A qualitative case study of teacher perceptions and concerns during the implementation of literacy folders in a select elementary school in Broward County, Florida

Classroom teachers are often required to implement new procedures or practices in response to local or federal education mandates. Attempts to implement innovations, often do not take into account the personal side of change; the perceptions, concerns and needs of those required to implement the innovation. One innovation that was required by the School Board of Broward County, Florida for all elementary classroom teachers was the implementation of Literacy Folders. ^ This study attempted to address the personal side of change by identifying teacher concerns during the implementation of Literacy Folders in a select elementary school in Broward County Florida. The Concerns Based Adoption model (CBAM) for change was used as the conceptual framework for this qualitative case study. ^ Sources of data for this study included participant interviews, observations and analysis of documents. Informal conversations with the participants and unscheduled classroom visits were also sources of data. Seven classroom teachers were interviewed using a predesigned interview guide developed based on the CBAM of change, specifically the Stages of Concern Dimension. Participant responses were coded into two categories, (a) recollections of past perceptions, and (b) present perceptions regarding the innovation. ^ Data analysis resulted in the emergence of one major theme and two subordinate themes. The themes were related to time and purpose of the innovation. The researcher also discovered that the participants exhibited responses typically representative of the CBAM for individuals who are in the process of adjusting to a new innovation. ^ Recommendations based on participant concerns are made for improving the implementation of the innovation. Recommendations for alternatives to the innovation and suggestions regarding areas for further research in the field of educational change are also made. ^

El desarrollo de la Reforma LOGSE en la enseñanza de las ciencias : estudio de la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria en la Región de Murcia.

Analizar las programaciones didácticas de los departamentos de los institutos de secundaria para indagar cómo se había traducido la LOGSE en los diferentes centros educativos de la región en lo referido a la selección, secuenciación y organización de los contenidos y criterios de evaluación, así como las concepciones generales sobre la ciencia y su enseñanza, es decir, las bases teóricas que manejaron e interpretaron. . Programaciones didácticas del curso 2001/02 de los departamentos que imparten el Área de Ciencias de la Naturaleza de ESO (física, química y ciencias naturales) correspondientes a veinte institutos de la Región de Murcia. Cinco libros de texto de diversas editoriales (ECIR, McGraw Hill, Editex, Bruño y SM) y 20 profesores de los institutos seleccionados. Plantea cuatro problemas relacionados con el desarrollo de la Reforma LOGSE en lo referido a la enseñanza de las ciencias en la etapa de Secundaria Obligatoria y a su puesta en práctica docente a través de la planificación de la enseñanza, los libros de texto seleccionados y la práctica que declaran. En un primer momento se ha analizado las aportaciones a este ámbito de investigación centradas en tres aspectos: el proceso reformador, el marco innovador de la enseñanza y la investigación sobre la puesta en marcha de las propuestas curriculares. Se ha utilizado un protocolo de análisis para cada uno de los problemas planteados en la investigación. Para el primero de ellos se ha adaptado los elementos constitutivos del Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM: modelo de adopción basado en las preocupaciones del profesorado de Bolívar y Fernández, 1994). Para el segundo se han utilizado las programaciones analizando los contenidos por bloques. Para el tercero se ha seleccionado una unidad didáctica: sistemas materiales - constitución de la materia, en los cinco libros de texto seleccionados y para el último se ha confeccionado un cuestionario para la entrevista. Investigación descriptiva - interpretativa. Seguimiento de los planteamientos teóricos en programaciones y secuencias formativas, materiales didácticos y declaraciones de intenciones docentes. Entre los resultados: 1. Los aspectos innovadores de la Reforma son: la concepción constructivista y procesal de la ciencia de la que se deriva las concepciones de la enseñanza y las representaciones de los alumnos para promover el cambio, un currículum abierto y flexible, objetivos planteados en términos de capacidades, diversificación de contenidos, papel activo y participativo del alumno, evaluación orientativa y formativa. Con respecto al problema principal planteado en esta investigación ( hasta donde se había o no implantado la propuesta innovadora de la Reforma) la respuesta es que la distancia entre el diseño y la puesta en práctica es muy grande..

Implications for Adoption and Implementation of Effective Sexual Health Education Programs

Research on school-based sexual health education programs is at a critical juncture. With the growing number of evidenced-based programs, more focus is needed on how to help schools adopt and implement these programs. The article in this issue titled “Sexual Health Education from the Perspectives of School Staff: Implications for Adoption and Implementation of Effective Programs in Middle School” provides data on individual cognitive factors that may influence adoption and implementation. This commentary explores another framework, Concerns Based Adoption Model, as a tool for examining and supporting change associated with adoption and implementation of sexual health education programs.

