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Title
Data from New Age Estimates and Microscopic Charcoal Data for the 1976-B Core from Anderson Pond, Tennessee, USA
Collection
Faculty and Graduate Student Research and Creative Work
Abstract
The deposited data include new estimated ages along with microscopic charcoal data for a sediment core from Anderson Pond, Tennessee, recovered in 1976 by H.R. Delcourt (Ecological Monographs 49:255–280, 1979). These data supplement the paper by S.P. Horn, M.S. Boehm, and J.P. Ballard, "An improved chronology for the microscopic charcoal and pollen records from Anderson Pond, Tennessee, USA" (Palynology, forthcoming). The microscopic charcoal data were developed under NSF grant #0822824 to Sally Horn and Zheng-Hua Li. The new age estimates build upon research supported by that award and by NSF grants #0823131 to Steven Driese and #0716951 to Stephen Jackson.
Title
Test Dataset
Collection
Faculty and Graduate Student Research and Creative Work
Abstract
Test Abstract
Title
Nonlinear Oscillation Analysis and Modal Decoupling for Power Systems
Author
Wang, Bin
Publication Date
2017-12
Publication Type
doctoral dissertation
Collection
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
PDF
PDF
Abstract
This work analyzes power system nonlinear electromechanical oscillations (EOs). Two new tools are proposed for understanding better nonlinear oscillations and for angular stability analysis of power systems. The proposed tools and methodology can also be extended and applied to general high dimensional nonlinear dynamical systems besides power systems. The analysis of the nonlinear EOs on a single-machine-infinite-bus (SMIB) power system is first presented and a new tool called Frequency-Amplitude (F-A) curve is proposed. The F-A curve shows that the oscillation frequency (OF) decreases from the natural frequency toward zero when the oscillation amplitude (OA) grows to some critical threshold. It is also demonstrated that an F-A curve is actually a projection of the system trajectory between the stable equilibrium and the stability boundary onto the OF-OA plane. A measurement-based estimation method is also proposed and used to demonstrate the existence of the F-A curve for each EO mode for multi-machine power systems with or without governor and excitation controls of generators. Then, another new approach, called nonlinear modal decoupling (NMD), is proposed for analyzing EOs and angular stability of general multi-machine power systems. The proposed approach transforms a given multi-machine power system into a set of decoupled nonlinear oscillators, i.e. 2nd order systems, such that the dynamics and stability can first be analyzed or simulated on those decoupled small systems in an easier way and the results can then be inversely transformed back to the conclusions on the original multi-machine system. Stability analysis and control using the two proposed approaches are also validated on the SMIB system, IEEE 9-bus system, New England 39-bus system, WECC 179-bus system and NPCC 140-bus power system.
Title
Validating a Measure of Postsecondary Supports
Author
Murphy, Sean M.
Publication Date
2019-12
Publication Type
masters thesis
Collection
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
PDF
PDF
Abstract
Title
Draft: Examining the Mindset, Attitude Towards Writing, and Writing Achievement of Elementary-Aged Students at an Educational Disadvantage
Author
Whitsett, Beau
Publication Date
2019-12
Publication Type
doctoral dissertation
Collection
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
PDF
PDF
Abstract
Title
Essays in Analytics and Econometrics
Author
Williamson, Amil
Publication Date
2019-12
Publication Type
doctoral dissertation
Collection
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
PDF
PDF
Abstract
This dissertation spans three distinct methodological contributions to the econometric and analytic modeling literature. The first chapter is motivated by the challenge of estimating the impact of a customized multi-treatment coupon campaigns on visit rates for a large panel across a two-year trial. Prior literature has highlighted the necessity for both detecting and mitigating the issue of endogeneity. In response, I first develop a novel robust Wald test for idiosyncratic endogeneity in the presence of individual heterogeneity and a time-varying endogenous regressor of restricted range for a nonlinear, unobserved effects model. Building on a prior working paper, I extend the results to tackle the identification of idiosyncratic endogeneity in the presence of time-constant endogeneity for unbalanced panels. I propose a two-stage estimation procedure that tests for positive covariance between time-varying unobservables and a time-varying, binary endogenous variable that completely controls for the latent, time-constant heterogeneity for count responses. Simulations suggest endogeneity detection for both unbalanced panels scenarios mirrors the balanced panel benchmark closely using metrics of rejection rates, nominal size, and statistical power given proper instrumental variables. A nonlinear, instrumental variables GMM procedure is proposed for parameter estimation given positive endogeneity detection. The second chapter studies the estimation of a nonlinear (generalized additive) mixed effects models for count data containing parametric factor smooths. These models are further extended to estimate Poisson responses generated from both stationary and non-stationary conditionally serially correlated AR (1) processes. Simulation studies are used to verify the accuracy of these models in a range of scenarios. The models are then applied to the problem of estimating a carryover effects of a promotional campaigns after promotions end. The final chapter seeks to extend the forecasting combination model of Granger and Ramanathan by approximating the optimal conditional mean solution with conditional quantiles. Useless forecasters at arbitrary quantiles of the response are discarded via a LASSO penalty. The final combination forecast outperforms the equal weight combination benchmark as well as a variety of other combination models in terms of out-of-sample predictive power and other significant performance metrics at the expense of marginally increased forecast variance.
