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Title: A Phenomenological Study of High School Assistant Principals who Supervise Special Education.
Creator: Vacchio, Erin, Martin, Suzanne, Vasquez, Trey, Jahani, Shiva, Helton, Julie, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of high school assistant principals who lead the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) departments at their respective schools. The role of the school leader is critical and complex. Second to only the classroom teachers, school leaders have the ability to shape the school wide attitude and vision for students with disabilities. Knowing that in the past 30 years, the number of students with disabilities has nearly doubled in size, the...
Show moreThis phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of high school assistant principals who lead the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) departments at their respective schools. The role of the school leader is critical and complex. Second to only the classroom teachers, school leaders have the ability to shape the school wide attitude and vision for students with disabilities. Knowing that in the past 30 years, the number of students with disabilities has nearly doubled in size, the expertise of school leaders in special education must also increase. Research on the experiences of high school administrators who serve students with intellectual disabilities and how their experiences and beliefs shape opportunities for students is limited. In addition, there is limited research regarding the prevalence of students with intellectual disabilities and their participation in vocational education and independent skills instruction to support independent functioning and future employment. This study used a phenomenological approach to examine the experiences and beliefs of high school assistant principals who supervise the ESE department at their school. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven participants (N=7). Through thematic analysis, six major themes and 21 subthemes emerged. The six major themes were: (a) compliance of special education; (b) administrators' role in faculty/staff supervision; (c) inclusion of students with disabilities in opportunities with their non-disabled peers; (d) lack of leadership preparation; (e) meeting student needs; (f) preparing students for life after school. This study concluded with a thorough examination of each of the major themes and subthemes, and provided implications for leadership development, induction programs for special education leaders, and best practices for serving students with intellectual disabilities.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007739, ucf:52452
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007739

Title: A Phenomenological Study of the Experiences of Successful Women in Science Fields.
Creator: Hall, Jonathan, Butler, Malcolm, Freeman, Tonjua, Boote, David, Morrison, Deb, Blank, William, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Girls and women face several forms of gender-based biases and discrimination in the science community. These issues create difficult circumstances for them to develop positive science identities. Since these difficult circumstances exist, science education and sociology researchers have used a deficit model to learn about their experiences, achievements, and attitudes. Understanding the experiences of successful women in science offers insight into how women can navigate the challenges...
Show moreGirls and women face several forms of gender-based biases and discrimination in the science community. These issues create difficult circumstances for them to develop positive science identities. Since these difficult circumstances exist, science education and sociology researchers have used a deficit model to learn about their experiences, achievements, and attitudes. Understanding the experiences of successful women in science offers insight into how women can navigate the challenges presented by the science community and how science educators can support them. However, research studies that explore the experiences of successful women in science are scant. Therefore, the objective of this study was to learn about the experiences of successful women who are professionals in science fields. Twelve participants engaged in three semi-structured interviews. Findings showed that participants had access to and support in authentic science experiences. They developed a passion for science that was supported by a self-selected support system. Advancement in workplaces that were often dominated by males required a sophisticated understanding of organizational norms. This advancement required strategic agency in how they spent their time and the relationships that they built. Two differences in experiences were found that were based on race. The first difference based on race was that Black and Hispanic participants experienced racial and ethnic discrimination. The second difference was that Black and Hispanic participants discussed the centrality of their faith to their work in every interview. These findings provide insight for the science community. Science methods instructors could educate pre-service teachers about how participants navigated gender-based challenges in science communities. Furthermore, the stories of these women could structure lessons that cover inclusion and equity. For industry, all employees should adhere to professional standards and mentors should be relatable to their mentees.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007186, ucf:52283
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007186

Title: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF SEVEN URBAN MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS RELATED TO RETENTION.
Creator: Dunn, Lu, Boote, David, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Background: Job satisfaction is essential to retain teachers in classrooms. Increased challenges in today's classrooms discourage many teachers from reaching veteran status. Teachers with a perception that they are making a difference appear to have more resilience in the difficult times in their classrooms. Purpose: To investigate the experiences of middle school science teachers. This study explored the influence of perceptions, beliefs, and experiences on job attrition and teacher...
Show moreBackground: Job satisfaction is essential to retain teachers in classrooms. Increased challenges in today's classrooms discourage many teachers from reaching veteran status. Teachers with a perception that they are making a difference appear to have more resilience in the difficult times in their classrooms. Purpose: To investigate the experiences of middle school science teachers. This study explored the influence of perceptions, beliefs, and experiences on job attrition and teacher satisfaction; and helps explain the cumulative effects that contributed to teachers' dissatisfaction. This study analyzed the intensification of the teaching profession and the increased emotional stress this causes for teachers. Setting: Five public middle schools in a large urban school district in central Florida. A total of seven teachers participated in the study. Subjects: Seven middle school science teachers were selected based on their years of experience, method of teacher training, and ability to participate in the entire study. Research Design: Phenomenological. Data Collection and Analysis: The data were collected through focus groups, interviews, journals, and classroom observations. The audio-taped portions were transcribed then analyzed with NVivo/NUD*IST, Revision 1.2 to find common themes. The initial themes were subsequently reduced for manageability. The teachers stories were separated to provide support as the themes emerged. Findings: Teachers who were more experienced by years on the job or more extensive initial training appeared to have more resilience for the difficulties in their job. Satisfaction with their job seemed to be influenced by professional identity, teacher preparation, personal experiences, curriculum policy, and cultural diversity. Conclusions: Analyzing the perceptions and beliefs of teachers who are in classrooms can provide insights to improve conditions to encourage teachers to stay. The analysis strongly suggests that teachers who feel supported and valued are more likely to remain in the classroom in spite of the challenges they encounter.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: CFE0002494, ucf:47687
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002494

