Digital Commons Network^™

Comparing High School Students' And Adults' Perceptions Of Technological Literacy, Henry Ladson Harrison Iii

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study compared high school student's perceptions of technology and technological literacy to those perceptions of the general public. Additionally, individual student groups were compared statistically to determine significant differences between the groups. The ITEA/Gallup Poll instrument was used to survey high school student's perceptions of technology in the study. The instrument has been used twice (2001, 2004) in the United States and once (2005) in Hong Kong to survey adult's perceptions of technology. The student population in question consisted of three subgroups: students enrolled in a standards-based technology education courses, students enrolled in a Project Lead the Way® (PLTW®) …

Instructional Alignment Of Workplace Readiness Skills In Career And Technical Education, Sarah Jane Martin

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The United States faces a skills shortage that goes beyond academic and technical skills. Employers report entry-level workers lack the necessary "soft" skills, also referred to as workplace readiness skills, needed for success in the workforce; thus, calling on educational institutions to make improvements in high school curriculum in order to address the skills gap. The intent of this dissertation was to examine high school marketing education teachers' knowledge of workplace readiness skills and whether that knowledge had an impact on student workplace readiness skill achievement. Further, this study examined the usage of Virginia's 13 Workplace Readiness Skills curriculum and …

地鐵作為 "文化親密" 的空間: 以台北市大眾捷運系統為例, Anru Lee

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Emerging Workforce Trends And Issues Impacting The Virginia Community College System, Mary Greer Landon

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The mission of the Virginia Community College workforce development leaders is to expand their training and development services to new and emerging high growth occupational areas in support of Virginia's economic growth and changing workforce needs in each of their regions. This research was designed to identify: high demand occupational skill needs; current training services; the shifting and changing trends based on technology, competition, and workforce composition; and the need for partnerships. A survey, based on current and emerging trends and their impact on workforce development training services, was sent to the 22 Virginia Community College workforce development leaders. This …

Sensitive Detection Of Novel Effects And Characteristic Signal Structure Of Higher Harmonic Detection In Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy, Mohammad Amir Khan

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

We discuss experimental and theoretical results of absorption features of the oxygen A-band transitions when synchronous detection at higher harmonics using Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy (WMS) is performed. A key aspect of structure higher harmonic detection is discussed. It is shown that the signal magnitude and spectral locations of turning points and zero crossings of WMS signal demonstrate key signatures of collision dynamics of gaseous specie parameters and lineshape parameters. In addition, it is also shown that these salient features provide sensitive probes for any changes in the gas environment or lineshape parameters. We discuss several advantages and subtle physical effects …

Transformation Paradox: A Framework For The Analysis Of Politics In Enterprise Transformations, Cindy S. Miller

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to develop a theoretical framework for the analysis of politics in enterprise transformations using a dialectical analysis approach (Hegel, 1989; Heraclitus, 1979; Pinkard, 1988; Skinner, 1978a, 1978b) and conduct an evaluation of the framework validity. The framework is constructed using a dialectical analysis of concepts stemming from the work of Alford and Friedland (1992) and considers four theoretical perspectives: autocratic, bureaucratic, pluralistic, and cognitive. The framework is then validated by means of qualitative metrics and adherence to critical ideology.

This research addresses the problem that there is no holistic theoretical framework for the analysis …

The Rise Of 'People Power': Role Of Civil Society In The "Color Revolutions", Vladyslav Galushko

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation has been spurred by the surprising turn of events that took place in Georgia and Ukraine in 2003 and 2004 respectively. Both countries were scheduled to have elections—parliamentary in Georgia and presidential in Ukraine. Though fraud, voter intimidation and opposition harassment were widely expected, few predicted the magnitude of popular response that swept away the regimes of Leonid Kuchma and Eduard Shevarnadze. Grappling with the unexpected, many heaped praise on the so-called “people power” that was able to bring masses to the streets and sustain their involvement in what were quickly labeled “color revolutions.” Civil society groups like …

Dying In The Shadows Of The Lowlands : Illuminating The Lao Malaria Crisis Through Leadership And Imagination, Edgar M. Ednacot

Doctoral Dissertations

unavailable

The Palaeoceanography Of The Leeuwin Current : Implications For A Future World, Karl-Heinz Wyrwoll, Benjamin J. Greenstein, George Kendrick