Title
ANALYSIS OF LARGE-SCALE TRAFFIC INCIDENTS AND EN ROUTE DIVERSIONS DUE TO CONGESTION ON FREEWAYS
Author
Li, Xiaobing
Publication Date
2018-05
Publication Type
doctoral dissertation
Collection
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
PDF
PDF
Abstract
En route traffic diversions have been identified as one of the effective traffic operations strategies in traffic incident management. The employment of such traffic operations will help relieve the congestion, save travel time, as well as reduce energy use and tailpipe emissions. However, little attention has been paid to quantifying the benefits by deploying such traffic operations under large-scale traffic incident-induced congestion on freeways, specifically under the connected vehicle environment. New Connected and Automated Vehicle technology, known as “CAV”, has the potential to further increase the benefits by deploying en route traffic diversions. This dissertation research is intended to study the benefits of en route traffic diversion by analyzing large-scale incident-related characteristics, as well as optimizing the signal plans under the diversion framework. The dissertation contributes to the art of traffic incident management by 1) understanding the characteristics of large-scale traffic incidents, and 2) developing a framework under the CAV to study the benefits of en route diversions. Towards the end, 4 studies are linked together for the dissertation. The first study will be focusing on the analysis of the large-scale traffic incidents by using the traffic incident data collected on East Tennessee major roadways. Specifically, incident classification, incident duration prediction, as well as sequential real-time prediction are studied in detail. The second study mainly focuses on truck-involved crashes. By incorporating injury severity information into the incident duration analysis, the second study developed a bivariate analysis framework using a unique dataset created by matching an incident database and a crash database. Then, the third study estimates and evaluates the benefit of deploying the en route traffic diversion strategy under the large-scale traffic incident-induced congestion on freeways by using simulation models and incorporating the analysis outcomes from the other two studies. The last study optimizes the signal timing plans for two intersections, which generates some implications along the arterial corridor under connected vehicles environment to gain more benefits in terms of travel timing savings for the studies network in Knoxville, Tennessee. The implications of the findings (e.g. faster response of agencies to the large-scale incidents reduces the incident duration, penetration of CAVs in the traffic diversion operations further reduces traffic network system delay), as well as the potential applications, will be discussed in this dissertation study.
