Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Technology And Teachers' Perceptions Of Changes In Student Learning, Sandra Marie Aggen

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Today’s cell phones are small computers in their own right, many having the capability of Internet searching and downloading information, exchanging data, taking and storing pictures, and its most popular function with the current generation of young people: text messaging. While on the surface it appears that text messaging has brought users together and improved communication, its effects on learning and social relationships are cause for concern. Personal interviews and online surveys conducted with over 100 educators present a real and sometimes disturbing look at new challenges in teaching and communicating with today’s students. Reading and writing ability is declining, …

The Cathedral Engulfed: Sea-Level Rise, Property Rights, And Time, J. Peter Byrne

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Sea-level rise will require many new initiatives in land use regulation to adapt to unprecedented climate conditions. Such government actions will prompt regulatory and other takings claims, and also will be shaped by apprehension of such claims. This article analyzes the categories of land use regulations and other government initiatives likely to be enacted to adapt to sea-level rise and anticipates the takings claims that may be brought against them. In addition to hard and soft coastal armoring, the article considers regulations intended to force or induce development to retreat from rising waters. Retreat regulations present difficult takings problems, because …

Changing Approaches To Moral And Character Education, Lisa M. Kelly

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This study investigated the changing definitions of moral education that have been implemented in public schools form the colonial times to the present, eventually leading to the development of character education. For almost a century, education has slowly deemphasized traditional approaches that teach morality, ethics, and character.

Teaching of morals in the colonial and early national period of American history was characterized by a command morality rooted in Protestant and Puritan values. Later, industrial urbanization led to the need for universal schooling. The common school era encouraged more specific, duty-related ethical guidelines. Morals were still heavily grounded in religion, yet …

Akron Regional Analysis: Demographics, Economy, Entrepreneurship And Innovation, Merissa Piazza, Joan Chase, Chang-Shik Song, Elorm Tsegah, Ziona Austrian

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

Berry G. Jackson, Alias Berry Clyatt: Murder Witness And Murderer, Jessica Eileen Parker Newman

All ETDs from UAB

This study examines the life of an escaped slave named Berry G. Jackson, alias Berry Clyatt. Jackson was born approximately 1851 in Levy County, Florida, on the Samuel Clyatt plantation. Jackson's is a success story of how a teenage slave escaped his young master, boarded a Union steamer, and served in the Civil War. After the war, Jackson claimed to have met General Ulysses S. Grant in Washington, D.C. and received encouragement to continue north where Grant hoped he would become a farmer. Jackson ended up owning several properties and ultimately possessed 21 acres with a farmhouse in Gates, New …

International Pen Pals Engaging In A Transformational Early Childhood Project, Marcie Hill

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to utilize an international pen pal project to enact transformation education by enabling students to gain a stronger respect for cultural diversity and changing students' perceptions of a diverse culture. A total of 39 sixth grade students, 16 second grade students, and two teachers participated in this study. One sixth grade teacher in Jakarta, Indonesia and one second grade teacher in north Alabama were participants and served as collaborative member checkers. Limited literature exists on the topic of pen pal writing between children who live in different nations with the goal …

An Exploration Of Factors Associated With Pre-Diabetes In The Reasons For Geographic And Racial Differences In Stroke (Regards) Study Cohort, Loretta Taylor Lee

All ETDs from UAB

Pre-diabetes is a major contributor to increased morbidity and mortality in the US. Without proper and timely intervention the majority of individuals with pre-diabetes will develop Type 2 diabetes. African Americans (AA) and people living in the Stroke Belt have increased odds of developing pre-diabetes compared to Whites and people living outside the Stroke Belt. While several covariates have been identified as contributors to the increased odds of pre-diabetes there is little consensus on which covariates may be responsible for the disparities of pre-diabetes. The reasons for disparities in pre-diabetes are complex and require further investigation. This study explored the …

