Digital Commons Network^™

The African American Women's Summit: A Case Study Of A Professional Development Program Developed By And For African American Women Student Affairs Professionals, Nicole Mary-Ella West

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While African American women have been participating in American higher education for more than a century, they remain significantly underrepresented among college and university administrators. Researchers have noted that when these women are able to secure administrative positions, many of them contend with intense isolation and marginalization, which compromises their personal well-being and jeopardizes their professional success. Black feminist scholars have suggested that African American women may be assisted by involving themselves in supportive networks that provide them the opportunity to connect with other African American women. Further, these scholars contend that these activities should be facilitated by African American …

Examining Reasons For Bottled Water Consumption: A Case Study In Pensacola, Florida, Marina Leigh Foote

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over-consumption in developed economies undoubtedly puts a large strain on the environment, and many would argue that the damage is irreversible. Current uses and rates of consumption of freshwater resources are also deemed to be unsustainable. A large contributor to the high demand for water is the shift in consumer preferences from tap to bottled water. In the last few decades, bottled water companies have set unprecedented records, surpassing all other types of non-alcoholic beverages to become the second largest beverage market next to soda. Bottled water has been on the rise due to its supposed safety, purity and convenience. …

The Positive Illusory Bias: Do Adhd Symptoms Differ Among Young Adolescents With Accurate Versus Discrepant Self-Perceptions?, Sarah A. Fefer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into whether inattentive, hyperactive/ impulsive, and depressive symptoms differ among young adolescents with negative, accurate, or positive self-perceptions of their academic and social competence. Current literature suggests that elementary-age children with ADHD display overly positive self-perceptions, often referred to as the positive illusory bias (PIB; Owens, Goldfine, Evangelista, Hoza, & Kaiser, 2007). Self-reports of academic and social self-concept were compared to teacher ratings and test scores for 164 middle school students in an effort to determine if the PIB was present within this sample. Inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms were found to …

Actualizing Empowerment: Developing A Framework For Partnering With Families In System Level Service Planning And Delivery, Kathleen Ferreira

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The engagement of families of children and adolescents with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) as full partners in individual treatment, organizational, and system level decision making has become an important focus for systems of care (SOCs) serving youth with emotional and behavioral challenges. SOCs typically include cross-agency partnerships with mental health, child welfare, juvenile justice, and education for the purpose of providing services and supports for youth with SED who have multi-agency needs. Implementation of a federal mandate requiring family driven care (FDC) within systems of care funded through the Children's Mental Health Initiative (CMHI) has revealed that most system of …

Middle School Transition: How It Affects The Achievement Of Hispanic Students Relative To Ell Status, Socioeconomic Status, Gender, And Previous Test Scores, Kevin D. Gordon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the phenomena of middle school transition and achievement as it relates to Hispanic students. According to the 2000 U.S. census, there are more than 35 million registered Hispanic citizens. Of those, 3.6 million are public school students. The literature indicated that there was a marked regression in student achievement during the transition to middle school.

Through the use of descriptive statistics and regression analysis, sixth grade Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) reading and math developmental scale scores (DSS) were analyzed to determine if the mean achievement improved or declined after the transition …

A Case Study Of Selected Female Elementary School Leaders' Perspectives On The, Julie D. Hasson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The transition from the comfort of a familiar role, that of teacher, to the discomfort of a new role, that of school administrator, is a transformative process. Transforming oneself requires leaving what is known and venturing into the unknown. Researchers have illuminated women's struggle to attain school leadership positions, but the transformation of females making this change in professional roles is seldom addressed in leadership literature. Although context cannot be ignored, there are some challenges common to many women undergoing this transformation.

Situated in the elementary education setting, this study investigated the perspectives of female, early-career administrators who recently experienced …

A Cross-Cultural Adaptation Of The Irrational Beliefs Inventory From English To Icelandic, Gudmundur Torfi Heimisson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Irrational Beliefs Inventory (IBI) was built to measure self-defeating beliefs as conceptualized in Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy. The IBI has five factors: worrying, rigidity, problem avoidance, need for approval, and emotional irresponsibility. A three-phase cross-cultural study was conducted to translate and adapt the IBI from English to Icelandic, and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) approach was used for a test of factorial validity and cross-cultural invariance.

