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Effects of federal policies concerning Native Americans
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We Demand an End to Racism! : The Civil Rights Movement in Chattanooga
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Using Undergraduate Learning Assistants to Aid in Course Redesign
Get PDFResearch has identified potential difficulties for students enrolled in large classes. Large classes reduce opportunities for faculty-student interaction, which may predict decreased learning, retention rates, and student performance. It is therefore important to increase opportunities for faculty-student interaction. One successful tactic for increasing this interaction in large classes involves the utilization of undergraduate peers as class assistants. This manuscript describes the implementation of Undergraduate Learning Assistants (ULAs) in large sections of Introductory Psychology at Missouri State University, utilizing data collected prior to this manuscript. Further, this manuscript is a review of the implementation of ULAs at Missouri State submitted by students who have served in the position. ULAs mentor students, act as facilitators between the instructor and students, and lead study sessions before each unit exam outside of the classroom. While multiple positive outcomes have been observed by means of data collection and student feedback pertinent to learning outcomes and academic success, students also rated the ULAs and their study sessions as effective. Additionally, higher levels of course staff-student interaction has also been observed. Although related work has been published regarding the specific target domains of course redesign, this manuscript provides readers with information on how to implement ULAs with respect to each of the delineated target areas
The grotesque self: finding identity through the grotesque in the works of Carson McCullers
Get PDFHistorically speaking, the South has maintained rigid, male dominated constructions of gender, which have manifested themselves in almost every aspect of the southern individual’s actions, sense of self, and appearance. While much of southern culture has been centered on this rigid identity, the southern gothic literary tradition strays from this stark binary, especially in its depiction of female characters. Through the use of grotesque representations, these characters are able to form a unique identity and deviate from the phallocentric social norms, though it often comes at the cost of social alienation. However, even when tragedies strike these gothic heroines, their grotesque qualities serve to highlight the oppression shown toward the southern woman. Carson McCullers provides a great understanding of the effect the grotesque has on the woman and her place in society. Though she did not write prolifically, she wrote profoundly. The importance of the appearance of the grotesque in her works is that it operates on an individual basis, shaping characters’ understanding of themselves, their lives, and their social agency. Through her female characters, she demonstrates how the grotesque shakes the political sphere and demands attention. In this thesis, I shall track the growth of the identities in two of McCullers’s female characters and how their experiences as grotesques allow them to break free from the cultural standards of their time. I will analyze Mick Kelly from 1940’s The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and Miss Amelia Evans from 1951’s The Ballad of the Sad Café. To do so, I shall focus on how and why two grotesque qualities of these characters, androgyny and gargantuanism, display a refusal to abide by the restricted, conventional role of a female in Southern society, and allow them to create a new sense of self and purpose
Implementing early screening methods to detect resistance to Phytophthora cinnamomi in backcross Chinese-American Chestnut hybrids
Get PDFPhytophthora root rot (PRR), caused by the oomycete Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands., is one of the two greatest obstacles to survival of American chestnut (Castanea dentata Borkh.). The other is chestnut blight, caused by the ascomycete Cryphonectria parasitica (Murr.) Barr. Developing early and reliable PRR screening methods can facilitate the efficient introgression of PRR resistance from Chinese chestnut (C. mollissima Blume.) into the populations of potentially chestnut blight resistant trees currently under development by The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF). This study tests the efficacy of a method for early identification of PRR-resistant hybrid chestnuts in a greenhouse/nursery setting. The chestnut blight resistant hybrid families studied are derived from twenty years of work by the Tennessee Chapter of TACF and represent sources of PRR resistance not previously utilized by TACF. During the midsummer months of 2016 and 2017, container-grown seedlings were inoculated with P. cinnamomi, prepared on a clarified V8 agar medium, and rice-grain or vermiculite inoculum. Root necrotic lesions were rated using a numerical scale from 0-3, with “0” representing a plant that is completely asymptomatic, “1” representing lesions on the lateral roots only, “2” representing lesions on the lateral and on tap roots, and “3” representing plants killed by PRR (Jeffers et al., 2009). Results of the 2017 were inconclusive because of problems preparing the inoculum, and extreme environmental conditions in the early winter (freeze damage to the roots in December confounded root necrosis observations in January and February). The results of the 2016 trial show, at a 0.05 significance level, statistically significant differences in the average root rating between C. mollissima and C. dentata. Significant differences were seen in the average root rating between some hybrid families, intragenerationally and intergenerationally. Six of the backcross hybrid families; were not significantly different from the average root rating in the Chinese chestnut control families. The were no statistically significant differences between generations (B1, BB1, and B3F2). Families that were interpreted to have any degree of PRR resistance are assumed to have inherited PRR resistance alleles from C. mollissima. Trees identified as PRR-resistance will be transplanted into orchard settings for further observation, and represent a population of crosses that will be utilized for future breeding and restoration efforts
The complex effects of equity sensitivity on job commitment and satisfaction: a pilot study
Get PDFAccording to equity theory (Adams, 1963, 1965), employees determine whether they are being treated fairly by comparing what they give to and receive from their organization to that of other employees. However, individual perceptions of equity differ in the workplace, a phenomenon Huseman, Hatfield and Miles, (1987) labeled equity sensitivity, which ranges from benevolents, those who accept low levels of equity, to entitleds, who desire more favorable outcomes for themselves. Davison and Bing (2008) split the Huseman et al. continuum into its two components, benevolence and entitlement, and those are the focus of the present study. These dimensions were tested against each other to examine whether a sense of entitlement negatively affected an employee’s commitment to their organization and job satisfaction. The Equity Sensitivity Instrument (ESI), Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, and a three-item job satisfaction scale were used to test the relationships between variables. Using a sample of mid-level managers from two companies in the southern United States (n = 53), this pilot study examined the items found in the modified ESI, discussed the underlying equity theory and equity sensitivity theory, and used findings to suggest a means by which future studies can help to develop a better measure of equity sensitivity
