Digital Commons Network^™

Perceptions Of General Education Teachers In Inclusive Settings, Katherine A. Conner

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the collaborative relationships between general education teachers and their colleagues in school psychology and special education when in inclusive environments and to determine the effects of their perceptions on student-teacher relationships. Specifically, the researcher hypothesized that teachers with more knowledge and positive perceptions of their colleagues would have more positive relationships with the ASD included children in their classrooms. Consequently, those who have had children with ASD in their classes in the past were expected to be more knowledgeable about the field of school psychology and the special education department. Thirdly, training …

The Effects Of The Friend Networking Site Myspace On Adolescents' Global Self Esteem, Amanda L. Pietrangelo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the popular friend-networking site, MySpace on young adolescents' global self-esteem. The hypothesis of the present study states that adolescents who spend more time on the friend-networking site, MySpace, will experience lower overall self-esteem than their peers who spend either less time on the site, or no time on the site. Further, predictions were made on the basis of gender, suggesting that adolescent girls with adequate access will be more likely to experience these affects than will their male counterparts. Participants in this study were 95 (31 males, 64 females) …

Response To Intervention: Concerns Of Teacher Fidelity, Amanda B. Sinko

Theses and Dissertations

The present study set out to fill a gap in the current body of research addressing the concern of teacher fidelity within the Response to Intervention model. It examined the effect of the formal recording of interventions by teachers for students in RTI Tier I of reading in an attempt to control for teacher fidelity. The sample was drawn from the kindergarten and first grade of eight elementary schools in a large suburban public school district in southern New Jersey. The students' reading achievement was assessed through the use of pre and post scores of Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early …

The Influence Of Perceived Task Difficulty On Task Performance, Dominick Scasserra

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence that the perceived difficulty of a task has on task performance. Twenty-one undergraduate college students were asked to complete three anagram worksheets. Each worksheet had a different description of difficulty (easy, medium, hard), although all worksheets were of the same difficulty. Participants self-reported amounts of anxiety, effort, perceived competence, and task difficulty after each worksheet. A repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant linear effect for perceived difficulty on task performance (F(1) = 10.42, p<0.05) , and paired-samples t-tests showed that participants had significantly more successful responses on the easy (M = 4.67, SD = 1.11) and medium (M = 4.48, SD = 1.37) worksheets than on the hard worksheet (M = 3.43, SD = 1.99), and self reported ratings of perceived competence were higher for the easy difficulty (M = 4.67, SD = 1.65) than hard (M = 3.57, SD = 2.16) difficulty. These findings and directions for future research are discussed.

The Ambiguous Nature Of Multiculturalism In Two Picture Books About 9/11, Jo Lampert

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her paper "The Ambiguous Nature of Multiculturalism in Two Picture Books about 9/11," Jo Lampert looks at how some of the Western discourses of multiculturalism and cultural diversity have shifted since 11 September 2001 by discussing two exemplar picture books about 9/11. Lampert begins with a general discussion of children's books as significant cultural producers of knowledge and provides brief summaries of Patel's On That Day: A Book of Hope for Children and Carlson's There's a Big, Beautiful World Out There! Lampert discusses how the imagined readers of these books are positioned problematically in order to embrace racial tolerance, …

A Bibliography Of Work On Racial Narratives For Children, Marie Drews

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

No abstract provided.

Racism, Disable-Ism, And Heterosexism In The Making Of Helen Keller, Andy Prettol

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his paper "Racism, Disable-ism, and Heterosexism in the Making of Helen Keller" Andy Prettol offers an analysis of prevailing narratives about Helen Keller. Prettol focuses on the dynamic interplay of race, (dis)ability, sexuality, and gender inherent to all Keller stories of triumph that are so popular in elementary schools across the U.S. He examines three specific works: William Gibson's playscript The Miracle Worker, written in 1956; the film of the same title directed by Arthur Penn in 1962; and the compiled letters of Anne Sullivan in Helen Keller's The Story of Life. Prettol's analysis works to unpack the articulations …

Typography As Performance: Bringing The Stage Into The Design Process, Ann Ford

Theses and Dissertations

Graphic design is historically a visual language consisting of text and image composed for the purposes of sending messages in print format. The voice of graphic design is typography—structuring and arranging letter forms into visual language. Over the past two decades, new communication formats such as motion and interaction have frequently been related to performance. My intention, however, is to explore how performance can influence typography in two and three dimensions, and even in digital environments.

Memory Loss: The Construction Of Meaning In Eudora Welty's "The Optimist's Daughter", Amber Lockard

Poster Session and Research Presentation Forum

No abstract provided.

The New Hampshire, Vol. 97 [98], No. 24 [53] (May 6, 2008), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 97, but it is the 98th volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.

This issue was printed as 24, but it is the 53rd issue in this volume. This was corrected in pencil.

