Digital Commons Network^™

College Students And The Stigma Of Developmental Reading : Examining Students' Experiences, Perceptions And Academic Performance, J. Schwartz

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Previous research has suggested examining the mindsets, learning beliefs, and academic identity of students enrolled in developmental education could contribute to identifying and describing factors that have a positive impact on students' academic performance and completion of their developmental education courses. Two new, adapted measures were developed, a Stigma Consciousness Questionnaire for Developmental Reading (SCQ-DR) and a Student Mindset Survey for Developmental Reading (SMS-DR), to investigate how community college students experience stigma associated with being enrolled in a developmental reading course, and the relationships between stigma and students' theory of intelligence, learning goals, effort beliefs, and academic performance in a …

Computation Of Common Normal Between Wheelset And Rail : A Comparative Study, Khashayar Namiranian

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Computation of the common normals between wheelset and rail is an important problem in simulation of wheel/rail interaction. Its computational robustness and efficiency is the key in any successful application of simulation for railroad vehicle study. Current approaches use Newton's method. Newton's method converges to only one local minimum. But all common normal must be computed. Therefore, it is necessary to generate one estimate for each common normal. In this study, the large curvature of the track is used to devise a scheme to identify and compute the estimate of each common normal. Newton's method will fail if the Jacobean …

An Examination Of Parental Perceptions Of Standards-Based Report Cards, Erik Christian Youngman

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Report cards and standards-based assessing, grading and reporting continue to be relevant topics of focus for educators. This qualitative study is based on a problem of practice in a school district in northern Illinois that recently implemented standards-based report cards (SBRCs). This study developed while I was a principal of an elementary school during initial implementation of SBRCs. This dissertation expanded from the initial focus on understanding parental perspectives of SBRCs to better understanding the communicative value of SBRCs and professional development that could help parents and teachers. The research question that informed this qualitative study is: How do parents …

The Effects Of Flexible Ability Grouping On Mathematics Improvement And Self-Concepts In The Intermediate Grades, Sara Curran

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This research investigated the effects of the ability grouping method of between-classroom flexible grouping on intermediate elementary students' mathematical concept improvement and academic self-concepts. This ability grouping method involved relocating students among classrooms within a grade level, based on ability, for mathematics instruction. Pretests, given prior to each mathematics unit, determined students' placements for each unit of study, resulting in the flexible grouping of students into groups throughout the course of the school year. The treatment group, implementing between-classroom flexible grouping for mathematics instruction, consisted of 140 fourth and fifth grade students at two elementary schools. The comparison group, utilizing …

Ros-Based Control Of A Manipulator Arm For Balancing A Ball On A Plate, Khasim Ali Khan

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Automation and robotics are the growing phenomena replacing human labor in the industries. This idea of robots replacing humans is positively influencing the business thereby increasing its scope of research. This thesis discusses the development of an experimental platform to control a robotic arm through ROS (Robot Operating System) -- open-source framework for robot software development providing advanced capabilities for several types of robots. In ROS, the major functioning is divided into several 'nodes' that may receive or send messages to various platforms of sensors, states, and actuators. Furthermore, since ROS already has many written development packages, it allows not …

School Librarians' Self-Efficacy In The Multiple Literacies : A Mixed-Methods Study, Kristina J. Weber

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed-methods study was to investigate school librarians' self-efficacy in the multiple literacies. This study was conducted to develop an understanding of the role of librarians in the multiple literacies, and what they feel has an impact on their capacity to implement multiple literacies practices. Research Question 1 asked, What are the self-efficacy beliefs of school librarians with regard to the teaching of the multiple literacies? Research Question 2 asked, How do school librarians describe their self-efficacy beliefs and experiences in the multiple literacies? Mixed-Methods Research Question: In what ways does the qualitative interview data …

Sequential Monte Carlo Macroeconometrics, Shawn Osell

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium models (DSGE) are the workhorse of macroeconomic theory. In this monograph, we estimate the parameters of a DSGE model that reflect specific assumptions that macroeonomists make about certain behaviors through a hypothetical economy. After building a DSGE model, we then apply Bayesian statistical methods to estimate the parameters of the model. The Kalman Filter and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods are utilized to approximate a linear, Gaussian estimation of the model's parameters. Then several non-linear applications, known as Sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) methods, are reviewed and applied to the quadratic DSGE model. SMC applications are …

Simulation Software Similar To Spice, Saba Fatima

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

A simulation program is being generated in this thesis. The results are shown to match with those obtained through circuit simulation (SPICE). The program, written in C#.NET programming language, involves circuit analysis using nodal method, transient and AC analysis, and non-linearity of BJT and MOSFET, also involving the design and development of Graphical User Interface (GUI) made user friendly.