New Science, Synthesis, Scholarship, And Strategic Vision For Society, David R. Foster, Emery Boose, Elizabeth A. Colburn, Elizabeth E. Crone, Aaron M. Ellison, Clarisse Hart, Kathy Fallon Lambert, David A. Orwig, Julie Pallant, Pamela M. Snow, Kristina A. Stinson, Dianna L. Doucette, Paul R. Moorcroft, Andrew D. Richardson, J. William Munger, Adrien C. Finzi, Lucy Hutyra, Anne Short, Brian Donahue, Christopher A. Williams, William V. Sobczak, W. Wyatt Oswald, Edward K. Faison, Jerry M. Melillo, Jonathan R. Thompson, Jeffrey L. Blanchard, Elizabeth S. Chilton, Kristen M. Deangelis, Stephen Destefano, David B. Kittredge, Serita D. Frey, Scott V. Ollinger, Eric A. Davidson

Faculty Publications

Harvard Forest LTER (HFR) is a two decade-strong, integrated research and educational program investigating responses of forest dynamics to natural and human disturbances and environmental changes over broad spatial and temporal scales. HFR engages >30 researchers, >200 graduate and undergraduate students, and dozens of institutions in research into fundamental and applied ecological questions of national and international relevance. Through LTER I–IV, HFR has added historical perspectives, expanded its scope to the New England region, integrated social, biological, and physical sciences, and developed education and outreach programs for K-12, undergraduate, and graduate students, along with managers, decision-makers, and media professionals.

Heritage Language Learners Of Russian And L2 Learners In The Flagship Program: A Comparison, Olga Kagan, Anna Kudyma

Russian Language Journal

The paper will compare heritage language learners (HLL) with traditional learners of Russian as a foreign language (L2 learners). We will focus on the Intermediate-High and higher levels of proficiency in order to determine whether these two groups of students can profitably share the classroom and use a common curriculum. The findings of a new study as well as UCLA Flagship experience over several years confirm that these two groups are compatible at higher levels of oral proficiency as measured by oral proficiency tests.

Bridging The Cultural Gap: Using Commonwealth Young Adult Literature In American Secondary Schools, Jennifer Hrejsa-Hudson

Masters Theses

Commonwealth Young Adult Literature (CYAL), or Y AL written in English speaking countries other than America, can help American secondary students become more globally aware while fulfilling many of the Common Core Standards. CY AL offers a variety of literary and multicultural/intercultural opportunities not always available in Ameri-centric YA. In this thesis, prize winning examples of CY AL and intercultural CY AL are analyzed for what cultural knowledge students can gain from reading them. Also included is a discussion about what is lost when American publishers "translate" CYAL into American vernacular. Finally, specific examples are given of how American secondary …

Lines And Flows: The Beginning And End Of Borders, Alan Bersin

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

International Intellectual Property Rights And The Future Of Global "E-Sports", Sean Comerford

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Property Insecurity, Terra Lawson-Remer

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Rule Of Law Operations In The Combat Environment: A Judge Advocate's Perspective As A Legal Mentor, Thomas J. Bogar

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

The Class Differential In Privacy Law, Michele Estrin Gilman

Brooklyn Law Review

No abstract provided.

Public Health Approaches To Child And Parent Screening: Implications For Child Protection, Sheila Smith

Journal of Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Winning The Un-Winnable In Afghanistan? Counterinsurgency And Ethnic Strife, Joseph P. Bell

Masters Theses

After pursuing military actions in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States adopted a counterinsurgency policy to properly address these conflicts. After implementing this new strategy, it appears that the United States has been able to succeed against the insurgency, while losing more and more ground in Afghanistan. Upon examination, it was determined that the ethnic fractionalization in Afghanistan presented a unique challenge to the counterinsurgency effort that had not been present in Iraq.

The effects of this ethnic fractionalization were then analyzed on local counterinsurgency tactics and the overall nation building strategy in Afghanistan. Local counterinsurgency tactics had largely …

Book Production In The Medieval West Midlands: The Case For Organized Bookmaking, Rashelle Spear

Masters Theses

My thesis project, Book Production in the West Midlands: The Case for Organized Bookmaking, takes into consideration the geographical factors of the medieval manuscripts of the West Midlands in England from the mid-fourteenth to the early fifteenth centuries. The medieval manuscript is an artifact: it is a piece of the past that, if examined carefully, will present a narrative about bookmen, bookmaking practices, and the reading public of a specific period and, in this case, a geographical area.