Title
Assessing Network Vulnerability of Rail Transport Networks – Nodal Connectivity, Partial Node Failure, and Shortest Path Network Problems
Author
Ye, Qian
Publication Date
2018-08
Publication Type
doctoral dissertation
Collection
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
PDF
PDF
Abstract
Plenty of literature has examined the vulnerability of transportation networks. To identify appropriate measures of connectivity for heavy rail systems, this research presents a comprehensive measure named Degree of Nodal Connection (DNC) index along with a new classification of transfer stations – Mandatory Transfer (MT), non-Mandatory Transfer (non-MT), and End Transfer (ET). The DNC index reevaluates nodal connectivity among various types of transfer stations in heavy rail networks with multiple lines. The concept of partial node failure is proposed and addressed in network modeling, and the disruption results are compared between partial and complete node failures using four local and global DNC indexes. Numerical assessment is presented with a case study of major heavy rail networks in the United States. To incorporate network flow in addition to nodes and links, the research proposes two network optimization models in order to identify and evaluate critical components of a flow-based network from the perspective of shortest paths. The Shortest Path Network model (SPN) identifies the optimal flow distribution across the network where all flows find their shortest paths from origin to destination. The Assessing Nodal Disruption in Shortest Paths Network model (AND-SPN) assesses the influence of r nodes’ disruption on the network flow pattern. Supplementary criticality indicators are provided to reflect average arc use, average arc cost, and average arc flow. In the case study of the Amtrak rail system, the criticality of stations is evaluated comprehensively in terms of objective function and criticality. To accommodate partial node failure, the SPN model is further expanded to the SPN for Partial node failure model (SPNPr) by introducing link attribute index and distance update constraints. A case study on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) network is carried out using daily and monthly station-to-station flow to assess nodal criticality of MTs and thus network vulnerability. From different perspectives of concern, the indexes and optimization models proposed in the dissertation can help decision makers and planners to decide which rail stations are the most important to protect during special events or disasters or when seeking to reduce transportation network vulnerability.
Title
The Greater Germanic Reich: Education, Nazification, and the Creation of a New Dutch Identity in the Nazi-Occupied Netherlands
Author
Sander, Joshua Robert
Publication Date
2018-05
Publication Type
doctoral dissertation
Collection
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
PDF
PDF
Abstract
During the German occupation of the Netherlands during the Second World War, the Nazi occupiers attempted to use education as one part of their larger project to create a new, Germanic identity in the Netherlands. This effort was supported by the highest echelons of the German leadership in the Netherlands and the leadership of the Dutch Education Department. Together, the Nazis and their Dutch helpers began a series of changes to Dutch education aimed at bringing Dutch youth closer to the German Reich, with the ultimate aim of divorcing the Dutch from their previous, independent national identity and winning them over to the Germanic ideal. This effort involved many different initiatives. In an effort to completely reorganize the Dutch educational establishment along more Germanic lines, the occupiers and their Dutch helpers attempted to gain control over private, confessional education and to reorganize public education through the lengthening of compulsory attendance requirements and the introduction of an eighth year of primary education. Moreover, the occupiers attempted to introduce new subjects, such as physical education, and increase the emphasis on other subjects, including historical instruction and German language instruction. Finally, the German occupiers also attempted to both foster the development of German International Schools in the Netherlands as well as to create new educational institutions (the NIVO and the Reichsschulen) designed to give instruction in an explicitly völkisch, Germanic sense, both of which aimed at educating the leaders of the future Greater Germanic Reich. These two institutions would also serve as models for the education of ordinary Dutch students in Dutch institutions. The efforts of the Nazi occupiers were a failure, as their efforts were resisted by the majority of Netherlanders and the changes instituted during the occupation were mostly reversed after the return of democratic rule to the Netherlands in summer 1945. Nonetheless, the Nazis’ efforts show the ultimate goals of the occupier as regarded the Netherlands and Europe more generally, should they have won the war. That goal included a European empire based on the racial ideal of a Germanic ruling class presiding over the subjugated peoples of Europe.
Title
Optimal Control of Two Models of Invasive Species
Author
Pettit, Rebecca
Publication Date
2018-08
Publication Type
doctoral dissertation
Collection
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
PDF
PDF
Abstract
Invasive species have been a growing problem throughout the world. Using mathematical modelling, we can better understand the dynamics of an invading species and how to apply management methods to reduce or halt the spread of the invaders. We use optimal control theory to develop the management strategies. We consider two types of models for invasive species. Using a partial differential equation model representing an invasive population in a river, we investigate controlling the water discharge rate as a management strategy. Our goal is to see how controlling the water discharge rate will affect the invasive population, and more specifically how water discharges may force the invasive population downstream. We prove the differentiability of the control-to-solution map, the control-to-objective functional map, and the existence of the adjoint solution which yields the characterization of the optimal control. We also prove the uniqueness of the optimal control. We run some numerical simulations in MATLAB in which parameters are varied to determine how far upstream the invasive population reaches. We also change the river's cross-sectional area from a constant to a function of space and then to a function of space and time, and investigate the impacts of this on the optimal control. A second model uses a system of discrete time equations to represent an invasive plant species. Our goal is to prevent the spread of the invasive species and remove them from the area of interest. We have three compartments or states: absent, undetected, and detected. The objective is to minimize the undetected and detected area while maximizing the absent area. To do this, we minimize the cost of managing this invasion by focusing on minimizing the undetected and detected areas using optimal control methods. We find the equilibrium for this system and check stability. We reformulate our system by changing the order of our controls since order of events in discrete models is important. We find the equilibrium for this reordered system. We do a stability analysis for our system using Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) and partial rank correlation coefficient (PRCC). Numerical results illustrate several optimal control scenarios.