Survival Analysis With Bayesian Additive Regression Trees And Its Application, Satabdi Saha

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this study is to compare the performance of Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART) with Cox Proportional Hazards (CPH) and Random Survival Forests (RSF) models using simulation studies and a real data application on breast cancer survival data as provided by the U.S. SEER database for the year 2005. In the simulation study, we compared the three models across varying sample sizes and censoring rates on the basis of bias and prediction accuracy. Results obtained indicate that the performance of the CPH model depreciates when the PH assumption is violated, however BART continues to perform with almost equal …

Survival Analysis With Dna Methylation Using Accelerated Failure Time Model And Lasso, Wejdan J. Alhejaili

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This paper investigates the relationship between survival time and the methylation rate of DNA. Inside the Accelerated Failure Time model, Bayesian LASSO is utilized to analyze the different methylation rates along other covariates that significantly contribute in the interpretation of the overall survival time.

Students' Attitudes And Perceptions About Writing : What Do They Think?, Michelle L. Olson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative case study investigated the attitudes and perceptions of third grade students about themselves as writers and about their writing. Twenty-seven students were given the Writing Attitude Survey. Nine focal students were then selected, three at each of the researcher's defined attitude levels-positive, neutral, and negative. The nine focal students participated in interviews, observations, and provided writing samples. The attitude levels, based on the percentile scores from the Writing Attitude Survey, included positive attitudes (percentile scores above 75), neutral attitudes (percentile scores between 50 to 74), and negative attitudes (percentile scores below 49). Within case and cross case analyses …

Teaching A Transformative Story : Crafting Critical Feminist Narrative Pedagogies Through Women's And Queer Life Writing, Rhiannon Catherwood

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation bridges narrative psychology, pedagogical theory, and the study of marginalized life writing. Narrative psychologists argue that human beings instinctively process their experiences in terms of story, including educational experiences. Literary critics focusing on life writing argue that authors of differing backgrounds produce distinctly different genres of life narrative, evidencing different patterns of thought and reasoning. The principal concern of teaching professionals should be to create an inclusive atmosphere which maximizes the learning potential of a diverse body of students. This means developing educational practices which reflect the diverse ways in which students perceive and relate to the world …

Teacher, Parent, And Administrator Perceptions Of Social Responsibility At The Elementary School Level, Scott Benjamin Fink

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Due to the escalating moral problems in society, parents are asking schools to create an environment to not only teach academics but values and social responsibility as well. This dissertation examines the perceptions of teachers, parents, and administrators in regard to social responsibility at the elementary school level. Many programs exist to teach moral and values education to elementary students and are utilized to address acts of school violence, bullying, drug and alcohol abuse. These programs are widely accepted within schools; however, at what point does a school's obligation for social instruction stop and parents' responsibility begin? If there is …

Reactions To Age Metastereotypes In The Workplace : Challenge, Threat, And Boost, Elora C. Voyles

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

As workplaces become more age-diverse, it becomes increasingly important to better understand how metastereotypes influence cross-generational interactions. In the context of ageism, metastereotypes occur when a person of one age group perceives what they believe other age groups think about members of their age group. These perceptions have been found to influence interpersonal interactions, career planning, as well as retirement. Between the activation and the ultimate outcomes of age metastereotypes, there are likely affective reactions that occur before the measured outcomes. Based on a model of age metastereotypes, some of the reactions to age metastereotypes that may occur are challenge, …

Examining Community College Faculty Attitudes Toward Open Educational Resources : A Mixed Methods Study, Denise Cote

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study situated at a large community college in the midwestern United States was to examine faculty attitudes, knowledge, and use of open educational resources (OER) and to identify institutional initiatives that would support OER adoption. The goal of the first, quantitative phase of this study was to replicate a national survey of higher education faculty on the subject of OER. Local faculty responses to the survey were compared to those of their national peers. The second, qualitative phase of the study was the development and analysis of a single case study that …

Examining Gender Differences Toward The Adoption Of Online Learning And Predicting The Readiness Of Faculty Members In A Middle-Eastern Recently Established Public University, Mohammed Mansour Abahussain

