Digital Commons Network^™

Numeracy: Open-Access Publishing To Reduce The Cost Of Scholarly Journals, Todd A. Chavez

Numeracy

Each fiscal year, as academic librarians throughout the United States prepare materials budgets, a national “groan” ensues. Regardless of their format (i.e. print or digital), serial subscription costs are escalating, in the process impacting the role of the library in advancing scholarly communication . This paper examines some of the economic issues concerning open-access (OA) journal publishing. The importance of quantitative literacy is suggested for librarians and academics seeking a better understanding of alternatives to traditional journal subscription models and to anyone considering ventures into OA publishing. Quantitative literacy is essential for managing alternatives to the rising cost of scholarly …

Envisioning A Quantitative Studies Center: A Liberal Arts Perspective, Gizem Karaali, Philip I. Choi, Sara Owsley Sood, Eric B. Grosfils

Numeracy

Several academic institutions are searching for ways to help students develop their quantitative reasoning abilities and become more adept at higher-level tasks that involve quantitative skills. In this note we study the particular way Pomona College has framed this issue within its own context and what it plans to do about it. To this end we describe our efforts as members of a campus-wide committee that was assigned the duty of investigating the feasibility of founding a quantitative studies center on our campus. These efforts involved analysis of data collected through a faculty questionnaire, discipline-specific input obtained from each departmental …

Confessions Of A Weak Tie, Joel Best

Numeracy

No abstract provided.

Rural Leadership And Legacy: Partnering For Progress, Patricia Hyjer Dyk

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Presidential address delivered at the annual meeting of the Southern Rural Sociological Association, Orlando, FL, February 6, 2006

Taking The Sustainable Agriculture Challenge: Recontextualizing Rural Sociology, Betty L. Wells

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Agroecosystems Analysis (SusAg 509), a required course for all majors in Iowa State University’s Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture, provides an immersion experience in the situated challenges of sustainable agriculture. The field portion of SusAg 509, which takes place every year during the first two weeks of August, brings students face-to-face with different understandings of sustainability and the diverse complexity of Midwestern agriculture. Dialogue and reflection turn the raw stuff of experience into learning, as students discover the power and validity of multiple perspectives. More than two dozen site visits help make abstract concepts, such as the economy and social …

On Innovation In Teaching Rural Sociology, Keiko Tanaka

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Introduction to the special issue

Paradoxical Perceptions Of Problems Associated With Unconventional Natural Gas Development, Gene L. Theodori

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Data collected in a general population survey from a random sample of individuals in two counties located in the Barnett Shale region of Texas were used to empirically explore potentially problematic issues associated with unconventional natural gas development. Moderate support was found for the hypothesis that individuals residing in places with diverse levels of energy development exhibit dissimilar perceptions of potentially problematic issues. The results indicate residents of the county where the natural gas industry was more mature (Wise County) were significantly more likely than residents of the county where the natural gas industry was less established (Johnson County) to …

Editor's Concluding Comments, D. Clayton Smith

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Editor’s Concluding Remarks

Model Learning Outcomes For Introductory Rural Sociology: A Proposal And Rationale, Jennifer Steele

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

While rural sociologists have demonstrated their commitment to sharing ideas about teaching approaches and methods, they have given less systematic attention to the content of introductory rural sociology and its connections to the field’s mission of improving rural well-being. The purpose of this note is to make a case for developing model learning outcomes for introductory rural sociology and to present an organizing framework and sample outcomes for initiating discussion. First, a rationale for using learning outcomes as the means of sharing professional expectations is presented. Next, the methods used to arrive at a proposed organizational framework are described. It …

Assessing Introductory Rural Sociology, Joseph F. Donnermeyer, Benjamin Gray

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This article reports on the results of an assessment of an introductory rural sociology course offered at two land-grant universities, which are very different in size. These institutions are North Carolina A&T State University and The Ohio State University. The authors use similar assessment tools, including an embedded pre and post test of knowledge gained, students’ written comments to open-ended questions administered at the end of term about the quality of the class and the instructors, and the traditional, standardized Student Evaluation of Instruction, an instrument used across many universities. In addition, at OSU, a small group diagnostic of students …

The Mobile Bay Watershed Project: An Experiment In Collaborative Learning About The Social Construction Of Environmental And Natural Resource Problems, Michelle Worosz

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

A collaborative research project was developed for a multidisciplinary class of advanced undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in Sociology of Natural Resources and the Environment. The goals of the project were to determine the feasibility of offering an experiential learning opportunity and to explore its usefulness in enhancing students’ thinking about the social constructedness of natural resource and environmental (NRE) problems. The context was the Mobile Bay watershed, which is the site of a variety of concerns such as land use, pollution, and habitat destruction. To explore these types of problems, students completed a series of assignments including a media …

Reference Database Usage Statistics 2008-2009

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Statistics on the use of online reference databases at the University of Rhode Island during the period from July 2008 through June 2009. Includes COUNTER-compliant data on sessions, searches, turnaways, full text articles downloaded, cost per search, and other metrics.