Title
The Roles of Calprotectin and Calgranulin C in Campylobacter jejuni Infection
Author
Shank, Janette Marie
Publication Date
2017-12
Publication Type
masters thesis
Collection
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
PDF
PDF
Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of bacterial-derived gastroenteritis worldwide. In the developed world, campylobacteriosis is most commonly acquired following the consumption of cross contaminated foods or undercooked poultry meat, since the bacterium asymptomatically colonizes chickens. In the developing world, infection most commonly occurs through drinking contaminated water. Following ingestion, Campylobacter adheres to the intestinal epithelium and mucus layer, causing toxin-mediated inflammation and inhibition of fluid reabsorption. Currently, the bacterial mechanisms behind colonization and disease are relatively unknown. Thus, it is important to identify factors that influence the development of these sequelae during and after initial C. jejuni infection. Ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) have been previously used as an animal model of human campylobacteriosis, but intensive investigation into this model has yet to be performed. Thus, in this study, we non-invasively examined for disease in ferrets and determined whether there were any effects on development following infection with C. jejuni. Ferrets were effectively colonized by C. jejuni with peak fecal loads observed at day 3 post-infection, and with full resolution by day 12 post-infection. Infected male ferrets had reduced weight when compared to uninfected males early in infection, but this was resolved by the conclusion of the experiment. All infected ferrets exhibited reduced activity and minor changes in fecal consistency. Cytokine levels in serum increased in response to infection, with significance observed for IL-10 and TNF (tumor necrosis factor alpha). Occult blood was observed in both uninfected and infected cohorts. Additionally, in response to infection, the neutrophil protein calgranulin C (S100A12) was found to be increased in the feces of both ferrets and humans infected with C. jejuni, while calprotectin (another neutrophil protein) was not. The addition of either purified S100A12 or of calprotectin to in vitro cultures of C. jejuni was found to inhibit growth in a zinc-dependent manner. These results suggest that upon infection with C. jejuni, neutrophils that are trafficked to the intestine release S100A12 and possibly calprotectin as a mechanism for inhibiting C. jejuni growth in the intestine.
Title
Exploring Grades 3-8 Principals' Beliefs about the New TNReady Standards: An Assets or Deficits Perspective?
Author
Blevins, Mary Elizabeth
Publication Date
2017-12
Publication Type
doctoral dissertation
Collection
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
PDF
PDF
Abstract
Porumbu (2015) proposed that belief systems are important because they influence behavior. For example, a principal's belief system could determine how teaching strategies are monitored, how support for struggling students are accessed, and how alternative support and interventions for those students are implemented. As part of cultural capital, both acknowledging and valuing others' knowledge and skills reflect an asset perspective (Fox, 2016); in contrast is the deficit perspective. Massey, Charles, Lundy, and Fischer (2003) found that the deficit perspective is often found in education systems’ explanation of poor performance. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore principals' responses regarding the TNReady assessment, which was implemented in Tennessee in 2015 and requires students to apply reading skills to complex text. The responses of Tennessee principals in high and low SES public schools (grades 3-8) were compared to determine if statistically significant differences existed regarding the following: (a) needs for support to successfully implement TNReady, (b) challenges to implementing TNReady standards, and (c) the belief that those standards can lead to improved student learning and preparation for post-secondary education and/or the workforce. Of the 1360 emailed surveys sent through the Qualtrics program, 192 were completed, responses were analyzed using a t-test. This study’s results supported the social and cultural reproduction framework in the following ways: (a) Principals in low SES schools did not recognize the need for differential principal support in implementing TNReady standards yet they reported different challenges to implementing the standards than principals in high SES schools did. (b) One concern among principals of high SES schools was that parents need training in TNReady practices to provide homework support; however, principals in low SES schools did not express that concern. (c) When comparing responses to the statement, "TNReady standards are too rigorous for the students at my school," 33% of the principals in high SES schools strongly disagreed; however, 23% of the principals in low SES schools somewhat agreed. (d) Principals in high SES schools indicated that TNReady standards do not include important concepts students should learn; however, principals in low SES schools did not express that concern.