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Long-term progressive changes of the Leeuwin Current are linked to plate and ocean basin ‘geography’ and Cenozoic global climates and palaeoceanography. Suggestions of the presence of a proto-Leeuwin Current as early as late Middle to Late Eocene times (c. 35–42 Ma) cannot be verified by the fossil record of the western margin of Australia. “Leeuwin Current style” circulation around Australia was certainly established by the early Oligocene, in response to palaeogeographic changes in the Tasman Strait. This, followed by tectonic eorganisation of the Indonesian Archipelago throughout the Miocene, provided a palaeogeographic setting, which by the Pliocene was essentially that of …

The Role Of Geospatial Thinking And Geographic Skills In Effective Problem Solving With Gis: K-16 Education, Niem Tu Huynh

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Effective use of a Geographic Information System (GIS) is hampered by the limited geospatial reasoning abilities of students. The ability to reason with spatial relations, more specifically apply geospatial concepts, including the identification of spatial patterns and spatial associations, is important to geographic problem solving in a GIS context. This dissertation examines the broad influence of three factors on GIS problem solving: 1) affection towards computers, geography, and mathematics, 2) geospatial thinking, as well as 3) geographic skills.

The research was conducted with 104 students in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Students were drawn from four educational levels: grade 9 students, 13 …

Constructed Identity, Subjective Identity And Inter-Subjective Transformation: An Exploration By Way Of Motherhood And Canadian Maternity Benefits, Patricia Van Katwyk

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

When identity is conceptualized as a fluid and ongoing process that is mutually influenced by subjective and constructed experience, an interplay can occur that engenders and signifies collective life. With an acknowledgement of motherhood as a politically and emotionally charged identity experience, and asserting the capacity of social policy to sustain a constructed ideology, this paper explores a conversation that occurred between 28 mothers in Canada. The site of this conversation was an on-line journal (blog). Using a participatory narrative action method of research, the mothers participated as co-researchers, conducting a narrative analysis of one another’s narratives and a policy …

Toward A More Holistic Approach To The Conservation Management Of Southern Ontario’S Small Protected Areas, Wilfred Gregory Tschirhart

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Within Southern Ontario’s highly fragmented greater natural ecosystem, there remain numerous relatively small scattered areas which bear at least some resemblance to their former pre-European/Canadian settlement natural ecosystem. In their present state they serve as reservoirs of their particular ecoregion’s indigenous plant and animal species. In proportion to their limited spatial areas, degree of isolation, existing ecological integrity, and long-term ecological carrying capacity they are stores of natural capital, which is beneficial to both nature and society. They co-exist with Southern Ontario’s well developed socioeconomic/cultural system, on whose stewardship their long-term integrity is becoming increasingly dependent, which creates increased environmental …

Responding To Change In A Northern Aboriginal Community (Fort Resolution, Nwt, Canada): Linking Social And Ecological Perspectives, Sonia Darienne Wesche

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Human and environmental systems in the circumpolar north are particularly affected by the Earth’s changing climate, thus acting as a bellwether for other parts of the globe. Rural indigenous communities are most visibly impacted due to their close relationship with the land. These challenges are compounded by socio-economic transformations typical of peripheral communities within a larger, centrally governed system.

This dissertation links a community-based study of environmental change in Fort Resolution, Northwest Territories, Canada to evolving adaptation science. The study was prompted by local concern about changing environmental conditions caused by climatic, hydrological and resource development drivers. Its collaborative research …

Harding University Graduate And Professional Catalog 2009-2010, Harding University

Harding Academic Catalogs

Academic catalog for the graduate programs at Harding University.

Identity, Gender, And Language In Synchronous Cybercultures: A Cross-Cultural Study, Charlotte Nirmalani Gunawardena, Ahmed Idrissi Alami, Gayathri Jayatilleke, Fawda Bouacharine

University Libraries & Learning Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

The integration of the Internet into contemporary society worldwide has had a profound impact on the way we communicate, relate to ourselves, and to each other. Different users, depending on various characteristics such as age, gender, education, and sociocultural background, access the Internet for various communication needs such as exchanging emails, making new friends, or engaging in a serious discussion. Whatever the goal, users need to adjust to this new computer-mediated interactive environment, and they do so either in ways that reveal native cultural values, or reflect the creation of new cultural norms and conventions.

