Effectiveness of instructional strategies based on schema theory on attention deficit disorder children

A review of the literature reveals that there are a number of children in the educational system who are characterized by Attention Deficit Disorder. Further review of the literature reveals that there are information processing programs which have had some success in increasing the learning of these children. Currently, an information processing program which is based on schema theory is being implemented in Lincoln County. Since schema theory based programs build structural, conditional, factual, and procedural schemata which assist the learner in attending to salient factors, learning should be increased. Thirty-four children were selected from a random sampling of Grade Seven classes in Lincoln County. Seventeen of these children were identified by the researcher and classroom teacher as being characterized by Attention Deficit Disorder. From the remaining population, 17 children who were not characterized by Attention Deficit Disorder were randomly selected. The data collected were compared using independent t-tests, paired t-tests, and correlation analysis. Significant differences were found in all cases. The Non-Attention Deficit Disorder children scored significantly higher on all the tests but the Attention Defici t Disorder children had a significantly higher ratio of gain between the pretests and posttests.

Crystal growth, characterization and point contact spectroscopy on CuxTiSe₂

Various s e t s of single c rys t a l s and poly c rys t a l s of Cux TiSe2 were grown. X- r ay diffraction and ene rgy dispersive spe c t ros copy r e sul t s verified tha t the c rys t a l s were the cor r e c t compos i t ion and c rys t a l s t ruc tur e . Re s i s t ivi ty me a sur ement s and magne t i c sus c ept ibi l i ty me a sur ement s de t e rmined the supe r conduc t ing t r ans i t ion t empe r a tur e s for the c rys t a l s . The c rys t a l s in each growth had various supe r conduc t ing t r ans i t ion t empe r a tur e s . Also, the me a sur ement s indi c a t ed tha t the c rys t a l s were inhomogeneous. Point cont a c t spe c t ros copy expe r iment s were employed on various single c rys t a l s . Inspe c t ion of the da t a indi c a t ed tha t the ma t e r i a l ha s a single ene rgy gap . A progr am was bui l t ut i l i z ing the Levenbe rg-Ma rqua rdt me thod and theory on point cont a c t spe c t ros copy to de t e rmine the supe r conduc t ing ene rgy gap. Plot s of the supe r conduc t ing ene rgy gap a t various t empe r a tur e s were in di s agr e ement wi th wha t was expe c t ed for a convent iona l supe r conduc tor .

American Desi : representation and reproduction in diaspora /

This study explores ~ow South Asian diasporic film represents and reproduces South Asian identity in the diaspora. It commences with a review of the literature in cultural studies and post-colonial theory on identity in the diaspora. A textual analysis of three films: American Desi, Bollywood/Hollywood, and East Is East, helps frame the characteristics of South Asian diasporic film. Theoretical concepts of diaspora and identity are extended to this reading of the films. In-depth, open-ended, semi structured interviews were conducted with eight participants to test the validity of theoretical concepts through participants' own reading of American Desi. Findings indicate that while theoretical concepts of identity can be usefully applied at the level of the text, these perspectives do not always easily explain participants' interpretation of the film in relation to their everyday experiences.

A comparison of cognitive processes and components of neurological maturation in 3-and-11 year-old children

The relationship between the child's cogni tive development and neurological maturation has been of theoretical interest for many year s. Due to diff iculties such as the lack of sophisticated techniques for measur ing neurolog ical changes and a paucity of normative data, few studies exist that have attempted to correlate the two factors. Recent theory on intellectual development has proposed that neurological maturation may be a factor in the increase of short-term memory storage space. Improved technology has allowed reliable recordings of neurolog ical maturation.. In an attempt to correlate cogni tive development and neurological maturation, this study tested 3-and II-year old children. Fine motor and gross motor short-term memory tests were used to index cogni tive development. Somatosensory evoked potentials elici ted by median nerve stimulation were used to measure the time required for the sensation to pass along the nerve to specific points on the somatosensory pathway. Times were recorded for N14, N20, and P22 interpeak latencies. Maturation of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system (outside the brain and spinal cord) was indi~ated by the recorded times. Signif icant developmental di fferences occurred between 3-and ll-year-olds in memory levels, per ipheral conduction velocity and central conduction times. Linear regression analyses showed that as age increased, memory levels increased and central conduction times decreased. Between the ll-year-old groups, there were no significant differences in central or peripheral nervous system maturation between subjects who achieved a 12 plus score on the digit span test of the WISC-R and those who scored 7 or lower on the same test. Levels achieved on the experimental gross and fine motor short-term memory tests differed significantly within the ll-year-old group.

