Digital Commons Network^™

A Mixed-Methods Study Of Student Perceptions Of The Transition To Middle School, Danyah Mcallister Hill

Education Dissertations and Projects

The study detailed in this dissertation was designed to examine and understand student perceptions of self-efficacy, motivation, student-teacher relationships, and procedural differences during the transition to middle school. The mixed-methods study utilized a survey, focus groups, and interviews to triangulate the data.

An analysis of the data revealed that there is a statistically significant difference between student perceptions of motivation and self-efficacy at School A and School B. The researcher found that students at School A had a more positive perception in the areas of motivation and self-efficacy than School B, yet School B met its predicted growth score and …

Teacher Self-Efficacy, Instructional Practices, And Student Achievement In Mathematics: A Correlational Study, Kristi Lynn Day

Education Dissertations and Projects

This mixed-methods research examined teacher self-efficacy in mathematics and the use of specific mathematical instructional practices in Grades 3-5 classrooms. The purpose was to examine the relationships among teacher self-efficacy of teaching mathematics, the use of specific mathematical instructional practices, and student achievement as measured by the North Carolina end-of-grade test. According to the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008), differences in students’ mathematical achievement are credited to differences in teacher characteristics including their self-efficacy in teaching and use of specific instructional practices. The study sought to add to the research behind that finding.

Correlational relationships among the variables were studied. …

A Study Of Theatre Teacher And School Administrator Perceptions Of Traits, Characteristics, And Instructional Practices And Their Possible Role In Teacher Evaluation, James D. Chrismon

Education Dissertations and Projects

This applied dissertation was designed to gather similarities and differences in the perceptions of theatre teachers and administrators regarding instructor traits, instructor characteristics, and instructional practices of effective theatre teacher. Current teacher evaluation systems focus on teacher effectiveness on student learning, and typically do not provide valuable feedback for teachers in highly specialized fields such as the arts, and specifically theatre arts.

One-on-one interviews were conducted with eight theatre teachers and eight administrators from eight different schools across the state of South Carolina to gather qualitative data on the similarities and differences in perceptions of instructor traits, instructor characteristics, and …

A Study Of The Relationship Of Teachers’ Self-Efficacy And The Impact Of Common Core Professional Development, Emmitt Terrell Butts

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to provide access to current information for teachers and staff in middle and high schools. The current research on standards implementation and teacher efficacy were outdated, scarce, or inadequate. Electronic databases were available for online searching and information retrieval; however, teachers and district leaders did not know how professional development affected personal teaching efficacy. District leaders also did not know how to use professional development to enrich a teacher’s sense of efficacy in the classroom.

The writer administered a survey and conducted interviews with current Math 1 teachers in the district as an instructional prep. The …

Space And Time, Marge Dady

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Finding Meaning In A Web Of Confusion, Eamon Maher

Articles

No abstract provided.

Graduate News, Graduate School, Old Dominion University

Graduate News

December 2016 issue of Graduate News from the ODU Graduate School.

What Factors Help Decide To Report A Concussion Or Not, Anthony Finger

Sport Management Undergraduate

Athletes have the common issue on whether they should report a concussion or to continue to play through it. The athletes often suspect symptoms of concussions but then do not connect them to the injury concussion itself. Personal and external factors play a role in their decision making. This study looked at the St. John Fisher athletes and their decision making process on whether they report or not. The study included six football athletes and two non-football athletes, including a basketball and soccer athlete. The researcher found that athletes chose to play through their injuries and that the biggest factor …

Modelling Random Antibody Adsorption And Immunoassay Activity, Dana Mackey, Eilis Kelly, Robert Nooney

Articles

One of the primary considerations in immunoassay design is optimizing the concentration of capture antibody in order to achieve maximal antigen binding and, subsequently, improved sensitivity and limit of detection. Many immunoassay technologies involve immobilization of the antibody to solid surfaces. Antibodies are large molecules in which the position and accessibility of the antigen-binding site depend on their orientation and packing density. In this paper we propose a simple mathematical model, based on the theory known as random sequential adsorption (RSA), in order to calculate how the concentration of correctly oriented antibodies (active site exposed for subsequent reactions) evolves during …

Vol. 8 No. 1, Fall 2016; The Fatal Fiala Flaw: Hey! Why Not Just Make Arbitration Agreements Mandatory?, Adam N. Lichtenauer

Northern Illinois Law Review Supplement

This Article discusses the ability of healthcare agents to bind their principals with arbitration agreements when admitting their principals to nursing homes. A recent Illinois appellate court decision had the unfortunate effect of allowing nursing homes to expand the authority of healthcare agents to encompass arbitration agreements by simply making such agreements a requirement for admission. Although this ruling has the potential to further disadvantage people who are already unable to care for themselves, this Article will discuss approaches that can be used to correct the misstep.

