Digital Commons Network^™

Mandatory Reporting In The Context Of Home Visitation Programs, Danielle Marie Davidov

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Each year in the United States, 4.8 million physical assaults and rapes are committed against 1.5 million women by an intimate partner. An estimated 3.3 to 10 million children are exposed to some form of intimate partner violence (IPV) in their own homes annually. Although mandatory reporting laws regarding child abuse and/or neglect are implemented in all 50 U.S. states, the extent to which these laws are appropriate for IPV between adults and children exposed to IPV is undetermined. A comprehensive examination of the perspectives of those required to report abuse is critical, as their roles as mandated reporters often …

Understanding Plasmas Through Ion Velocity Distribution Function Measurements, Saikat Chakraborty Thakur

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This work concerns measurements of ion velocity distribution functions (IVDF) using three different diagnostic techniques in expanding argon plasmas generated by two different helicon plasma sources. A theoretical prediction by Lieberman et al., of enhanced upstream ionization by electrons accelerating upstream, due to the formation of a stable electrostatic current-free double layer (DL) in an expanding plasma, was verified through laser induced fluorescence (LIF) and retarding field energy analyzer (RFEA) measurements of the IVDF and Langmuir probe measurements of the plasma density. Keeping all other external source parameters constant and varying only the operating frequency of the helicon source HELIX, …

Spectral Approaches To Natural Mesh Processing, Takamitsu Kawai

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Mesh design is a major bottleneck in the creation of computer games and animation. Therefore simplifying the process of mesh editing is an important problem. Natural mesh processing is generally difficult to perform since natural meshes often have nontrivial surface shapes and high degrees of freedom. In this study I present novel approaches to natural mesh processing utilizing spectral methods based on the manifold harmonic basis.;Geometric scaling transformations do not respect the biological processes which govern the size and shape of living creatures. I describe an approach to scaling which can be related to biological function. Known biological laws of …

Mythscapes: Violent Spaces In Postmodern Literature And Culture, Jonathan R. Harvey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This project focuses on British and American speculative novels written between the 1960s and the 2000s that position the reader to critique the contemporary world. Depictions of violent, fictional spaces, or what I call mythscapes, are playing an influential role in literary, political, religious, and even scientific discourses. The mythscape can initiate introspection on real issues by suggesting possible alternatives, conjecturing about potential consequences, and posing compelling comparisons. I define "mythscape" as an imagined space that features: a setting that is nonrealistic and radically different from, yet implicitly contrastive with, material reality; a rhetorical stance, which is inevitably grounded in …

Priming In Interpersonal Contexts: Implications For Affect And Behavior., Na Wyer, G Calvini, A Nash, N Miles

School of Psychology

Priming stereotypes can lead to a variety of behavioral outcomes, including assimilation, contrast, and response behaviors. However, the conditions that give rise to each of these outcomes are unspecified. Furthermore, theoretical accounts posit that prime-to-behavior effects are either direct (i.e., unmediated) or mediated by cognitive processes, whereas the role of affective processes has been largely unexplored. The present research directly investigated both of these issues. Three experiments demonstrated that priming a threatening social group ("hoodies") influences both affect and behavior in an interpersonal context. Hoodie priming produced both behavioral avoidance and several affective changes (including social apprehension, threat sensitivity, and …

Diabetes Education: Supporting The Pre-Adolescent Child, Janet M. Mattson

Theses and Dissertations

A diagnosis of Type I diabetes impacts every aspect of life for the pre-adolescent child. ln order to successfully manage Type J diabetes, the child must learn the complex regimen of its ca re. The responsibility for diabetes se lf-ca re begins to transfer to the child at pre-adolescence. Controlling diabetes is difficult for the pre-adolescent, however, clue to the lack of understanding the complex concepts of this disease and the unique developmental tasks associated with this age group. Diabetes educat ion must support the cogniti ve level and developmental needs of the pre-adolescent. Literature emphasizes the need for age …

Examining The Effectiveness Of Dropout Prevention Practices And Their Implications For Intervention With Public School Students, Louisa Pollack

Dissertations

Schools face the dilemma of transforming both the trend of students dropping out of school and the associated negative socioeconomic outcomes into a positive path of persistence and school completion. Despite ongoing efforts of the federal and state government, as well as those of the local school districts, this problem continues to burden the educational system and society as a whole. The opinions of those with the experience of dropping out and returning to school are pertinent sources of information on educative practices that can help stem the dropout rate.

