15 research outputs found
Pop-Culture Artifacts
No full textIn dealing with literary work such as Neil Gaiman\u27s, fiction that both inhabits and defies conventions of genre and medium and thus easy definition, it is clear that an examination of such work benefits from as eclectic a style as Gaiman\u27s own approach to story-telling. While this essay attempts no summary of the author\u27s entire literary corpus, an analysis of the underlying influences of the novel American Gods is necessary to map the details of its territory. A survey of the convergence of the various genres and allusions within this one text, and the ways in which Gaiman measures Old World belief systems with New World contemporary values offers an entrance into American Gods\u27 narrative cente
Iceberg meltwater fluxes dominate the freshwater budget in Greenland's iceberg-congested glacial fjords
No full textAuthor Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2016. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geophysical Research Letters 43 (2016): 11,287–11,294, doi:10.1002/2016GL070718.Freshwater fluxes from the Greenland ice sheet have increased over the last two decades due to increases in liquid (i.e., surface and submarine meltwater) and solid ice (i.e., iceberg) fluxes. To predict potential ice sheet-ocean-climate feedbacks, we must know the partitioning of freshwater fluxes from Greenland, including the conversion of icebergs to liquid (i.e., meltwater) fluxes within glacial fjords. Here we use repeat ~0.5 m-resolution satellite images from two major fjords to provide the first observation-based estimates of the meltwater flux from the dense matrix of floating ice called mélange. We find that because of its expansive submerged area (>100 km2) and rapid melt rate (~0.1–0.8 m d−1), the ice mélange meltwater flux can exceed that from glacier surface and submarine melting. Our findings suggest that iceberg melt within the fjords must be taken into account in studies of glacial fjord circulation and the impact of Greenland melt on the ocean.2017-05-0
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systems perspective. A comprehensive qualitative analysis of the literature
No full textPlan BAttention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurological syndrome resulting in problems with self-regulation. ADHD is characterized by inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity which causes impairment in at least two settings. These characteristics often arise in childhood and were previously thought to diminish during adolescence and disappear by adulthood. However, studies over the past decade indicate that although some symptoms may decrease in severity, ADHD does continue throughout adulthood for many individuals. The impact of this disorder is felt not only by the individuals with ADHD, but also by the various systems in which these individuals live, work, and socialize. In this comprehensive analysis of the literature ADHD is discussed from a systemic perspective. Initially the symptoms and characteristics that define ADHD are reviewed along with other disorders that commonly coexist with ADHD, and what research tells us does and does not cause ADHD and the development of the co-morbid disorders. Prevalence of ADHD and co-morbidity is also reviewed. The term “system” is defined and the various systems presented as related to this topic, from the micro-system of the individual to the macro-system of society at large. As the characteristics of ADHD are exhibited inconsistently according to the age of the individual and the context of the interaction, these are addressed, as appropriate, in the categories of child, adolescent/teen, and adult for each system. The first system discussed is the internal system of the individual in which ADHD resides. This micro-system consists of the biological, intellectual, and psychological components. This is followed by examination of this micro-system of the individual interacting in the family system, both nuclear and extended. The common effects on other family members in the system and the system as a whole are discussed. With understanding of the individual and his/her family with ADHD as a foundation, the view is broadened to other systems in which both the individual and his/her family operate. The discussion includes the reciprocal effects of ADHD and the educational, employment, social/recreational, and legal systems, as well as the influence of interactions between these systems. The presentation of the pervasive impact of ADHD on all systems is followed by analysis of the different treatment options and effectiveness. Included are interventions in the areas of interpersonal relationships within the family, social relationships, leisure/recreation, school, work, and in the legal arena. Since the acceptance and attitude about ADHD are important factors in interaction and treatment effectiveness, these are also investigated throughout. A summary of the analysis of the literature is presented in the second chapter. This is followed by conclusions and a discussion of implications for marriage and family therapists
The use of restorative justice practices in a school community traumatized by an incident of planned school violence: a case study
No full text2010 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.In 2001, less than two years after the Columbine High School shootings, a plan to copycat the Columbine shooting in a junior high school was interrupted by police. This was one of the first documented cases of interrupted school violence and the school where this was to occur was traumatized both by the fact that students were planning violence and the attention given to the event by the media. Even though no one was physically hurt, the school community was shocked and victimized. Eventually, three junior high school students reached plea agreement through the courts for their part in the incident and were sentenced to juvenile corrections. The school was left to pick up the pieces and attempt to understand how this could have happened. This study uses a case study format and interviews with involved administrators, teachers and juvenile justice practitioners to document how the school community recovered from this event - restored and transformed. It looks at how the responses to the trauma were based in restorative justice