Title: A Phenomenological Study on the Implementation of Louise Rosenblatt's Transactional Theory and its Impact on Teacher-Efficacy for Literacy Instruction in an Online Environment.
Creator: Vu, Marcus, Olan, Elsie, Vitale, Thomas, Hewitt, Randall, Owens, J. Thomas, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The present study sought to examine the teacher-efficacy for literacy instruction (TELI) of instructors who teach in an online environment. The phenomenological methodology sought to answer the following research questions: (1) What pedagogical practices do instructors use to provide literacy instruction in an online environment? (2) How do instructors perceive their TELI in an online environment? and (3) What impact, if any, will a Professional Learning Community (PLC) focused on Rosenblatt...
Show moreThe present study sought to examine the teacher-efficacy for literacy instruction (TELI) of instructors who teach in an online environment. The phenomenological methodology sought to answer the following research questions: (1) What pedagogical practices do instructors use to provide literacy instruction in an online environment? (2) How do instructors perceive their TELI in an online environment? and (3) What impact, if any, will a Professional Learning Community (PLC) focused on Rosenblatt's Transactional Theory have on TELI in an online environment?The study consisted of a group of seven online instructors. The researcher the acting as facilitator administered the initial interviews and exit interviews and adapted an Action Research PLC with activities modeled after those that influence self-efficacy. In initial interviews, the participants described their literacy practices as mostly dialogic conversations with students in which they provide examples and non-examples for students. They used some aesthetic strategies, but their practices were mainly efferent and low taxonomically. The initial interviews also revealed that instructors felt that they did not know their students well and that their literacy instructional practices were mostly silenced by the dominant role of the standardized curriculum. It was observed that teachers sourced their confidence in TELI in an online environment not from the practices they used in an online environment, but in the practices they once used in the traditional classroom which are now silenced in an online environment. During the Action Research PLC, the researcher and participants collaborated in creating questions and instructional resources that helped students take a more aesthetic stance while still meeting the standards of the curriculum through the use of aesthetic questions and discussions, semantic association, and narrative-centered learning. The PLC structure also incorporated the four influential experiences on self-efficacy. The results of the exit interviews revealed that the teachers either remained confident or increased in confidence in their TELI in an online environment. In addition, viewing TELI through Rosenblatt's Transactional Theory aided in closing the gap in transactional distance observed by the participants because they were able to engage in more positive dialogues with their students. The PLC provided a creative space for teachers to work and deliver their personalized instruction enabling them to voice their once silenced literacy instructional practices. It can be determined that the transactions that teachers have with students mediated in an online environment have a far greater impact on TELI. Viewing literacy instruction through Rosenblatt's Transactional Theory provides a reflective experience where teachers revisit whether or not an instructional practice can improve their teaching through more aesthetic dialogue thus improving their TELI.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0006818, ucf:51790
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006818

Title: A Place in the Pew: Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Individuals' Perceptions of Religious Traditions.
Creator: Barringer, Mandi, Gay, David, Jasinski, Jana, Corzine, Harold, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Research shows that sexual minorities have been criticized and rejected by nearly every major religious group in the United States. The cumulative alienation that sexual minorities experience from mainline religious groups may leave them feeling disillusioned and even hostile toward religious organizations which have historically rejected them. However, research to date has not explored sexual minorities' perceptions of religious collectives in the United States. The current study examines...
Show moreResearch shows that sexual minorities have been criticized and rejected by nearly every major religious group in the United States. The cumulative alienation that sexual minorities experience from mainline religious groups may leave them feeling disillusioned and even hostile toward religious organizations which have historically rejected them. However, research to date has not explored sexual minorities' perceptions of religious collectives in the United States. The current study examines the variations between lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals regarding their religious beliefs and perceptions of religious collectives' attitudes toward the LGB and transgender (LGBT) population. Utilizing data from the 2013 Pew Research Center of LGBT adults, I conduct four separate binary logistic regression analyses examining evangelical Protestant churches', the Catholic Church's, the Jewish religion's, and mainline Protestant churches' acceptance of the LGBT population. The findings from this study offer rare insight from the perspectives of LGB individuals regarding four major religious collectives and illustrates that sexual minorities do indeed have a complex relationship with religious groups. Ultimately, the findings from this research demonstrate the importance of further examining sexual minorities' attitudes and interactions with religious collectives.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0006718, ucf:51881
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006718

