the standard k-w model have been modified to include transitional flow effects, within the framework of Reynolds-averaged, eddy-viscosity turbulence modeling. The new model has been implemented into the commercially available flow solver FLUENT and the Mississippi State University SimCenter developed flow solver U2NCLE. Test cases included flow over a flat plate, a 2-D circular cylinder in a crossflow, a 3-D cylindrical body and three conical geometries, which represent the nose-cones of aerodynamic …

Illinois State University, One Hundred And Forty-Eighth Annual Commencement, December 15, 2007, Illinois State University

Commencement Programs

Normal, Illinois
Illinois State University
One Hundred and Forty-Eighth Annual Commencement
December 15, 2007

The Impact Of A Large Automotive Manufacturing Plant On Demographic Expansion And Educational Changes In A Mississippi School District, Ronnie Lynn Mcgehee

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine one school district’s response to the largest automobile plant in North America being built in its county. An economic development package worth in excess of one billion dollars would surely change the landscape of the community and the district for years to come, but how should the district respond? Nissan North America announced in November of 2000 that it would build the largest automobile plant in North America in Canton, Mississippi. This plant would employee over four thousand employees and thirteen suppliers to that plant that would employee another five to six thousand employees …

Reading Instruction And Long Term Changes In Reading Test Scores, Harriet Elizabeth Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT) reading scores of a cohort of eighth grade students in an east central Mississippi school to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in the MCT reading scale scores between students taught by their learning style and those taught by a basal approach. Research in learning styles has demonstrated that the process of assessing and matching students’ learning styles with activities or styles of the teacher results in significant increases on standardized tests of reading achievement. Students who prefer a conventional setting (difficult classes in the …

Socioeconomic Development In The Southeast Region Of The United States From 1995 - 2000: A Structural Equation Modeling And A Gis Modeling Approach, Erdenechimeg Eldev-Ochir

Theses and Dissertations

This research presented in this study demonstrates that county level population growth, economic growth, and localized social structure are interrelated. An analysis of the spatial distribution of these factors in the Southeast Region of the United States during the period of 1995-2000 also indicates the importance of differences in rural versus urban and coastal versus non-coastal areas as well as the importance of such factors as highways, large cities, and universities in economic, population, and social structure interrelationships. An extensive dataset is used in the analysis as a number of analysis tools including statistical analysis, econometric models, spatial econometric models, …

Nonindustrial Private Forest Landowner Participation In Incentive Programs And Regeneration Behavior, Xing Sun

Theses and Dissertations

Nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) landowners have been major players in increasing forest productivity and improving forest health. Understanding what factors influence landowner participation in government programs, and furthermore, what factors determinate how quickly after harvest landowners regenerate, is critical for developing policies to improve landowner participation in government assistance programs and timely regeneration of harvested lands. Two studies were conducted to investigate these issues. The necessary data were obtained through a 2006 telephone survey of randomly selected Mississippi NIPF landowners. Factors considered included an array of land, ownership, management, and demographic characteristics. In the first study, a two-step landowner behavior …

Physiologically-Based Toxicokinetic And Toxicodynamic (Pbtk/Td) Modeling Of A Ternary Organophosphorus Insecticide Mixture In Rats: Model Development And Validation, Julian Thomas Pittman

Theses and Dissertations

A physiologically-based toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic (PBTK/TD) model was developed, from the open literature, to predict the toxicokinetic disposition and toxicodynamic response (acetylcholinesterase inhibition) of a ternary organophosphorus (OP) insecticide mixture: chlorpyrifos (CP), methyl parathion (MP) and parathion (P). In vivo studies were conducted in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, orally administered one of two CP/MP/P mixtures (2.5, 0.5, 0.5 mg/kg or 5, 1, 1 mg/kg) with selected tissues (blood, brain, diaphragm, liver, lung and skeletal muscle) collected at 30min, 4, 12 and 24hr postdosing. Low dosages were studied so the mixture did not result in significant disruption of cardiovascular function nor …

Postsecondary Transitions Of Mississippi Band Of Choctaw Indians Tribal Scholarship Program Students, Gregory A. Carlyle

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the postsecondary education transition experiences of graduates of Choctaw Central High School (CCHS) who received support from the Tribal Scholarship Program (TSP) to better understand the barriers to successful postsecondary completion and the means to overcoming those barriers. Successful transitions are key for students to persist to academic completion. Studies show that American Indian students have low rates of college completion and experience a variety of factors attributed to withdrawal from college. This study provided insight into college success experienced by American Indian students and an understanding of the opportunities for a …

Design And Structural Analysis Of Sofa Frames, Li Dai

Theses and Dissertations

This project’s goals are to evaluate the structure and strength design of Schnadig three-seat sofa frames, summarize current available information on engineering design, derive cyclic schedules for durability evaluation of frame components, and improve the design to meet product performance requirement specified by Schnadig. The target goal of medium or above acceptance level of General Service Administration (GSA) performance test was expected for the improved design. The design procedures and testing results in the study are also applicable to other frames, and can be used as a guideline for product engineering and reengineering. In this study, the mechanical and strength …

Enhancing Reading Comprehension Rates: Comparing Following Along And Not Following Along During Listening-While-Reading Interventions In Middle School And Junior High School Students With Disabilities, Constance Elizabeth Mcdaniel Hoskyn

