3543 research outputs found
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Understanding the Purges
No full textHow could Stalin reasonably justify within himself killing millions of people in a nation that he simultaneously wished to glorify? This is the basic question that will be explored in this thesis. What was Stalin’s reasoning, motivation, and purpose for sending so many to the Gulags? There has to be a better answer than “because he was bloodthirsty killer”. This was the basic motivation for the decision to explore this topic. How can a man that forcefully took the Soviet Union from a nation of poverty and peasants to nation that would be considered a world superpower for decades to come be dismissed as a lunatic? There was something missing. This thesis is a balancing act of attempting to understand the logic of Stalin without unintentionally justifying it. Use of proper sources also became a balancing act during the writing of this thesis as Western sources of information are strongly biased (largely due to Khrushchev’s era of de-Stalinization and anti-communist sentiment), along with the fact that Soviet sources are full of conspiracies, lies, and cover-ups. Even Soviet photos cannot be used as evidence as many of them were doctored in order to fit Stalin’s narrative. This thesis will be an attempt to help the reader better understand what was really going on during the purges and in doing so the reader will make their own decision as to whether Stalin was an inevitable product of communism, or simply a bloodthirsty lunatic
Perceptions of School Bus Drivers and Their Experiences with Student Behavior: A Qualitative Case Study
No full textSchool bus drivers play a critical role in the student learning experience. School bus drivers are the first and last persons to interface with students and face many obstacles while transporting them. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how school bus drivers perceive their experiences with student behavior, discipline, and collaboration with campus administration. Bandura’s (1977) social learning theory and Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural learning theory provided the theoretical frameworks for this study. Sociocultural learning theory supports school bus drivers taking the steps to set behavior goals, expectations, and reinforcement systems. Sociocultural learning theory also supports the notion that ultimately the learner’s role is to receive and follow the authority figure’s instructions. The data collection process included collected a variety of information through semistructured interviews, focus groups, and observations. The research question that guided this study was: How do school bus drivers perceive their experiences with student behavior, discipline, and collaboration with campus administration? During analysis common patterns emerged, school bus drivers must ensure their own behavior management success. School bus drivers believe safety is a number one priority. In contrast, lack of communication and training was evident from the school bus driver and campus administration perceptions. The findings in this study provided key insights on the overall experiences and perceptions of school bus drivers. Recognizing their voice on important matters related student management and communication with campus administration
The Golden Rush to the Golden State: An Analysis of the Development of California, 1845-1960
No full textWith a population of 40 million and a gross domestic product of nearly 2.5 trillion dollars the state of California on its own accounts for one of the top 10 largest economies in the world as well as one of the most diverse populations. But California’s emergence on the world stage did not occur overnight. In January of 1848, a local carpenter named James Marshall found a nugget of gold in the south fork of the American River when constructing a lumber mill for John Sutter. As a result of the construction project, Marshall’s discovery would be referred to as the first finding of gold in California. And almost instantly, word spread round the globe in the California gold rush was on. This thesis will explore several key aspects of California’s development while keeping a central focus on the impact of Marshall’s discovery, starting with the national climate toward westward expansion under President Polk and the actualization of Manifest Destiny. After the details of Marshall’s discovery is fully examined, the direct impacts of the California gold rush can be observed. Specifically, this paper will be broken up into four distinct sections each analyzing specific aspects of California’s early history, starting with the very beginning and those who shaped the region as well as how these communities wrestled with concepts such as law, religion, and racial diversity. Likewise, this thesis explores the state and local policies and politics up until 1852 as well as the broader implications for and the ensuing transformations to the state, including the emergence of California’s timber, agricultural and mining industries
Fragments: A Memoir
No full textFragments is a memoir chronicling my long distance relationship with Dominik, who I met when I was nineteen during my gap year in New Zealand. This memoir is written in pieces, in hybrid style, as it includes journal entries, traditional narrative, poetry, and prose. This memoir is not written in chronological order, nor does it take place in a single location. Each section jumps around in time and place – the relevant date and country are listed before each major section
A Cynical Enterprise: US-Iraq Relations, Oil, and the Struggle for the Persian Gulf
