Digital Commons Network^™

A Case Study Examining Formative Assessment In A Postsecondary English Language Program, Divya Varier

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the formative assessment practices of three teachers in English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms using a sociocultural theoretical framework. The study was conducted in a postsecondary ESL setting at a large public university in the southeastern United States. Using an embedded mixed methods design, this study employed teacher interviews and classroom observations to address the overarching question: What individual and contextual factors are present in the formative assessment practices of participant ESL teachers? The study also explored the relationship between student metacognitive judgments of learning (JOL) and performance with the purpose of informing formative assessment practice. …

Edgar Allan Poe And Science: Unraveling The Plot Of The Universe, Murray S. Ellison

Theses and Dissertations

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49) lived at the perfect time to write about several of the most dramatic technological developments ever recorded in history. Up until the nineteenth century, professional scientists were almost the exclusive agents for writing about science. However, during this period, non-professional writers also emerged as important conveyors of popular science news to the public. Though Poe was a lay writer, his popular writing conveyed several of the most important new discoveries of the Industrial Age. He also projected his views about how nineteenth-century technologies might impact civilizations of the future. Poe’s writing offers a key example of …

Factors That Influence Breast Cancer Diagnoses In Virginia Women 40-64 Years Old Who Utlized The Every Woman’S Life Program 1998-2012, Melanie C. Dempsey

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines sociodemographic determinants and preventive health behaviors among women 40-64 years of age who participated in the Virginia Department of Health’s Every Woman’s Life breast cancer screening program. Utilizing secondary data, this research sought to explore patterns of breast cancer incidence, mammography screening utilization and sources of health information among low-income women.

The Virginia Department of Health provided a large sample size (N=34,942) on which to perform binary logistic regression analyses. Sociodemographic determinants and preventive health behaviors were analyzed as potential influencing factors in the diagnosis of breast cancer, the stage at the time of diagnosis and source …

Efficiency Of Unified Vs. Non-Unified State Judiciaries: An Examination Of Court Organizational Performance, William Raftery

Theses and Dissertations

State court systems function in much the same manner as any other government agency in terms of organization and management to utilize public resources in order to provide a public service. The question posed in the late 19th century was whether the courts should be organized and managed as they had been for centuries as local entities locally controlled and operated or transferred to the state level. The desired end was a more efficient use of public resources to achieve faster disposition of cases. This reorganization, called unification, was made up of three individual components: 1) consolidation required the reduction …

The Integration History Of Kuwaiti Television From 1957-1990: An Audience-Generated Oral Narrative On The Arrival And Integration Of The Device In The City, Ahmad Hamada

Theses and Dissertations

This study attempts to compose an account of television history in Kuwait, one that focuses on its integration into society and is told from the audience's perspective and experience. This study represents a cultural alternative to the overwhelmingly national, institutional, and biographical focus that accompanies television history works in Kuwait and the Arab world.

The narrative is gathered and generated through the individual oral stories of 25 Kuwaitis over the age of 50, who generally represent the six geographical districts of Kuwait. Through their oral stories, the narrators examine the different areas in which television has integrated itself into society …

The Prevalence Of Dietary Supplement Use Among Older Adult Population Using National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (Nhanes) 2009-2012, Fawaz M. Alotaibi

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Dietary supplements (DS) use has increased in the U.S. in the past 20 years. More than half of the U.S. population reported using DS. There are few studies to our knowledge that have assessed DS use specifically for older adults. In this study we purposed to evaluate the trend of using DS among older adults and to test the association between using DS and several demographics, socioeconomics and health characteristics. The second objective was to evaluate the reasons behind using DS among older adults using a nationally representative database.