To discover a more coherent picture of bookmaking and the way books were prepared and received in the West Midlands, I closely …

Uplift: An Examination Of Six African American Female Educational Leaders During The Reconstruction, Segregation And Equal Opportunity Eras, Wanda Johnson Clemmons

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the history of slavery and its systemic effects on the education of African Americans, African American female educators heeded a clarion call to uplift their race. Their passion, devotion, and resilience in the face of insurmountable obstacles were heroic. This study will examine the leadership of 6 selected African American female educators during the Reconstruction, Segregation, and Equal Opportunity Eras from 1866 through 2010: Fanny Jackson Coppin, Dr. Anna Julia Cooper, Nannie Helen Burroughs, Charlotte Hawkins Brown, Dr. Mary Montel Bacon and Joan Faqir. Three areas of their life were examined: (a) their influences and motivations to move …

Engaging Global Service: Organizational Motivations For And Perceived Benefits Of Hosting International Volunteers, Erin Leslie Barnhart

Dissertations and Theses

An increasingly popular way for global citizens to contribute to communities around the world is through international volunteering. In tandem with this growing trend, academic research in the field has increased to explore the goals, motivations, and impacts of international service on volunteers, host communities, and volunteer-sending organizations. One of the larger gaps in our understanding of global civic engagement though is the specifics of how and why, as well as the overall impact of international service on, host organizations that seek and/or accept international volunteers. Using an exploratory research design to collect and analyze survey data and open-ended email …

White And Black Womanhoods And Their Representations In 1920s American Advertising, Lindsey L. Turnbull

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The 1920s represented a time of tension in America. Throughout the decade, marginalized groups created competing versions of a proper citizen. African-Americans sought to be included in the national fabric. Racism encouraged solidarity, but black Americans did not agree upon one method for coping with, and hopefully ending, antiblack racism. White women enjoyed new privileges and took on more roles in the public sphere. Reactionary groups like the Ku Klux Klan found these new voices unsettling and worrisome and celebrated a white, nativeborn, Protestant and male vision of the American citizen. Simultaneously, technological innovations allowed for advertising to flourish and …

Dispersal, Gene Flow, And Adaptive Evolution During Invasion: Testing Range-Limit Theory With The Asian Tiger Mosquito, Kimberly Medley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the factors that make non-native species successful invaders is an important step towards mitigating spread. At the same time, species invasions can serve as natural experiments to test range-limit theory. Range-limit theory postulates declines in local abundance (abundant center model) and genetic diversity (central-peripheral hypothesis) towards range edges because of underlying environmental gradients. Such declines constrain adaptation to marginal habitats via gene swamping. However, broader evolutionary theory predicts intermediate rates of immigration into range-edge populations can relieve genetic drift and improve adaptive potential. I tested hypotheses generated from theory while illuminating aspects affecting of the invasion of the Asian …

Using Participatory Scenarios To Stimulate Social Learning For Collaborative Sustainable Development, Kris A. Johnson, Genya Dana, Nicholas R. Jordan, Kathy J. Draeger, Anne Kapuscinski

Dartmouth Scholarship

Interdependent human and biophysical systems are highly complex and behave in unpredictable and uncontrollable ways. Social and ecological challenges that emerge from this complexity often defy straightforward solutions, and efforts to address these problems will require not only scientific and technological capabilities but also learning and adaptation. Scenarios are a useful tool for grappling with the uncertainty and complexity of social-ecological challenges because they enable participants to build adaptive capacity through the contemplation of multiple future possibilities. Furthermore, scenarios provide a platform for social learning, which is critical to acting in the face of uncertain, complex, and conflict-laden problems. We …

Career Decision-Making Patterns Of Undecided African-American Male Transfer Students: A Qualitative Approach, Lavious Felix Daniels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The career development and career decision-making needs of African-American males have generated much inquiry. Two year colleges currently serve as the predominant point of entry for many African-American male students seeking baccalaureate degrees. However, the transition to and eventual success at the four-year institution is often met with challenges. The inability to choose a major that may lead to a desired career has the potential to serve as a barrier for some students. From the lens of social cognitive career theory, this qualitative study was conducted to examine the experiences of undecided, African-American male transfer students at a large, four-year …

