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Title: Writing for Change and Changing Writing: Service Learning, First-Year Composition and Writing about Writing.
Creator: Bormann, Vanessa, Scott, John, Wardle, Elizabeth, Young, Beth, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Through a piloted model of curriculum designed for ENC 1101 this teacher-research study investigated how service-learning can shape the experiences of both teachers and students in the first-year composition classroom. The research aimed to determine the ways in which enhancement occurred for students and teachers through evaluation of student coursework, a post-semester student focus group and a faculty interview. Focusing on the impacts of this curriculum on a part-time teacher, this study...
Show moreThrough a piloted model of curriculum designed for ENC 1101 this teacher-research study investigated how service-learning can shape the experiences of both teachers and students in the first-year composition classroom. The research aimed to determine the ways in which enhancement occurred for students and teachers through evaluation of student coursework, a post-semester student focus group and a faculty interview. Focusing on the impacts of this curriculum on a part-time teacher, this study also aimed to bring to light some of the challenges inherent in service-learning within FYC, while offering ways to mediate those challenges in both course design and departmental implementation. As a result of this project, recommendations were made for modification of this curriculum to be used as an option for instructors alongside appropriate professional development, which is essential to the success of service-learning in FYC. Continued research dealing with various approaches to using service-learning in FYC was also recommended.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004292, ucf:49479
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004292

Title: THE IMPACT OF CONTINUING EDUCATION MODULES ON THE MORAL OBLIGATIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF FINANCIAL ADVISORS.
Creator: Modell, Sandy, Stanlick, Nancy, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Increased life expectancies and a significant reduction in the number of corporate pension plans nationwide have made the prospects of retirement a challenge for many of us. The burden of funding retirement will move from the corporation or government to the individual. Those individuals with limited financial experience will most likely need the guidance of a financial advisor. Can we trust and rely upon them? Following the 2004 late trading scandal and the 2008 financial meltdown, the...
Show moreIncreased life expectancies and a significant reduction in the number of corporate pension plans nationwide have made the prospects of retirement a challenge for many of us. The burden of funding retirement will move from the corporation or government to the individual. Those individuals with limited financial experience will most likely need the guidance of a financial advisor. Can we trust and rely upon them? Following the 2004 late trading scandal and the 2008 financial meltdown, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") implemented Continuing Education requirements at the advisor level. The intent was to improve the quality and integrity of advisors' interaction with clients. I have interviewed forty-one advisors at four separate financial services firms to examine the impact of this training on the moral obligations and responsibilities of financial advisors
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0003907, ucf:48715
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003907

Title: DETERMINANTS OF PRODUCTIVITY IN HOSPITAL-BASED RURAL HEALTH CLINICS: A GROWTH CURVE MODELING APPROACH.
Creator: Agiro, Abiy, Wan, Thomas, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 expanded rural Medicaid and Medicare coverage. However, different vehicles of delivering care (e.g., hospitals, health clinics, etc.) have differing organizational capacity that may or may not enable them to overcome the challenges of expanded provision. Consequently, this research employed structural contingency and organizational performance models to investigate the impact of organizational factors on productivity growth, while...
Show moreThe Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 expanded rural Medicaid and Medicare coverage. However, different vehicles of delivering care (e.g., hospitals, health clinics, etc.) have differing organizational capacity that may or may not enable them to overcome the challenges of expanded provision. Consequently, this research employed structural contingency and organizational performance models to investigate the impact of organizational factors on productivity growth, while recognizing that contextual factors also affect the delivery of care. Latent growth curve modeling was used to study a national panel of 708 U.S. hospital-based Rural Health Clinics for the years 2005 to 2008. Productivity was measured through dynamic slacks-based data envelopment analyses. Unconditional and conditional linear growth curve models were fitted to data. Findings revealed that 1) hospital-based clinics with higher baseline levels of productivity in 2005 had a slower rate of growth in productivity for the years 2006 to 2008, 2) hospital-based clinics with physicians had significantly higher productivity, 3) hospital-based clinics in urban focused areas had significantly higher productivity, 4) newer hospital-based clinics had significantly higher productivity, and 5) prospective payment system was negatively related to the rate of change in productivity growth. Organizational and contextual factors included in this study significantly explained initial differences in productivity but were unable to explain productivity growth.Future research could improve the study by 1) including additional explanatory variables, such as the use of technology and disease management programs, 2) adjusting productivity measures by case mix measures, and 3) conducting truncated panel data regression with Monte Carlo simulation.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0003912, ucf:48753
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003912

