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Writing Center Annual Report For 2008-2009, John Jay College Writing Center

Reports and Publications from John Jay College

A report on the activities of the John Jay College Writing Center

Testing The Fixed Effects Restrictions? A Monte Carlo Study Of Chamberlain's Minimum Chi-Squared Test, Badi H. Baltagi, Georges Bresson, Alain Pirotte

Center for Policy Research

Chamberlain (1982) showed that the fixed effects (FE) specification imposes testable restrictions on the coefficients from regressions of all leads and lags of dependent variables on all leads and lags of independent variables. Angrist and Newey (1991) suggested computing this test statistic as the degrees of freedom times the R2 from a regression of within residuals on all leads and lags of the exogenous variables. Despite the simplicity of these tests, they are not commonly used in practice. Instead, a Hausman (1978) test is used based on a contrast of the fixed and random effects specifications. We advocate the use …

Testing For Sphericity In A Fixed Effects Panel Data Model (Revised July 2009), Badi H. Baltagi, Qu Feng, Chihwa Kao

Center for Policy Research

This paper proposes a test for sphericity in a fixed effects panel data model. It uses the Random Matrix Theory based approach of Ledoit and Wolf (2002) to test for sphericity of the error terms in a fixed effects panel model with a large number of cross-sectional units and time series observations. Since the errors are unobservable, the residuals from the fixed effects regression are used. The limiting distribution of the proposed test statistic is derived. Additionally, its finite sample properties are examined using Monte Carlo simulations.

A Multi-State Evaluation Of The Factors Predicting Educational Achievement Of Adult Foster Care Alumni, Markell Harrison-Jackson

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Child maltreatment, a major public-health concern in the United States, has the most detrimental impact on adult emotional and physical development. According to the urban Institute, in the past decade foster-care expenditures for child maltreatment totaled $14.4 billion. Each year, 30,000 alumni "age out" of foster care. These are alumni who exit the foster-care system only because they reach the age of 18, not because they are reunited with their families, are adopted, or leave to attend college. Prior longitudinal research has shown that the nearly 80% of the alumni who are emancipated at the age of 18 failed to …

The Significance Of Heavy Chain Cdr3 Diversity In The Antibody Response To Polysaccharides, Tamer Mahmoud

All ETDs from UAB

An understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the generation of protective antibody responses to polysaccharides associated with pathogenic microorganisms is of importance for improving vaccine design. The heavy chain third complementarity-determining region (HCDR3) of an antibody molecule is at the center of its antigen-binding site and plays a determinative role in antigen recognition. The goal of this dissertation was to investigate the role of HCDR3 diversity and composition on the antibody response to the polysaccharide α 1→3 Dextran (DEX). In the first study, we investigated the role of TdT, a DNA polymerase that plays a major role in generating …

Corporate Social Responsibility In Sport: An Overview And Key Issues, Paul C. Godfrey

Faculty Publications

Sport—writ large—exists as a significant social institution, both in terms of economic and social impacts on the society of which it is a key part. This essay provides a systematic introduction to the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) for sport management scholars and practitioners. I review the historical development of CSR in the United States, provide a summary of the major theories and models currently in use by theorists and researchers, and identify key issues facing the CSR discourse. I conclude by returning to the notion of sport as an institution and try to raise questions, as an outsider, …

We Don't Talk Like Dat! Perceptions Of Preparedness To Teach Language Diverse Students, Aubretta P. Curry

All ETDs from UAB

A language barrier exists in schools across the United States, and it's not just with students from other countries. It is estimated that over 8 million African American students speak a language which is foreign to many classroom teachers. The dissonance between home and school language has had devastating effects of African American achievement, with regard to literacy and language arts instruction. With a focus on how teacher education programs in post secondary institutions in Alabama are preparing teachers to teach students with diverse dialects, this qualitative research inquiry provides a critical case study of the perceptions of eight early …

Cold Stone, White Lily, Anne Markham Bailey

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

“In The System:” A Qualitative Study Of African-American Women’S Foster Care Stories, Meghan Spell

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Effect That Intercollegiate Athletic Participation Has On The Grade Point Averages Of African American Male Student Athletes At A Four Year Public Institution In The Black Belt Region Of Alabama, William Earl Brophy

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT There are many important factors that impact the grade point averages of African-American males at 4-year public institutions. Factors such as race, gender, SES, and ath-letic participation are potential influences that may have an effect on academic achieve-ment in a college setting in Alabama's Black Belt region as well. This study sought to de-termine if such factors coupled with other demands placed on African American male student athletes effected their respective academic achievement. Important questions an-swered in this study included how the variables above impacted the academic plights of the sample group that was examined. Research hypotheses examined the …

Synergy For Science Learning: An Interdisciplinary Partnership To Improve The Quality Of Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics Education, Alan Zollman, Kathleen Kitts, Mansour Tahernezhadi, Penny Billman

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Synergy is the interaction of two or more elements to produce a combined impact greater than the sum of their separate effects. In this paper, synergy for science learning came from the amalgamation of separate, independent science education contributors. Synergy for science learning thus was created by three resulting elements: content and applications, designed by the College of Engineering and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; research-based pedagogy, developed by the Colleges of Education and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; and dynamic classroom implementation, guided by action research and delivered by the partnership school districts.