Foster parent disciplinary strategies and child behaviors
Get PDFFoster parents are tasked with creating a safe and stable environment for the youth while also trying to parent and address challenging behaviors (Elgar, Mills, McGrath, Waschbusch, & Brownridge, 2007). Although these behaviors can also be found in youth in the general population, they are more common among foster youth (Van Holen & Vanschoonlandt, 2017). This mixed-methods study involved using an Internet questionnaire to measure influential factors of parenting (i.e. stress, satisfaction, involvement) and the qualitative questions explored foster parents’ experiences with behaviors and which parenting strategies have been helpful and non-helpful. The quantitative results of this study concluded that involvement, use of positive parenting, and consistent use of monitoring strategies were all associated with lower levels of stress. Additionally, stress was negatively associated with foster parents’ intent to continue fostering. Results of this study indicated that aggression, tantrums, violence, self-harm, and defiance were the most commonly reported challenging behaviors. Helpful discipline strategies included time-in, earning or removing privileges, and implementing clear communication; and non-helpful discipline included corporal punishment, time-out, and yelling. While the findings were expected, the recommended improvements for foster care to compensate for these challenges include adequate training, more agency support, and group/familial/individual therapy
Personality and affiliation involving a cooperative task in bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus) Dyads
Get PDFCooperation may be related to personality in bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) dyads. Five bottlenose dolphin pairs at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS), Honduras, were presented with an apparatus released a food reward if opened cooperatively. I created personality profiles of each dolphin with traits grouped in two different contexts: dolphin-dolphin and dolphin-world. I hypothesized that success of the cooperative task would be related to similarities in socialization and dissimilar in interacting with objects. None of the dolphin pairs cooperated to open the apparatus. I then analyzed individual personalities in relation to the dolphins’ individual and mutual interactions with the apparatus as well as the pairs’ social behaviors. Playfulness, curiosity, and affiliativeness as well as the factors openness, agreeableness, and extraversion were positively related to affiliation with the apparatus and each other. My findings could guide future animal research on the relationship between personality, social interactions, and problem-solving
A systematic review of the effect of habitual breakfast for adolescents aged 11-19 years on academic performance
Get PDFBackground: Breakfast consumption plays an important role for growth, energy, BMI, and lifestyle. Studies show that it has positive influences on cognitive and academic outcomes. Despite this benefits of consuming breakfast on school grades, there has been no systematic review of literature focusing habitual breakfast consumption on scholastic achievement among adolescent students aged 11-19. Objective: The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the existing evidence on habitual breakfast consumption and academic performance in adolescents aged 11-19 years. Methods: A systematic review of studies was conducted through three electronic databases which were searched for relevant articles published between 1990 and 2015 in the PubMed, PsycInfo, and ERIC databases. Results: The search identified 163 articles. Of these, 12 papers met the inclusion criteria. Eight studies showed a positive relationship between habitual breakfast consumption and school grades, while four papers had non-significant results even though two of those were of a superior design. According to NHLBI criteria in terms of research design, most of studies were fair while only one study was strong, and three studies were weak. Various breakfast definitions and classifications within three different timeframes were used in the studies. Three academic achievement measurements, including school grades, standardized achievement tests and self-report school grades were used. Conclusion: There is mixed evidence to draw firm conclusions of the effect of habitual breakfast on academic performance and this review address some methodological problems among studies which need to be taken into account. Good study design and specific definitions and classifications of breakfast within specific timeframes of 7days, and objective measurements for breakfast and academic performance are needed in further research
The relationship between traditional student success variables with retention of the Tennessee Lottery Scholarship Program
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a relationship existed between a set of prescribed student success quality indicators and retention of the Tennessee lottery scholarship after 24 attempted semester hours. There were two primary research questions: • Research Question 1 (RQ1): Does a relationship exist between lottery scholarship retention (LSR) and any single or combination of student progression variables for first-time, full-time enrolled freshmen after 24 attempted semester hours? • Research Question 2 (RQ2): Does LSR relate to continuous enrollment at the initial awarding institution after the first 24 attempted semester hour checkpoint? Data were collected about lottery scholarship recipients enrolled at a moderately selective higher education institution in the southeastern region of the United States. A Pearson chi-square analysis was administered to examine RQ1. The results revealed a) a strong relationship with high school grade point average, cumulative attempted hours, and overall college grade point average; b) a moderate relationship with standardized admission test score; and c) a weak relationship with gender, residency status, and race/ethnicity with retention of the lottery scholarship. Pell grant eligibility, college, and parent adjusted gross income did not indicate a relationship with retention of the lottery scholarship. Logistic regression analysis revealed two variables, college grade point average and cumulative attempted hours, had a significant value in predicting retention of the lottery scholarship. Correlation analysis for RQ2 demonstrated retention at the initial awarding institution and retaining the lottery scholarship award were strongly related. Students who retained the award were more likely to return to the initial awarding institution. Additionally, a review of the frequency distribution revealed that every student who retained the lottery award returned to the initial awarding institution. Ultimately, this type of research could assist universities with understanding and predicting success characteristics of incoming students. Higher retention and persistence rates within post-secondary institutions potentially impact economic growth through increased completion rates (Angrist, Oreopoulos, & Williams, 2014). Additionally, if students are able to maintain lottery eligibility, the findings from this study might permit institutions to reallocate funds from internal scholarship accounts toward student success programs