Title: Variations in Health Services Utilization by Patients with Prostate Cancer.
Creator: McKee, Roberta, Wan, Thomas, Martin, Lawrence, Zhang, Ning, Sivo, Stephen, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Among men living in the United States, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death, and, excluding skin cancers, it is the cancer diagnosed most frequently. While incidence and mortality rates have been declining, the American Cancer Society estimated that there were 220,800 men diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 27,500 prostate cancer deaths in 2015. Various patient-level and community-level factors have been shown to influence the differential patterns of diagnosis...
Show moreAmong men living in the United States, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death, and, excluding skin cancers, it is the cancer diagnosed most frequently. While incidence and mortality rates have been declining, the American Cancer Society estimated that there were 220,800 men diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 27,500 prostate cancer deaths in 2015. Various patient-level and community-level factors have been shown to influence the differential patterns of diagnosis, care, and outcomes for men with prostate cancer. Detailed information regarding the utilization of health services by prostate cancer patients, particularly those with higher propensity for health services use, could be used to inform efforts intended to improve the coordination and delivery of care to work towards the elimination of disparities. The purpose of the study is to facilitate a better understanding of the determinants of health services utilization by older males with prostate cancer in the United States by examining the relative influence and interaction effects of factors characterizing individual patients and their county of residence. Andersen's behavioral model of health services utilization is used as a framework to guide this study. A cross-sectional design is used to analyze administrative claims data from the 2008 Medicare Provider Analysis Review (MEDPAR) file (n=5,754). County-level data from Area Health Resources File (ARHF) are merged to include the community and contextual characteristics. American Hospital Association (AHA) annual survey data are also used to examine the importance of hospital attributes in a subset analysis (n=555). A two-stage approach is used for analyzing the data. First, several social and demographic variables are included in automatic interaction detector (AID) analysis to identify relatively homogenous subgroups of patients with similar service utilization patterns for emergency room visits and hospital length of stay. Second, regression analysis is performed in the full dataset including all patients, and in each subgroup to determine the amount of variance explained by predictor variables categorized as predisposing, enabling, and need-for-care factors. Hierarchical logistic regression is performed to analyze the variability in emergency room use, and hierarchical multiple regression is performed to analyze the variability in hospital length of stay. The results show that the need-for-care factors are dominant predictors of service use. However, the relative importance of the predictor variables varies by subgroups of prostate cancer patients identified in the initial AID analysis. The findings lend some support of the use of an integrated approach to examine the personal and social determinants of health services utilization by prostate cancer patients enrolled in the U.S. Medicare program. The theoretical framework and analytic approach employed in this study make it possible to obtain an in-depth understanding of the influential factors associated with emergency room use and length of stay for all-cause hospitalizations, which can be used to inform future research and efforts aimed at developing targeted interventions to improve the coordinated care and to reduce health disparities among Medicare beneficiaries with prostate cancer.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006352, ucf:51523
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006352

Title: The Moderating Effect Shift Work has on Support, Engagement, Satisfaction, Turnover, and Service Delivery: An Empirical Analysis of US Hotel Front Desk Personnel.
Creator: Ingram, William, Murphy, Kevin, Torres Areizaga, Edwin, Gregory, Amy, Young Thomas, Lisa, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Several industries require operations and services to be provided at all hours of the day. Many organizations have implemented a shift work system for scheduling purposes to meet the demand of their industry. While some research has been conducted on the effects of shift work on employees, overall, there is still much to be learned, especially in the hotel industry. Most hotel front desks in the United States operate 24 hours a day and therefore, have to staff employees for the morning,...
Show moreSeveral industries require operations and services to be provided at all hours of the day. Many organizations have implemented a shift work system for scheduling purposes to meet the demand of their industry. While some research has been conducted on the effects of shift work on employees, overall, there is still much to be learned, especially in the hotel industry. Most hotel front desks in the United States operate 24 hours a day and therefore, have to staff employees for the morning, afternoon, and overnight shifts. Previous literature states that each shift starts and ends at different times of the day as well as the tasks for each shift may be different. These differences may cause a hotel front desk agent to perceive their role differently based on the shift they work. The primary objective of this study is to investigate if there are moderating effects caused by working different shifts at a hotel front desk on three prevalent relationships often examined utilizing hotel frontline employee samples. Social support, employee engagement, job satisfaction, intention to quit, and quality service delivery willingness will all be examined in this research. A survey instrument was developed based on existing scales and distributed to hotels in the southeastern United States via paper and electronic methods. A total of 554 surveys were returned. Moderated multiple regression was conducted utilizing the Process tool in SPSS. Results indicated that the employees who worked the swing shift (both morning and afternoon shifts) were significantly different than front desk agents who worked the overnight shift. Most of the relationships tested were much weaker for the swing shift employees almost to the point that the relationship became non-existent. Implications, limitations, and future research will also be discussed.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006465, ucf:51430
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006465

Title: Teaching Fractions Procedurally and Conceptually to Pre-Service Elementary Education Teachers.
Creator: Edwards, Deborah, Hopp, Carolyn, Vitale, Thomas, Ortiz, Enrique, French, Jonathan, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The purpose of this Dissertation in Practice was to inform pre-service elementary education teachers of conceptual and procedural methods for teaching fractions. The problem of practice began when the researcher noticed a deficiency in fraction addition knowledge for a remedial mathematics program at a local private university. Further exposure of fraction knowledge for the 2014 third-grade Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores at a local elementary charter school ascertained slightly...
Show moreThe purpose of this Dissertation in Practice was to inform pre-service elementary education teachers of conceptual and procedural methods for teaching fractions. The problem of practice began when the researcher noticed a deficiency in fraction addition knowledge for a remedial mathematics program at a local private university. Further exposure of fraction knowledge for the 2014 third-grade Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores at a local elementary charter school ascertained slightly above 50% of those students making a 70% percentile or higher. Now that Florida State Standards are aligned with the Common Core Standards, pre-service elementary teachers need to know how to teach fractions procedurally and conceptually. This research-based model was used to determine the level of fraction knowledge, math anxiety level, and present NCTM videos aligned with Common Core Standards. A key element of the model was the performance assessment of the participants teaching randomly selected fraction problems they had already encountered confirming the need for more professional development in this essential mathematics domain.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0006215, ucf:51098
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006215