Course/instructor evaluation : perspectives of part-time graduate students

This study explored 6 part-time graduate students' perspectives on course/instructor evaluation. The purpose was to explore whether a link exists between the evaluation for course and instructors as contained in the Faculty of Education courselinstructor evaluation form and the needs of part-time students enrolled in that program. The literature review provided contextual information concerning the 3 main subject areas based upon which the research questions were designed: learner needs in the context of part-time graduate students, courselinstructor eval~ation, and the potential lack of congruency between the 2. Using a semistructured interview process, participants identified criteria important or relevant to the evaluation process and incongruent with the course/instructor evaluation form. A qualitative research methodology using a grounded theory approach contributed to the theory on the nature of course evaluation instruments in a graduate program and addressed the notion of where power was situated within the evaluation process. Findings suggested that the concepts of relevance and the instructor's role that participants identified as important in their graduate learning experience were congruent with what they considered important components of the course/instructor evaluation form. Participants noted a lack of congruency between their expectations of a quality graduate learning experience and the format, content, intent, and timing of the evaluation process. The study confirmed that students did want a voice in the evaluation of their learning experience at both the course and program levels.

Youth Involvement in Organizational Decision Making: The Connection to Youth Initiative and Organizational Functioning

Studying positive adolescent development requires an examination of the mutually beneficial associations between youth and their environment. These youthcontext relations include both the contributions that youth make to others and society and the youth-context interactions that might predict positive youth outcomes. Community and youth-serving organizations, where youth may be involved in decision-making roles such as service delivery, advocacy, or on boards of directors, can provide one important context for youth contributions and for positive adolescent development. Research on the outcomes of youth involvement in organizational decision-making, however, is limited, and largely consists of exploratory qualitative studies. This dissertation is formatted as an integrated article dissertation. It begins with a review of the literature on contexts of structured youth activities and positive youth development. This review is intended to describe theory on development-context relations, in which development is considered an interactive process that occurs between individuals and their contexts, as it pertains the positive development of youth who are involved in various structured activities (e.g., volunteering). This description follows with a review of current research, and conclusions and rationale for the current studies. Following this theoretical and research background, the dissertation includes reports of two studies that were designed to address gaps in the research on youth involvement in organizational decision-making. The first was a qualitative research synthesis to elucidate and summarize the extant qualitative research on the outcomes of youth involvement in organizational decision making on adults and organizations. Results of this study suggested a number of outcomes for service provision, staff, and broader organizational functioning, including both benefits to organizations as well as some costs. The second study was a quantitative analysis of the associations among youth involvement, organizations' learning culture, and youth initiative, and relied on survey data gathered from adults and youth in community-based organizations with youth involvement. As expected, greater youth involvement in organizational decision making was associated with higher learning culture within the organization. Two dimensions of youth involvement, greater program engagement and relationships with adults, were related to greater youth initiative. A third dimension, sense of ownership, was not- .-.- associated with youth's level of initiative. Moreover, the association between relationships with adults and youth initiative was only significant in organizations with relatively low learning culture. Despite some limitations, these studies contribute to the research literature by providing some indication of the potential benefits and costs of youth involvement and by making an important contribution toward the early stages of context-level analyses of youth development. Findings have important implications for practitioners, funders, future research, and lifespan development theory.

