The LAIR at East Texas A&M
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Spatial Use of Managed and Unmanaged Wetlands by Freshwater Turtles in Cooper Wildlife Management Area
No full textFreshwater ecosystems including riverine habitats are altered and species that evolved in these systems are impacted. We undertook a post-construction review of freshwater turtles in the area around Jim Chapman Lake. Just over 30 years ago the habitat was riverine and now with the construction of the reservoir the dynamics have changed. Aquatic hoop-nets were located in emergent and scrub-shrub marsh, bottom-land swamp, and riverine habitat to survey the species and their habitat use. Eleven species were listed with ranges within the area on the 1976 preconstruction environmental report. Six of those freshwater turtles were documented in this report. Apalone spinifera, Chelydra serpentina, Kinosternon subrubrum, Sternotherus odoratus, Trachemys scripta, and Graptemys sp. were captured/documented within the study site. The first five species were within or near constructed moist-cell units demonstrating the use of managed mitigation lands. The population of T. scripta had an overall male sexual bias (2.27:1) with a significant bias (p = 0.014) in riverine habitat (4.8:1). The mid-line carapace length for T. scripta was significantly larger for the riverine population than the emergent marsh (MCU) for both males (p = 0.01) and females (p = 0.05). More changes are expected for the Sulphur River and river basins around the world. This data can be compiled with data from other civilian projects to help guide conservation strategies consequently improving habitat and maintaining biodiversity for wetland species
Visual Learner, Metacognitive Judgments, and Learning Comprehension
No full textGiven the popularity of learning style theory and the lack of evidence of desirable learning outcomes, it is very important to study the interactions of learning style preference, metacognitive judgments, and learning comprehension in dynamic online learning environments. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether and how people with varying visual learning preferences would (a) benefit from images indicating conceptual relationships and (b) generate accurate metacognitive judgments and enhanced learning outcomes. In particular, the researcher examined whether receiving instructions matching the visual learning preference (measured using the revised Object-Spatial Imagery and Verbal Questionnaire; Blazhenkova & Kozhevnikov, 2009) would result in learners’ inflating metacognitive judgments. The researcher randomly assigned participants to a PowerPoint lecture condition: text-only, with images to mark conceptual relationships, or with images that do not mark conceptual relationships. Multiple regression analysis will be performed using visual learning preference scores and lecture condition as predictor variables on metacognitive judgments and learning comprehension scores as criterion variables, respectively
Antioch School, Reverse
No full textThe reverse side of a sepia photograph. There are some hand-written notes in ink, as well as a label with typed text. [text of label] 3. Antioch School, located between Sulphur Springs and Gafford Chapel lying about 2 miles north of railroad tracks. Antioch Community was known as the Windy West. Picture courtesy of Ruth Melton.https://lair.etamu.edu/scua-hcgs-schools/1009/thumbnail.jp
Mahoney School Geography Class, Front
No full textThe front side of a sepia photograph of a geography class from the Mahoney School, in Hopkins County, Texas.https://lair.etamu.edu/scua-hcgs-schools/1016/thumbnail.jp
Comparison of First Year Elementary Teachers’ and Principals’ Ratings of Teacher Education Program Effectiveness
No full textThe purpose of this causal-comparative non-experimental quantitative study was to examine first-year elementary teachers’ ratings of their sense of preparedness, compare their ratings based on their ethnicity, and compare teachers’ ratings of their preparedness to principals’ ratings of first-year teachers’ preparedness based on six Texas teaching standards. I used archival data exported from the Texas Education Agency website. Two surveys, Teacher Satisfaction Survey and Principal Survey, were used in the analyses of teacher preparedness. The participants consisted of 198 first-year elementary teachers who graduated from traditional education preparation programs in Northeast and East Texas universities and 197 principals of first-year teachers graduating from the same universities. Descriptive statistics were used to describe how first-year teachers felt about their preparedness. A multivariate analyses of variance was used to answer whether there was a statistically significant difference between first-year elementary teacher preparedness by ethnicity and whether there was a statistically significant difference between first-year elementary teachers’ rating and principals’ rating of first year elementary teachers’ preparedness. All first-year teachers felt sufficiently prepared on all Texas teachersstandards. The highest rated standard was Professional Practices and Responsibilities. There was no significant difference in teachers’ preparedness by ethnicity; however, there was a statistically significant difference between teachers’ and principals’ ratings for Instructional Delivery and Planning, Knowledge of Students and Student Learning, Learning Environments, and Professional Practices and Responsibilities. The most notable concern was teachers’ preparedness to work with students with disabilities and English language learners. It is important that education preparation programs ensure their teacher candidates are able to effectively teach students with disabilities and the growing population of English language learner students
Exercise Habits of College Students Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
No full textPhysical activity and exercise are known to help combat chronic diseases that can affect mental and physical health by boosting the human’s immune system (Jiménez-Pavón et al., 2020). However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced individuals to quarantine, isolate, social distance, and change their lifestyle, causing a decrease in physical activity by 32% in individuals who had regularly performed exercise before the pandemic (Meyer et al., 2020). College students are a unique population of study, because universities converted to virtual format (Armstrong-Mensah et al., 2020). PURPOSE: To determine the impact COVID-19 has had on college students’ experiences and attitudes towards exercise. It was hypothesized that college students would decrease their physical activity during the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters, compared to before March 2020. METHODS: An invitation email with a link to a Qualtrics survey was sent to all students who were enrolled in the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters, excluding student-athletes. The survey included questions regarding the amount of exercise performed before and during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, how comfortable the students felt exercising in indoor/outdoor spaces, and how many college students met the ACSM aerobic and resistance training recommendations. RESULTS: 571 students (411 female/150 male, 10 other gender, 29±11 yrs) completed the survey during the Spring semester of 2021. 