Title: A Place in the Sunshine State : Community, Preservation, and the Parliament House.
Creator: Montgomery, Erin, Lester, Connie, Gannon, Barbara, Pineda, Yovanna, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: A Place in the Sunshine State, is a thesis project focused on the Parliament House Motor Inn in Orlando, Florida. This project nominated the Parliament House Motor Inn for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. This nomination was completed using both oral histories and more traditional historical source material. The Parliament House Motor Inn was evaluated using National Register Bulletins and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Preservation. This nomination was...
Show moreA Place in the Sunshine State, is a thesis project focused on the Parliament House Motor Inn in Orlando, Florida. This project nominated the Parliament House Motor Inn for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. This nomination was completed using both oral histories and more traditional historical source material. The Parliament House Motor Inn was evaluated using National Register Bulletins and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Preservation. This nomination was presented to give voice to a long-underrepresented community within the national narrative of the United States, along with giving the Parliament House the recognition it deserves as an integral institution within the gay community. This nomination sheds new light onto early gay life in Orlando and concludes that Parliament House is a significant historic and cultural resource. This conclusion is vital to the preservation of LGBT history; it allows for a more complex interpretation of Orlando and central Florida history and helps to recognize LGBT history and the sites associated with them. This thesis also discusses Parliament House and its role as a site of the intersections between gay community and identity creation, place making, and the intricate history of the southern United States. ?
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0007128, ucf:52319
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007128

Title: A PLURI-NATIONAL STATE: THE IMPACT OF THE MAS ON THE STATUS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN BOLIVIA.
Creator: Medina, Pamela, Morales, Waltraud, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: In 2005 the largely indigenous country of Bolivia elected its first indigenous president, Evo Morales of the Movement toward Socialism (MAS) Party. Morales ran on a promise of re-distributing wealth, to aid in the development of one of Latin America‟s poorest countries. Morales‟ first term in office marked a historical achievement for the indigenous movement in Bolivia, and sparked social change in the country. The government also experienced a momentous achievement through the re...
Show moreIn 2005 the largely indigenous country of Bolivia elected its first indigenous president, Evo Morales of the Movement toward Socialism (MAS) Party. Morales ran on a promise of re-distributing wealth, to aid in the development of one of Latin America‟s poorest countries. Morales‟ first term in office marked a historical achievement for the indigenous movement in Bolivia, and sparked social change in the country. The government also experienced a momentous achievement through the re-writing of the Bolivian constitution, acknowledging the country‟s multi-ethnic and pluri-national character. Although his social, domestic and foreign policies have been controversial, particularly in the United States, Morales was re-elected to serve a second term in 2009. This research analyzes the outcomes of Morales‟ policy changes during his first term in office, from 2006-2009 to examine how the election of the MAS has impacted the marginalized status of indigenous people in Bolivia.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003242, ucf:48561
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003242

Title: A Posteriori and Interactive Approaches for Decision-Making with Multiple Stochastic Objectives.
Creator: Bakhsh, Ahmed, Geiger, Christopher, Mollaghasemi, Mansooreh, Xanthopoulos, Petros, Wiegand, Rudolf, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Computer simulation is a popular method that is often used as a decision support tool in industry to estimate the performance of systems too complex for analytical solutions. It is a tool that assists decision-makers to improve organizational performance and achieve performance objectives in which simulated conditions can be randomly varied so that critical situations can be investigated without real-world risk. Due to the stochastic nature of many of the input process variables in simulation...
Show moreComputer simulation is a popular method that is often used as a decision support tool in industry to estimate the performance of systems too complex for analytical solutions. It is a tool that assists decision-makers to improve organizational performance and achieve performance objectives in which simulated conditions can be randomly varied so that critical situations can be investigated without real-world risk. Due to the stochastic nature of many of the input process variables in simulation models, the output from the simulation model experiments are random. Thus, experimental runs of computer simulations yield only estimates of the values of performance objectives, where these estimates are themselves random variables.Most real-world decisions involve the simultaneous optimization of multiple, and often conflicting, objectives. Researchers and practitioners use various approaches to solve these multiobjective problems. Many of the approaches that integrate the simulation models with stochastic multiple objective optimization algorithms have been proposed, many of which use the Pareto-based approaches that generate a finite set of compromise, or tradeoff, solutions. Nevertheless, identification of the most preferred solution can be a daunting task to the decision-maker and is an order of magnitude harder in the presence of stochastic objectives. However, to the best of this researcher's knowledge, there has been no focused efforts and existing work that attempts to reduce the number of tradeoff solutions while considering the stochastic nature of a set of objective functions.In this research, two approaches that consider multiple stochastic objectives when reducing the set of the tradeoff solutions are designed and proposed. The first proposed approach is an a posteriori approach, which uses a given set of Pareto optima as input. The second approach is an interactive-based approach that articulates decision-maker preferences during the optimization process. A detailed description of both approaches is given, and computational studies are conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the two approaches. The computational results show the promise of the proposed approaches, in that each approach effectively reduces the set of compromise solutions to a reasonably manageable size for the decision-maker. This is a significant step beyond current applications of decision-making process in the presence of multiple stochastic objectives and should serve as an effective approach to support decision-making under uncertainty.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004973, ucf:49574
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004973