values and beliefs and why restorative justice played such an important part in the recovery. The school used restorative justice practices that were uniquely suited to the event and responsive to the healing needs of the community at the time. These responses; the Tree, the community meeting, the Summit, the talking piece rock, the mascot statue; all served a purpose at the time and all were steeped in restorative values. In time, a traditional restorative justice conference was held in which two of the offending students responded to the concerns of the school and were welcomed back to the community. Restorative justice has traditionally been about repairing the harm caused by crime. In this situation not only was the harm repaired, but the community used the pain created by the harm to create transformation, a transformation that resulted in a very good school becoming even better. What was transformational is that each of the actions taken by the school served not only to repair the harm caused by the event but served to raise the community to higher levels of safety, interdependence, respect, and inclusivity. This research documents how one school community used restorative practices to bring about transformational social justice
The impostor phenomenon: a look at the outside, the inside, and the other side through scholarly personal narrative
No full textDepartment Head: Sharon K. Anderson.2009 Fall.Includes bibliographical references (pages 145-160).The purpose of the study was, first, to fully explore the research related to the psychological construct of the Impostor Phenomenon and then to share personal experiences that would help inform and enlighten others as I had been informed and enlightened during the process. In order to accomplish this I researched and documented a comprehensive look at everything published from 1974, the year that Dr. Pauline Rose Clance and Dr. Suzanne Imes coined the term, to the date of this dissertation. Included in this study were all dissertations and peer-reviewed journal articles that directly speak to the topic; excluded were masters' theses. A separate Impostor Reference page is provided (see p. 162). My goal from the beginning was to engage the reader in the research and the narratives that followed so as not to be boring (Jensen, 2004) while I sought to answer my initial research question: Does writing my story from the perspective of an "impostor" help me and my readers to discover and understand the basis for and impact of the Impostor Phenomenon in our lives? Then, like most qualitative inquiries, a secondary question surfaced: How does one move on from a blighted childhood to flourishing adulthood? My hope is that by writing a Scholarly Personal Narrative I have provided evidence that this methodology "can reach, and even surpass, a professional school's highest scholarly standards" as Nash (2004, p. 3) asserts it can, and to provide "validity of an alternative form of intellectual inquiry" (p. 4)
College and university administrators with disabilities: experiences in the workplace
No full text2010 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.In recent years, Disability has been argued as a minority group, no longer the exclusive realm of individuals born with disabilities. Disability is defined as a permanent state or chronic condition. Disability can enter into a person's life at any time. As a minority status, disability shares similar experiences with other minority populations, including assumptions and stereotypes about those minority groups. Research on the experiences of women and people of color who work in higher education has echoed similar experiences and perceptions common to those of college students and college graduates with disabilities. Research on college administrators with disabilities has not been readily or widely researched. The purpose of this study was to address the research question: How do College and University Administrators describe their "lived experience with disabilities" in their workplace? Using a qualitative interpretive research approach, interviews were conducted with senior and mid-level college administrators with disabilities, from two and four year institutions, private and public. They were asked to discuss their experience of disability in the realm of their work. Three major themes were uncovered; living with disability, working with disability, and legacies. The findings suggested that many professionals with disabilities in higher education administration believe they are challenged by their non-disabled colleagues and peers based on their perceived limitations towards others with disabilities. While not all the participants of this study believed this, the majority of them acknowledged that at one time or another that they have all questioned the degree to which their colleagues have judged them based on their disabilities or their work performance. Several participants suggested that attitudinal behaviors on the part of nondisabled persons need to be challenged so that all people will be better informed before assumptions are made about limitations surrounding professionals with disabilities
Assessing school climate using a sequential transformative design
No full textDepartment Head: Dale E. DeVoe.2010 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.As it has been shown repeatedly in the research literature, school climate influences student academic achievement, typically employing a single methodology to collect data: a quantitative organizational climate survey administered to school stakeholders. Utilizing a sequential transformative mixed methods design, I studied how the results of the two methodologies were different and similar. The school climate factors of parental involvement, school safety, and building facilities were studied within 14 K-12 schools. Equity factors were also integrated into the study. Given that these school climate factors are interdependent, the factors needed to be studied using multiple methods. The 'sequential' portion of the research design accomplished this, which first entailed a quantitative organizational climate survey and then a visual ethnography was conducted. The results from the two methodologies uncovered more similarities than differences between higher-ranked and lower-ranked school climates. The `transformative' portion involved critiquing the results from a feminist lens, which produced recommendations for school climate improvement. This study demonstrated that school climate provides a level of complexity that is difficult to assess. Future studies need to utilize innovative designs and progressive methodologies to ensure any modifications made to the school climate are carried out with intentionality and mindfulness. Last but definitely not least, feminist ideals should be at the forefront throughout the school climate and school improvement processes