No full textFor the better part of the Twentieth century, the Middle East, and more specifically the Persian Gulf, have been areas of key importance to the United States. As the United States became increasingly reliant on Middle Eastern oil, it became more attuned to events in the Persian Gulf, seeking to create a regional order conducive to US interests. First and foremost among those interests were cheap and easily accessible oil, and a security situation which would not impede the flow of oil to the West. In order to create this situation, the US has sought to exert its influence on all of the states of the Persian Gulf. Among those states was Iraq. With proven oil reserves estimated by OPEC to be the fourth largest in the world, Iraq has always been valued by the US as a geopolitical prize. While certainly not the sole interest in Iraq, oil proved to be the most important and enduring interest. In the course of pursuing its national interests, the US thrust itself into a deeply divided country with a troubled and violent history. In doing so, the US engaged in a series of ill-advised and short-sighted policy decisions, which in turn have provoked conflict, led to the deaths of millions of Iraqis, the destruction of a society, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and the destabilization of the Middle East. Underlying this is a paradoxical phenomenon: the more the US attempted to bring Iraq under US sway and control, the more out of control the situation became. The more recent suffering of Iraq, from the US invasion to the scourge of ISIL, is very much a product of almost a century of US-Iraq relations. Then, as now, the relationship was based first and foremost around oil
Employable skills seminar for undergraduate psychology majors and minors: Data visualization in Tableau for the public good
No full textSix undergraduate psychology students in a pilot, one credit, online seminar developed technical, inquiry, and data visualization skills. Students used Tableau, a popular business intelligence platform, and learned to locate, clean, aggregate, and visualize secondary data. A final project required the publication of visualizations for the public good
The Social Experiences of College Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder
No full textThrough the passage of federal disability legislation, the opportunity to attain higher education exists for individuals experiencing Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Researchers have examined the neurodevelopmental impact of ASD on students and the needs of students at colleges and universities. Since ASD affects the social communication of individuals, the researcher conducted a study to gather lived stories of the social experiences of students with ASD. Through a narrative methodology, three students provided lived stories of their social experiences at a higher education institution. Students provided stories through interviews and journal writing of their social interactions with instructors, peers, and staff. The researcher utilized narrative coding and problem-solution narrative in the analyzation of data. Students reported varied experiences with instructors, peers, and staff. Participants reported low interest and interactions at college events. Through the research, students from a traditionally marginalized population had a voice to share their experiences. The study increased awareness within the Autism community, families, and higher education institutions of the social experiences of students with ASD
Predictors of Intent to Stay of Clinical Care Managers in the Inpatient and Outpatient Settings: A Causal-Comparative Study
No full textThis quantitative research study was conducted to determine if employee engagement, belief in mission and values, and employee support predict intent to stay of clinical care managers in the inpatient and outpatient settings. The present research study also examined the construct validity of the survey instrument, which was utilized by the subject organization in 2018. Through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), the constructs of employee engagement, belief in mission and values, and employee support were analyzed. Secondary data was collected from the 2018 completed surveys of 160 licensed nurses and social workers considered as clinical care managers from a large health care system in the western United States. The results of the EFA supported the validity of the constructs of belief in mission and values that explained 53.6% of the variability with a .912 reliability coefficient and employee support explained 8.96% of the variability with a .828 reliability coefficient. Employee engagement was deemed invalid due to cross-loadings of the factors with employee support and belief in mission and values. Binary regression analysis did not reveal statistically significant findings due to small sample size and lack of variability of the dichotomous outcome variable measurement. Post hoc analysis was conducted using multiple linear regression, which revealed predictive qualities of belief in mission and values (p \u3c .05) and employee support (p \u3c .05) on intent to stay of clinical care managers in the inpatient and outpatient settings
Agency in Teacher Supervision and Mentoring
No full textOffering an in-depth examination of field supervision and the role of the university supervisors in preparing teachers, this book addresses the challenges of providing novice teachers with quality supervision through the support and guidance of teacher education programs. Through a research-based lens, Bates and Burbank discuss the role, responsibilities, and opportunities of the university supervisor. Critically examining the supervisor as an agent of change who is positioned to empower early career teachers, the authors dissect the necessary preparation and support new teachers need in contemporary K-12 classrooms