The Effects Of Technology On Literacy(S), Thomas Glen Petersen

Masters Theses

"One of the challenges when measuring the effects of technology on literacy(s) is finding a control group where technology; does not play a major role in the culture. The Amish successfully live in a Technocracy where mechanical/electronic tools are used only when absolutely necessary; the Amish are not dependent on them for survival. The crux of the Amish philosophy is humility, serving the community and serving God. Ironically, they have suffered tremendous repercussions for adopting a wholesome, selfless lifestyle which is contrary to most popular world views, regardless of religious or spiritual views"--Purpose, page 40.

Exploring The Use Of A Commercial Game Engine For The Development Of Educational Software, Hussain Alafaireet

Masters Theses

"Three-dimensional visualization and simulation environments are becoming increasingly important in both industrial and educational environments. However, developing these simulations can be a difficult and expensive task. Herein we explore the use of a commercial game engine to develop a 3-D, interactive computer game designed to teach players about the anatomy of a frog. The goal of this project is threefold: 1) to develop high-fidelity virtual reality educational software with a limited budget and limited personnel, 2) to define a software development process by which similar simulations can be developed, and 3) to explore the benefits that these simulations provide to …

Public-Private Partnerships In High Risk Transportation Projects, Kiran Rangarajan

Masters Theses

"This research examines Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) between private firms and City of Chamois, Missouri to establish a ferry boat service across the Missouri River. The study illustrates the role of PPPs in managing high risk transportation projects for rural economic development. The research study was designed to accomplish three objectives. First, understand and study the high risk transportation industry which included analyzing other ferry services in and around the region, and identifying potential risks involved in a ferry boat project. Second, study various models of PPPs, identify the attributes of each model and select appropriate models based on local and …

Effect Of Air Pollution Controls On Black Smoke And Sulfur Dioxide Concentrations Across Ireland, Patrick J. Goodman, David Q. Rich, Ariana Zeka, Luke Clancy, Douglas W. Dockery

Articles

During the 1980s Ireland experienced severe pollution episodes, principally because of domestic coal burning. In 1990, the Irish government introduced a ban on the marketing, sale, and distribution of coal in Dublin. They extended the ban to Cork in 1995 and to ten other communities in 1998 and 2000. We previously reported declines in particulate (black smoke [BS]) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentrations in Dublin following the 1990 coal ban. We now explore and compare the effectiveness of these sequential bans in 1990, 1995, 1998, and 2000. Daily BS and total gaseous acidity (SO2) measurements were compiled between 1980 and …

Increased Market Power As A New Secondary Consideration In Patent Law A Review Of Recent Decisions Of The United States Court Of Appeals For The Federal Circuit, Andrew Blair-Stanek

American University Law Review

Courts have developed several non-technical “secondary considerations” to help judges and juries in patent litigation decide whether a patent meets the crucial statutory requirement that a patent be non-obvious. This Article proposes a tenth secondary consideration to help judges and juries: increased market power. If a patent measurably increases its holders’ market power in the market into which it sells products or services, then that increase should weigh in favor of finding the patent non-obvious. Using increased market power incorporates the predictive benefits of several other secondary considerations, while often increasing the accuracy and availability of evidence. It would provide …

Aging In Place In Suburbia: A Qualitative Study Of Older Women, Marian L.G. Knapp

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This research explored "aging in place" among women age 65 and older living in Newton, Massachusetts. Study goals were to understand: the "places" that comprise the environment of "aging in place"; the factors that enable "aging in place"; "aging in place" in a suburb; and to refine definitions of "aging in place" Interviews with women used open-ended questions about women‘s early years in Newton and the changes they experienced in personal status, and places over time. Themes emerged using modified grounded theory with inductive and deductive approaches, and which acknowledged "sensitizing concepts". Six places comprised the "aging in place" environment: …

Flame, Furnace, Fuel: Creating Kansas City In The Nineteenth Century, Twyla Dell

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Though this work is a fuel and energy history of Kansas City from 1820 to 1920, it also provides a tool to describe and analyze fuel and energy transitions. The four parts follow the rise and fall of wood, coal and oil as their use grows to a peak and, in the case of wood, declines. The founding and growth of Kansas City as an “instant city” that grew from zero population to over three hundred twenty thousand in a hundred years embodies the increased use of fuels and energy in an urban setting and serves as a case study. …