Exploring the educational aspirations of rural youth: an image-based study using participant produced photographs
No full textDepartment Head: Carole J. Makela.2010 Spring.Includes bibliographical references (pages 77-81).Education is an important variable in forming student aspirations in that it serves to help students become more knowledgeable about the world, more sensitive and understanding of their relationship to it, and more eager to contribute to the community. The purpose of this visual ethnography study was to explore how students in one rural ninth grade classroom perceive their home, school, and community environments as supporting and/or inhibiting their educational aspirations. The approach allowed students to describe their reality in a tangible visual manner by studying; what students do (behaviors), what they say (reporting on photographs), and what they make, (photographs). Cultural themes emerged from the three environments; school, community and home in which rural ninth grade students spend a majority of their time. This study was conducted in a rural area in the county of Colorado referred to as Steel County, located approximately ten miles east of the city. The community surrounding Steel County consists of residential areas, produce farms, and small businesses. The rural high school student body is comprised from sub-cities and transfer students from outside areas compiling a fifty mile parameter. The use of photography provided a unique lens at capturing multi-level relationships that impact rural educational aspirations. Student photographs successfully captured social relationships within the cultural, political-economic, socio-political and spatial context of a rural community, captured within the home, school and community setting
A concepts for calculus intervention: Measuring student attitudes toward mathematics and achievement in calculus
No full textData indicate that about 40 percent of students initially enrolled in MATH 160: Calculus for Physical Scientists I finish the course with a grade of D or F, dropped, or withdrew from the course (Reinholz, 2009). The high failure rate let to an intervention course (MATH 180) for students at risk of failing MATH 160. At-risk students were identified based on their calculus exam one scores. This dissertation reports on the effect of MATH 180 during the fall 2009 semester on both student achievement in MATH 160 and math attitude. Students identified as being at-risk of failing MATH 160 were invited to drop MATH 160 and enroll in MATH 180. Not all students that were invited accepted the invitation. After completing MATH 180 during the fall 2009 semester, students then had the option to enroll in MATH 160 for the spring 2010 semester. MATH 180 students exhibited improvement in exam one scores. From the fall 2009 semester to the spring 2010 semester students raised their exam one scores by one-half of a standard deviation. Although MATH 180 students showed improvement in MATH 160 during the spring 2010 semester, there were no overall significant differences in achievement between students that took MATH 180 and those that did not. Qualitative analysis indicated that MATH 180 students came to understand that calculus problems could be solved using multiple strategies, but they did not always know what those strategies were. In class it was hard at first to understand the direction it was going but it was helpful to try to think at math differently than I have been taught all my life. Math attitude was measured using the Modified Indiana Mathematics Belief Scales (MIMBS). MIMBS scores improved for students that took MATH 180, but there were no significant differences between MATH 180 students and non-MATH 180 students. There were significant correlations between constructs measured by the MIMBS and final course grade in MATH 160. Despite there being no significant differences in academic performance, trends in the data indicate higher final exam scores and course grades for students in the intervention group
Improved GRACE regional mass balance estimates of the Greenland ice sheet cross-validated with the input-output method
No full textIn this study, we use satellite gravimetry data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) to estimate regional mass change of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) and neighboring glaciated regions using a least squares inversion approach. We also consider results from the input–output method (IOM). The IOM quantifies the difference between the mass input and output of the GrIS by studying the surface mass balance (SMB) and the ice discharge (D). We use the Regional Atmospheric Climate Model version 2.3 (RACMO2.3) to model the SMB and derive the ice discharge from 12 years of high-precision ice velocity and thickness surveys. We use a simulation model to quantify and correct for GRACE approximation errors in mass change between different subregions of the GrIS, and investigate the reliability of pre-1990s ice discharge estimates, which are based on the modeled runoff. We find that the difference between the IOM and our improved GRACE mass change estimates is reduced in terms of the long-term mass change when using a reference discharge derived from runoff estimates in several subareas. In most regions our GRACE and IOM solutions are consistent with other studies, but differences remain in the northwestern GrIS. We validate the GRACE mass balance in that region by considering several different GIA models and mass change estimates derived from data obtained by the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat). We conclude that the approximated mass balance between GRACE and IOM is consistent in most GrIS regions. The difference in the northwest is likely due to underestimated uncertainties in the IOM solutions