Title: The effect of employee behaviors on consumers' emotions and behavioral intentions in positive service encounters.
Creator: Kageyama, Yoshimasa, Ro, Heejung, Murphy, Kevin, Severt, Denver, Dziegielewski, Sophia, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Focusing on positive service encounters, this study examined the relationships among employee behaviors, customers' positive emotions, and subsequent customer behaviors. A comprehensive framework of positive service encounters and ten hypotheses were developed based on an in-depth literature review and an application of the theory of cognitive appraisal and the theory of positive emotions. The dissertation employed a survey design with measurements from previous research and collected data...
Show moreFocusing on positive service encounters, this study examined the relationships among employee behaviors, customers' positive emotions, and subsequent customer behaviors. A comprehensive framework of positive service encounters and ten hypotheses were developed based on an in-depth literature review and an application of the theory of cognitive appraisal and the theory of positive emotions. The dissertation employed a survey design with measurements from previous research and collected data with Amazon Mechanical Turk. The target sample (N=299) was individuals that had a positive interaction with an employee at hotels over the last six months. The Structural Equation Modeling results suggested that employees' mutual understanding affects customer gratitude and employees' unsolicited behaviors and competence influence customer delight. Subsequently, customer gratitude has a positive relationship with customers' repurchase intentions and word-of-mouth. In addition, customer delight has a positive relationship with customer' repurchase intentions and positive word-of-mouth. However, the results of the study did not support that customer delight can be triggered by employees' authenticity and customer gratitude can be evoked by employees' customized service. In addition, the relationship between customer gratitude and customers' providing feedback was not established. This study provides valuable implications for the industry regarding generating favorable customer behaviors in positive service encounters. This research also offers a theoretical explanation of systematic relationships among five dimensions of employee behaviors, two customers' discrete emotions, and three customer behavioral intentions in positive service encounters.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006124, ucf:51163
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006124

Title: An Investigation of the Information Practices of Education Doctoral Students.
Creator: Bishop, Corinne, Gunter, Glenda, Boote, David, Vitale, Thomas, Robinson, Edward, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Academic libraries are increasingly re-envisioning their services to provide expanded outreach and segmented programming for specific user groups. Many academic libraries offer segmented services and programming for undergraduate groups such as first-year experience programs and general education programs. Currently, academic libraries are also identifying and expanding their services and programming to meet the unique needs of graduate groups. In conjunction with this focus, the roles of...
Show moreAcademic libraries are increasingly re-envisioning their services to provide expanded outreach and segmented programming for specific user groups. Many academic libraries offer segmented services and programming for undergraduate groups such as first-year experience programs and general education programs. Currently, academic libraries are also identifying and expanding their services and programming to meet the unique needs of graduate groups. In conjunction with this focus, the roles of academic librarians are also expanding in the area of outreach. In essence, academic librarians are becoming more directly involved in aligning library services and programming with academic programs and promoting change within their institutions. Faced with the challenges of outreach and promoting change it is essential that librarians gain deeper insights about the perspectives and needs of graduate programs and graduate groups to effectively plan and align library services.The purpose of this design research study was to explore the organizational factors that influence how library services and library instruction are utilized in two doctoral programs in education at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Using a sequential mixed methods approach, quantitative data was collected in an online survey and qualitative data was collected in audio recorded interviews conducted with students enrolled in two doctoral programs in education, as well as program faculty, and academic librarians. Findings from this study were then used to describe a conjecture for an asynchronous online learning resource that applies elements outlined in Sandoval's (2014) conjecture map model. Findings were also used to make recommendations about future planning for library outreach and the utilization of library services in the doctoral programs.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005580, ucf:50248
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005580