In Phase 1, the IBI was translated from English to Icelandic, using a forward-translation and back-translation. Two forward-translators and two back-translators were recruited. In Phase 2, qualitative interview methods were used in both the …

Friendship Networks, Perceived Reciprocity Of Support, And Depression, Ryan Francis Huff

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Using social network analysis as a theoretical framework, the current study examined the associations between self-reported egocentric network characteristics and depression among a sample of United States college students. It is important to understand factors related to depression among this population due to the severity of its potential outcomes (e.g., suicide and interpersonal problems at school). Drawing inspiration from a recent study conducted by Christina Falci and Clea McNeely (2009), the current investigation used OLS regression to test for both linear and curvilinear relationships between egocentric network size and depression. Potential interactions between network size, density, and gender were also …

Constructing Alternative Christian Identity: An Ethnography Of Jesus People Usa's Cornerstone Festival, Brian Johnston

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines processes through which alternative Christian identities are constructed, maintained, and performed at the annual Cornerstone Festival in Bushnell, Illinois. Organized and managed by Jesus People USA (JPUSA), an urban commune in Chicago, Illinois, the festival includes non-traditional methods of religious expression including rock music, making camp, play, and community-building. Cornerstone Festival attracts and includes members of the Christian faith who would not otherwise be included in traditionally organized Christian groups and fosters interaction between these less enfranchised members and more traditionally minded and socialized Christian practitioners. JPUSA appropriates the festival format as a method of religious expression …

When Does Fidelity Matter? An Evaluation Of Two Medical Simulation Methods, Nneka Joseph

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Job or task simulations are used in training when the use of the real task is dangerous or expensive, such as flying aircraft or surgery. This study focused on comparing two types of simulations used in assessments during a Clinical Performance Examination of third-year medical students: computer enhanced mannequins and standardized patients. Each type of simulation has advantages, but little empirical work exists to guide the use of different types of simulation for training and evaluating different aspects of performance. This study analyzed performance scores for different competencies as well as the reliability and validity of the different simulation types. …

Female Teachers As Sexual Predators: A Qualitative Study Of Grades 7-12 In The State Of Florida's Public Schools, Jayme Lynn Joslyn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study's purpose was to discover commonalities and differences among female predators and Florida female teachers who are perceived and reported to harass students sexually. When perceived and reported female sexual harasser and student safety was researched, a breath of studies did not occur. When current studies were reviewed, teacher sexual harassment continued to occur. In this qualitative study, ten Florida public school female teachers who were perceived and reported to sexually harass students were randomly selected. Findings indicted that further research is still needed on female teachers who are perceived and reported to sexually harass students. When researching the …

Assist Principals' Perspectives On Professional Learning Conversations For Teacher Professional Growth, Connie Kolosey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to discover, document, and describe the salient actions, events, beliefs, attitudes, social structures and processes related to professional learning conversations from the perspective of nine assistant principals (APs). The participants were elementary, middle and high school APs, three at each level. Using a modified critical incident technique through participant written response and two in depth interviews with each respondent, this study investigated the lived experiences of these APs related to the practice of professional learning conversations in their schools. The research questions focused on: (1) the participants' beliefs and attitudes about professional learning conversations, …

Rethinking Buffer Operations In A Dual-Store Framework, Melissa Lehman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Atkinson and Shiffrin's (1968) dual-store model of memory includes a structural memory store along with control processes conceptualized as a rehearsal buffer. I present a variant of Atkinson and Shiffrin’s buffer model within a global memory framework that accounts for findings previously thought to be difficult for it to explain. This model assumes a limited capacity buffer where information is stored about items, along with information about associations between items and between items and the context in which they are studied. The strength of association between items and context is limited by the number of items simultaneously occupying the buffer. …

Assessing Relational Networks: An Evaluation Of Derived Relational Responding With Children With Asd And Typically Developing Children, Gianna Delayce Lozano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The way in which humans engage in conversation and social interactions is largely due to their ability to form relationships between a wide variety of stimuli. Two people are able to communicate fluently and effectively because each has the capacity to derive meaning during social interactions. Forming relationships is an effortless process that humans engage in daily, however for those individuals with developmental disabilities, the ability to form relationships between various stimuli based on arbitrary properties does not appear to happen in the natural course of development. The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of children to …

Saved By The (Alexander Graham) Bell: An Analysis Of Synchronous Communication And Student Satisfaction / Retention Rates In The First Year Online Composition Classroom, Jennifer Jane Lynch

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Online first-year writing courses, with all of their promise, still maintain alarmingly low retention and student satisfaction rates, driving online curriculum designers to take another look at ways to increase both retention and satisfaction. To replicate the high rates of face-to-face classes, we must revisit and revise our approach to communication in the first-year writing online classroom. Think about it: The online classroom has abandoned a mainstay in education for thousands of years - synchronous communication. Why have we been so quick to dispose of it? Are we now paying the price?