The Foods And Crops Of The Muisca: A Dietary Reconstruction Of The Intermediate Chiefdoms Of Bogota (Bacata) And Tunja (Hunza), Colombia, Jorge Luis Garcia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Muisca people of the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia had an exceptionally complex diet, which is the result of specific subsistence strategies, environmental advantages, and social restrictions. The distinct varieties of microclimates, caused by the sharp elevations in this part of the Andes, allows for a great biodiversity of plants and animals that was accessible to the native population. The crops of domesticated and adopted plants of the Muisca include a wide variety of tubers, cereals, fruits, and leaves that are described in detail in this thesis. The Muisca used an agricultural method known as microverticality where the different thermic …

Foreclosures And Crime: Testing Social Disorganization Theory In The Suburbs, Sara Hoskin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Foreclosures have increased in the US since the 1970’s. The increase in foreclosures has caused concern among some researchers on their affect on crime. Social disorganization theory measures the effect various structural characteristics, such as poverty, residential instability/mobility, racial/ethnic heterogeneity, and family disruption have on crime. This study, though, is concerned with residential instability/mobility, or the presence of foreclosed houses in neighborhoods. Although most studies using this theory look at low-income neighborhoods, the following research looks at middle- and upper-income neighborhoods, which have been greatly affected by foreclosures. The theory also argues that the level of collective efficacy can reduce …

Florida's Cattle Culture: Ethos And Enterprise In The Sunshine State, Corinne E. Zellner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cattle ranching has been of major significance to Florida since the 16th century; however, few are aware of the historic, ecologic, economic and cultural influence of this industry. This study investigates the origins and impacts of the traditional customs and practices of Florida’s cattle ranchers, who preserve and reinvent this rich heritage today. Ranchers live closely with the land and their animals and, due to the often-uncertain and cyclical nature of the business, must possess resourcefulness and initiative to prosper. The image of the stoic cowboy has long been associated with the American West, yet before longhorn cattle ever crossed …

When The Alligator Called To Elijah: A Handcrafted Exploration Of The Digital Moving Image, Katherine Shults

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When the Alligator Called to Elijah is a feature-length video conceptualized and constructed by Kate Shults in partial fulfillment of the requirements for earning a Master of Fine Arts in Entrepreneurial Digital Cinema from the University of Central Florida. The video is the result of an evolving exploration of the aesthetic capabilities of the digital image using Flip Video cameras, found footage and Final Cut Pro. Though originating as an experiment, When the Alligator Called to Elijah became a creation of motion collage with very specific production parameters. This thesis is a record of this video’s progression, from development to …

Maritime Pirates And Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Complicit Against The United States And Nato?, William Lusk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Maritime piracy, a phenomenon which has plagued free maritime trade for thousands of years, has entered a new age of sophistication and global reverberation. These acts of illegal criminal activity in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries yield a significant profit margin for the perpetrators while creating considerable cost for ransom payments, security measures, capital, and human life. The classification of maritime pirates, as either criminals hoping to gain financial income or terrorists hoping to usher in political change, is warranted and compelling. If maritime pirates conduct their operations to institute political change, it is possible that flags of …

Medical School Prerequisite Courses Completed At Two-Year Colleges By Medical School Matriculants: An Analysis At The University Of Central Florida, Erin Myszkowski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many medical school admissions personnel and pre-health advisors advise premedical students not to take the medical school prerequisite courses at two-year colleges because they believe the courses are less academically rigorous than the same courses at four-year institutions (Losada, 2009; Marie, 2009; Thurlow, 2008, 2009a, 2009b). According to this belief, premedical students who complete the medical school prerequisite courses at a two-year college could be at a disadvantage in regard to medical school admission compared to those students who complete the medical school prerequisite courses at a four-year institution. In an effort to analyze these perceptions, this study examined factors …