Tradition Of African Story Telling: Oral Literature In The Homes And Schools (Pre-School/Kindergarten) Of Northern Malawi, Elisabeth Hangartner-Everts

College of Education and Human Services Student Publications

Writing about the story telling tradition in a limited area of the northern region of Malawi may seem far-fetched. Malawi is a small, poor country lying at the southern tip of the East African Rift Valley. The majority of people in the Western Developed World have never heard of this landlocked country in subequatorial Africa, commonly referred to by Malawians as “the warm heart of Africa.” (Catholic Relief Services, 2007, pp. 7-9). The few that are aware of its existence are international aid workers and some courageous eco-tourists crisscrossing the country by bike. One cannot ignore the dire poverty of …

Impact Of Racial, Ethnic And Socioeconomic Diversity: Student Perceptions Of Educational Outcomes In Prince William County Public Schools, Joseph Fontanella

Poster Session and Research Presentation Forum

This study examined the relationship between diverse learning environments and students’ perceptions of their educational experiences within a large Northern Virginia public school system via quantitative, nonexperimental, survey methods. Five areas reflecting frequently established goals of education were explored: student diversity; curricular diversity; student learning and peer interaction, to include development of critical thinking skills; future educational aspirations; and goals and perceptions of support by the school. Subjects were 11th-grade high school students from across a selection of the 10 high schools in the subject school division. Data was derived from the Diversity Assessment Questionnaire (DAQ), an instrument that asked …

Imagined Bridges: Welfare Rights Collaboration Among Women Of Color And The Lgbt Community In Minnesota, Allison A. Macwilliams-Brooks

Political Science Honors Projects

Women of color and LGBT individuals share a history of social welfare policy discrimination, yet scholars rarely examine how activist coalitions influence the direction of contemporary welfare policy. Considering the recently increased importance of state-level welfare policymaking, this project investigates the extent to which coalition-building among such communities explains the path of Minnesota’s welfare policies. Drawing upon interviews with women’s rights activists, LGBT activists, and state legislators, this study demonstrates that organizational collaboration is constrained and welfare rights issues often fail to generate action. Improving Minnesota’s welfare program will require balancing groups’ organizing priorities with the interests of their most …

The Statesman, V. 51, I. 51, Stony Brook University

Stony Brook Statesman-Sucolian

v. 51, i. 51

Commencement Convocation Program, Lakeland Campus, May 5, 2008, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

Outstanding Senior - Amanda Robinson; King O'Neal Scholar - Mari Nichole McKinley

Foundations And Interpretations Of Quantum Mechanics, Cory Johnson

Honors Theses

The first famous thought experiment of Einstein gives rise to his theories of relativity, the bedrock of modern astrophysics and cosmology. His second famous thought experiment begins the investigation into the foundations of quantum mechanics. It leads to a paradox, inspiring various 'no-go' theorems proven by Bell, Kochen, and Specker. Physicists and philosophers worldwide become increasingly dissatisfied with the probabilistic complementarity interpretation (Born-Bohr) and eventually offer their own accounts of the theory. By the end of the 20th century two alternative approaches stand out as the best candidates: Both the hidden variables interpretation (de Broglie-Bohm) and the many worlds interpretation …

An Investigation On Emergent Literacy Skills Of Preschool Children With Disabilities, Susan Biesz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between home literacy activities provided by parents and their children's emergent literacy skills. A total of 11 parents and their preschool children with disabilities participated in the study. A survey was provided to obtain parents' strategies used during parent-child joint reading activities in the home. The Emergent Literacy Skills Assessment was administered to participating children to evaluate their emergent literacy skills in six areas including identifying primary shapes and colors, letter identification, reciting the alphabet, identifying the parts of a book and identifying their own name in print. The surveyed …

Deafdigest: Gold Edition, May 4, 2008, Barry Strassler

DeafDigest Gold 2008

No abstract provided.

Commencement Convocation Program, Sarasota - Manatee Campus, May 4, 2008, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

King O'Neal Scholar - Linda Gabriel; Outstanding Professor - Michael Sheldon; Sarasota-Manatee Outstanding Senior - Ashley Morey; Golden Bull Award - Aaron Wiseman

Commencement Convocation Program, St. Petersburg Campus, May 4, 2008, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

King O'Neal Scholars - Jacquelyn Renee Hicks, Ashley Nicole Hopping, and Zoe Rita Placiotis; Outstanding Graduate - Susan M. Herbert

Commencement Convocation Program, St. Petersburg Campus, May 4, 2008, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg

USF St. Petersburg Graduations and Commencements

King O'Neal Awards: Jacquelyn Renee Hicks, Ashley Nicole Hopping, Zoe Rita Placiotis; Outstanding Graduate: Susan M. Herbert

Unamunian Microcosms: Four Short Stories In A New Translation Into English, Emily A. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Spanish writer Miguel de Unamuno's short fiction is neglected in both the academic and nonacademic communities, and it is especially underrepresented in English-language translation. This thesis constitutes a comprehensive approach to four short stories: "El que se enterró," "La manchita de la uña," "Mecanópolis," and "Batracófilos y batracófobos." A detailed exploration of thematic resonances among them, and between these and other works by Unamuno, precedes side-by-side translations of all four texts, of which only "Mecanópolis" has been previously published in English translation.