Title: A PREDICTIVE MODEL FOR BENCHMARKING ACADEMIC PROGRAMS (PBAP) USING U.S. NEWS RANKING DATA FOR ENGINEERING COLLEGES OFFERING GRADUATE PROGRAMS.
Creator: Chuck, Lisa, Tubbs, LeVester, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Improving national ranking is an increasingly important issue for university administrators. While research has been conducted on performance measures in higher education, research designs have lacked a predictive quality. Studies on the U.S. News college rankings have provided insight into the methodology; however, none of them have provided a model to predict what change in variable values would likely cause an institution to improve its standing in the rankings. The purpose of this study...
Show moreImproving national ranking is an increasingly important issue for university administrators. While research has been conducted on performance measures in higher education, research designs have lacked a predictive quality. Studies on the U.S. News college rankings have provided insight into the methodology; however, none of them have provided a model to predict what change in variable values would likely cause an institution to improve its standing in the rankings. The purpose of this study was to develop a predictive model for benchmarking academic programs (pBAP) for engineering colleges. The 2005 U.S. News ranking data for graduate engineering programs were used to create a four-tier predictive model (pBAP). The pBAP model correctly classified 81.9% of the cases in their respective tier. To test the predictive accuracy of the pBAP model, the 2005 U.S .News data were entered into the pBAP variate developed using the 2004 U.S. News data. The model predicted that 88.9% of the institutions would remain in the same ranking tier in the 2005 U.S. News rankings (compared with 87.7% in the actual data), and 11.1% of the institutions would demonstrate tier movement (compared with an actual 12.3% movement in the actual data). The likelihood of improving an institution's standing in the rankings was greater when increasing the values of 3 of the 11 variables in the U.S. News model: peer assessment score, recruiter assessment score, and research expenditures.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: CFE0000576, ucf:46422
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000576

Title: A PREDICTIVE MODEL FOR BENCHMARKING ACADEMIC PROGRAMS (PBAP)USING U.S. NEWS RANKING DATA FOR ENGINEERING COLLEGES OFFERING GRADUATE PROGRAMS.
Creator: Chuck, Lisa, Tubbs, LeVester, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Improving national ranking is an increasingly important issue for university administrators. While research has been conducted on performance measures in higher education, research designs have lacked a predictive quality. Studies on the U.S. News college rankings have provided insight into the methodology; however, none of them have provided a model to predict what change in variable values would likely cause an institution to improve its standing in the rankings. The purpose of this study...
Show moreImproving national ranking is an increasingly important issue for university administrators. While research has been conducted on performance measures in higher education, research designs have lacked a predictive quality. Studies on the U.S. News college rankings have provided insight into the methodology; however, none of them have provided a model to predict what change in variable values would likely cause an institution to improve its standing in the rankings. The purpose of this study was to develop a predictive model for benchmarking academic programs (pBAP) for engineering colleges. The 2005 U.S. News ranking data for graduate engineering programs were used to create a four-tier predictive model (pBAP). The pBAP model correctly classified 81.9% of the cases in their respective tier. To test the predictive accuracy of the pBAP model, the 2005 U.S .News data were entered into the pBAP variate developed using the 2004 U.S. News data. The model predicted that 88.9% of the institutions would remain in the same ranking tier in the 2005 U.S. News rankings (compared with 87.7% in the actual data), and 11.1% of the institutions would demonstrate tier movement (compared with an actual 12.3% movement in the actual data). The likelihood of improving an institution's standing in the rankings was greater when increasing the values of 3 of the 11 variables in the U.S. News model: peer assessment score, recruiter assessment score, and research expenditures.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: CFE0000431, ucf:46377
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000431