Adventures In Identity Development: The Impact Of Adventure Recreation On Adolescent Identity Development, Mat D. Duerden, Mark A. Widmer, Stacy T. Taniguchi, J. Kelly Mccoy

Faculty Publications

This study examined the effect of an adventure recreation program on adolescent identity development. Participants included 43 males and 45 females, ages 11 to 15 (M = 13.33, SD = .86). Twenty-two males and 23 females participated in the program, and the remaining youth served as members of a comparison group. Participants completed a two-week adventure program that included such activities as backpacking, mountain biking, white-water rafting, environmental education, and leadership training. The Erikson Psychosocial Stage Inventory was used to measure levels of identity, intimacy, and generativity, and the Identity Styles Inventory was used to assess informational, normative, and …

The Cultural Worldview Of Allopthic And Naturopathic Physicians, Cullen Clark

All ETDs from UAB

Worldview is the socio-cultural compass with which we navigate the existential mysteries of life. It is our way of seeing – and being in – the world. As such it influences every aspect of culture from art to medicine. This exploratory study uses a sequential design combining quantitative and qualitative methodology to explore the worldview of allopathic and naturopathic physicians. Using survey research, the study identifies five basic components of competing worldviews among allopathic (n = 550) and naturopathic physicians (n = 399). It measures agreement among the two groups with these components and explores their influence upon support for …

"The Lower Class Of Traitors Have Also Their Architects Of Plots": The London Irish, The United Irish, And The Creation Of Irish Identities, 1780-1800, Erin K. Crawley

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the concepts of prejudice and contrasting identities in 1790s London, examining the interplay between English authorities, the United Irish, and the working Irish in London. The thesis examines the agency of the London Irish and the limits to their actions caused by the United Irish presence in London and the English response. First, it analyzes court cases, sessions papers, pamphlets, and trial publications to show where prosecutors, defendants, and witnesses make linguistic ascriptions of Irish, English, and metropolitan identity. This analysis shows that the working-class London Irish were primarily unskilled laborers, beggars, and disembarked soldiers living in …

Ay 2008/2009 Sec Meeting Minutes, 2008-12-03, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Archives

No abstract provided.

Ay 2008/2009 Sec Meeting Minutes, 2009-02-04, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Archives

No abstract provided.

Ay 2008/2009 Fs Meeting Minutes, 2009-01-21, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Archives

No abstract provided.

Taking Out The Trash: Critiquing The Equipment For Living Of White Trash Films, Tasha Rose Dunn

Masters Theses

Over the past decade, class has become a lightning rod issue in the United States as the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen. One of the main reasons for growing class segregation is the mere fact that U.S. culture carries enormous social anxieties about poverty and, in turn, blame the poor for being poor. As a result of hegemonic beliefs about class, crude discourses are formed and fostered through the mainstream media creating both inaccurate and damaging portrayals. Such damaging portrayals are immediately evident in a variety of mainstream Hollywood films produced in the past decade …

Factors Influencing The Academic Major Selection Of Undecided Students: A Phenomenological Study, Christina D. Thompson

Masters Theses

This phenomenological, qualitative research study was designed to determine the most commonly selected academic major chosen by previously undecided students, the various factors that influenced the academic-major decision, and the similarities between the study participants. By comparing a Fall 2006 spreadsheet of undecided freshmen enrolled at Eastern Illinois University to a Fall 2008 spreadsheet of Eastern Illinois University students, the major choice of these previously undecided students was Communication Studies, determined to be the most highly selected academic major. Previously undecided students who had chosen Communication Studies were recruited for participation in this research. Data was collected through a demographic …

Natural Resources, Investment, And Growth In Low Income Countries, Dena L. Reavis

Masters Theses

Rents generated by natural resource endowments can be lucrative and highly productive sources of revenue for countries of all income levels. Countries able to develop sound investment strategies that efficiently allocate resource rents into highly productive activities can set themselves on paths of long-run stable growth. This study estimates the effects of several host-country characteristics on inflows of foreign direct investment and per capita incomes for low income countries finding that investments in human capital do attract inward foreign direct investment. Some evidence supports the hypothesis of a natural resource curse when the abundant resource is agriculture or food.