Title: Global Perspectives of Pre-Service Teachers: A Comparative Study.
Creator: Poole, Cynthia, Russell, William, Hewitt, Randall, Owens, Tom, Zugelder, Bryan, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The importance of global education cannot be overstated in modern American society. A crucial first step to promoting global perspectives in the K-12 classroom is to ensure that the teachers have developed their own global perspectives. Multiple global education frameworks have suggested that two keys to globalizing teacher education curricula are the integration of global content courses and participation in co-curricular cross-cultural experiences. Therefore, this study sought to determine...
Show moreThe importance of global education cannot be overstated in modern American society. A crucial first step to promoting global perspectives in the K-12 classroom is to ensure that the teachers have developed their own global perspectives. Multiple global education frameworks have suggested that two keys to globalizing teacher education curricula are the integration of global content courses and participation in co-curricular cross-cultural experiences. Therefore, this study sought to determine the extent to which global content courses and co-curricular cross-cultural experiences had been integrated into the teacher preparation of pre-service teachers in multiple certification areas at a large public university in Florida, as well as the effects of that integration on the global perspectives of pre-service teachers. The questionnaire used in this study was the Global Perspectives Inventory (GPI) which was designed by Braskamp, Merrill, Braskamp, and Engberg (2012). The GPI was designed to measure individuals' development of global perspectives along three interrelated domains: cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal. This study examined the extent to which pre-service teachers in different certification areas reported participating in global content courses and co-curricular cross-cultural experiences and the effects on their global perspectives.Significant differences in the rate of participation were found in pre-service teachers in one of seven types of global content courses examined, but in none of the eleven types of co-curricular cross-cultural experiences examined. The results of this investigation also confirmed that higher rates of participation in both global content courses and co-curricular cross-cultural experiences have a significant positive relationship with pre-service teachers' global perspectives.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005400, ucf:50449
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005400

Title: Comrades In Arms?: Russian (&) Muslim Soldiers In The Red Army During World War II.
Creator: Bradfield, Daniel, Solonari, Vladimir, Zhang, Hong, Gannon, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis focuses on the perceptions of Muslims soldiers regarding their military service during World War II. To thoroughly analyze Muslim soldiers' attitudes, the thesis explores the total experience of Muslim military service through the Soviet Union's and Red Army's policies toward Muslims and how Russian soldiers viewed their Muslim counterparts. To achieve this, the thesis summarized current scholarship on Soviet and Red Army policies toward Muslims. The thesis analyzed the oral...
Show moreThis thesis focuses on the perceptions of Muslims soldiers regarding their military service during World War II. To thoroughly analyze Muslim soldiers' attitudes, the thesis explores the total experience of Muslim military service through the Soviet Union's and Red Army's policies toward Muslims and how Russian soldiers viewed their Muslim counterparts. To achieve this, the thesis summarized current scholarship on Soviet and Red Army policies toward Muslims. The thesis analyzed the oral histories and written accounts of Muslim soldiers and Russian soldiers to understand the perceptions of Russians and Muslim soldiers. A hierarchy of cultural backwardness underlined Soviet policies in both the Red Army and the larger Soviet system. Soviet authorities viewed Russians and other Slavic peoples as more highly advanced and therefore could progress 'backward' minorities through the Marxist teleology. Muslim soldiers who were able to communicate in Russian with Russian soldiers forged primary bonds with them. Muslim soldiers who did not form these relationships correlated the Russian soldiers with the Soviet state. Russian soldiers downplayed the contributions of Muslim soldiers while glorifying their central role to the Red Army's victory as the 'Slavic Backbone.' Immediate post-war interviews focused on the difficulties of serving with Muslims including poor communication, self-injury, (&) desertion. However, the post-soviet interviews described the Muslim members of their primary groups as integral parts of their units. Their successful service stood tall when balanced against the larger perception of Muslim ineffectiveness.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006444, ucf:51449
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006444

Title: Institutionalizing Service-Learning as a Best Practice of Community Engagement in Higher Education: Intra- and Inter-Institutional Comparisons of the Carnegie Community Engagement Elective Classification Framework.
Creator: Plante, Jarrad, Cox, Dr. Thomas, Robinson, Sandra, Bryer, Thomas, Bowdon, Melody, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Service-learning, with a longstanding history in American higher education (Burkhardt (&) Pasque, 2005), includes three key tenets: superior academic learning, meaningful and relevant community service, and persistent civic learning (McGoldrick and Ziegert, 2002). The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has created an elective classification system (-) Carnegie Community Engagement Classification (-) for institutions of higher education to demonstrate the breadth and depth of...
Show moreService-learning, with a longstanding history in American higher education (Burkhardt (&) Pasque, 2005), includes three key tenets: superior academic learning, meaningful and relevant community service, and persistent civic learning (McGoldrick and Ziegert, 2002). The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has created an elective classification system (-) Carnegie Community Engagement Classification (-) for institutions of higher education to demonstrate the breadth and depth of student involvement and learning through partnerships and engagement in the community (Dalton (&) Crosby, 2011; Hurtado (&) DeAngelo, 2012; Kuh et al., 2008; Pryor, Hurtado, Saenz, Santos, (&) Korn, 2007). Community engagement (")is in the culture, commonly understood practices and knowledge, and (CCEC helps determine) whether it is really happening (-) rhetoric versus reality(") (J. Saltmarsh, personal communication, August 11, 2014). The study considers the applications of three Carnegie Community Engagement Classification designated institutions to understand the institutionalization of service-learning over time by examining the 2008 designation and 2015 reclassification across institution types (-) a Private Liberal Arts College, a Private Teaching University, and a Public Research University located in the same metropolitan area. Organizational Change Theory was used as a theoretical model. Case study methodology was used in the present qualitative research to perform document analysis with qualitative interviews conducted to elucidate the data from the 2008 and 2015 CCEC applications from the three institutions. Using intra- and inter-comparative analysis, this study highlights approaches, policies, ethos, and emerging concepts to inform how higher education institutions increase the quality and quantity of service-learning opportunities that benefit higher education practitioners as well as community leaders.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005864, ucf:50852
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005864