Title: A Predictive Model To Identify Caregivers At Risk Of Musculoskeletal Disorders.
Creator: Ali, Abdulelah, Lee, Gene, Elshennawy, Ahmad, Rabelo, Luis, Rahal, Ahmad, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Healthcare systems face several challenges due to the aging workforce, recruitment shortages, increasing patient acuteness, and increasing patient size and weight. The most costly, leading, and prevalent problem in the healthcare industry and nursing professions is work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs). MSDs are common among caregivers because of the nature of their work, which requires repetitive heavy physical activity. The development of MSDs among caregivers negatively impacts the...
Show moreHealthcare systems face several challenges due to the aging workforce, recruitment shortages, increasing patient acuteness, and increasing patient size and weight. The most costly, leading, and prevalent problem in the healthcare industry and nursing professions is work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs). MSDs are common among caregivers because of the nature of their work, which requires repetitive heavy physical activity. The development of MSDs among caregivers negatively impacts the quality of care, and incurs high costs such as worker compensation, days away from work, turnover, rehabilitation, and lower productivity. Therefore, it is essential to determine the factors that contribute to musculoskeletal disorder injuries among caregivers, in order to reduce or eliminate risks within healthcare environments which might cause such ramifications. This dissertation develops a framework to identify risk factors for MSDs and to determine which ones show significant contribution to be included in a developed predictive model. The data was obtained from caregivers who work in Saudi Arabian healthcare institutions, with 104 participating nurses to determine which risk factors would be included in the predictive model. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association of the identified work related and non-work related risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders in healthcare organizations among caregivers. The development of the predictive model provides insights into risk factors which can guide the development of policies and recommendations to reduce and eliminate the development of MSDs among caregivers.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006065, ucf:50967
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006065

Title: A Preliminary Assessment of Steroid Reproductive Hormones in Archaeological Human Hair Utilizing a Modified Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) Technique.
Creator: Tisdale, Elisha, Schultz, John, Williams, Lana, Wheeler, Sandra, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Hair has become an invaluable resource in forensic, clinical, and bioarchaeological research. The unique interaction between the growing hair fiber, the hair follicle, and the endocrine system inundates the growing hair fiber with an incremental record of many of the discreet physiological processes of the body. Recently, a novel study by Webb et al. (2010) demonstrated that endogenous records of cortisol, the (")stress hormone("), are capable of being extracted from archaeological human hair...
Show moreHair has become an invaluable resource in forensic, clinical, and bioarchaeological research. The unique interaction between the growing hair fiber, the hair follicle, and the endocrine system inundates the growing hair fiber with an incremental record of many of the discreet physiological processes of the body. Recently, a novel study by Webb et al. (2010) demonstrated that endogenous records of cortisol, the (")stress hormone("), are capable of being extracted from archaeological human hair through a modified enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique, thus providing insight into the (")invisible(") stress experiences of an individual that would otherwise not be detectable through skeletal analysis. The present study seeks to apply this novel ELISA technique to archaeological hair to determine whether endogenous patterns of secretion are detectable for the steroid reproductive hormones estradiol and testosterone. Here, hair from 10 individuals from the Kellis 2 cemetery in the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt is analyzed for endogenous concentrations of the steroid hormones cortisol, estradiol, and testosterone. A control sample consisting of hair from 10 modern cadavers is also assessed for each hormone to ensure method efficacy. Cortisol, estradiol, and testosterone were successfully identified in all 10 archaeological individuals and in each of the 10 individuals in the modern control group. Results revealed that archaeological preservation of each hormone was favorable, and incremental patterning of each hormone seem to reflect endogenous hormone secretion in life. Values for cortisol, estradiol in pre-menopausal females, and testosterone extracted from the archaeological and modern control samples fall within reference values taken from archaeological and clinical research; however, estradiol values for males and postmenopausal females exceeded projected reference values. Explorations for variables which could contribute to discrepancies between reported and observed estradiol values are provided, along with two case studies on female individuals from the archaeological sample. The results of this study demonstrate that steroid reproductive hormones can be preserved in archaeological human hair, and that these hormones can be analyzed to create additional lines of inquiry into bioarcheological studies of ancient health and fertility.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0006921, ucf:51700
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006921

Title: A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF A NON-INVASIVE GLUCOSE SENSOR BASED ON A MERCURY SENSOR.
Creator: Wood, Erin, Hernandez, Florencio, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Diabetes mellitus is a potentially lethal disease that affects 7.6 percent of American people. In the US, it is recognized as the 6th leading cause of death. Failure to control blood glucose levels (BGL) in patients with either type of diabetes can lead to other serious complications as well, such as loss of limb, blindness and other health problems. Controlling and monitoring the BGL in post-op and intensive care patients in the hospital is also vital to their health. Currently the most...
Show moreDiabetes mellitus is a potentially lethal disease that affects 7.6 percent of American people. In the US, it is recognized as the 6th leading cause of death. Failure to control blood glucose levels (BGL) in patients with either type of diabetes can lead to other serious complications as well, such as loss of limb, blindness and other health problems. Controlling and monitoring the BGL in post-op and intensive care patients in the hospital is also vital to their health. Currently the most reliable method of monitoring BGL is through an invasive procedure which monitors the amount of glucose in blood directly. A non-invasive glucose sensor would drastically improve the treatment of sensitive patients, and serve to improve the quality of diabetic patients’ lives. This glucose sensor is strongly based upon the mercury sensor developed by F.E. Hernandez and his colleagues. Glucose is used as a reducing agent to reduce mercury from Hg2+ to Hg0, which will form amalgams with the gold nanorods in solution. The change in aspect ratio of gold nanorods leads to a change in the UV-Visible spectrum of the solution. The blue shift seen was measured and correlated with the glucose concentration of the system. The system was then tested varying conditions such as pH, temperature, gold nanorod concentration, and mercury concentration. A preliminary study of the kinetics of the reaction was also done. The results showed a limit of detection of 1.58x10-13 and a linear dynamic range covering the concentrations of human tear glucose levels that are currently cited in the literature.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: CFE0002754, ucf:48110
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002754