Title
A Deep Breathing Intervention for Stress Reduction in 5-Year-Old Children
Author
Veerman, Tara Jean
Publication Date
2017-12
Publication Type
doctoral dissertation
Collection
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
PDF
PDF
Abstract
This multi-manuscript dissertation concentrates on child stress, an important area of attention for social workers. Many children we work with are exposed to chronic stressors such as poverty, child maltreatment, and other forms of stressors and/or trauma. These experiences can be damaging to a child’s development, especially if they occur early in life, and the effects may be long-lasting. The first manuscript provides an overview of the human stress response and its potential deleterious effects on child brain development. It highlights specific brain regions affected by stress, and possible physical and mental health consequences of stress later in life. Building on this knowledge, and acknowledging the importance of the biological underpinnings of stress, the second manuscript examines the ways in which physiological stress is being measured in school-based intervention research. 20 studies that used physiological measures of stress, over the last ten years, identified the following physiological stress measures: salivary cortisol (11 studies), serum cortisol (1 study), heart rate (4 studies), ambulatory heart rate (2 studies), heart rate variability (2 studies), resting blood pressure (3 studies), ambulatory blood pressure (3 studies), sodium handling (2 studies), alpha amylase (1 study), and skin conductance (1 study). I discuss each biological measure, its role in the human stress response, sensitivity to intervention effects and feasibility issues of each measure in a school setting. The third manuscript presents results of a deep breathing intervention for stress reduction in 5-year-old children using a multiple-baseline across individuals design. Five children in pre-kindergarten or kindergarten received a 5-minute deep breathing intervention daily for four weeks. Salivary cortisol, pulse rate and a perceived stress faces scale were used to measure stress. Although results were inconclusive, I found that deep breathing may be beneficial for stress reduction in some children and five-year-olds are able to participate in a deep breathing intervention. A scripted deep-breathing protocol is presented and limitations for stress measurement with young children and barriers to intervention delivery in a school setting are discussed.
Title
Talking Stone: Cherokee Syllabary Inscriptions in Dark Zone Caves
Author
Carroll, Beau Duke
Publication Date
2017-12
Publication Type
masters thesis
Collection
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
PDF
PDF
Abstract
Caves have offered the Cherokee people concealment before and after contact with Europeans. With the invention of Sequoyah’s Syllabary a way to record these hidden activities became available. A number of caves in the southeastern United States contain such historical inscriptions and interpreting these can tell archaeologists about who made them and when they were made. This paper considers several such inscription caves, located in the area of north Alabama, north Georgia, and southeastern Tennessee, with Sequoyan Syllabary on the walls. They offer us a better understanding of the Chickamauga Cherokee, the Lower town Cherokee, and the birth of the Cherokee Nation. On the surface, the Cherokee were compliant with the demands of the overwhelming American Governments policy, but traditions were kept alive by concealment. The writing in caves in the southeastern United States can provide missing links to historical accounts and provide new archaeological research avenues for the future.