Theses and Dissertations

A multielement brief experimental analysis was used to improve and extend previous research to compare the impact of listening while reading while following along (LWFA) and listening while reading while not following along (LWNFA) interventions on oral reading comprehension rate (ORCR), reading comprehension levels, and reading fluency in students with reading disabilities. The collected data for each of the eight middle school and junior high special education students who were participants in this study included: (a) words read correct per minute (WPM), (b) errors per minute (EPM), (c) comprehension questions answered correct per passage, and (d) ORCR. The students ranged …

Understanding The Challenges Faced By Beginning Mat Teachers, Li-Ching Hung

Theses and Dissertations

Several states introduced alternative certification (AC) programs in the mid-1980s to alleviate the teacher shortage situation, and the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program is an example of just such a curriculum. Three research questions for this study were: 1) what were the challenges beginning MAT teachers faced? 2) what were beginning MAT teachers? perceptions of their training program?, and 3) what were the beginning MAT teachers? attitudes toward their teaching career? Case methodology was conducted to highlight the research questions. Six beginning MAT teachers that graduated from Mississippi State University participated in this study. Data were drawn from …

A Study Examining The Experiences Of Community College Students Who Are Members Of Phi Theta Kappa, Teresa Lashone Houston

Theses and Dissertations

Community colleges are in a unique position in the hierarchy of higher education. They provide quality education at an affordable price. They are strategically located in communities to provide educational opportunities for everyone. The latest prediction is that enrollment at two-year institutions is expected to increase from 5.7 million students to 6.3 million students by 2012 (Gerald & Hussar, 2002). However, research indicates that the retention and transfer rates of community college students are low. This is problematic due to the increased calls for accountability on the national education agenda which are linked to student outcomes. This is astounding for …

The Young Lady's Consent, Christopher O. Kidder

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This play is a translation and adaptation of a Spanish play originally written in 1806 by Leandro Fernández de Moratín, El sí de las niñas. Because that play was not available to English-speaking actors, I translated the work directly from the original Spanish. The resulting manuscript was not the finished product of this play, however. Through a series of workshops with actors trained in a physical method of theatre I devised in order to modernize classic works to a more modern audience's tastes, the script morphed and grew into the play that follows.

Fall Commencement [Program], December 15, 2007, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Commencement Programs

The program of the commencement ceremonies, including a list of institutional leadership, a list of the departments by college, awards given at the ceremonies, and a list of undergraduate and graduate degree candidates.

2007 Fall Engr333/Biol354 Project Final Report, 2007 Fall Engr333, 2007 Fall Biol354

ENGR 333

The students of Calvin College’s Engineering 333 and Biology 354 classes were given the task of determining “What would it take to make Calvin College Carbon Neutral?” At first glance, it would not appear that classes on Advanced Thermal System Design and Investigations in Plant Ecology would have much in common. However, the biology and engineering students comprising these classes banded together to tackle the problem. Coming to a satisfactory conclusion would require:

• Creating an inventory of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and sequestration potential
• Coming up with detailed solutions to achieve Carbon Neutrality
• Working out a practical schedule to …

2007 Fall Commencement Program: Winona State University, Winona State University

WSU Commencement Programs

This is the Winona State University Fall 2007 commencement program. Commencement was on Friday, December 14, 2007.

Winter Commencement: December 14, 2007, University Of North Dakota

UND Commencement Programs

UND Winter Commencement program from December 14, 2007.

Study Of The Reproducibility Of Proteomics Methods And Variability Of Fruit Fly Proteomes., Thomas Franklin Culwell

Theses and Dissertations

The reliability of biomarker discovery by means of proteomics has been called into question. It was speculated that "background noise" variation resulting from differences in preparation and handling of samples and proteome dynamics may mask subtle, yet important, differences due to the biological condition. Little is understood about complex proteomes and their variability. A critical aspect of proteomic biomarker research that is largely unexplored is the comparative reproducibility of certain methods such as two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. In particular, with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, it is not known whether variability in peptide quantitation is dependent on any of …

Study Of The Decay BS0 → DS(*)DS(*), V. M. Abazov, Kenneth A. Bloom, Gregory R. Snow, D0 Collaboration

Kenneth Bloom Publications

We report a study of the decay B_s⁰ → D_s^(*)D_s^(*) using a data sample corresponding to 1.3 fb^-1 of integrated luminosity collected by the D0 experiment in 2002–2006 during run II of the Fermilab Tevatron collider. One D_s^(*) meson was partially reconstructed in the decay D_s→ φμν, and the other D_s^(*) meson was identified using the decay D_s→ φπ where no attempt was made to distinguish D_s and D_s^(*) states. For the branching fraction Br(B_s⁰ → D_{s …}

Development Of The Impedance-Based Arc-Flash Determination Device (Iadd), Timothy Smith

All Theses

This thesis entitled, 'Development of the Impedance based Arc-Fault Determination Device (IADD)' details the development of a testing device that, when attached to an electrical node on the power system and through observations on voltage, current and phase shift with a step load change, determines the effective Thevenin or Norton impedance at the point of test. This thesis includes discussion of the theory and design process that enables the determination of an equivalent circuit, software development using National Instruments' LabView software development package and suggestions for future development.
The purpose of this thesis is to produce a device that can …