Title: WRITE THE COMMUNITY: THE EFFECTS OF SERVICE-LEARNING PARTICIPATION ON SEVEN UNIVERSITY CREATIVE WRITING STUDENTS.
Creator: Hodges, Lauren, Kaplan, Jeffrey, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Research in higher education service-learning suggests that there is a positive relationship between service-learning and student learning outcomes as well as a positive relationship between students' interactions with the "real world" through service-learning and the effects of these experiences on deepening students' knowledge in their disciplines. Recent studies have established this positive relationship between service-learning and university composition and literature students. However,...
Show moreResearch in higher education service-learning suggests that there is a positive relationship between service-learning and student learning outcomes as well as a positive relationship between students' interactions with the "real world" through service-learning and the effects of these experiences on deepening students' knowledge in their disciplines. Recent studies have established this positive relationship between service-learning and university composition and literature students. However, aside from the existing literature on service-learning and composition and writing, there has been virtually no examination of the relationship between service-learning and creative writing. The purpose of this study was to investigate how seven creative writing students experienced the process of creative writing differently after engaging in service-learning in a creative writing course at a large, urban university in the southeastern United States and to determine if students experienced a transformative learning experience as indicated by Mezirow's (2000) transformational learning theory. This research study employed an instrumental narrative case study design to determine how seven university creative writing students experienced the process of creative writing differently after taking a creative writing course with an optional service-learning component. The results of the study indicated that service-learning invoked a transformative learning experience in these seven higher education creative writing students, each in different ways-some in their writing processes and writing content, some in how they reflected upon themselves and their writing in relation to the "outside world," and some in their sense of civic duty.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0003988, ucf:48655
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003988

Title: Gender Dynamics from the Arab World: An Intercultural Service Encounter.
Creator: Khan, Marryam, Ro, Hee Jung, Gregory, Amy, Hara, Tadayuki, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Arab countries strive toward the modernization and feminization of the Arab culture; however, some of these countries (i.e., Saudi Arabia) are culturally and legally governed by (")sharia law("), and have maintained cultural norms regarding segregation of the sexes. In order to have a better understanding of the Arab travelers to the U.S., this research focuses on the gender dynamics between the service providers and Arab customers during a service encounter. Specifically, this research...
Show moreArab countries strive toward the modernization and feminization of the Arab culture; however, some of these countries (i.e., Saudi Arabia) are culturally and legally governed by (")sharia law("), and have maintained cultural norms regarding segregation of the sexes. In order to have a better understanding of the Arab travelers to the U.S., this research focuses on the gender dynamics between the service providers and Arab customers during a service encounter. Specifically, this research examines how the same and opposite genders of service-provider and customer influence Arab customers' emotional response (comfort), consequently their service encounter evaluation (satisfaction), and behavioral intentions (feedback willingness). This research also examines how the employees' efforts to solicit feedback from Arab customers may intensify the effect of gender dynamics on Arab customers' responses. Scenario-based online surveys are created and distributed to respondents of Arab descent in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates by using snowball sampling. The results based on 326 respondents show potential differences determined by gender interaction. Arab customers were more comfortable, more satisfied with the service encounter, and more willing to provide feedback, if the employee was the same gender as the customer, as opposed to the employee being the opposite gender from the customer. However, results showed that employee efforts to solicit feedback did not intensify the gender interaction effect. Additionally, through the service encounter, the Arab customers' comfort influenced their service encounter satisfaction and their willingness to provide feedback. The findings of this research provide valuable implications for hospitality managers to better cater to the needs of Arab customers by examining the dimensions of gender boundaries in an intercultural service encounter.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0005013, ucf:49999
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005013

Title: INTERACTIVITY AND USER-HETEROGENEITY IN ON DEMAND BROADCAST VIDEO.
Creator: Tantaoui El Araki, Mounir, Hua, Kien A., University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Video-On-Demand (VOD) has appeared as an important technology for many multimedia applications such as news on demand, digital libraries, home entertainment, and distance learning. In its simplest form, delivery of a video stream requires a dedicated channel for each video session. This scheme is very expensive and non-scalable. To preserve server bandwidth, many users can share a channel using multicast. Two types of multicast have been considered. In a non-periodic multicast setting, users...
Show moreVideo-On-Demand (VOD) has appeared as an important technology for many multimedia applications such as news on demand, digital libraries, home entertainment, and distance learning. In its simplest form, delivery of a video stream requires a dedicated channel for each video session. This scheme is very expensive and non-scalable. To preserve server bandwidth, many users can share a channel using multicast. Two types of multicast have been considered. In a non-periodic multicast setting, users make video requests to the server; and it serves them according to some scheduling policy. In a periodic broadcast environment, the server does not wait for service requests. It broadcasts a video cyclically, e.g., a new stream of the same video is started every t seconds. Although, this type of approach does not guarantee true VOD, the worst service latency experienced by any client is less than t seconds. A distinct advantage of this approach is that it can serve a very large community of users using minimal server bandwidth. In VOD System it is desirable to provide the user with the video-cassette-recorder-like (VCR) capabilities such as fast-forwarding a video or jumping to a specific frame. This issue in the broadcast framework is addressed, where each video and its interactive version are broadcast repeatedly on the network. Existing techniques rely on data prefetching as the mechanism to provide this functionality. This approach provides limited usability since the prefetching rate cannot keep up with typical fast-forward speeds. In the same environment, end users might have access to different bandwidth capabilities at different times. Current periodic broadcast schemes, do not take advantage of high-bandwidth capabilities, nor do they adapt to the low-bandwidth limitation of the receivers. A heterogeneous technique is presented that can adapt to a range of receiving bandwidth capability. Given a server bandwidth and a range of different client bandwidths, users employing the proposed technique will choose either to use their full reception bandwidth capability and therefore accessing the video at a very short time, or using part or enough reception bandwidth at the expense of a longer access latency.
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Date Issued: 2004
Identifier: CFE0000085, ucf:46129
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000085