Title
"Living It In The Day To Day": Narratives of Advanced Martial Artists
Author
Overton, Michael Duncan
Publication Date
2017-12
Publication Type
doctoral dissertation
Collection
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
PDF
PDF
Abstract
Western perspectives of learning often marginalize other-ways-of-knowing. A need to further understand other-ways-of-knowing, in particular non-Western perspectives, is a growing concern of the adult and continuing education field. Prior research supports the martial arts as a non-Western and other-way-of-knowing. However, the adult and continuing education field have underutilized the martial arts in research. The purpose of this narrative study was to explore adult learners’ lived experiences of learning and practicing martial arts in the southeastern United States of America. The two research questions that guided this study were “What experience(s) led adult learners to practice martial arts?” and “What are adult learners lived experience(s) of learning and practicing the martial arts.” Due to a perceived lack of any existing theoretical frameworks’ ability to capture the holistic nature of the participants’ experiences, a new theoretical framework was created for this study. This unique framework draws upon three established paradigms for support: (a) Social Constructivism, (b) Embodiment/Embodied Learning, and (c) Narrative Knowing. Each paradigm was selected for the importance it places on the role of experience within the meaning making process. The theoretical framework was specifically designed to honor the participants’ experiences of other-ways-of-knowing. Having established a theoretical framework, narrative inquiry was selected as the methodology to best answer the research questions. Using narrative inquiry methods, nine participants were interviewed for this study. These interviews ranged from an hour to an hour and a half in length and were transcribed verbatim by the researcher. These transcripts were then analyzed utilizing a six-phase analysis process. This analysis process uncovered four themes that were present in each participants’ narratives: (a) Change, (b) Interaction, (c) Embodiment, and (d) Way of Life. The findings from this study support previous martial arts research and lay the foundation for future research into the martial arts, other-ways-of-knowing, and embodiment. This study also has implications for martial artists and practitioners of somatic and embodied practices. The experiences of the participants echo my own experience with the martial arts and illustrate the importance of continuing this line of inquiry.
Title
Mass Transport of Metallic Nanostructures during Sintering Process: A Molecular Dynamics Perspective
Author
Wang, Jiaqi
Publication Date
2018-05
Publication Type
masters thesis
Collection
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
PDF
PDF
Abstract
Sintering of nanomaterials has been broadly utilized as a joining technique in various applications for achieving excellent mechanical, thermal, and electronic properties. However, the joining of the nanomaterial will facilitate the growth of the nanograin, which deteriorate the performance of the mechanical properties. Also, different defects developed during the sintering process deteriorate the thermal and electronic properties. Therefore, how to prevent the growth of the nanograin and the development of the defects during sintering have become an extremely important issue for improving the properties of sintered joints. This research employs molecular dynamics approach to reveal the atomic-scale sintering dynamics and study the properties of the sintered products of Cu-Ag core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) and nanowires (NWs), over a wide range of temperatures and on three different sintering models: (1) two core-shell NP model; (2) two core-shell NW model; (3) multiple core-shell NP model. Two new sintering mechanisms are found: (1) crystallization-amorphization-recrystallization during solid-phase sintering process and (2) wetting in the sintering of two unequally sized NPs induced by its own small size of existence of Cu core. A three-stage sintering is found for both NPs and NWs. The rupture strength of the sintered joint in the NW is found even higher than the CS NW itself. The effect of porosity and NP agglomeration effect on sintering of multiple core-shell NP model is unravled and the properties of the sintered structure at different temperatures are analyzed in terms of the porosity, grain size, and crystallinity. Through these researches, size and temperature effects on the sintering dynamics of the Cu-Ag core shell NPs/NWs are unraveled, enhanced understanding in defects formation and grain growth are achieved. Those results are expected to contribute to the development of various applications such as electronic packaging, wearable electronics, and energy devices.
Title
Evaluation of Inveon Pre-Clinical Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scanner Geant4 Application for Tomographic Imaging (GATE) Model for Multi-Positron Emission Particle Tracking (M-PEPT)
Author
Santos Torres, Roque Antonio
Publication Date
2017-12
Publication Type
doctoral dissertation
Collection
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
PDF
PDF
Abstract
A Sodium-22 point source of activity 10 μCi [microcurie] is moved through an Inveon Pre-Clinical Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner, and the scan data are sent to Multi-Positron Emission Particle Tracking (M-PEPT) software to recreate the particle track. A Geant4 Application for Tomographic Imaging (GATE) model of the Inveon is used to simulate the scanner response to point source movements identical to those prescribed in experiments. Simulated and physical experiment outcomes are compared to qualify the GATE model for the M-PEPT application. GATE over predicts the number of detected coincident lines (CL). The standard deviation of particle positions predicted by M-PEPT using GATE data is similar to the standard deviation produced by M-PEPT using scanner data.
