Digital Commons Network^™

Common Areas To Integrate Young People Into Active Church Ministry Roles, David M. Gantt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

All throughout Scripture one can see God calling and using young people to carry out important parts of His narrative. Research has shown that seventy percent of young people drop out of church following high school graduation. One of the reasons this group is leaving is due to a lack of opportunities within ministries in the context of the local church for young people to serve. Through the investigation of applied research and surveys completed by pastors, youth pastors and other church pastoral staff of one hundred forty-seven different churches, the author will identify ministry practices that churches today are …

A Test Of Project-Based, Learner-Centered Pedagogy In A High-Needs, Urban Charter School, Michael Padgett

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This study addressed the following research question: How does a project-based, learner-centered pedagogical approach affect the learning, classroom experience and overall academic engagement of traditionally-marginalized and disadvantaged high school students? It documents the process of executing a project-based, learner-centered pedagogical approach toward teaching at a high-needs charter school located in a midwestern urban environment. Throughout the project process, participants engaged in a buy-in phase, project planning phase, research phase, project building phase, presentation phase and a reflection phase with the aim of studying how student learning, classroom experience and overall academic engagement are affected throughout each phase and the process …

Can You Repeat That, Please? Using Repeated Reading With Low-Intermediate Adult English Language Learners, Jennifer Siegfried

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Reading fluency is an important component of reading comprehension. Elements of oral reading fluency include reading rate, accuracy, prosody, and comprehension. The technique of repeated reading has been shown to increase the oral reading fluency of both K-12 and adult L1 readers, and it may help improve learners’ attitudes toward reading. This study explored the potential benefits for adult English learners. Assisted repeated reading, using a model oral reading, was implemented with low-intermediate adult English learners from a variety of L1 and educational backgrounds (n=8). Participants practiced a repeated reading technique during eight treatment sessions over the course of four …

Implementing Genre Pedagogy In An Adult Esl Classroom: A Novice Teacher’S Diary Study, Steven Wicht

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated two questions: how does a novice ESL teacher experience the implementation of genre pedagogy through the teaching learning/cycle with adult ESL students, and what themes emerge from the diary of the novice ESL teacher? Literature reviewed includes the efficacy of genre pedagogy practices for adult English learners, specifically the teaching/learning cycle, novice teacher research, and the use of diary studies by researchers who also serve as participants. The research gap addressed is genre pedagogy’s application to adult ESL contexts, specifically by a novice ESL teacher. The study was designed as a single participant observation over an eight-week …

Reasons Families Choose To Homeschool: A Study Of Homeschooling Families In Minnesota, Laura R. Smetak

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

During the spring of 2016, researchers for the U.S. Department of Education estimated there were 1,689,726 students ages 5–17 homeschooled nationwide, based on data gathered from the National Household Education Surveys program of 2016. Many families choose to homeschool their children in the state of Minnesota, but as far as empirical data is concerned, information on the specific homeschooling demographic in Minnesota is scant. This thesis seeks to identify the specific reasons Minnesota-based families choose to homeschool their children. Understanding the reasons for the decisions of individual families who choose to engage in homeschool, rather than enrolling their children in …

Law And Neighborhood Names, Nestor M. Davidson, David Fagundes

Vanderbilt Law Review

This Article provides a novel investigation of how law both enables and constrains the ability of city residents to claim, name, and often rename their neighborhoods. A rich interdisciplinary dialogue in fields such as geography and sociology has emerged on the significance of place names, but this literature has largely ignored the legal dimensions of the phenomenon and its implications for urban governance, belonging, and community conflict. This Article's empirical exploration of the role of law in change and conflict regarding neighborhood identity thus advances the discourse both for legal scholars focused on urban dynamics and across disciplines.

From gentrification …

Department Of Politics And Government News And Views, Spring 2019, Department Of Politics And Government

Department of Politics and Government News and Views

Newsletter of the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University

A Blade Of Grass Magazine Issue 2: Who?, A Blade Of Grass

A Blade of Grass

Issue 2: Who?

"This issue looks at the power of relationships formed when artists become allies to and co-authors with people whose expertise comes from another source than art.

A Blade of Grass provides resources to artists who demonstrate artistic excellence and serve as innovative conduits for social change. They evaluate the quality of work in this evolving field by fostering an inclusive, practical discourse about the aesthetics, function, ethics and meaning of socially engaged art that resonates within and outside the contemporary art dialogue."