Title: POLICE ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA:CONFIRMATORY ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND DESIGN STRUCTURE TO PERFORMANCE.
Creator: Goltz, Jeffrey, Wan, Thomas, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: To date, police organizations have not been rigorously analyzed by organizational scholars and most analysis of these organizations has been captured through a single construct. The purpose of this study is to develop confirmatory police organizational analysis by validating a multi-dimensional conceptual framework that explains the relationships among three constructs: environmental constraints, the design structures of police organizations, and organizational performance indicators. The...
Show moreTo date, police organizations have not been rigorously analyzed by organizational scholars and most analysis of these organizations has been captured through a single construct. The purpose of this study is to develop confirmatory police organizational analysis by validating a multi-dimensional conceptual framework that explains the relationships among three constructs: environmental constraints, the design structures of police organizations, and organizational performance indicators. The modeling is deeply rooted in contingency theory, and the influence of isomorphism and institutional theory on the covariance structure model are investigated. One hundred and thirteen local police organizations from the State of Florida are included in this non-experimental, cross-sectional study to determine the direct effect of the environmental constraints on the performance of police organizations, the indirect effect of environmental constraints on the performance of police organizations via the organizational design structure of police organizations, and the direct affect of organizational design structure on performance of police organizations. For the first time, structural equation modeling and data envelopment analysis are used together to confirm the effects of the environment on police organization structure and performance. The results indicate that environmental social economic disparity indicators have a large positive effect on police resources and a medium effect on police efficiency. Propensity of crime indicators has a large negative effect on police resources, and population density has a small to medium negative effect on crime clearance. Structure has a much smaller effect on performance than the environment. The results of the efficiency analysis revealed unexpected findings. Three of the top five largest police organizations in the study scored maximum efficiency. The cause of this unexpected result is explained and confirmed in the covariance model. The study methodology and results enhances the understanding of the relationship among the constructs while subjecting environmental and police organizational data to two comprehensive analytical techniques. The policy implications and practical contributions of the study provide new knowledge and information to organizational management of police organizations. Furthermore, the study establishes a new approach to police organizational analysis and police services management research called Police Services Management Research (PSMR) that encompasses a variety of disciplines with a primary responsibility of theory building and the selection of theoretical framework.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: CFE0001363, ucf:47000
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001363

Title: THE PROBLEM OF POLYSEMY IN THE FIRST THOUSAND WORDS OF THE GENERAL SERVICE LIST: A CORPUS STUDY OF SECONDARY CHEMISTRY TEXTS.
Creator: Clemmons, Karina, Sivo, Stephen, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Vocabulary in a second language is an indispensable building block of all comprehension (Folse, 2006; Nation, 2006). Teachers in content area classes such as science, math, and social studies frequently teach content specific vocabulary, but are not aware of the obstacles that can occur when students do not know the basic words. Word lists such as the General Service List (GSL) were created to assist students and teachers (West, 1953). The GSL does not adequately take into account the high...
Show moreVocabulary in a second language is an indispensable building block of all comprehension (Folse, 2006; Nation, 2006). Teachers in content area classes such as science, math, and social studies frequently teach content specific vocabulary, but are not aware of the obstacles that can occur when students do not know the basic words. Word lists such as the General Service List (GSL) were created to assist students and teachers (West, 1953). The GSL does not adequately take into account the high level of polysemy of many common English words, nor has it been updated by genre to reflect specific content domains encountered by secondary science students in today's high stakes classes such as chemistry. This study examines how many words of the first 1000 words of the GSL occurred in the secondary chemistry textbooks sampled, how often the first 1000 words of the GSL were polysemous, and specifically which multiple meanings occurred. A discussion of results includes word tables that list multiple meanings present, example phrases that illustrate the context surrounding the target words, suggestions for a GSL that is genre specific to secondary chemistry textbooks and that is ranked by meaning as well as type, and implications for both vocabulary materials and classroom instruction for ELLs in secondary chemistry classes. Findings are essential to second language (L2) researchers, materials developers, publishers, and teachers.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: CFE0002034, ucf:47590
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002034