Title: A Priori Analysis of Error and Bias in Value-Added Models.
Creator: Lavery, Matthew, Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie, Sivo, Stephen, Bai, Haiyan, Amrein-Beardsley, Audrey, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Over the past 20 years, value-added models (VAMs) have become increasingly popular in educational assessment and accountability policies because of the sophisticated statistical controls these models use to purportedly isolate the effect of a single teacher on the learning gains of his or her students. The present research uses a Monte Carlo simulation study design in order to investigate whether VAMs are able to provide accurate estimates of teacher effectiveness when all assumptions are met...
Show moreOver the past 20 years, value-added models (VAMs) have become increasingly popular in educational assessment and accountability policies because of the sophisticated statistical controls these models use to purportedly isolate the effect of a single teacher on the learning gains of his or her students. The present research uses a Monte Carlo simulation study design in order to investigate whether VAMs are able to provide accurate estimates of teacher effectiveness when all assumptions are met and to determine how robust the models are to endogenous peer effects and nonrandom assignment of students to classroom. The researcher generates three years of simulated achievement data for 18,750 students taught by 125 teachers, and analyzes this data with a linear mixed model similar to the SAS(&)#174; EVAAS(&)#174; Multivariate Response Model (MRM; M1), a basic covariate adjustment model (M2), and variations on these models designed to estimate random classroom effects. Findings indicate that the modified EVAAS may be too computationally onerous to be of practical use, and that modified covariate adjustment models do not perform significantly differently than the basic covariate adjustment model. When all assumptions are met, M1 is more accurate than M2, but both models perform reasonably well, misclassifying fewer than 5% of teachers on average. M1 is more robust to endogenous peer effects than M2, however both models misclassified more teachers than when all assumptions are met. M2 is more robust to nonrandom assignment of students than M1. Assigning teachers a balanced schedule of nonrandom classes with low, medium, and high prior achievement seemed to mitigate the problems that nonrandom assignment caused for M1, but made M2 less accurate. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006344, ucf:51568
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006344

Title: a priori synthetic sampling for increasing classification sensitivity in imbalanced data sets.
Creator: Rivera, William, Xanthopoulos, Petros, Wiegand, Rudolf, Karwowski, Waldemar, Kincaid, John, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Building accurate classifiers for predicting group membership is made difficult when data is skewedor imbalanced which is typical of real world data sets. The classifier has the tendency to be biased towards the over represented group as a result. This imbalance is considered a class imbalance problem which will induce bias into the classifier particularly when the imbalance is high.Class imbalance data usually suffers from data intrinsic properties beyond that of imbalance alone.The problem...
Show moreBuilding accurate classifiers for predicting group membership is made difficult when data is skewedor imbalanced which is typical of real world data sets. The classifier has the tendency to be biased towards the over represented group as a result. This imbalance is considered a class imbalance problem which will induce bias into the classifier particularly when the imbalance is high.Class imbalance data usually suffers from data intrinsic properties beyond that of imbalance alone.The problem is intensified with larger levels of imbalance most commonly found in observationalstudies. Extreme cases of class imbalance are commonly found in many domains including frauddetection, mammography of cancer and post term births. These rare events are usually the mostcostly or have the highest level of risk associated with them and are therefore of most interest.To combat class imbalance the machine learning community has relied upon embedded, data preprocessing and ensemble learning approaches. Exploratory research has linked several factorsthat perpetuate the issue of misclassification in class imbalanced data. However, there remainsa lack of understanding between the relationship of the learner and imbalanced data among thecompeting approaches. The current landscape of data preprocessing approaches have appeal dueto the ability to divide the problem space in two which allows for simpler models. However, mostof these approaches have little theoretical bases although in some cases there is empirical evidence supporting the improvement.The main goals of this research is to introduce newly proposed a priori based re-sampling methodsthat improve concept learning within class imbalanced data. The results in this work highlightthe robustness of these techniques performance within publicly available data sets from differentdomains containing various levels of imbalance. In this research the theoretical and empiricalreasons are explored and discussed.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0006169, ucf:51129
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006169