TawḥĪDic Allah, The Trinity, And The Eschaton: A Comparative Analysis Of The Qualitative Nature Of The Afterlife In Islam And Christianity, Kevin M. Richard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A theological doctrine of eternal life raises certain qualitative and existential questions. Considering the unfathomable duration, one may rightly ask, what will that experience be like and will it meet the experiential needs of human beings so that there are no intimations of boredom. Eternity, then, creates a potential existential problem for humanity. The problem is potential because eternity creates a certain need, a need which can concisely be stated in this way: quality must overcome quantity. Both Christianity and Islam teach human beings are intended to live forever so both religions must overcome this problem if eternal life within …

State Estimation For Various Systems With Partially Unknown Dynamics, Abdulelah Rajeh Alshareef

Master's Theses (2009 -)

This thesis is on state estimation for various system and measurement models with uncertain dynamics. The uncertain dynamics may be due to imprecise system modeling or change in parameters due to varying environmental conditions. Uncertainty may be a result of malicious acts such as hacking of sensors or actuators in the system. Uncertainty may also be a result of external disturbances whose waveforms, magnitudes and arrival times may not be known. These types of model uncertainties will be considered and different estimators will be implemented to deal with such uncertainties in state estimation. In this thesis, for linear stochastic systems …

Theorizing Indigenous Student Resistance, Radical Resurgence, And Reclaiming Spiritual Teachings About Tma’Áakni (Respect), Michelle M. Jacob, Kelly L. Gonzales, Chris Finley, Stephany Runninghawk Johnson

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Indigenous dispossession and environmental devastation are intertwined outcomes of settler colonialism’s cycle of violence. However, indigenous people continue to draw from cultural and spiritual teachings to resist such forms of violence, and engage in what Leanne Simpson calls “radical resurgence.” Our paper analyzes the Yakama elders’ teachings about Tma’áakni (Respect), to examine principles and forms of indigenous resistance and resurgence, demonstrated by indigenous students in support of the NoDAPL(No Dakota Access PipeLine) movement. Elders’ teachings, which are rooted in spiritual traditions held by indigenous peoples since time immemorial, are useful for understanding and articulating the importance of the contemporary indigenous …

Overcoming Barriers To Adopting And Implementing Pharmacotherapy: The Medication Research Partnership, Raina Croff, Kim Hoffman, Kelly Alanis-Hirsch, Jay Ford, Dennis Mccarty, Laura Schmidt

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Pharmacotherapy includes a growing number of clinically effective medications for substance use disorder, yet there are significant barriers to its adoption and implementation in routine clinical practice. The Medication Research Partnership (MRP) was a successful effort to promote adoption of pharmacotherapy for opioid and alcohol use disorders in nine substance abuse treatment centers and a commercial health plan. This qualitative analysis of interviews (n = 39) conducted with change leaders at baseline and at the end/beginning of 6-month change cycles explains how treatment centers overcame obstacles to the adoption, implementation, and sustainability of pharmacotherapy. Results show that barriers to …

Evaluating Theories Of Bilingual Language Control Using Computational Models, Mark D. Lowry

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bilingual language control refers to how bilinguals are able to speak exclusively in one language without the unintended language intruding. Two prominent verbal theories of bilingual language control have been proposed by researchers: the inhibitory control model (ICM) and the lexical selection mechanism model (LSM). The ICM posits that domain-general inhibition is employed in order to suppress the unintended language’s activation. The LSM posits that inhibition is not used; rather a lexical selection mechanism targets only the intended language’s words. In order to better test the theories’ hypotheses, I developed computational models to estimate participants’ reaction times when naming in …

Communication As Constitutive Of Organization: Practicing Collaboration In And English Language Program, Ariadne Miranda

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is about collaboration as an organizational practice that is communicatively constituted. Specifically, I examine how members of a team in an English language program located in a large southeastern university in the United States make sense of what they define as a collaborative work environment and materialize it in their meetings in spoken and written discourse, and in their mention and use of organizational artifacts. Though the study examines the practices of one organizational setting, the insights generated illuminate broader organizational and discourse dynamics and speak to important issues in the discipline of communication such as authority, leadership, …

Epistemological Developmental Level And Critical Skill Thinking Level In Undergraduate University Students, Monnie Huston Wertz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Epistemological development and its relationship to critical thinking has been postulated in educational psychology since the 1970’s. By empirically examining epistemological development in relationship to thinking critically, a richer understanding of overall student development and instructional needs could be achieved. By taking into account a student’s epistemological development, issues unique to these stages could inform how to most effectively work with students to promote critical thinking development.