Methods: This is a cross sectional study using the most …

Thank You For A Lovely Time, Kelley Mj Morrison

Theses and Dissertations

Stemming from my own fixation on trying to understand the actions, decisions and thought processes of those around me my work explores the difference between internal and external lives. I construct “brain spaces”; whether my own or someone else’s I strive to understand the decisions they have made and the stories we are a part of. I combine thoughts, feeling and sentiments which I have collected over my life to make objects that act as intermediaries, allowing others to imagine stepping into a mind other than their own. I attempt to bring the landscape of the mind into the physical …

Kensington Center For Health: An Exploration Of Health, Wellness And The Built Environment., Rose Peck

Theses and Dissertations

This is a project that explores how design can integrate medical treatment and community support. The high prevalence of chronic disease is creating a national healthcare crisis. Chronic disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Consideration of a holistic sense of well-being that focuses on disease resistance, resilience, and self-management is necessary to realize and sustain health outcomes. Community engagement is imperative to improve adherence rates for lifestyle changes. This project aims to design a community wellness space that is focused on prevention, resilience and self-management. A new typology of a community-anchored wellness clinic …

The Ancient Magna Carta And The Modern Rule Of Law: 1215 To 2015, Vincent R. Johnson

Faculty Articles

This article argues the text of the Magna Carta, now 800 years old, and reflects many of the values that are at the center of the modern concept of the Rule of Law. A careful review of its provisions reveals the Magna Carta demonstrates a strong commitment to the resolution of disputes based on rules and procedures that are consistent, accessible, transparent, and fair; and to the development of a legal system characterized by official accountability and respect for human dignity.

The Magna Carta And The Expectations It Set For Anglo-American Law, Vincent R. Johnson

Faculty Articles

The Magna Carta has an impressive legacy in modern legal thought. The Magna Carta illuminated the importance of legal principles, fair procedures, proportional punishment, official accountability, and respect for human dignity that shaped the development of the law in England and America for centuries. While only four of the original sixty-three provisions in the 1215 Magna Carta are still good law in the United Kingdom, analysis shows that at least thirty of these reflect concerns that are still central today. Though it did not provide for full equality, as it maintained many of the medieval restrictions on the freedoms of …

Leaning Out: Exploring Organizational Advocacy Activities From An Open Systems Perspective, Lauri Goldkind

Social Service Faculty Publications

his article explores the effect of organizational culture on engagement with advocacy activities, both traditional and electronic. The Competing Values Framework offers a model for understanding how organization's culture influences behavior. Using a sample of nonprofit providers from across the country, the author hypothesized that organizations that use electronic advocacy tools are more involved with advocacy activities of all types. A paper and pencil survey was used to collect data on organizational culture, advocacy tools and techniques, perceived effectiveness of the advocacy tools, policy goals, organizational sustainability goals as well as barriers and facilitators of electronic advocacy. The study used …

A Digital Environment Approach: Four Technologies That Will Disrupt Social Work Practice., Lauri Goldkind, Lea Wolf

Social Service Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Hip Hop Culture In A Small Moroccan City, Brian Seilstad

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

This paper explores Hip Hop culture by tracing its development from the global level through the Arab world to finally its manifestation in Morocco. Hip Hop culture is defined broadly as a wide range of artistic expressions-rap, graffiti, breakdancing, DJing, etc.-and also a mind-set or way of life. The focus on the Moroccan context starts at the national level, pointing out some of the key artists, issues Moroccan Hip Hop faces, and how this has been explored by scholars of Hip Hop. The paper focuses on an ethnographic exploration of Hip Hop culture in Ifrane, a small Moroccan city. An …

Tree-Sway Frequency And The Turbulent Co-Spectral Gap In A Dense Canopy Environment, Katherine L. Ertell

Theses and Dissertations

Today, knowledge of canopy turbulence comes solely from field observations. However, measurements or field observations that are taken at a specific location within the canopy cannot accurately capture the interaction of the wind and the canopy it crosses. Without this complete picture of the atmosphere, the temporal fluctuations that exist in turbulent flows cannot be understood. From an atmospheric perspective, the complex structure of forests significantly influences turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layers (ABL) by consistently imposing both mechanical and thermal forces. This study explores the temporal and spatial characteristics of tree-sway motions and their aerodynamic interactions with coherent turbulence …

An Exploration Of Student Experiences With Learner-Centered Instructional Strategies, Jill E. Stefaniak, Monica W. Tracey