From Sacred To Profane: European Materials Integration Into Mississippian Cosmology, Campbell Walker

Anthropology Undergraduate Senior Theses

Interpreting the significance of materials used by southeastern Native Americans to express their cosmological beliefs reveals certain trends that reflect changes in culture over time. We recognize that, for many hundreds of years within the Mississippian period, artifacts fashioned from specific materials reflected the relationship between these materials and their place in native cosmology. In the post-Mississippian period, nontraditional materials became available that were used to fashion these same traditional artifact forms. I present research on how Native Americans integrated these new materials into their cosmology by drawing analogies and distinctions between uses of traditional and nontraditional materials in relation …

Reclaming Compassion: How Compassion Moved From Virtue To Benefit, And How To Move It Back, Jon Talbert

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation examines the growing movement of compassion that has developed and emerged in the 21st century and its impact on the current landscape of society. Section 1 takes a closer look at how compassion moved from a virtue to a benefit, and the expectation of reward that subtly crept into the developmental psyche of the culture. Section 2 traces that benefit-mentality into the seven domains of culture, including: Business, Faith, Government, Social Sector, Education, Arts & Entertainment, and the Media. Section 3 introduces a new line of thinking that reestablishes compassion to its purest form by identifying the makeup …

Design And Implementation Of A Fixture For Robotic Welding, Isaac Nathaniel Williams

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The Cal Poly IME department recently purchased a robotic welder. The faculty would like to see this robot incorporated into the welding class. The robot was capable of moving, but was not able to perform a weld prior to this project. This problem is addressed by creating a demonstration part for the welding class. The objectives that need to be complete for this to be possible is designing a part, designing a fixture, analyzing the cost of robotic welding, and implement welding the part in the class. The part is designed with specific requirements in mind. The fixture is designed …

Application Of Gearbox Drivetrains For Commuting Bicycles, Loren Sunding

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

People all over the world are beginning to ride their bicycles more often to destinations which include work, school, and local markets. Most bicycles being used for these activities have an external drivetrain exposed to the elements of the road including water, mud, dirt, and debris. External drivetrains are very fragile and when damaged, pedaling efficiency is greatly reduced and the overall riding experience diminishes.

One solution to this issue is a gearbox specifically designed for a bicycle frame. A gearbox has several mechanical mechanisms operating inside a protective housing. Since the housing is fully sealed, outside elements are not …

Assembly Line Kitting: Foam Mold Material Substitute, Samer Samy Saleh

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Kitting is considered an incredibly innovative and effective solution intended to aid operators within a mixed model assembly line. However, it is a non-value added procedure and one that customers may not be willing to pay for. With this project, the goal is to examine opportunities to employ lean principles and provide a solution that further eliminates non-value added procedures, while also producing the potential for a flexible, mixed model assembly line.

To achieve the aforementioned purpose, the production of foam molds, located within industrial totes and sent to the assembly line, was found to be a major waste within …

Multitaxon Distribution Models Reveal Severe Alteration In The Regional Biodiversity Of Freshwater Invertebrates, Charles P. Hawkins, Lester L. Yuan

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Knowledge of current and historical conditions is needed to guide conservation and restoration policies, but such information is lacking for most taxa. This problem is especially severe for small, inconspicuous taxa, such as the thousands of invertebrate species that inhabit stream and other freshwater ecosystems. We describe a novel application of River Invertebrate Prediction and Classification System (RIVPACS)-type multitaxon distribution models that, when applied to the biological survey data routinely collected in support of water-quality monitoring programs, can quantify the regional biodiversity status of hundreds of taxa. We used models developed for 2 stream data sets (North Carolina and the …

Canada’S Regional Adaptation Collaboratives And Adaptation Platform: The Importance Of Scaling Up And Scaling Down Climate Change Governance Experiments, Adam Wellstead, Michael Howlett, Sreeja Nair, Jeremy Rayner

Department of Social Sciences Publications

Policy experiments have often been touted as valuable mechanisms for ensuring sustainability transitions and climate change adaptation. However problems exist both in the definition of ‘experiments’, and in their design and realization. While valuable, most experiments examined in the literature to date have been small-scale micro-level deployments or evaluations of policy tools in which the most problematic element revolves around their “scaling-up” or diffusion. The literature on the subject has generally neglected the problems and issues related to another class of experiments in which macro or meso-level initiatives are ‘scaled-down’ to the micro-level. This paper examines a recent effort of …

“Push” Dynamics In Policy Experimentation: Downscaling Climate Change Adaptation Programs In Canada, Adam Wellstead, Michael Howlett, Sreeja Nair, Jeremy Rayner