A survey was conducted to gather the opinions of students …

Emotional Maturity Of Adolescents And Adults In Ged Programs, Billy Joe Riffle

Dissertations

When discussing issues relating to students in General Educational Development (GED) Option and pre-GED programs with educators, the contention exists that it is possible to make reasonably accurate predictions on the success or failure of a student by observing a number of items. Looking at their cumulative records shows their academic and attendance history. Insight is gained by looking at their family dynamics and how they relate to adults. Much can be learned about them from their discipline reports and the nature of any infractions. One of the most intriguing aspects gained through experience and observation is the perception of …

The Relationship Between Leader Decision Making And Student Achievement At K-3 Title I And Reading First Elementary Schools, Emily Kathleen Richmond

Dissertations

This mixed methodology study investigated the relationship between administrator and teacher perceptions of leader decision making regarding five variables (reading training, reading curriculum, program evaluation, financial support, and student assessment) and student achievement (in the single content area, reading, at the 3rd grade level) in Title I K-3 schools receiving Reading First Grants (RFGs) and Title I K-3 schools not receiving RFGs, in four states (Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, and Oklahoma). Respondent data and district data regarding percentages of students achieving proficient and above on state third grade reading assessments were analyzed via Pearson Correlations, Multiple Regression Analysis, and a MANOVA. …

Older Adults And A Writing Workshop: A Phenomenological Study, Jennifer Lynn Alex

Dissertations

This study examines how older adults experience the phenomenon of participating in a writing workshop and how older adults interpret their experiences, understandings, and realities of writing. Ten older adults, ranging in age from 62 to 83 with varying degrees of experiences in writing, participated in this study. Through a semi-structured interview, each participant related his or her experience first as a writer and then as a member of a writing workshop offered through a Community Literacy Center in a mid-sized Appalachian city.

A phenomenological analysis method was used to identify and analyze themes of meaning that emerged in the …

The Effect Of A Math Emporium Course Redesign In Developmental And Introductory Mathematics Courses On Student Achievement And Students' Attitudes Toward Mathematics At A Two-Year College, Amy Renée Bishop

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of computer-based instruction on student mathematics achievement and students' attitudes toward mathematics in developmental and introductory mathematics courses, namely Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, and College Algebra, at a community college. The researcher also examined the relationship between attitudes and achievement. The sample consisted of 112 students, and the study was conducted during the Spring 2010 semester at a community college in south Mississippi. The participants were enrolled in one of six classes taught by the researcher. The control group consisted of three classes (one Intermediate and two College Algebra sections) …

Student Persistence In Associate Degree Nursing Programs At Mississippi Community Colleges, Kathryn Lee Fleming

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine factors of student persistence and attrition in addition to strategies that may help students persist in associate degree nursing programs at community colleges. Data were collected from nursing students enrolled in first-year associate degree nursing programs at participating Mississippi community colleges and analyzed using multiple regression and repeated measures ANOVAs. Tinto’s Classic Model and Bean & Metzner’s Nontraditional Model of Student Attrition were utilized in this study. This mixed methods convenience sample yielded 564 participants, and the results were as follows: environmental factors and demographic factors of student persistence were found to …

Teacher Attitude Toward Differentiated Instruction In Third Grade Language Arts, Vivian Marina Mclean

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher attitude toward differentiated instruction in third grade language arts in classrooms across a southern region of the United States. The researcher sought to answer four research questions “Does National Board Certification affect teacher attitude toward differentiated instruction,” “Does teacher education affect teacher attitude towards differentiated instruction?”, “Does teacher experience affect teacher attitude toward differentiated instruction?”, and “Does professional development affect teacher attitude toward differentiated instruction?”