Niveles de desarrollo y uso de una innovación por parte de los profesores : el programa de integración.

Conocer el desarrollo del Programa de Integración de Alumnos con Necesidades Educativas Especiales en Murcia y en el ciclo inicial de la EGB, partiendo y utilizando las perspectivas de los profesores como eje de análisis. Se utiliza un modelo que goza de suficiente reconocimiento, respaldo teórico y desarrollo práctico, el Concerns Based Aproach Model (CBAM) de Hall, Walace y Dosset(1973). El modelo, globalmente considerado, permite analizar los diferentes aspectos de los procesos de innovación y del cambio educativo como un proceso en el que los docentes, y su particular implicación en el proceso, tienen un papel esencial. Hipótesis general: dado un perfil de cambio determinado ¿cuál es el grado de desarrollo del programa de integración entre los profesores que están llevándolo a cabo en el ciclo inicial de la EGB en los centros educativos de la Región de Murcia?. El objetivo es verificar y comprobar en qué medida ese perfil está suficientemente asumido, claro y desarrollado por los profesores. Población 245 profesores en contacto con los alumnos del Programa de Integración, de ellos, 125 trabajan en el ciclo inicial y 84 cumplimentaron el cuestionario y formaron parte de la muestra (71, 19 del total). Elaboración del marco teórico: el cambio educativo, el modelo CBAM utilizado, el Plan de Integración del MEC, el Programa de Integración en la Región de Murcia. Estado de la Cuestión. Elaboración y validación de instrumentos de recogida de información (cuestionarios de trabajo y entrevistas). Tipo de muestreo y de tratamiento de la información (análisis factorial, cluster). Análisis cualitativo de los datos. Análisis y comentario a las entrevistas. Conclusiones. 1. Con respecto a las perspectivas de los profesores existe un acuerdo notable en la adecuación de las intenciones que guían el Programa, aunque se juzgue menos favorablemente la realización y la práctica de las mismas; 2. Escasa definición de los elementos característicos del perfil de innovación del programa; 3. Importante implicación personal por parte de los profesores. El trabajo ofrece evidencias y contribuye a clarificar, desde la utilización de un modelo de análisis determinado (CBAM), cómo se está desarrollando un programa de innovación eucativa y cuáles son algunas de las circunstancias y aspectos que se ponen más de relieve en estos procesos.

New prediction methods for CO2 evaporation inside tubes: Part I - A two-phase flow pattern map and a flow pattern based phenomenological model for two-phase flow frictional pressure drops

An updated flow pattern map was developed for CO2 on the basis of the previous Cheng-Ribatski-Wojtan-Thome CO2 flow pattern map [1,2] to extend the flow pattern map to a wider range of conditions. A new annular flow to dryout transition (A-D) and a new dryout to mist flow transition (D-M) were proposed here. In addition, a bubbly flow region which generally occurs at high mass velocities and low vapor qualities was added to the updated flow pattern map. The updated flow pattern map is applicable to a much wider range of conditions: tube diameters from 0.6 to 10 mm, mass velocities from 50 to 1500 kg/m(2) s, heat fluxes from 1.8 to 46 kW/m(2) and saturation temperatures from -28 to +25 degrees C (reduced pressures from 0.21 to 0.87). The updated flow pattern map was compared to independent experimental data of flow patterns for CO2 in the literature and it predicts the flow patterns well. Then, a database of CO2 two-phase flow pressure drop results from the literature was set up and the database was compared to the leading empirical pressure drop models: the correlations by Chisholm [3], Friedel [4], Gronnerud [5] and Muller-Steinhagen and Heck [6], a modified Chisholm correlation by Yoon et al. [7] and the flow pattern based model of Moreno Quiben and Thome [8-10]. None of these models was able to predict the CO2 pressure drop data well. Therefore, a new flow pattern based phenomenological model of two-phase flow frictional pressure drop for CO2 was developed by modifying the model of Moreno Quiben and Thome using the updated flow pattern map in this study and it predicts the CO2 pressure drop database quite well overall. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identification technique of mechanism-based constitutive model for cast iron under thermo-mechanical loads