Great Northwest Athletic Conference Track And Field Academic Award Winners, Great Northwest Athletic Conference

Track and Field

No abstract provided.

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands – Phase Ii: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering October 1, 2009 To December 31, 2009, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• The number of records in the volunteer database decreased by 14% over last quarter. The database now contains 5,996 records.
• Website activity increased, recording an average of 121,918 hits per month, an increase of 8% from last quarter, with an average of 9,686 pages viewed per month.
• Volunteer fall training has been completed.
• One hundred and twenty-seven people attended the Volunteer Recognition Event.

Southern Nevada Agency Partnership Cultural Site Stewardship Program – Program Expansion And Steward Retention: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2009, Margaret N. Rees

Cultural Site Stewardship Program

• A total of 25 stewards initiate Abandoned Mines survey for NP
• CSSP stewards record Grapevine Canyon near Laughlin
• CSSP recognition event draws 103 participants

Involvement, Knowledge Sharing And Proactive Improvement As Antecedents Of Logistics Outsourcing Performance, Andreja Križman

Economic and Business Review

The purpose of this article is to present the research results of a study on the impact of the drivers of logistics outsourcing performance: involvement, knowledge sharing, and innovation. The sample was derived from companies in the Slovenian market who choose to outsource their logistics services to logistics service providers. The article also attempts to contribute to the theoretical and methodological findings and managerial implications in logistics outsourcing discussions. On the basis of the existing literature and some new arguments derived from in-depth interviews with logistics experts, the measurement and structural models were empirically analysed on a sample of manufacturing …

Why Not Women Seafarers? : Towards A Development Strategy For The Recruitment And Retention Of Women Seafarers In Cargo Ships With Particular Reference To The Republic Of Korea, So-Hyun Jo

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Sustainability Of Business Development Services: Gaps Analysis Of The Kenyan Market, Hellen Otieno, Donath Olomi, Ruth Kiraka

Business Management Review

A key challenge in entrepreneurship and private sector development is the provision of sustainable Business Development Services (BDS), particularly for micro and small enterprises. This study investigates how sustainability of BDS can be achieved, and how some providers manage to develop sustainable BDS and not others, using Grounded Theory. The findings suggest that there are at least nine specific demand-and-supply-side gaps in the BDS market which providers need to identify and fill if they are to become sustainable. The gaps relate to awareness, value, trust, quality, capacity, unwillingness to pay, appreciation, inability to pay and perception. How providers identify and …

Relative Height And Weight Among Children And Adolescents Of Rural Southwestern Nigeria, Omolola Ayoola, Kara Ebersole, Olayemi O. Omotade, Bamidele O. Tayo, William R. Brieger, Kabiru Salami, Lara R. Dugas, Richard S. Cooper, Amy Luke

Faculty Publications

Background: There are few data describing the relative height and weight patterns of children and adolescents in rural Nigeria, despite a prevalence of stunting of over 38% among children younger than 5 years. Aim: The present study documented the height and weight patterns relative to international standards among children and adolescents aged 520 years in rural Nigeria. Subjects and methods: Children 520 years of age were enrolled from two rural villages. Height and weight were measured; body composition was estimated using bioelectrical impedance analysis. z-scores and centiles for height and body mass index were calculated; prevalences of low relative height …

Family Choices For The Career Woman In The Twenty-First Century, Gianna M. Koné

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study poses the question, "ls it possible for the twenty-first century woman to successfully integrate career and family, and if so, how?" Feminine identity, role, and fulfillment are changing and continue to transform in modern society. Today the twenty-first century woman struggles to integrate career, family, and home successfully while understanding the passion or driving force in her life. This research explores gender roles in order to understand, update, and find order in a chaotic world. Feminist thought and chaos theory are examined to see whether or not it is possible to integrate family and career in the new …

Introduction To Ritual Theory Ritual Practice, Catherine M. Bell

Religious Studies

This book undertakes such an analysis in two ways: first, through a critical reading of how the notion of ritual has been used in the study of religion, society, and culture; and second, through an attempt to carve out an approach to ritual activities that is less encumbered by assumptions about thinking and acting and more disclosing of the strategies by which ritualized activities do what they do. I do not provide a comprehensive history of the term, a review of the most famous ethnographic examples, or a revised theory of ritual—useful though these projects might be. The purpose of …

More Tools For The Synthesist’S Toolbag In Harris Cooper’S Research Synthesis And Meta-Analysis: A Step-By-Step Approach (4th Ed.), Carla Hansen

The Qualitative Report

The need for research synthesis grows along with the volume of contemporary published scholarship. Reporting such synthesis warrants rigorous guidelines for preparing these important, information-rich documents that make statements concerning the state of knowledge about a topic, gaps in knowledge, or the aggregation or integration of primary research. Cooper’s revised and expanded fourth edition of Research Synthesis and Meta­Analysis: A Step-by-Step Approach (2010) provides these needed guidelines with special attention given to the threats to validity at all steps of the research synthesis process.