Department of Social Sciences Publications

Policy experiments have often been touted as valuable mechanisms for ensuring sustainability transitions and climate change adaptation. However problems exist both in the definition of ‘experiments’, and in their design and realization. While valuable, most experiments examined in the literature to date have been small-scale micro-level deployments or evaluations of policy tools in which the most problematic element revolves around their “scaling-up” or diffusion. The literature on the subject has generally neglected the problems and issues related to another class of experiments in which macro or meso-level initiatives are ‘scaled-down’ to the micro-level. This paper examines a recent effort …

Game Theory Analysis Of Intra-District Water Transfers; Case Study Of The Berrenda Mesa Water District, Harry Riordan Ferdon

Master's Theses

California state officials have continued to warn and encourage preparedness for the growing threats of water scarcity. This puts pressure on water suppliers to develop technological and managerial solutions to alleviate the problems associated with scarcity. A recent popular management strategy for distributing water is encouraging water transfers. While there has been analyses on water transfers between large districts and agencies, little analysis has been completed for smaller scale trades, i.e. between individuals in the same water district. This analysis models an agricultural water district, based on the Berrenda Mesa Water District (BMWD). In the model, the growers in the …

How To Make Machine Learning Robust Against Adversarial Inputs, Gerardo Muela, Christian Servin, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

It has been recently shown that it is possible to "cheat" many machine learning algorithms -- i.e., to perform minor modifications of the inputs that would lead to a wrong classification. This feature can be used by adversaries to avoid spam detection, to create a wrong identification allowing access to classified information, etc. In this paper, we propose a solution to this problem: namely, instead of applying the original machine learning algorithm to the original inputs, we should first perform a random modification of these inputs. Since machine learning algorithms perform well on random data, such a random modification ensures …

Mole Street Journal, December 2016, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Dept. Of Chemistry And Biochemistry

Mole Street Journal

No abstract provided.

Connections, December 2016, University Of Montana--Missoula. Mansfield Library

Connections

No abstract provided.

Broadband Center Of Excellence Newsletter, December 2016, Rouzbeh Yassini

Broadband Center of Excellence

No abstract provided.

Ex Nihilo: An Inquiry Into The Nature Of Musical Creation, David Orvek

Capstone Research Projects

As of late there has been much interest in the creative process of musical composition. Most studies to date have taken the form of quantitative and/or psychological analyses performed upon composers by researchers who are not themselves composers. In contrast, this project takes a more philosophical and historical approach in that it takes time to reflect upon the context and manner in which music has been composed throughout history. Additionally, this study offers a more personal perspective as it draws information from the author’s own compositional process–as recorded in a composition journal–as well as the thoughts and reflections of composers …

Identity‐Based Schemes For A Secured Big Data And Cloud Ict Framework In Smart Grid System, Feng Ye, Yi Qian, Rose Qingyang Hu

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Smart grid is an intelligent cyber physical system (CPS). The CPS generates a massive amount of data for efficient grid operation. In this paper, a big data‐driven, cloud‐based information and communication technology (ICT) framework for smart grid CPS is proposed. The proposed ICT framework deploys hybrid cloud servers to enhance scalability and reliability of smart grid communication infrastructure. Because the data in the ICT framework contains much privacy of customers and important data for automated controlling, the security of data transmission must be ensured. In order to secure the communications over the Internet in the system, identity‐based schemes are proposed …

Music Teachers’ Perceptions Of Efficacy: Student Learning Objectives And Data Driven Indicators, Geno Heiter

EDL Sixth Year Theses

Previous research explains that twenty-first century education has moved passed pedagogical ideologies that focus solely on student tasks that require the recall of facts or rote application of simple procedures. Unfortunately, the literature on music education has ignored the importance of measuring intrinsic attributes of music learning and fundamental musicianship. Measuring ‘valid’ higher-order and critical thinking skills as they relate to music learning is significant because states are now measuring student learning and teacher effectiveness by evaluating multiple data driven indicators. Determining ‘what’ valid higher-order learning ‘looks like,’ and the data that can be generated by this learning in a …

Que Ondee Sola - December 2016, Robin Bridges

Que Ondee Sola

Student publication founded in 1972, articles include: Habits of the Empire, Trump's Presidency, Real Women Have Curves Preview, Puerto RICO Project, Haitian Relief, Poetry

Friends Of The Libraries Newsletter, December 2016, Carrie Anderson (Editor)

Friends of the Libraries Newsletters

December 2016 Newsletter of the Friends of the Old Dominion University Libraries

Tsunami Hazard Assessment: Best Modeling Practices And State-Of-The-Art Technology, Patrick Lynett, Yong Wei, Diego Arcas

State & Federal Reports and Publications

NUREG/CR-7223

Tsunami Hazard Assessment: Best Modeling Practices And State-Of-The-Art Technology, Patrick Lynett, Yong Wei, Diego Arcas

State & Federal Reports and Publications

NUREG/CR-7223