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This quantitative study examined the gender-based difference toward the adoption of online learning based on constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). It is also aimed to predict the Behavioral Intention of the adoption of online learning based on the predicting variables of the TPB, Attitude, Subjective Norm, and Perceived Behavioral Control toward the adoption of online learning. The gender was used to examine the moderating effect on the relationship between the three predictors (Attitude, Subjective Norm, and Perceived Behavioral Control) and outcome (Behavioral Intention). The study included 162 participants, including both males and females. All participants were faculty …

Spatial-Temporal Change Point Detection Problem For Dependent Data, Khulan Luvsandash

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In the classical change detection problem, a sequence of independent and identically distributed observations is monitored and at an unknown time the distribution of the data changes in a certain way. The problem is to detect this change as quickly as possible. However, if the assumption of independence is removed the problem is more challenging than the classical change point detection. Especially, if dependence comes from two directions, namely space and time. Moreover, greatly increased availability of data with the presence of dependency over space and time adds further complication and requires thorough investigation. This non-traditional problem assumption provides abundant …

Using Grasp To Minimize The Number Of Tardy Jobs In A Two-Stage Flowshop With Batch Processing Machines, Joshua Screnock

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This research considers the scheduling problem where a set of jobs must be grouped into batches and then scheduled on batch processing machines in a two-stage flowshop. The jobs must be scheduled in such a way that the number of tardy jobs (jobs completed after their due date) is minimized. Each job has a different size, and both machines can hold multiple jobs, up to a fixed capacity. This problem has not received any attention in the literature until this point. The Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure (GRASP) meta-heuristic is proposed to solve this problem. A set of 240 data …

The Reciprocal Relationship Between Text Literacy And Music Literacy Among Beginning Band Students, David Lawson Carroll

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the reciprocal relationship between text literacy and music literacy through an experimental design. Music teachers and English Language Arts (ELA) teachers often address similar components of literacy, including fluency, comprehension, and symbolic interpretation. The theory of cognitive structuralism maintains that through derivative and correlative subsumption, material that is learned in one context is strengthened when applied in a disparate context. Therefore, ELA and music teachers who work in isolation are missing an opportunity to teach parallel literacy concepts for the common advantage of teachers and students. This study seeks to explain how students enrolled in conventional and …

The Relationship Between Advanced Placement Course Completion And College Readiness, John Novak

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the relationship between completion of Advanced Placement courses and college readiness, defined by enrolling in a postsecondary remedial course. Further, the study investigated whether or not the student characteristics of gender, race, socioeconomic status, motivation, and high school grade point average had any moderating effect on any relationship discovered. Finally, the type of postsecondary institution attended, four-year or two-year or less, was examined to determine if the findings differed for these two groups of students. The conceptual framework for this study is based upon Conley's College Readiness Theory, which outlines cognitive …

Flow Characterization And Stability Analysis In Rectangular Lid-Driven Cavities With Particle Suspensions, Abhishek Sunkavalli

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The lid-driven cavity is a canonical problem in the field of analytical and computational fluid dynamics where a system is comprised of a square domain of an incompressible fluid, its upper lid has a specified velocity and the remaining wall boundaries are subjected to fixed, no-slip, zero-velocity constraints. There are numerous examples found in the literature that address the validation of the system's well-known, stable behavior, which includes a primary recirculating vortex, secondary corner vortices, and a velocity profile through the center midpoint y-axis that is shown to be dependent on the Reynolds number. By increasing the cavity depth to …

Frobenius Groups, Faizah Ali Alshehri

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

We discuss the nature of Frobenius groups. We consider group representations, Schur's Lemma, and group characters. We define irreducible representations and prove Maschke's Theorem. We examine induced representations and Frobenius reciprocity. Using these results and other basic notions from character theory, we show that a Frobenius group has a Frobenius kernel. We then obtain several equivalent characterizations of Frobenius groups.

Fundamental Study Of Two-Phase Flow In The Porous Media Of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (Pemfc), Kyamra Marma

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) is an electrochemical device that converts the chemical energy of fuels into electrical energy through electrochemical reactions. Due to the zero emissions and high efficiency, PEMFC has been regarded as one of the most promising future energy sources. However, water management in the PEM fuel cell is a critical issue for the effective cell operation and full-scale application. Sufficient water must be maintained in the membrane to facilitate proton transfer, but if it exists in excess, the water will flood the catalyst layer. The amount of water generation is directly and entirely contingent upon …

Implementing Social And Emotional Learning Standards In A High School Setting : A Case Study, Kimberly Melton Lechner