Title: A PROBE INTO LEARNING APPROACHES AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS TECHNOLOGY-ENHANCED LANGUAGE LEARNING (TELL) IN CHINESE INSTRUCTION.
Creator: Yuan, Rong, Orwig, Gary, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This quantitative research, carried out at the military environment at the Defense Language Institute investigated whether learning approaches could predict learners' language proficiency and learners' attitude towards technology-enhanced language learning (TELL). In addition, it also examined whether learners' demographic factors, such as age, educational backgrounds, prior experience in foreign language learning and in TELL as well as their ability to use PC and the World Wide Web could...
Show moreThis quantitative research, carried out at the military environment at the Defense Language Institute investigated whether learning approaches could predict learners' language proficiency and learners' attitude towards technology-enhanced language learning (TELL). In addition, it also examined whether learners' demographic factors, such as age, educational backgrounds, prior experience in foreign language learning and in TELL as well as their ability to use PC and the World Wide Web could predict the above mentioned language proficiency and attitude. A cluster sampling method was adopted and data was collected in four Chinese departments at the institute. Both the learning approaches inventory ASSIST and the attitudes towards TELL survey were administered to 158 Chinese language learners. 137 valid responses were obtained. All data were input into SPSS for regression and correlation analyses. Conclusions of the study are as follows: 1. The surface and apathetic approach (p<.01) was a significant predictor for both learners' measured language proficiency and their self-perception of academic performance. 2. The strategic approach was a positive predictor for learners' attitudes towards TELL; whereas, surface and apathetic approach was a negative predictor for learners' attitudes towards TELL. 3. None of the learners' demographic variables could not predict either learners' language proficiency or their attitudes towards TELL. Implications for instructional design, curriculum development, teacher education, as well as relevant research issues were discussed.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: CFE0000829, ucf:46675
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000829

Title: A Process Evaluation of a Family Involvement Program at a Title I Elementary School.
Creator: Moody, Maria, Lue, Martha, Lambie, Glenn, Little, Mary, Swan, Bonnie, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Parental or family involvement in student academics has been an on-going topic for researchers. There is a need for studies to be conducted on parental involvement program implementation in order to determine if there is an impact on student academics when school, family, and community partnership programs are in place. For this study, a process evaluation was conducted on a parental or family involvement program newly developed and implemented at a Title I elementary school in an urban...
Show moreParental or family involvement in student academics has been an on-going topic for researchers. There is a need for studies to be conducted on parental involvement program implementation in order to determine if there is an impact on student academics when school, family, and community partnership programs are in place. For this study, a process evaluation was conducted on a parental or family involvement program newly developed and implemented at a Title I elementary school in an urban setting. The purpose of this mixed-methods process evaluation was to (a) document how the program was implemented, (b) examine the progress toward meeting its intended outcomes, and (c) use findings to make recommendations to drive improvement. The program's logic model was used to examine the program's intended short-term outcomes; including increasing parental involvement and knowledge in regard to the school's reading, mathematics, and science curricula as well as increasing the knowledge of home strategies for student academic support. Student achievement impacts were also examined. Quantitative data collection included program participant survey data and participants' student achievement data for reading and mathematics. Document analysis of the program's artifacts allowed for a qualitative analysis for the evaluation. Findings indicated the program was making progress in increasing parents' knowledge about the reading curriculum, but not for mathematics and science. There was also an increase in parents' knowledge of home strategies and improvement in parental program attendance rates.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0006768, ucf:51857
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006768

Title: A Production and Cost Modeling Methodology of 2nd Generation Biofuel in the United States.
Creator: Poole, David, Kincaid, John, Mollaghasemi, Mansooreh, Geiger, Christopher, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The use of biofuels in the United States has increased dramatically in the last few years. The largest source of feedstock for ethanol to date has been corn. However, corn is also a vitally important food crop and is used commonly as feed for cattle and other livestock. To prevent further diversion of an important food crop to production of ethanol, there is great interest in developing commercial-scale technologies to make ethanol from non-food crops, or other suitable plant material. This...
Show moreThe use of biofuels in the United States has increased dramatically in the last few years. The largest source of feedstock for ethanol to date has been corn. However, corn is also a vitally important food crop and is used commonly as feed for cattle and other livestock. To prevent further diversion of an important food crop to production of ethanol, there is great interest in developing commercial-scale technologies to make ethanol from non-food crops, or other suitable plant material. This is commonly referred to as biomass. A review is made of lignocellulosic sources being considered as feedstocks to produce ethanol. Current technologies for pretreatment and hydrolysis of the biomass material are examined and discussed. Production data and cost estimates are culled from the literature, and used to assist in development of mathematical models for evaluation of production ramp-up profiles, and cost estimation. These mathematical models are useful as a planning tool, and provide a methodology to estimate monthly production output and costs for labor, capital, operations and maintenance, feedstock, raw materials, and total cost. Existing credits for ethanol production are also considered and modeled. The production output in liters is modeled as a negative exponential growth curve, with a rate coefficient providing the ability to evaluate slower, or faster, growth in production output and its corresponding effect on monthly cost. The capital and labor costs per unit of product are determined by dividing the monthly debt service and labor costs by that month?s production value. The remaining cost components change at a constant rate in the simulation case studies. This methodology is used to calculate production levels and costs as a function of time for a 25 million gallon per year capacity cellulosic ethanol plant. The parameters of interest are calculated in MATLAB with a deterministic, continuous system simulation model. Simulation results for high, medium, and low cost case studies are included. Assumptions for the model and for each case study are included and some comparisons are made to cost estimates in the literature. While the cost per unit of product decreases and production output increases over time, some reasonable cost values are obtained by the end of the second year for both the low and medium cost case studies. By the end of Year 2, total costs for those case studies are $0.48 per liter and $0.88 per liter, respectively. These cost estimates are well within the reported range of values from the reviewed literature sources. Differing assumptions for calculations made by different sources make a direct cost comparison with the outputs of this modeling methodology extremely difficult. Proposals for reducing costs are introduced. Limitations and shortcomings of the research activity are discussed, along with recommendations for potential future work in improving the simulation model and model verification activities. In summary, the author was not able to find evidence?within the public domain?of any similar modeling and simulation methodology that uses a deterministic, continuous simulation model to evaluate production and costs as a function of time. This methodology is also unique in highlighting the important effect of production ramp-up on monthly costs for capital (debt service) and labor. The resultant simulation model can be used for planning purposes and provides an independent, unbiased estimate of cost as a function of time.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004424, ucf:49321
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004424