This research will provide additional value to the …

Nurse Manager Emotional Intelligence As A Predictor To Registered Nurse Job Satisfaction And Rn Perceptions Of The Practice Environment And The Relationship To Patient, Nursing And Hospital Outcomes, Jacqueline Cecilia Munro

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the level of Nurse Manager (NM) emotional intelligence (EI) predicted registered nurse (RN) job satisfaction and RN perceptions of the practice environment. In addition, relationships to patient, nursing, and hospital outcomes were explored. Participants included RNs (N=659) and NMs (N=38) from 53 nursing units at eight hospitals located in the southeast region of the United States. A cross-sectional, correlational research design was used to test the hypotheses. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients, simple linear and multiple regression statistics were conducted to analyze the data. Level of NM EI had a positive, not …

New Media Photographic Representations Of Women`S Collegiate Volleyball: Game Faces, Action Shots, And Equipment, Alicia Pack

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Researchers consistently find that mainstream media often represent women athletes in stereotypical ways including trivialization, sexualization, infantilization, passivity, and utilization of camera down-angles. However, research on new media's visual representation of women athletes is still in its infancy. This study adds to the growing literature on new media's representation of women athletes and concurs with previous findings suggesting that new media might be an outlet that can counter old media gender stereotypes. This thesis used mixed methods of qualitative content analysis and photovoice in order to better understand how Big East volleyball players are represented in photographs on websites: Instances …

Does D-Cycloserine Augmentation Of Cbt Improve Therapeutic Homework Compliance For Pediatric Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?, Jennifer M. Park

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

D-cycloserine (DCS), a partial agonist that acts on the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor of the glutamatergic receptor complex, may enhance fear extinction learning during exposure-based therapy. Clinical studies in adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and non-OCD anxiety disorders - and a recent trial in pediatric OCD - have shown that DCS can improve treatment response to exposure therapy relative to placebo and exposure therapy. Some have hypothesized that improved treatment response is a function of increased compliance and engagement in therapeutic homework tasks, a core component of behavioral treatment. The present study examined the relationship between DCS and homework compliance in …

Is She Real Or Is She Wonder Woman? Finding The Authentic Woman In Graphic Novels And Comic Strips, Michael Welch

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study is to discover whether or not women are portrayed in an authentic manner in comic books and graphic novels. This study provides a brief history of comic books and graphic novels from the late 19th Century to early 21st Century. The study then reviews qualitative studies on the gender roles of women in graphic novels, women in prime time television, collection development and graphic novels, children's animated television, young adult's perceptions of televised women heroes, gender and racial stereotypes in newspaper comics, and "wonder women" or women in heroic roles in comic books and television. …

Depression And Poor Self-Care In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, Zahra Hamza Alowa

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of depression on self-care of patients with type 2 diabetes aged 35 to 60 years. In this paper, the relevant literature is reviewed and salient issues discussed include depression in patients with type 2 diabetes under which prevalence and incident, mortality and morbidity and costs are discussed. Further, literature related to the association between depression and self-care is reviewed after which the association between poor self-care and the risks of diabetes complications is discussed.

The Impact Of Tarp Bailouts On Stock Market Volatility And Investor Fear, Daniel Huerta, Daniel Perez-Liston, Dave Jackson

School of Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 was the response of the Federal government to the economic crisis of 2007-2009. Within this act, the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) was the mechanism to attempt to stabilize the financial market through the injection of liquidity into troubled firms. This paper examines the effect of TARP bailouts on stock market volatility and investor fear. Using an event study methodology, we find evidence of a significant decrease in stock-market volatility on the day of bailouts, and the day after. Additionally, findings show that the VIX, a proxy of investor fear, significantly declines on …

Student Perceptions Related To The National Standards For Foreign Language Learning, Susan A. Hildebrandt, Sally Scott, Wade Edwards

Faculty Publications – Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

No abstract provided.

Student Affairs Viewbook, 2011-2012, Division Of Student Affairs, Illinois State University

Student Affairs Viewbook

No abstract provided.