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

A decade ago, Devaney, O'Brian, Resnik, Keister, and Weissberg defined social and emotional learning (SEL) as the process of acquiring skills to identify and manage thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, develop caring, respectful relationships, make responsible decisions, and effectively solve challenging problems. The purpose of this study was to: (a) explore how one high school district utilized existing educational frameworks and practices to implement SEL, (b) understand participants' perspectives regarding the process of SEL implementation as well as its impact, and (c) understand the perceived role of school counselors in SEL implementation. Findings are organized around four key areas: (a) curriculum, …

Levels Of Exit Slip Feedback In Secondary Mathematics, Mitch Berenson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine different levels of feedback provided on exit slips and how both a high school mathematics teacher and her students utilized them to advance the learning process. The study focused on three different Pre-Calculus classes, made up of 42 participants, over a period of two units of study that included two pretests and posttests. Each class received verbal feedback on their exit slips while one class also received process feedback and one class also received task feedback. In addition, the mathematics teacher participated in three 30 minute interviews with the researcher that …

Lyapunov-Type Inequalities And Applications To Boundary Value Problems, Sougata Dhar

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In this dissertation, we derive Lyapunov-type inequalities for integer and fractional order differential equations and use them to study the nonexistence, uniqueness, and existence-uniqueness criteria for several classes of boundary value problems.||First, we consider third-order half-linear differential equations of the form ([phi][sub [alpha]2] (([phi][sub [alpha]1](x'))'))' + q(t) [phi][sub [alpha]1[alpha]2](x) = 0, where [phi][sub p](x) = |x|^[p-1]x, and [alpha]1, [alpha]2 > 0. We obtain Lyapunov-type inequalities which utilize integrals of both q+(t) and q-(t) rather than those of |q(t)| as in most papers in the literature. Furthermore, by combining these inequalities with the ``uniqueness implies existence'' theorems by many authors, we establish …

Matching Effects Of Personality Traits In Individual Assessment : An Investigation Of The Similar-To-Me Hypothesis, Camille Heneghan Lee

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The Similar-to-Me effect has a substantial and healthy empirical history and has been demonstrated across a variety of social contexts, including in education settings, in the formation of friendships and romantic relationships, and in the workplace. For instance, perceived and relational similarity has been found to play a factor in supervisor-employee relationships via leader member exchange and may impact job performance ratings. Not only is the effect robust, it also appears to have real implications upon workplace outcomes (i.e., performance). Despite this body of research, the similar-to-me effect has not been investigated within the context of individual psychological assessments. Moreover, …

Modeling And Simulation Of A Hybrid Pv/Wind/Battery Storage Off-Grid Power System, Tareq Kareri

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Many parts of remote areas in the world are not connected to the electrical grid even with current advanced technology. Hybrid renewable energy systems (HRES) are very suitable to supply electricity to remote and isolated areas. This paper focuses on the modeling, analysis, and simulation of a hybrid (Photovoltaic/Wind/Battery Storage) power system. The PV and wind energy systems are used as primary energy systems and the battery is used as a backup energy system. The battery storage system is used to store extra power from the hybrid PV/wind system, and to supply continuous power to load when the hybrid system …

Exploring The Structure And Properties Of Nanomaterials Using Advanced Electron Microscopy Techniques, Yao-Jen Chang

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Nowadays people are relying on all kinds of electronic devices in their daily life. All these devices are getting smaller and lighter with longer battery life due to the improvement of nanotechnology and materials sciences. Electron microscopy (EM) plays a vital role in the evolution of materials characterization which shapes the technology in today’s life. In electron microscopy, electron beam is used as the illumination source instead of visible light used in traditional optical microscopy, the wavelength of an electron is about 10⁵ times shorter than visible light. By taking this advantage, the resolving power and magnification are greatly …

Application Of High-Resolution Accurate Mass (Hram) Mass Spectrometry For Analysis Of Lignin Model Compounds And The Post-Pretreatment Products, Fan Huang

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Lignin, one of main components in the woody cell walls, is a complex heterogeneous biopolymer, which provides structural support and transportation of water in plants. It is highly recalcitrant to degradation (both chemically and environmentally) and protects cellulose from being degraded/hydrolyzed. Due to the structural complexity of native lignin, complete characterization and elucidation of lignin’s structure remains very challenging. The overarching goal of this work is to develop mass spectrometry based analytical methods to contribute to a better understanding of lignin structures.

This dissertation will focus on the development and application of High-Resolution Accurate-Mass (HRAM) Mass Spectrometry (MS) as main …