STEMPS Faculty Publications

In this exploratory study, we examined how undergraduate students experience learning in a learner-centered teaching environment and their perceptions of motivation towards learning material in an introductory public speaking communications course. Six faculty members participated in a semester-long study where their teaching strategies were observed. Three faculty members participated in a cognitive apprenticeship where they were taught how to implement learner-centered instructional strategies into their coursework. Participants were 109 students who were enrolled in an introductory public speaking course. Data was collected by means of classroom observations, interviews, and the administration of a survey. Our findings indicated that students who …

Beyond Technophobia: Lawyers’ Ethical And Legal Obligations To Monitor Evolving Technology And Security Risks, Timothy J. Toohey

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Lawyers and technology have an uneasy relationship. Although some lawyers are early adapters, others take pride in ignoring technology because they believe it is alien to the practice of law. As Jody R. Westby observed, lawyers confronted with technology and security issues tend to have their “eyes glaze over” and “want to call in their ‘IT guy’ and go back to work.” But this technophobic attitude may no longer just be harmless conservatism. In the world of growing security risks, ignorance of technology may lead to violations of lawyers’ fundamental ethical duties of competence and confidentiality.

Wherever You Go, There You Are (With Your Mobile Device): Privacy Risks And Legal Complexities Associated With International ‘Bring Your Own Device’ Programs, Melinda L. Mclellan, James A. Sherer, Emily R. Fedeles

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

The cross-use of mobile devices for personal and professional purposes—commonly referred to as “Bring Your Own Device” or “BYOD” for short—has created a new backdrop for doing business that was scarcely imaginable even ten years ago.

Conducting U.S. Discovery In Asia: An Overview Of E-Discovery And Asian Privacy Laws, Lynn M. Marvin, Yohance Bowden

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

The rapid expansion over the last decade of Asian corporations doing business in the United States and U.S. corporations doing business in Asia, has led to a marked increase in U.S. litigation involving Asian corporations as parties, requiring discovery of information located in Asia. According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, U.S. trade of goods and services with countries in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (“APEC”) totaled $2.9 trillion in 2013: exports totaled $1.2 trillion and imports totaled $1.6 trillion. It naturally follows that Asian corporations doing business in the United States are utilizing the American court system …

Mlat Jiu-Jitsu And Tor: Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties In Surveillance, Sarah Cortes

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

A corrupt Australian Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) wishes to track the communications of a journalist who has published leaked whistleblowing documents from a confidential source, revealing the Australian LEA's complicity in illegal narcotics activity. The target journalist lives in New York and is a U.S. citizen. She opens her laptop, goes online and fires up Tor Browser. She is communicating with her whistleblowing source in Australia, who faces death if his identity is uncovered. Her communication and network traffic passes through Tor relays in Canada, Finland, and Malaysia before arriving at her source in Australia.

Frenemies Of The Court: The Many Faces Of Amicus Curiae, Helen A. Anderson

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Catholic Secondary School Principals' Perceptions Of The Qualities Of Effective Catholic Secondary School Teachers, Theresa Greene Henning

Doctoral Dissertations

Church documents and scholars have affirmed that the success of Catholic schools is largely dependent on the effectiveness of their teachers. Teacher effectiveness in general has also been correlated with various aspects of school life such as student learning and achievement, teacher leadership, and school effectiveness. However, there is little research of what constitutes effective teaching in a Catholic school. The purpose of this study was to explore the degree of importance that Catholic secondary school principals of the Archdioceses of Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York (N=166) attribute to the five qualities comprising Shimabukuro’s (1993, 1998) typology of …

Exploring Metacognitive Online Reading Strategies Of Non-Native English-Speaking Translation Students, Shayesteh Zarrabi

Doctoral Dissertations

International students, a growing population in US universities, need to possess excellent reading skills in order to succeed. American universities also benefit from admitting students who do not require remedial English classes. Reading online has become an integrated part of college education, which requires students to have additional skills. Awareness and usage of online reading strategies, known as metacognitive online reading strategies, are proven tools to enhance reading skills in online environments.