Title: THE PREPAREDNESS OF ELEMENTARY MUSIC TEACHERS TO INCLUDE STUDENTS WITH CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR IN THEIR CLASSROOMS.
Creator: Shirk, Christine, Cross, Lee, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Students with disabilities, some with emotional and behavior disorders, are included in almost all elementary music classes. Students with emotional behavior disorders are one of the greatest challenges for teachers. To be effective, teachers must develop strategies and inclusive practices specifically geared towards intervention. With the quantity of students served and only limited class time with students, the music teacher is often unaware of the unique needs of specific special learners....
Show moreStudents with disabilities, some with emotional and behavior disorders, are included in almost all elementary music classes. Students with emotional behavior disorders are one of the greatest challenges for teachers. To be effective, teachers must develop strategies and inclusive practices specifically geared towards intervention. With the quantity of students served and only limited class time with students, the music teacher is often unaware of the unique needs of specific special learners. Music teacher preparation has been inadequate in training teachers for inclusion. Elementary music educators rarely have outside support to deal with classroom challenges as they serve students with disabilities and at-risk students. Music teacher training is focused on content, not behavior management. This study examined the perceptions of randomly selected elementary music educators who were members of MENC: The National Association for Music Education regarding their preparedness to effectively manage five areas of severe behavior often exhibited by students with emotional behavior disorders: withdrawal, impulsivity, argumentative behavior, aggression towards peers, and aggression towards the teacher. The researcher devised a 39 item online survey instrument based on supporting literature. The survey was given to randomly selected participants. Two hundred sixty-nine elementary music educators from across the United States completed the survey providing information on incidence frequency, preparedness, training in behavior management, and the amount of behavior support available. Elementary music teachers felt prepared to handle impulsivity (58.2%), and argumentative behavior (55.7%). They were not prepared for withdrawal (50.8%), aggression towards peers (50.9%), and least prepared to handle aggression towards the teacher (58.1%).Over 94% of the music teachers had adult assistance less than 25% of the time and 45.9% never had adult assistance with included classes. More than 74% of the teachers indicated that they have adult assistance with self-contained special education classes less than 25% of the time and 35.7% never having adult assistance with those classes. Forty-six point two percent of the music teachers had no behavior specialist available or were unaware if one was available. Only 3.7% of the respondents felt they had all the support they needed. Thirty-six point one percent of the music teachers had no crisis plan in case of an eruption of severe behavior in their classes.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: CFE0002065, ucf:47597
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002065

Title: AN EXPLORATION OF HOW PRE-SERVICE EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS USE EDUCATIVE CURRICULUM MATERIALS TO SUPPORT THEIR SCIENCE TEACHING PRACTICES.
Creator: Englehart, Deirdre, Boote, David, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Research indicates that a proportion of elementary teachers are not comfortable teaching science to young children. These teachers are unaware of the best methods of approaching science and don't have the science background knowledge to support teaching through inquiry methods. This case study explores the role educative curriculum materials play in supporting pre-service early childhood education teachers' knowledge with science content and teaching practices. Specifically, I examine...
Show moreResearch indicates that a proportion of elementary teachers are not comfortable teaching science to young children. These teachers are unaware of the best methods of approaching science and don't have the science background knowledge to support teaching through inquiry methods. This case study explores the role educative curriculum materials play in supporting pre-service early childhood education teachers' knowledge with science content and teaching practices. Specifically, I examine how educative materials impact pre-service teacher's content knowledge in science and their pedagogical content knowledge related to inquiry methods. Three pre-service early childhood teachers participated in this research. The teachers were initially interviewed about teaching science based upon three instruments: Views of Science Inquiry, Views of the Nature of Science and the Science Teachers Efficacy Beliefs Inventory. Each subject was observed teaching science in their internship site: the first lessons taught were guided or approved by their teachers and the next lessons were conducted using the support of educative curriculum materials. Finally, the initial instruments were once again administered along with an interview to obtain changes in teacher's knowledge, beliefs and understandings of science and science teaching. Results from this research indicate that educative curriculum was supportive of teachers in a variety of ways. Most importantly, this curriculum helped teachers to target more aspects of scientific inquiry during their science lessons than lessons without the use of educative curriculum. The important considerations regarding the effectiveness of the educative curriculum for these pre-service teachers were their underlying beliefs about how science should be taught, their uses of the curriculum materials and reflective practices regarding their own teaching. Results specifically related to early childhood educators include the level of inquiry implemented with young children and how children communicate their findings. Young children need support in their participation of inquiry learning. Successful implementation of guided inquiry practices occurred in this research. Also, the teachers in this research found insightful ways that directly supported young children in their communication of ideas. Implications for further research are also discussed. Educative materials could further support pre-service early childhood teachers if additional supports were used including accessible curricular rationales, support in classroom management and the specific use of guided inquiry.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: CFE0002142, ucf:47520
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002142