The research findings supported the work of Tomlinson, McTighe, Webb, Wiggins, Vygotsky, and Gardner. Their literature served as a foundation in the identification of the variables …

The Effects Of Early Intervention On The Cognitive And Social Development Of Kindergarteners, Jennifer Foster Pope

Dissertations

Research has, for years, linked early intervention with student achievement. Students coming from an appropriate developmental preschool program are at an advantage and are readily able to face the rigor of elementary school (Campbell & Ramey, 1994). This study investigated whether there were statistically significant relationships among preschool attendance, gender, free/reduced status, and ethnicity and the cognitive development of kindergarten students as measured by AIMSweb Progress Monitoring and Response to Intervention System. This study also investigated the relationship between social skills competence and the cognitive development of kindergarten students as measured by the School-age Social and Emotional Adaptive Skills Inventory. …

Community College Department Chairs' Leadership Styles And Faculty Utilization Of Instructional Technology, Anastasia (Stacey) L. Boggs

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study explores the relationship between faculty utilization of instructional technology and the leadership style of mathematics and English academic department chairpersons in associate degree-granting community colleges in the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The degree to which instructional technology was utilized in teaching courses was determined through self reporting surveys answered via mail by the selected faculty and chairs in the study. The academic department chairpersons in mathematics and English departments at the selected community colleges were rated by their faculty to determine their leadership style, using the Bolman and Deal Leadership Orientations survey. The leadership styles consisted …

A Study And Performance Analysis Of Selected Art Songs By Un-Yeong Na, Min Sue Kim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Korea's history spans over 5,000 years. A rich culture of Korean arts developed through the foresight and vision of Korean nobility and the artistic "underground" during periods of occupation. Korea was exposed to Western cultural influences beginning with the arrival of American Christian missionaries in the mid-19th century and the Japanese invasion and occupation (1910-1945). During the Japanese colonial period, the Korean people were forced to accept new cultural ideas including new forms and styles of music. After the emancipation from Japan, music in Korea was already becoming settled in the Western music system. Some composers who were active during …

An Annotated Bibliography Of Music Composed By Heinz Holliger For The Oboe, Oboe D'Amore, Or English Horn, Matthew Allen Ward

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This annotated bibliography is intended to serve as a resource for those musicians seeking any compositions composed by Heinz Holliger for the oboe, oboe d'amore, or English horn for performance, pedagogical, or research-related purposes. This bibliography is a current listing of all published and unpublished compositions written for these instruments by Holliger as of March 2010. Twenty-four annotations provide information on performance-related criteria such as the year of completion, publisher, instrumentation, movements and titles, text and translation, available historical information, timing, difficulty, range, and extended techniques. Also included is a description and discussion of all the extended techniques that appear …

Measured And Estimated Ground Reaction Forces For Multi-Segment Foot Models, Dustin A. Bruening, Kevin M. Cooney, Frank L. Buczek

Faculty Publications

Accurate measurement of ground reaction forces under discrete areas of the foot is important in the development of more advanced foot models, which can improve our understanding of foot and ankle function. To overcome current equipment limitations, a few investigators have proposed combining a pressure mat with a single force platform and using a proportionality assumption to estimate subarea shear forces and free moments. In this study, two adjacent force platforms were used to evaluate the accuracy of the proportionality assumption on a three segment foot model during normal gait. Seventeen right feet were tested using a targeted walking approach, …

Bridging The Gap: Self-Directed Staff Technology Training, Quinn Galbraith, Kayla L. Quinney, Sara D. Smith

Faculty Publications

Undergraduates, as members of the Millennial Generation, are proficient in Web 2.0 technology and expect to apply these technologies to their coursework—including scholarly research. To remain relevant, academic libraries need to provide the technology that student patrons expect, and academic librarians need to learn and use these technologies themselves. Because leaders at the Harold B. Lee Library of Brigham Young University (HBLL) perceived a gap in technology use between students and their staff and faculty, they developed and implemented the Technology Challenge, a self-directed technology training program that rewarded employees for exploring technology daily. The purpose of this paper is …

Spectator 2010-12-01, Editors Of The Spectator

The Spectator

No abstract provided.