Menyudahi Analogi Antropomorfisme: Mendamaikan Biologi, Sosiologi Dan Psikologi Melalui Psikogenealogi Antropologi Kedaulatan Negara, Hizkia Yosie Polimpung

Antropologi Indonesia

Death can be understood merely as a transition from one life to the next or simply as an end of life. These two conceptions are established due to our lack in knowledge about what will happen to us after we die. In order to make any sense, both conceptions require an understanding of death (and also life) as individual matter, that the only death (and life) I experienced is always my own. Nevertheless, in the first conception death does not exterminate one’s self, while in the second conception death exterminate one’s self. However, nonexistence of any access to the first-person …

Integrating Formative Feedback Into Individual And Group Assessments In A First Year Organic Chemistry Module, Barry Ryan, Julie Dunne

Conference papers

It is common for science undergraduates, particularly first year students, to remark that they do not receive appropriate support in their transition from second level to third level education; particularly in effective scientific laboratory report writing, new subject area preparedness and technical ‘know-how’ [1]. This is compounded by the insufficient, or inappropriate, feedback offered to students in these problem areas. The pedagogical emphasis often focuses on quantity rather than quality; both in report writing and content delivered. This publication describes an assessment methodology redesign to, firstly, incorporate on-line formative feedback and; secondly, to introduce one-to-one and one-to-group lab report feedback …

Trust-Based Techniques For Collective Intelligence In Social Search Systems., Pierpaola Dondio, Luca Longo

Books/Book Chapters

A key-issue for the effectiveness of collaborative decision support systems is the problem of the trustworthiness of the entities involved in the process. Trust has been always used by humans as a form of collective intelligence to support effective decision making process. Computational trust models are becoming now a popular technique across many applications such as cloud computing, p2p networks, wikis, e-commerce sites, social network. The chapter provides an overview of the current landscape of computational models of trust and reputation, and it presents an experimental study case in the domain of social search, where we show how trust techniques …

Numeracy, Cancer Risk Perceptions, And Self-Protective Behaviors Among U.S. Adults, Teri Malo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Individuals have become more involved in health-related decisions, in part due to an unprecedented access to information that can be used to enhance both physical and mental health. Much of this health-related information is presented in a numerical format; unfortunately, research suggests many Americans may not possess the literacy skills necessary to comprehend numerical health-related information. More research needs to be conducted to examine numeracy and its role in cancer risk perceptions, and how those risk perceptions relate to cancer self-protective behaviors. The purpose of the current study was to: (a) examine socio-demographic variables associated with numeracy, (b) determine which …

Framing 10/12 And 3/11 In American And European News, Andrea Lypka

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This media analysis of the incidents in Bali in 2002 (10/12) and Madrid in 2004 (3/11) reveals the black and white portrayal of these attacks in western news through the localization of international terrorism occurrences, pro-government perspective, and internalization of U.S. policies. The Old Europe and New Europe debate further fractures the European press. Such rhetoric perpetuates the "us versus them" schism by contrasting the goals of the alleged perpetrators with the western values of democracy and freedom. Governmental sources remain central news sources during these crises. In addition, 9/11, war on terrorism, and fear from further attacks dominate news …

Understanding The Psychosocial Aspects Of Waterpipe Smoking Among College Students, Mary Pautler Martinasek

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Waterpipe tobacco smoking has migrated from being a custom of some cultures to becoming a staple around college campuses. The social nature and flavored tobacco encourage initiation in this tobacco naïve age group.

The study was a sequential mixed method design, employing primary data collection and analysis of a random sample of university students who live on campus at a single university. The study involved observations (N=6), intercept interviews with smokers and nonsmokers (N=63), three focus groups (N=31), and an online survey (N=288).

Findings were centered on the constructs of the Theory of Reasoned Action by Ajzen and Fishbein (1975), …

The Role Of Microvascular Complications In The Relationship Between Glycemic Control And Depressive Symptomatology In Patients With Type 1 Diabetes: A Mediational Study, Laura Lynn Mayhew

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

People with diabetes are at double the risk of developing depression. Depression is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in people with diabetes. Levels of A1c have been linked to microvascular complications (e.g., retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy) as well as depression. The interrelationship between A1c, microvascular complications, and depression has not previously been investigated in a comprehensive model, and a better understanding of the nature of these associations is needed. Preliminary analyses test the assumption that A1c mediates the relationship between group assignment in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) and microvascular complications. The primary purpose of the study …