Berghuis V. Smith: Brief For Social Scientists, Statisticians, And Law Professors, Jeffrey Fagan, Et Al., As Amici Curiae Supporting Respondent, Samuel R. Gross

Appellate Briefs

Amici curiae are leading social scientists, statisticians, and law professors actively engaged in social scientific research focused on the criminal justice system. Included among amici are authors of authoritative books and articles on statistics and the application of statistics in social science. Amici have written and conducted studies on a broad range of topics concerning the criminal justice and jury systems. Many amici are members and leaders of associations in their fields, including the National Academy of Sciences, the National Science Foundation, and the American Society of Criminology.

Amici curiae submit this brief to evaluate the various proposed methods for …

New Hampshire's Population Exceeds Maine's For The First Time In 200 Years, Kenneth M. Johnson

Carsey Publications

For the first time in more than 200 years, the population of New Hampshire exceeded that of Maine. As of July 1, 2009, U.S. Census Bureau estimates New Hampshire's population at 1,324,575 compared to 1,318,301 in Maine. New Hampshire grew faster than Maine over the last decade. Since 2000, New Hampshire gained 89,000 new residents compared to Maine's 43,000.

Unh Demographer Available To Discuss New U.S. Census Data: With Less Migration, Natural Increase Now More Important To State Growth, Lori Wright

Media Relations

No abstract provided.

New Hampshire's Population Exceeds Maine's For First Time In 200 Years, Lori Wright

Media Relations

No abstract provided.

The Complexity Of The Collective Health Field: Multidisciplinarity, Interdisciplinarityy And Transdiciplinarity Of Knowledge And Practice --A Socio-Historical Analysis Of A Paradigmatic Trajectory, L Madel

English

Objectives: To examine the interaction between the paradigms of multidisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity in the field of Collective Health, as well as describe their knowledge bases and practices and examine trends in the production of disciplinary knowledge and intervention.

Bringing Freud To Fraud: Understanding The State-Of-Mind Of The C-Level Suite/White Collar Offender Through “A-B-C” Analysis, Sridhar Ramamoorti, Daven Morrison, Joseph W. Koletar

Accounting Faculty Publications

In this paper we use a primarily “behavioral lens” (cf. Ramamoorti, 2008; Ramamoorti & Olsen, 2007) to try to understand the state-of-mind and motivations of the C-level suite/white collar offender before, during, and after the perpetration of management fraud. We offer a useful conceptual approach called “A-B-C Analysis” to understand the incidence of fraud from individual and group perspectives, as well as more macro-oriented, cultural/contextual levels. It is our hypothesis that fraud occurs either because of an individual criminal’s calculated/intentional betrayal of trust, a duo or team of “bad boys” who push ethical envelopes, and/or an organizational/social/national culture of passivity, …

Modernizing Nationalism: Masculinity And The Performance Of Anglophone Caribbean Identities, Nadia Indra Johnson

Open Access Dissertations

This study examines Anglophone Caribbean national identities to interrogate multiple and varied economies that manage citizens in the interest of economic and social production and/or the policing of national identities. It is particularly concerned with the gendered character of these economies. The formation and preservation of these national identities rely heavily on gender and sexual difference as Anglophone Caribbean national identities are inextricably linked to expressions of Afro-Caribbean masculinity. Thus I analyze novels and cultural representations of Afro-Caribbean masculinity in cricket, calypso and chutney-soca music in Trinidad's carnival. I also examine Afro-Caribbean religions, Revivalism and Rastafarianism, as well as Afro-Caribbean …

Considering "Objective" Possibilities In Autoethnography: A Critique Of Heewon Chang’S Autoethnography As Method1, Sue Butler

The Qualitative Report

Autoethnography is a qualitative research methodology that emphasizes a more personal, almost intimate level of study. It renders the researcher-participant opportunities to explore past and present experiences while gaining self-awareness of his or her interactions and their socio-cultural effects. In the book Autoethnography as Method Heewon Chang presents this research methodology in an easy to follow text and illustration, while advocating an objective approach to data collection and analysis. However, Chang’s theoretical positions seem to shift back and forth between this objective point-of-view and a subjective perspective throughout the text causing ambiguity and contradiction of ideas and approaches.