Title: A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY DESIGN: USING CLOSE READING TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE U.S. HISTORY COMPREHENSION.
Creator: Tinsley, Maureen, Hopp, Carolyn, Zygouris-Coe, Vassiliki, Williams-Fjeldhe, Karri, Vitale, Thomas, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This dissertation in practice presents a research-based model for staff development utilizing the elements of a professional learning community. The focus of this problem of practice was determined through an analysis of one high school's reading data indicating that 36% of the student body was reading below grade level according to the state assessment test for reading. Researchers have noted that reading demands for college and careers have increased (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2011;...
Show moreThis dissertation in practice presents a research-based model for staff development utilizing the elements of a professional learning community. The focus of this problem of practice was determined through an analysis of one high school's reading data indicating that 36% of the student body was reading below grade level according to the state assessment test for reading. Researchers have noted that reading demands for college and careers have increased (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2011; Barton, 2000; Common Core State Standards, 2014). If students do not develop reading proficiency to graduate with a high school diploma, they are at risk of limited career choices without college and possible unemployment. Drawing upon a review of related literature in reading education, adolescent literacy, disciplinary literacy, and staff development, a professional learning community model was proposed to address improvement in teacher capacity by demonstrating the knowledge, dispositions, and skills of pedagogical knowledge of the Common Core State Standards (Florida Department of Education, Language Arts Florida Standards, 2014) and the use of close reading techniques to increase reading comprehension of U.S. History students. This design utilizes the five elements of the DuFour (2010) model of a professional learning community including (a) focus of learning; (b) collaborative culture; (c) collaborative inquiry; (d) commitment to continuous improvement; and (e) results oriented mindset. A logic model further delineates the priorities, program plan, and intended outcomes for the implementation of this model.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005429, ucf:50409
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005429

Title: A PROFILE OF THE LITERACY PRACTICES OF K-5 CENTRAL FLORIDA TEACHERS OF THE YEAR 2004-2005.
Creator: Cowern, Stephanie, Magann, Douglas, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The problem of this study was to develop a literacy teaching profile of the 2004-2005 Teachers of the Year in Kindergarten through grade 5 in four central Florida school districts. Of primary interest was the extent to which these teachers indicated their use of exemplary literacy practices as defined using the domains and indicators of the National Exemplary Literacy Teacher Assessment (NELTA). The NELTA results were analyzed using frequencies and percentages. The results of the NELTA were...
Show moreThe problem of this study was to develop a literacy teaching profile of the 2004-2005 Teachers of the Year in Kindergarten through grade 5 in four central Florida school districts. Of primary interest was the extent to which these teachers indicated their use of exemplary literacy practices as defined using the domains and indicators of the National Exemplary Literacy Teacher Assessment (NELTA). The NELTA results were analyzed using frequencies and percentages. The results of the NELTA were also evaluated and discussed when total length of years teaching, and length of years at present grade level were considered. The data were derived from the 66 (59.4%) classroom Teachers of the Year who responded to the survey. Overall, the findings showed little congruency between exemplary teaching practices as measured by the NELTA and teachers' self-described practices. Many teachers indicated utilizing grade level practices best suited for grade levels higher than the ones they were presently teaching. Demographic variables did little to clarify the profile of the Teachers of the Year; however, 18 teachers with 7 or more years of teaching experience (27.2%) responded with the highest levels of congruency. Furthermore, using the domains and indicators of the NELTA, 13 grade 4 teachers (19.7%) demonstrated the highest level of congruence with grade 4 best practices. Conclusions were made to explain this along with recommendations for future research.
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Date Issued: 2004
Identifier: CFE0000249, ucf:46229
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000249

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