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Maschinenbau, Diss., 2015

Sex differences in urinary levels of several biological indicators of exposure: a simulation study using a compartmental based toxicokinetic model

Toxicokinetic modeling is a useful tool to describe or predict the behavior of a chemical agent in the human or animal organism. A general model based on four compartments was developed in a previous study in order to quantify the effect of human variability on a wide range of biological exposure indicators. The aim of this study was to adapt this existing general toxicokinetic model to three organic solvents, which were methyl ethyl ketone, 1-methoxy-2-propanol and 1,1,1,-trichloroethane, and to take into account sex differences. We assessed in a previous human volunteer study the impact of sex on different biomarkers of exposure corresponding to the three organic solvents mentioned above. Results from that study suggested that not only physiological differences between men and women but also differences due to sex hormones levels could influence the toxicokinetics of the solvents. In fact the use of hormonal contraceptive had an effect on the urinary levels of several biomarkers, suggesting that exogenous sex hormones could influence CYP2E1 enzyme activity. These experimental data were used to calibrate the toxicokinetic models developed in this study. Our results showed that it was possible to use an existing general toxicokinetic model for other compounds. In fact, most of the simulation results showed good agreement with the experimental data obtained for the studied solvents, with a percentage of model predictions that lies within the 95% confidence interval varying from 44.4 to 90%. Results pointed out that for same exposure conditions, men and women can show important differences in urinary levels of biological indicators of exposure. Moreover, when running the models by simulating industrial working conditions, these differences could even be more pronounced. In conclusion, a general and simple toxicokinetic model, adapted for three well known organic solvents, allowed us to show that metabolic parameters can have an important impact on the urinary levels of the corresponding biomarkers. These observations give evidence of an interindividual variablity, an aspect that should have its place in the approaches for setting limits of occupational exposure.

A fuzzy-based decision model application on strategic management

In this article, the objective is to demonstrate the effects of different decision styles on strategic decisions and likewise, on an organization. The technique that was presented in the study is based on the transformation of linguistic variables to numerical value intervals. In this model, the study benefits from fuzzy logic methodology and fuzzy numbers. This fuzzy methodology approach allows us to examine the relations between decision making styles and strategic management processes when there is uncertainty. The purpose is to provide results to companies that may help them to exercise the most appropriate decision making style for its different strategic management processes. The study is leaving more research topics for further studies that may be applied to other decision making areas within the strategic management process.

Prospective sampling based on model ensembles improves the detection of rare species

Identifying the geographic distribution of populations is a basic, yet crucial step in many fundamental and applied ecological projects, as it provides key information on which many subsequent analyses depend. However, this task is often costly and time consuming, especially where rare species are concerned and where most sampling designs generally prove inefficient. At the same time, rare species are those for which distribution data are most needed for their conservation to be effective. To enhance fieldwork sampling, model-based sampling (MBS) uses predictions from species distribution models: when looking for the species in areas of high habitat suitability, chances should be higher to find them. We thoroughly tested the efficiency of MBS by conducting an important survey in the Swiss Alps, assessing the detection rate of three rare and five common plant species. For each species, habitat suitability maps were produced following an ensemble modeling framework combining two spatial resolutions and two modeling techniques. We tested the efficiency of MBS and the accuracy of our models by sampling 240 sites in the field (30 sitesx8 species). Across all species, the MBS approach proved to be effective. In particular, the MBS design strictly led to the discovery of six sites of presence of one rare plant, increasing chances to find this species from 0 to 50%. For common species, MBS doubled the new population discovery rates as compared to random sampling. Habitat suitability maps coming from the combination of four individual modeling methods predicted well the species' distribution and more accurately than the individual models. As a conclusion, using MBS for fieldwork could efficiently help in increasing our knowledge of rare species distribution. More generally, we recommend using habitat suitability models to support conservation plans.