Title
Getting Gritty with It: An Examination of Self-Directed Learning and Grit Among Doctoral Students
Author
Ruttencutter, Gwendolyn Sue
Publication Date
2018-08
Publication Type
doctoral dissertation
Collection
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
PDF
PDF
Abstract
Extant literature suggests studying for a doctorate requires not just the growth of intellectual and technical skills and abilities, but also progressively developing more noncognitive attributes. Two noncognitive factors with demonstrated relationships with academic outcomes include self-directed learning and grit. Self-directed learning (SDL) is defined as the process of initiating, maintaining, and evaluating one’s own learning, as well as the individual characteristics – such as control, initiative, self-efficacy, and motivation – of the learner who engages in self-directed learning (Brockett & Hiemstra, 1991; Stockdale, 2003). Grit, identified as a noncognitive trait by Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, and Kelly (2007), is defined as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals” (p. 1087). While various studies have examined these factors separately, none has explored the relationship between SDL and grit among doctoral students. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among SDL, grit, and progression toward degree among doctoral students. Participants (N = 118) were doctoral students in a college of education, health, and human sciences at a large, R1 public institution in the southeastern United States. Participants completed the PRO-SDLS (Stockdale, 2003), measuring SDL, and the Grit-S (Duckworth & Quinn, 2009), measuring grit, as well as age, gender, employment status, enrollment status, and stage in degree. Correlational tests and independent samples t-tests were conducted to identify significant relationships and differences, respectively, among these variables. A very strong, significant positive relationship was found between SDL and grit (r = .70, p<.001). Significant positive relationships also were found among the PRO-SDLS four factors (initiative, control, self-efficacy, and motivation) and the Grit-S two factors (consistency of interest and perseverance of effort). SDL and age were found to be significantly positively related (r = .23, p = .013), suggesting older participants were more self-directed. Grit was found to be significantly different by gender t(116) = 2.33, p = .021, as women participants were significantly grittier than men participants. Implications for practice include introducing SDL and grit as noncognitive learner characteristics to doctoral students, as well as designing doctoral education to foster self-direction and grittiness. Recommendations for future directions for research are also addressed.
Title
Does Protest Matter? The Impact of Rights-Related Protest on the Legislative Agenda
Author
Brewer, Alexandra Tieke
Publication Date
2018-12
Publication Type
doctoral dissertation
Collection
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
PDF
PDF
Abstract
I will address two research questions: (1) Do rights-related protest events affect the congressional agenda? (2) Does political party condition the relationship between rights-related protest events and the congressional agenda? To examine these questions, I will use a crosscutting approach by distinguishing between two forms of protest – institutional and extra-institutional forms – to see if disruptive tactics had a greater impact on agenda-setting in the context of rights-related issues from 1960 until 1995. I found that extra-institutional protests related to LGBT rights as well as rights to free speech and religion had a significant impact on related congressional hearings. In addition, institutional protest was highly significant in the case of free speech and religion. However, the empirical findings provide little support for the hypothesis that hearings on rights-related issues will increase when Democrats are in control of Congress and the Presidency.
Title
Advocacy Among Counseling Leaders: A Constructivist Grounded Theory
Author
Farrell, Isabel Cecilia
Publication Date
2018-05
Publication Type
doctoral dissertation
Collection
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
PDF
PDF
Abstract
Social/political or legislative professional advocacy is vital for growth of the counseling profession. However, knowledge regarding social/political professional advocacy is limited by a lack of empirical evidence. The purpose of this constructivist grounded theory study was to explain the process of social/political professional advocacy for counseling leaders. The research question guiding this study was what is the process of social/political professional advocacy for counseling leaders? Constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 2014) was used to analyze fifteen semi-structured interviews with professional counselors who engaged in leadership related to social/political professional advocacy. During analysis, four major themes emerged, Connection to Personal and Professional Identity, Use of Personal and Professional Community, Making it your Own, and Picking your Battles. Findings suggested that the legislative professional advocacy process involved three tiers Advocacy Catalyst, Advocacy Action, and Advocacy Training. The Advocacy Catalyst provided connection to the advocacy need. Advocacy Action, involved ways that advocates acted upon advocacy by picking battles and making it their own. Advocacy Training provided participants with support and knowledge to apply to their Advocacy Action. In addition, using an aggregate of the participants’ own perspective and experience, a definition of legislative professional advocacy was proposed. Based on these findings, implications for counselor education programs and professional organizations and recommendations for future research were provided.

Pages

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