It's Getting Hot In Herre. California Senate Bill 1368 And The Dormant Commerce Clause, Andrew F. Adams

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

This Article addresses whether S.B. 1368 could hold up to a Commerce Clause challenge in three stages. Part II discuses the dormant Commerce Clause and how it is applied to state laws that potentially affect interstate commerce. It explains the history and development of the concept and fleshes out the two-step test that exists today: (1) courts determine whether a law is facially discriminatory; (2) if not, courts apply a test that weighs the respective burdens and benefits of the law. Part II also discusses the different ways in which many of the current Supreme Court Justices interpret and apply …

Assessment Of Sustainability Of Rural Tourism Villages In Southeastern China Using Sustainable Tourism Development Indicators, Tang Chen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to assess sustainability of rural tourism practices in heritage, ecological, and ethnic communities in southeastern China, using sustainable tourism development indicators. The rural tourism communities selected for this study were Tengtou Village in Fenghua, Zhuge Bagua County in Lanxi, and She Minority Village in E Shan Tonglu, representing examples of domestic rural tourism initiatives in China. This study applied the 2004 WTO sustainability indicator model to develop appropriate indicators for assessing sustainability of rural tourism practices in the selected communities, and aimed at answering the following research questions. First, what indicators would be most …

At What Cost? : Spanish Neutrality In The First World War, Carolyn S. Lowry

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While historians have gone to great efforts in studying the belligerent powers during the First World War, very little attention has been paid to such neutral powers as Spain. Several European nations declared neutrality in 1914, but many strayed from this course in favor of active belligerence. Spain, however, remained neutral for the war's duration; thus, this thesis examines and explores the nature of Spanish neutrality during the First World War. Spain's decision to adhere to a neutral policy required serious consideration as it had to weigh the consequences and advantages of intervention; however, military and economic weakness, as well …

Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Management: Water Quality Impacts Of Balm Road Treatment Marsh, Hillsborough County, Florida, Sarah J. Malone

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Balm Road Treatment Marsh is a 12 ha constructed wetland treatment system in south-central Hillsborough County, Florida created to improve water quality in Bullfrog Creek and ultimately Tampa Bay. The treatment system was designed to treat runoff from approximately 741 ha of upstream agricultural land prior to discharging into the creek, with the primary goals of reducing sediment and nutrient loads. Water quality data from four sites on Bullfrog Creek were analyzed to determine impacts to ambient water quality and pollutant load reductions downstream. Results were compared to the performance of other wetlands to treat both nonpoint and point source …

Architectural Chastity Belts: The Window Motif As Instrument Of Discipline In Fifteenth-Century Italian Conduct Manuals And Art, Jennifer Megan Orendorf

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the Italian thirst for excellence and knowledge burgeoned throughout the Quattrocento, the genre of instructional literature responded accordingly to social demands. Offering advice on a wide range of experience from the quotidian to the extraordinary, from superstition to scientific, conduct manuals appealed to readers of all Italian social classes. Investigating the relationship between this body of literature and the lives of contemporary women, this paper will focus specifically on those manuals which prescribe behaviors for women, and will investigate the reception of these precepts and the extent in which these notions informed and transformed women's lives.

In order to …

Honors Convocation Speech (Text And Audio), Jonathan Dey

Honorees for Teaching Excellence

No abstract provided.

Access And Innovation: A Study Of Two Ngo Schools In North India, Christy Ivie, '09

Honors Projects

Using data collected from two NGO schools in North India, this study presents two case studies that will shed some light on how NGOs in India are increasing access and innovation in the primary education system. By comparing and contrasting the two organizations, this study will also highlight the diversity of NGOs involved in primary education in India. Instead of making broad generalizations about the role and contributions of NGOs in primary education in India, this study aims to provide perspectives on two different organizations and raise questions about NGO schooling in India.

The Role Of Grandparents In Childcare In Ireland: Towards A Research Agenda, Michelle Share, Liz Kerrins

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

This paper discusses the role of grandparents in informal childcare in Ireland. It considers how recent demographic change and government policy on childcare have the potential to place greater pressures on the provision of grandparent childcare. It illustrates research literature that has examined the prevalence and intensity of grandparent care, factors influencing such care, and the role and needs of grandparents in childcare. We argue that there are significant gaps in Irish research evidence about the extent of, role and needs of grandparents as childcarers and outline a data and research agenda that builds on previous research in this area.