Activity-Based Costing Model for a Vendor Managed Inventory Service

Uusien paperikoneiden kysyntä on vähentynyt ja jälkimarkkinointipalveluiden, kuten huoltojen ja varaosamyyntien, merkittävyys paperikoneliiketoiminnassa on kasvanut entisestään viime aikoina. Uudentyyppisiä palveluja kilpailuedun lisäämiseksi kehitellään jatkuvasti. Esimerkki tällaisesta palvelusta on sopimusperusteinen varastointipalvelu, jossa osat ovat myyjän varastossa kunnes asiakas ottaa ne käyttöön. Diplomityön tavoite on rakentaa malli varastoinnin kustannuslaskentaan ja laskea sen avulla varastointipalvelun kustannukset. Perinteinen toimitusketju monine varastoineen ei nykykäsityksen mukaan ole enää kustannustehokas. Yhä useammat yritykset kaupan ja teollisuuden aloilla ovat ryhtyneet soveltamaan VMI (Vendor Managed Inventory) teoriaa toimitusketjuissaan. Varastot ovat tällöin keskitettyjä, tiedonkulku toimitusketjun portaiden välillä on nopeaa ja kysyntään pystytään vastaamaan lyhyemmällä viiveellä sen ennakoitavuuden paranemisen takia. Työn tuloksena on toimintolaskentaan pohjautuva kustannuslaskentamalli, jota voidaan hyödyntää myös hinnoittelupäätöksiä tehtäessä. Työssä esitellään mallin soveltaminen eri tapauksiin ja ehdotetaan jatkotoimenpiteitä.

Modelling syntectonic sedimentation: combining a discrete element model of tectonic. Deformation and process-based sedimentary Model in 3D.

This paper presents a new numerical program able to model syntectonic sedimentation. The new model combines a discrete element model of the tectonic deformation of a sedimentary cover and a process-based model of sedimentation in a single framework. The integration of these two methods allows us to include the simulation of both sedimentation and deformation processes in a single and more effective model. The paper describes briefly the antecedents of the program, Simsafadim-Clastic and a discrete element model, in order to introduce the methodology used to merge both programs to create the new code. To illustrate the operation and application of the program, analysis of the evolution of syntectonic geometries in an extensional environment and also associated with thrust fault propagation is undertaken. Using the new code, much more complex and realistic depositional structures can be simulated together with a more complex analysis of the evolution of the deformation within the sedimentary cover, which is seen to be affected by the presence of the new syntectonic sediments.

A Micromechanics-Based Damage Model for [± θ / 90n ]s Composite Laminates

A new damage model based on a micromechanical analysis of cracked [± θ / 90n ]s laminates subjected to multiaxial loads is proposed. The model predicts the onset and accumulation of transverse matrix cracks in uniformly stressed laminates, the effect of matrix cracks on the stiffness of the laminate, as well as the ultimate failure of the laminate. The model also accounts for the effect of the ply thickness on the ply strength. Predictions relating the elastic properties of several laminates and multiaxial loads are presented

Financier’s credit risk: A Performance-Based Classification Model

The purpose of this study is to view credit risk from the financier’s point of view in a theoretical framework. Results and aspects of the previous studies regarding measuring credit risk with accounting based scoring models are also examined. The theoretical framework and previous studies are then used to support the empirical analysis which aims to develop a credit risk measure for a bank’s internal use or a risk management tool for a company to indicate its credit risk to the financier. The study covers a sample of Finnish companies from 12 different industries and four different company categories and employs their accounting information from 2004 to 2008. The empirical analysis consists of six stage methodology process which uses measures of profitability, liquidity, capital structure and cash flow to determine financier’s credit risk, define five significant risk classes and produce risk classification model. The study is confidential until 15.10.2012.

Power Consumption Measurement and Scenario Based Energy Model in Wearable Computing Applications

The power is still today an issue in wearable computing applications. The aim of the present paper is to raise awareness of the power consumption of wearable computing devices in specific scenarios to be able in the future to design energy efficient wireless sensors for context recognition in wearable computing applications. The approach is based on a hardware study. The objective of this paper is to analyze and compare the total power consumption of three representative wearable computing devices in realistic scenarios such as Display, Speaker, Camera and microphone, Transfer by Wi-Fi, Monitoring outdoor physical activity and Pedometer. A scenario based energy model is also developed. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus I9250 smartphone, the Vuzix M100 Smart Glasses and the SimValley Smartwatch AW-420.RX are the three devices representative of their form factors. The power consumption is measured using PowerTutor, an android energy profiler application with logging option and using unknown parameters so it is adjusted with the USB meter. The result shows that the screen size is the main parameter influencing the power consumption. The power consumption for an identical scenario varies depending on the wearable devices meaning that others components, parameters or processes might impact on the power consumption and further study is needed to explain these variations. This paper also shows that different inputs (touchscreen is more efficient than buttons controls) and outputs (speaker sensor is more efficient than display sensor) impact the energy consumption in different way. This paper gives recommendations to reduce the energy consumption in healthcare wearable computing application using the energy model.