Front Matter, James Mohr, Joanie Eppinga, Steven Baum

Journal of Hate Studies

“I love mankind; it’s people I can’t stand.” This quotation from Charles Schultz’s Linus is brought to mind by the current volume of the Journal of Hate Studies. This year’s theme, “The Science of Hate,” has brought forth notions about how, under the auspices of some ideal that is sure to benefit humankind, science is used as a bottom line or a justification for horrendous behavior directed toward individuals or groups of individuals.

Competition And Comity In The Fragmentation Of International Law, William Thomas Worster

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Civil Society And The Legitimacy Of The Wto Dispute Settlement System, Yuka Fukunaga

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Breaking Barriers, Pushing Promise: American's Need For An Embryonic Stem Cell Regulatory Scheme, Sylvia E. Simson

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Negotiation In Cross-Cultural Marriages : An Exploratory Qualitative Study Among Middle Class Professionals In Hong Kong, Pui Kwan Man

Lingnan Theses

This thesis attempts to focus on families and their children (if any) in cross-cultural marriages. These families potentially face extra stress and strains in addition to those which all families face. As a result of recent social and economic changes, certain roles such as those of the breadwinner and caregiver, traditionally male-female roles, may be becoming more interchangeable. Cross-cultural families’ may have differences in cultural backgrounds, attitudes and expectations, as well as potential support networks, so the research will investigate whether these sorts of changes place even greater than usual demands on families.

Therefore, it may be important for couples …

Exploring The Television Portrayal Of Older People In Hong Kong : A Study Of Two Public Affairs Documentary Series, Caillie Tam

Lingnan Theses

Adopting the contextual social constructionist perspective on social problems, the present study investigates how older people are portrayed in two public affairs television documentaries in Hong Kong over a period of two decades. There were The Hong Kong Connection (produced by the public service broadcaster, Radio Television Hong Kong); and Chasing Current Affairs (produced by a commercial broadcaster, Asia Television Limited). A mixture of research designs was employed in the analysis, namely: (1) content analysis on the documentary episodes, (2) reviews of government documents and (3) in-depth interviews with social workers and the staff engaged in documentary episode productions. A …

Older Persons' Perceptions Of Their Future : A Qualitative Study In Hong Kong, Shuk Ching, Crystal So

Lingnan Theses

This study examines older persons’ hopes, fears and expectations for the future, a topic little explored in Hong Kong. The study of twenty-five people aged 65-85 years adopts a qualitative approach to explore the experiences that shape older persons’ views of their future lives. Three models emerged from the empirical study, namely The Model of Resignation, The Model of Predestination and The Model of Adaptation.

The findings suggest that respondents who had and still have little social support from friends tend to live very much in the present; they do not look forward to the future nor do they have …

Risk Culture Of Late Modernity? : Mass Tutoring Enrolment Of Hong Kong's Senior Secondary Students, Cheuk Wai, Jeffrey Cheung

Lingnan Theses

Mass tutoring on senior secondary curricula, with specific focus on examination syllabi and techniques, has expanded rapidly in Hong Kong in the recent decade. Through semi-structured in-depth interviews, conducted in summer 2007, with 20 certificate level (Secondary 4 and 5) and 21 advanced level (Secondary 6 and 7) students with various level of involvement in mass tutoring, this study discovered:

(1) Risk awareness and future-oriented mentality: Students expected that mass tutoring could help improve their performance in public examinations, and could secure good grades. To them, better grades mean higher chance to get a recognized qualification, fulfil their career aspiration, …

Serendipity, Sean B. Seymore

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Serendipity, the process of finding something of value initially unsought, has played a prominent role in modern science and technology. These "happy accidents" have spawned new fields of science, broken intellectual and technological barriers, and furnished countless products that have altered the course of human history. In the realm of patent law, one curious aspect of accidental discoveries that has received little attention in the academic literature and the courts is how they mesh with the substantive law of invention. This Essay shows that applying conventional doctrines to accidental inventions is theoretically untenable and, in certain circumstances, may result in …

Group-Conflict Resolution: Sources Of Resistance To Reconciliation, Erin O'Connor

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

In the past few years a number of scholars in a variety of intellectual disciplines have contributed to a better understanding of dyadic conflicts and their resolution. In particular, sociologists, psychologists, anthropologists, lawyers, and others have explored the dynamics of apology and its role in deescalating disputes and promoting forgiveness and reconciliation. Furthermore, we have a better understanding today of the benefits to individuals from forgiveness and reconciliation. Victims who are able to forgive their transgressors have better psychological and physical health and lead richer lives. Because lawyers tend to focus their attentions on legal disputes, a growing body of …