Title: AN ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK FOR RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PRICING IN WIRELESS NETWORKS WITH COMPETITIVE SERVICE PROVIDERS.
Creator: SENGUPTA, SHAMIK, Chatterjee, Mainak, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: A paradigm shift from static spectrum allocation to dynamic spectrum access (DSA) is becoming a reality due to the recent advances in cognitive radio, wide band spectrum sensing, and network aware real--time spectrum access. It is believed that DSA will allow wireless service providers (WSPs) the opportunity to dynamically access spectrum bands as and when they need it. Moreover, due to the presence of multiple WSPs in a region, it is anticipated that dynamic service pricing would be offered...
Show moreA paradigm shift from static spectrum allocation to dynamic spectrum access (DSA) is becoming a reality due to the recent advances in cognitive radio, wide band spectrum sensing, and network aware real--time spectrum access. It is believed that DSA will allow wireless service providers (WSPs) the opportunity to dynamically access spectrum bands as and when they need it. Moreover, due to the presence of multiple WSPs in a region, it is anticipated that dynamic service pricing would be offered that will allow the end-users to move from long-term service contracts to more flexible short-term service models. In this research, we develop a unified economic framework to analyze the trading system comprising two components: i) spectrum owner--WSPs interactions with regard to dynamic spectrum allocation, and ii) WSP--end-users interactions with regard to dynamic service pricing. For spectrum owner--WSPs interaction, we investigate various auction mechanisms for finding bidding strategies of WSPs and revenue generated by the spectrum owner. We show that sequential bidding provides better result than the concurrent bidding when WSPs are constrained to at most single unit allocation. On the other hand, when the bidders request for multiple units, (i.e., they are not restricted by allocation constraints) synchronous auction mechanism proves to be beneficial than asynchronous auctions. In this regard, we propose a winner determination sealed-bid knapsack auction mechanism that dynamically allocates spectrum to the WSPs based on their bids. As far as dynamic service pricing is concerned, we use game theory to capture the conflict of interest between WSPs and end--users, both of whom try to maximize their respective net utilities. We deviate from the traditional per--service static pricing towards a more dynamic model where the WSPs might change the price of a service almost on a session by session basis. Users, on the other hand, have the freedom to choose their WSP based on the price offered. It is found that in such a greedy and non-cooperative behavioral game model, it is in the best interest of the WSPs to adhere to a price threshold which is a consequence of a price (Nash) equilibrium. We conducted extensive simulation experiments, the results of which show that the proposed auction model entices WSPs to participate in the auction, makes optimal use of the common spectrum pool, and avoids collusion among WSPs. We also demonstrate how pricing can be used as an effective tool for providing incentives to the WSPs to upgrade their network resources and offer better services.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: CFE0001848, ucf:47364
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001848

Title: LOCUS OF CONTROL AND SELF-EFFICACY: POTENTIAL MEDIATORS OF STRESS, ILLNESS, AND UTILIZATION OF HEALTH SERVICES IN COLLEGE STUDENTS.
Creator: Roddenberry, Angela, Renk, Kimberly, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Stress has been linked to increased illness in several biologically based studies. In contrast, only a limited number of studies have assessed psychological variables related to stress, with self-efficacy and locus of control serving as potentially important variables. Thus, the current study investigated the mediating effects of self-efficacy and locus of control in the relationship between stress, psychological and physical symptoms, and the utilization of health services in college...
Show moreStress has been linked to increased illness in several biologically based studies. In contrast, only a limited number of studies have assessed psychological variables related to stress, with self-efficacy and locus of control serving as potentially important variables. Thus, the current study investigated the mediating effects of self-efficacy and locus of control in the relationship between stress, psychological and physical symptoms, and the utilization of health services in college students. Results suggested that stress was correlated positively with symptoms. External locus of control was correlated positively with stress and symptoms, and self-efficacy was correlated negatively with stress and symptoms. Further, structural equation modeling was used to test two separate models. The first model examined the relationships between stress and symptoms and between symptoms and utilization of health services. Although the path coefficients suggested that there were direct relationships, the data did not adequately fit this model. The second model examined the potential mediational effects of locus of control and self-efficacy on the relationship between stress and symptoms. The path coefficients for the second model were consistent with a mediation effect for locus of control in the relationship between stress and symptoms; however, when this model was tested for full mediation, the data did not fit the model. These results highlight the importance of having future studies examine and identify potential mediators of the stress and illness link. Implications for reducing health care costs and promoting better mental and physical health are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: CFE0001831, ucf:47337
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001831

pre-service teachers (7)	+ -
service-learning (6)	+ -
service learning (5)	+ -
Quality of Service (4)	+ -
Service Quality (3)	+ -

customer service (3)	+ -
education (3)	+ -
self-efficacy (3)	+ -
training (3)	+ -
Culture (2)	+ -
Education (2)	+ -
Florida (2)	+ -
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Pre-Service Teachers (2)	+ -
Service Delivery (2)	+ -
case study (2)	+ -
children (2)	+ -
co-teaching (2)	+ -
coproduction (2)	+ -
customer satisfaction (2)	+ -
emergency medical services (2)	+ -
empathy (2)	+ -
energy (2)	+ -
first-year composition (2)	+ -
game theory (2)	+ -
higher education (2)	+ -
hospitality (2)	+ -
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