The purpose of this study was to explore the potential relationship between collegiate epistemological development and critical thinking skills by examining differences in critical thinking skills at different levels of epistemological development. The …

How Digital Versus Non-Digital Modes Of Food Ordering Influence Menu Healthfulness Perceptions And Food Choices, Annika Abell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Do digital devices change the way we think? Recent news reports and studies in education and psychology suggest that using modern internet technology affects our cognitive abilities. Modern technology is part of our daily lives and has facilitated communication. As technology has also changed the ways consumers order foods, the present research aims at investigating how the presence of different types of technology in a food choice context might influence food perceptions and choices. Touch-screen tablets or kiosks are becoming widely available in casual dining and fast-food restaurants. In addition, through collaborations with tech-giants like Uber Eats and Amazon, an …

Past Hydroclimate And Vegetation Variation In Romania Inferred From Isotopic Geochemistry And Pollen Of Cave Bat Guano, Daniel Martin Cleary

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While an abundance of paleo-records related to hydroclimate and vegetation exist in East-Central Europe, currently there is a scarcity of reconstructions that have the resolution to effectively capture the past 2000 years. A more complete understanding of this interval is important as it includes significant climatic events such as the Medieval Warm Period, Little Ice Age, and the post-industrial revolution human induced climate change. A solution to increasing our understanding of these events is the use of cave bat guano, a relatively underutilized source of climatic information.

Cave bat guano piles commonly have near annual deposition and in Europe can …

Hierarchical Decision Model For Housing Decision In The Portland Metropolitan Area, Adediji Adewunmi

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

The Portland Metropolitan Area is one of the fastest growing in the Nation. A good percentage of in-migrants to Oregon end up in this area. This study aimed at creating a model to help individuals decide which city on the Oregon site of the Portland metro they should purchase housing.

Decision criteria was elicited from experts using a modified form of Delphi method, an HDM model was created and experts were asked to evaluate these criteria by making pair-wise comparisons. Once the HDM model was computed, the means were analyzed and it was determined that the city of Beaverton was …

Selection Of Hr E-Recruitment Solution, Saisanjay Talari

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

This paper mainly discusses the decision making process of Recruitment Software Selection for mid-sized organizations while comparing and contrasting some heuristics and biases that are encountered during the decision making process. Based on the current IT landscape in the organization, four recruitment solutions have been shortlisted and a decision has to be made to recommend one software solution to the management team. HDM tool has been identified to evaluate the solutions with the help of experts who are ERP (Enterprise resource planning) Consultants with more than 8 years of industry experience. Also feedback has been collected from the HR Users …

Catsvision: Smart Lens Marketing Plan, Neeti Verma, Mert Cihan Tonkal, Chaitali Sunil Sawant, Poonam Ganoskar, John Tacco-Melendez

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

CatsVision is a new product Samsung is interested in developing for improved visibility in low-light conditions. The product is a set of smart contact lenses with graphene coating technology to help generate sharper image for better vision in the people diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa.

Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic disease that leads to a breakdown and loss of cells in the retina. It is estimated to affect 1 in 3,500 to 1 in 4,000 people in the United States and Europe. This market segment is chosen to act as a launching vehicle for the product to gain acceptance information from …

Exoskeleton, Vinu Casper, Liliana Fitzpatrick

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

This is a research about the marketing plan for exoskeleton wearable devices. The objective is to provide a meaningful Customer Value Proposition to the prospective customers.The Samsung company SWOT analysis is the basis for a marketing strategy. The exoskeleton features and market definition is included in the analysis. A competitor analysis of homogeneus exoskeletons providers is included to review the current market. An exhaustive customer analysis was performed to identify the customer needs as the input for the marketing plan development. The potential market was identified to learn about the exoskeleton market share opportunity. The exoskeleton global market is analyzed …

Technology For Behavioral Change In Rural Older Adults With Obesity, John A. Batsis, John A. Naslund, Alexandra B. Zagaria, David Kotz, Rachel Dokko, Stephen J. Bartels, Elizabeth Carpenter-Song

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) technologies comprise a multidisciplinary treatment strategy providing potential solutions for overcoming challenges of successfully delivering health promotion interventions in rural areas. We evaluated the potential of using technology in a high-risk population.