A New Life For The Care Plan?, Laura K. Heermann Langford, Ann Tinker, Marc-Aurel Martial

Faculty Publications

The current hot topic within clinical informatics is meaningful use and incentive payments defined under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act's electronic health record (EHR) incentive program. This recent legislation calls for healthcare providers to meet a set of minimum requirements using a certified EHR. The point of this government program is to support the widespread adoption of the EHR. The program lays out an overall plan that incentivizes hospitals and providers to implement, adopt, and "meaningfully" use an EHR. The incentive program starts with basic data entry and exchange in a standardized manner, with …

How To Develop A Model For Writing A Biblical Conclusion To Improve The Effectiveness Of Preaching For Korean Pastors, Minseog Roh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to help Korean preachers to make biblical and effective conclusions to improve the effectiveness of their sermons. This dissertation was performed on the basis of literature reviews, studies on the principles of the sermon conclusion, studies of various types of sermon conclusions, and analyses of types of conclusions of four representative Korean preachers: Dongwon Lee, Sunhee Gwahk, Hanhum Ohk, and Byeonguhk Jeon. This dissertation also provides practical guides to Korean pastors who want to improve their sermon conclusions in order to write various types of sermon conclusions.

Review: Hokkeji And The Reemergence Of Female Monastic Orders In Premodern Japan, James C. Dobbins

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, Medieval Feminist Forum, V.46 No.2 2010

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Queen’S Gold And Intercession: The Case Of Eleanor Of Aquitaine, Kristen Geaman

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Malory's Morgan Le Fay: The Danger Of Unrestrained Feminine Power, Marylynn Saul

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

The medieval fear of witches (who were perceived as primarily women) contradicts the idea of female powerlessness. Since medieval society believed powerful women were unnatural, and if they did have power would use it to the detriment of men, medieval witchcraft theories, such as presented in the Malleus Maleficarum, employed various rationales to deny the possibility that witches could alter God’s creation. That it was possible for women to have power could not be denied since a few medieval women did acquire power, including political power. The intensity of the denials of female power and the often convoluted rationales employed …

Texts And Traditions Of Medieval Pastoral Care: Essays In Honour Of Bella Millett. Edited By Cate Gunn And Catherine Innes-Parker. York: York Medieval Press, 2009., Cynthia Ho

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Nurse-Patient Language Barrier On Patients' Satisfaction, Ali M. Al-Khathami, Sulieman W. Kojan, Mohammed A. Aljumah, Hussein Alqahtani, Hind Alrwaili

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To study Saudi patients9 perception of nursing care delivered by non-Arabic speaking nurses (NASNs). METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of randomly selected patients admitted to King Abdul-Aziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during the summer of 2009. We conducted structured face-to-face interviews, and the Institutional Review Board approved the study. RESULTS: We interviewed 116 patients with a 100% response rate. The mean age was 48 years and 47% were men. Half was illiterate or had a low level of education. Eighty percent was served by NASNs. Most believed that the Arabic language is important to provide high quality of care. …

Regulatory Focus, Regulatory Fit, And The Search And Consideration Of Choice Alternatives, Michel Tuan Pham, Hannah H. Chang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This research investigates the effects of regulatory focus on alternative search and consideration set formation in consumer decision making. Results from three experiments yield two primary findings. First, promotion-focused consumers tend to search for alternatives at a more global level, whereas prevention-focused consumers tend to search for alternatives at a more local level. Second, promotionfocused consumers tend to have larger consideration sets than do preventionfocused consumers. Building on these two primary findings, it is additionally shown that whereas promotion-focused consumers attach relatively greater value to options chosen from hierarchically structured sets, prevention-focused consumers attach relatively greater value to options chosen …

The Effects Of Action, Normality, And Decision Carefulness On Anticipated Regret: Evidence For A Broad Mediating Role Of Decision Justifiability., Jochen Reb, Terry Connolly

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Two distinct theoretical views explain the effects of action/inaction and social normality on anticipated regret. Norm theory (Kahneman & Miller, 1986) emphasises the role of decision mutability, the ease with which one can imagine having made a different choice. Decision justification theory (Connolly & Zeelenberg, 2002) highlights the role of decision justifiability, the perception that the choice was made on a defensible basis, supported by convincing arguments or using a thoughtful, comprehensive decision process. The present paper tests several contrasting predictions from the two theoretical approaches in a series of four studies. Study 1 replicated earlier findings showing greater anticipated …