Commencement Convocation Program, Usf, Graduate, May 3, 2008, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

President's Fellow Medallion - Antonia Novello

Promoting Speech And Vocabulary Development Through Specialized Storybooks In Children With And Without Cleft Palate., Joellyn Ruth Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated changes in vocabulary and speech production in response to storybooks embedded with specialized language prompts and speech recasts. Six children received intervention, 3 with cleft palate (CLP), displaying speech-language delays, and 3 with nonclefts, each 12-24 months of age. A multiple baseline design across behaviors was implemented by a clinician. Results indicated all children increased use of target vocabulary and production of stop consonants, while reducing compensatory articulation errors. Generalization of targets to a picture-naming task, a free-play task, and to the home was observed. Effect sizes were moderate-to-high. Children with CLP required more sessions to achieve …

The Association Between Socioeconomic Status And High School Mathematics Scores And Enrollment Rates In Virginia Public Schools., Kathy A. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if socioeconomic status for the ethnic groups of white, black, Hispanic, and Asian is a significant indicator of mathematical performance and student participation in higher level courses. The SOL test scores of all high school mathematics students in Virginia for the 2005-2006 school year, their ethnic group membership, and their economically disadvantaged classification were as used to determine if such an association exists. Data provided by the Virginia Department of Education consisted of 113,786 Algebra I scores, 95,898 Geometry scores, and 68,944 Algebra II scores. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and a Two-way …

A Study Of The Programs And Services For Intellectually Gifted Students In Northeast Tennessee Public School Systems., Teddi Adler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to gather data from a variety of sources including teachers, special education directors, and the state director of gifted education to determine what gifted programs and or strategies are currently being offered in the selected schools and to explore emerging strategies in the education of intellectually gifted students in the Bristol Tennessee School System, Johnson City School System, Kingsport City School System, Sullivan County School System, and Washington County School System.

The interviews were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. The findings were presented relative to the research questions. While the education provided to …

Are U.S. And French Cultural Differences Reflected In Advertising Appeals?, Ciprian S. Begu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using 2 of Hofstede's cultural dimensions (power distance and uncertainty avoidance) associated by the research of Albers-Millers and Gelb with some of Pollay's value appeals used in advertising, this study successfully replicated 3 of 8 dependant relationships when analyzing the content of print magazines in U.S. and France. Going beyond the scope of a highly educated audience in which Hofstede's cultural dimensions were developed and retested, we indirectly found that these 2 dimensions of culture are partially salient in non-business, less elitist environments in the form of value appeals such as "dear", "untamed", "magic", and "youth" reinforcing the idea that …

Leadership In The Niger Delta Region Of Nigeria: A Study Of The Perceptions Of Its Impact On The Acquired Leadership Skills Of Expatriate Nigerian Postgraduates., Gerald Anietie Ignatius Akata

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary trouble befalling Nigeria and its Niger Delta has been described as a failure of leadership. At various periods during the late 20^th and early 21^st centuries, Nigeria endured a bloody civil war and years of repressive military rule. Violence in the Niger Delta region, widespread brain drain, and frequent strikes that disrupted academic calendars at universities had serious ramifications for the region's educational system.

This study explores former students' perceptions of perceived leadership qualities seen in educational leaders at universities in the Niger Delta and how those qualities impact the acquired leadership skills of expatriate Nigerian …

A Study Of The Influence Of Preschool Settings On School Achievement, Sharon Mcneel Humphrey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the preschool settings of the Pearl River community and assess the effectiveness of certain preschool programs regarding the achievement of Native American kindergarten students. The data were examined to compare student achievement of the Pearl River Elementary School kindergarten class of 2006-2007 as measured by the TerraNova subtests in Reading/Language and Mathematics. A sample of n = 74 was obtained for this study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze previous preschool experiences of the participants. Demographic data showed that most students in the Pearl River Elementary School kindergarten class of 2006-2007 had …

Gifted Education In Northeast Tennessee Public Schools: A Descriptive Study., Kathryn Ann Ross-Sisco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine gifted education programs in public schools in Northeast Tennessee. There is a wide disparity among established gifted programs regarding the identification of the students, the eligibility of the students, and the services they receive. This disparity has led to varying levels of support and service for gifted children in Northeast Tennessee. A survey was developed and distributed to individuals who oversee the gifted department in their school system. Data were collected regarding gifted student identification processes, individual program requirements, funding of gifted programs, professional development, and advanced teacher training.

National research has …