The purpose of this mixed-method study was to investigate the metacognitive online reading strategies employed by highly proficient non-native English-speaking graduate students of Translation, Interpretation and Language Education …

Investigating English Teachers' Perceptions Of Intercultural Communicative Competence In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Hazem Ahmed Osman

Doctoral Dissertations

This mixed-method study examines the perceptions of Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) by English teachers in the Preparatory Year (PY) program at King Saudi University. Studies that aim to investigate teachers’ perception of ICC and its implementation in a foreign language classroom are relatively scarce. Additionally, the majority of the studies that generally targeted the concept of ICC in a foreign-language learning context were studies that either relied on online blogs, discussion forums, and chat rooms to allow students to communicate cross-culturally, or examined ICC development during sojourns or study abroad periods in the target country. Relatively fewer studies have addressed …

Fundamentals Of Speech, Steelman Library, Richard C. Harris Dr.

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Media Ethics, Steelman Library, Richard C. Harris Dr.

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Low-Dose Stimulant Treatment During Periadolescence In A Fasd Model: Interactions Among The Catecholamines, Victoria Macht

Theses and Dissertations

One of the most common of deficits observed in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is difficulties with attention. Because attention deficits are commonly treated with stimulants, the impact of d-amphetamine (AMPH) treatment during the juvenile period in an animal model of FASD was examined. A dose-response study first assessed the appropriate dose of AMPH to use. In the dose-response study, therapeutic doses of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg/kg/day of AMPH were chronically administered to female rats between postnatal days (PD) 26-40. Rats were subjected to an open field test on the first and last day of treatment. The dose of …

H.P. Lovecraft & The French Connection: Translation, Pulps And Literary History, Todd David Spaulding

Theses and Dissertations

Weird fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft captured the zeitgeist of the modernist movement, despite his association with popular fiction. Lovecraft’s post-mortem climb from the margins of the American literary system to its center is indicative of his influence on “mass” and “elite” cultures alike in the second half of the twentieth century and onward. Lovecraft’s influence is not restricted to American culture, but it spread like an airborne virus to other cultures, and to France in particular. His imaginative weird fiction, a unique combination of horror and science fiction, has been translated into more than 25 languages from Bengali to …

3-D Numerical Simulation Of Carbon Dioxide Injection Into The South Georgia Rift Basin For Geologic Storage, Daniel Eric Taylor Brantley

Theses and Dissertations

This study numerically simulated the injection of supercritical phase CO2 into the South Georgia Rift (SGR) basin to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of long term geologic storage. The injection simulation modeling was divided into two phases. During phase one of the modeling, very little geologic and reservoir dynamics data was known about the SGR basin. Due to lack of basin data, an equilibrium model was used to estimate the initial hydrostatic pressure, temperature and salinity gradients that represent our study area. For the equilibrium model, the USGS SEAWAT program was used and for the CO2 injection simulation, TOUGH2-ECO2N was …

A Botanical Survey Of Native And Non-Native Species Along The Three Rivers Greenway In Columbia, South Carolina, Rebecca L. Givens

Theses and Dissertations

Baseline surveys are important tools in establishing the present flora located within an area for future monitoring. In addition, knowledge of invasive species presence is essential to help maintain native ecosystem biodiversity. This study aimed to establish a baseline inventory of plant species found along a portion of the Three Rivers Greenway in Columbia, South Carolina, and to create a comprehensive list of native and invasive plant species within this area. In addition, a geographic information system (GIS) was employed to show the spread of a particular known invasive plant species, Hedera helix within the area. Specimens were collected in …

Women In Hypermasculine Environments: An Analysis Of Gender Dynamics In The Heavy Metal Subculture, Anna Sheree Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes gender dynamics in the heavy metal subculture by means of interviews with fans of this musical genre. Based on research that shows that (male) homosocial environments, denoting non-romantic social bonds among people of the same (male) sex, lead to hegemonic masculinity and the possibility of violence against women, this study focused on the heavy metal subculture from the point of view of its members’ experiences related to gender. The theoretical framework of this thesis is based on feminist theories of gender difference and its relevance for the sociology of gender. Specifically, I rely on theories of othering, …