Methods: We conducted a convergent, parallel mixed-methods study using semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and self-reported questionnaires, using purposive sampling of 29 older adults, 4 community leaders and 7 clinicians in a rural setting. We developed codes informed by thematic analysis and assessed the quantitative data using descriptive statistics.

Results: All groups expressed that mHealth could improve health behaviors. Older adults were optimistic that mHealth …

The Pacific Sentinel, Maypril 2019, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Jake Johnson

Articles in this issue include:

• PSU Chemistry Professor Facing Child Porn Charges
• Should CPSO Carry Guns? ASPSU presidential candidates debate the topic
• Frida Fest
• Dr. Jay Nadeau and the Quest for Aliens
• The Green New Deal Isn't New
• Denim Day
• Shoureshi's New Cross-Disciplinary Internship Program
• Love for Gas-Powered Cars
• The Necessity of Late-Term Abortions
• Still Fighting for Stonewall, Being an LGBTQ Ally Is Important
• Hop on This and Go for a Spin, Trimet phases out paper ticket options which dismisses riders needs
• Weirdness Is White
• Green Zebra Sampling System Indicates Greater Ills in Our Society
• Return of …

Pathos, Spring 2019, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

Pathos

Editor: Sadie Jordan

Raps Sheet, April 2019, Retirement Association Of Portland State

RAPS Sheet: Monthly Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Center For Real Estate Quarterly, Volume 13, Number 2, Portland State University. Center For Real Estate

Center for Real Estate Quarterly

Table of Contents:
-- Economic Analysis by Jerry Johnson
-- Residential Market Analysis by Jarrod Howard
-- Multi-Family Market Analysis by Chase Bennington
-- Office Market Analysis by Melissa Meagher
-- Industry Market Analysis by Michael Lowes
-- Retail Market Analysis by Michael Lowes

Parametric Study Of Hypoplasticity Constitutive Model For Granular Media Via The Discrete Element Method, Yufei Zhou

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Granular media, as a general definition, includes a large class of materials, such as cereal grains; pharmaceutical tablets and capsules; geomaterials, such as sand; and the masses of rock and ice in planetary rings. Alternatively, a granular material could consist of highly fractured rock masses regarded as cracked elastic solids. In all cases, a very important property of granular media is their ability to yield, that is, exhibit irreversible deformation properties. Because the granular elastic modulus ‘G’ is the key relevant stress parameter, there is an interesting and nagging question as to the microscopic origins of the stress scales assumed …

Developing Functional Analysis-Informed Interventions To Reduce Mouthing In Dogs, Mindy Waite

Master's Theses (2009 -)

In human populations, the most efficacious behavioral interventions are function-based, which first requires identification of the behavioral function. The gold standard for isolation of the behavioral function is the functional analysis, which has been effectively used for decades on human behavior. However, companion animals also engage in behavior considered problematic by their human owners. In domesticated dogs, mouthing is a common behavior displayed by young dogs and is considered problematic by many human families. Without efficacious interventions, undesirable behavior in companion animals may result in reduced welfare, relinquishment, or even euthanasia of the animal. The purpose of this study was …

Optimizing Tools For The Investigation Of Flagella Protein Trafficking In Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Brandon M. Wills

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Cilia and flagella are synonymous organelles that protrude above the cell surface to propel fluid and monitor signals in the environment. These functions are central to human development and health, as well as for numerous organisms to thrive in their natural habitats. Pioneering studies of their fundamental mechanisms heavily rely on the biflagellate green alga, Chlamydomonas. One example is the extensive characterization of bidirectional intraflagellar transport (IFT), a transport system that perpetually delivers flagellar components between the base and the tip of the flagella. Such characterization has resulted in the discovery of numerous evolutionarily conserved genes crucial for flagella growth …

Lumped Parameter Modeling And Parameter Investigation Of An Electrohydraulic Crimping Hand Tool, Eric Norquist

Master's Theses (2009 -)

A lumped parameter model of a hand-held electrohydraulic tool was developed. The tool modeled was a Milwaukee Tool M18 12 Ton Crimper. First principle approaches were used to develop state-space models for each of the subsystems in the tool. The included subsystems were the tool motor and gear train, pump, return valve, and cylinder. The subsystem models were combined into a comprehensive eleventh-order nonlinear dynamic tool model. The tool model has two inputs and three outputs. The model inputs were the motor voltage and opening the return valve. The outputs were the motor current, application time, and retraction time. Each …