66% students reported a decrease of exercise during the Fall 2020 semester compared to before March 2020, 27% reported an increase, and 7% reported no change of exercise. For the beginning of the Spring semester, 50% recorded a decrease of exercise, 37% recorded an increase and 13% recorded no change. Many students felt apprehensive to exercise in indoor public spaces and the campus recreation center (4.2±3.3 and 4.1±3.4, respectively) and more comfortable in outdoor public spaces (7.2±2.7). Only 53% met the aerobic training recommendation and only 46% met the resistance training recommendations. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the exercise habits of the majority of surveyed college students, some for the better, but more for the worse, especially during the Fall 2021 semester. It has caused a sense of anxiety in using indoor recreational facilities
Avoiding Quacks and Authorities: How Counterculture Student Papers Helped Develop the Language of the Pro-Abortion Rights Movement in Twentieth Century Texas
No full textFrom 1969 to 1973, before abortion in the U.S. was made legal by the Supreme Court of the United States case ruling in Jane Roe v. Henry Wade (1973), various groups within the counterculture of Austin, Texas, provided access to the procedure and advocated for its legal status. The primary way in which these groups accomplished these goals was through the underground newspaper, the Rag, which among its other services, disseminated information about safe abortion practices, access, and discussed the subject in significant ways that helped build the language of the Pro-Choice Movement. Other scholars have explored how the Rag and the associated Birth Control Information Center (BCIC) in Austin helped women obtain access to abortion through referrals and other forms of assistance. The research herein both reexamines some of that information for addition contents and discussion of activist networks, but further looks beyond these more practical roles that these groups played and explores the language the Rag’s authors used to discuss abortion. Ultimately, the way that the Rag discussed abortion as a multi-faceted issue that at once protected, manipulated, and liberated the body speaks to the importance of these writings as these themes echo throughout the rhetoric of the pro-abortion rights groups and movements throughout the later twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. This thesis analyzes the activists and their networks and this news outlet as a product of the era who also served roles in shaping the events and narratives
Assessing the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Feeder Cattle Prices in Northeast Texas
No full textBeef is a prominent commodity in the United States, even though it is understood that the COVID pandemic has affected the beef industry. This study attempts to quantify its effect on feeder cattle prices in Northeast Texas. There are several different stages from farm to fork within the beef industry (cow-calf operations, feeder cattle, stockers, etc.). One that serves as a solid component for the longevity of the beef industry is preconditioned cattle sales. Preconditioned cattle seem to be a less risky and better suiting market to some feedlots which can also bring a competitive nature in the auction ring dependent upon characteristics such as breed, weight, and gender. Ultimately this study concludes that there was a difference among prices from before, during, and current COVID standings of the NETBIO auctions in Northeast, Texas
Effects of Human Activity on Wildlife Activity on an Urban Nature Preserve as Assessed Using Motion-Detection Cameras
No full textUrbanization increases fragmentation of nature recreational areas, yet cities can support a remarkable abundance and diversity of wildlife. This study provides data on spatiotemporal activity patterns of urban species relative to human activity by observing and monitoring wildlife activity at an urban wildlife sanctuary and educational facility, the Lewisville ISD Outdoor Learning Area, using trail cameras. I established five cameras along cross paths of human and animal trails. Human activity was classified on minimal, 5 or fewer people, and high, school groups greater over 60, and divided on time of the week, weekday, and weekends and on the time of the day, mornings (am) and afternoons (pm). I analyzed the data using Chi-squared Krustal-Wallis test. Sixteen species were detected using five cameras. For the seven most common species, about 80% of detections occurred when human activity was minimal. However, a few individuals of each of these species were active when human activity was high indicating that some individuals become habituated to humans. There was little evidence of a weekend effect on detection times and activity for most species. The exception was coyotes, which exhibited an increase in activity pm weekdays. The study period falls during the COVID- 19 pandemic and COVID-19 restrictions on human activity resulted in an increase in armadillo and cottontail detections, but lower numbers of coyotes, white-tailed deer, bobcats, raccoons, and skunks, as well as a temporal shift in mean activity for these latter species. This study will further our understanding of wildlife responses to anthropogenic disturbances and can be used to manage human activity to minimize human impacts on wildlife while maintaining recreational opportunities for people
Our Young Folks: A Content Analysis of an Influential Children’s Magazine in Nineteenth Century America
No full textOur Young Folks, An Illustrated Periodical for Boys and Girls was a children’s magazine published by Ticknor & Fields in 1865. It ran for nine years before being absorbed into another children’s magazine, St. Nicholas. Our Young Folks was a favorite of Theodore Roosevelt and maintained a high level of subscribers for most of its run. The contents of Our Young Folks include a variety of genres, including serialized novels, short fiction, non-fiction, games and puzzles, poems, music, and more. This thesis will detail the contents so that future researchers can more easily reference the periodical for their own academic studies. By situating this magazine within the greater context of children’s literature and periodical publishing in nineteenth-century America, researchers will be able to see its historical and societal value. Recognizing that periodicals are often cumbersome to read through in their entirety, this thesis intends to fill a gap of literary history by fully examining Our Young Folks and providing a guidepost for future research