The meaning of multiple medication use in adults: A qualitative study

Over half of prescribed medications are not taken as prescribed, resulting in health and economic consequences. Using constructivist grounded theory, 15 interviews were conducted to develop a theory on understanding the medication adherence choices of individuals, who were between the ages of 40 to 55, were diagnosed with a chronic condition, and taking three or more medications. The results indicate that participants are engaging in self-management strategies, with massive variance in adherence behaviours. Medications are sacrificed for personal and financial reasons, resonating with feelings of fear for the person’s current situation and future. Individuals are struggling with who they have become to who they once were, which becomes related to their medications. Finally, individuals are citing the impact of their physician; citing barriers to communication and Canada’s health care system. Participants’ experiences provided an understanding of the meanings individuals associate with their medications and how this impacts their decision-making.

Effects of reflection and social isolation on crayfish behaviour /

Visual stimuli and socialization influence exploratory behaviour in crayfish. The predominant components of spontaneous exploratory behaviour were determined by observing the activity of solitary adult crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) in a glass aquarium containing fresh water and no objects. Five distinct behaviours were observed: rearing up (climbing on the wall), turning around, cornering (facing the comer), backward walking, and crossing (crossing the midline of the aquarium). The frequency of rearing up, cornering and turning around decreased when reflection from the glass wall was blocked with black cardboard, black paint or non-reflective transparent plastic. In a tank containing mirrors on one side and non-reflective plastic on the other, crayfish cornered, reared up, and turned around more in front of the mirrors. Socialization was necessary for crayfish to respond to the reflection. Crayfish that were housed in pairs for two weeks exhibited more rearing up, turning around and cornering in front of the mirrors than in the non-reflective side. Crayfish isolated for two weeks did not show these differences. Socialized crayfish also exhibited more rearing up, turning around and cornering than did isolated crayfish. Thus, crayfish respond to visual stimuli provided by a glass tank, but the responds depends on socialization.

The shifting terrain of feminist theory and activism : university-based women's centres and third wave feminism

This thesis, based on the results of an organizational ethnography of a university-based feminist organization in Southern Ontario (the Centre), traces how third wave feminism is being constituted in the goals, initiatives, mandate, organizational structure, and overall culture of university-based feminist organizations. I argue that, from its inception, the meanings and goals of the Centre have been contested through internal critique, reflection, and discussion inspired by significant shifts in feminist theory that challenge the fundamental principles of second wave feminism. I identify a major shift in the development and direction of the Centre that occurs in two distinct phases. The first phase of the shift occurs with the emergence of an antioppression framework, which broadens the Centre's mandate beyond gender and sexism to consider multiple axes of identity and oppression that affect women's lives. The second phase of this shift is characterized by a focus on (trans) inclusion and accessibility and has involved changing the Centre's name so that it is no longer identified as a women's centre in order to reflect more accurately its focus on mUltiple axes of identity and oppression. Along with identifying two phases of a major shift in the direction of the Centre, I trace two discourses about its development. The dominant discourse of the Centre's development is one of progress and evolution. The dominant discourse characterizes the Centre as a dynamic feminist organization that consistently strives to be more inclusive and diverse. The reverse discourse undermines the dominant discourse by emphasizing that, despite the Centre's official attempts to be inclusive and to build diversity, little has actually changed, leaving women of colour marginalized in the Centre's dominant culture of whiteness. This research reveals that, while many of their strategies have unintended (negative) consequences, members of the Centre are working to build an inclusive politics of resistance that avoids the mistakes of earlier feminist movements and organizations. These members, along with other activists, actively constitute third wave feminism in a process that is challenging, contradictory, and often painful. A critical analysis of this process and the strategies it involves provides an opportunity for activists to reflect on their experiences and develop new strategies in an effort to further struggles for social justice and equity.

A qualitative analysis of reflection in undergraduate and graduate programs

The purpose ofthis study was to explore various types ofreflection and to explore reflection on action, reflection as a practice, and reflection as a process. In doing this, the intent was to discover the perceived benefits of reflection in the classroom and to provide guidelines for future use at the undergraduate and graduate level. The qualitative components in this study included the data collection strategy of semistructured interviews with 2 undergraduate students, 2 graduate students, 1 undergraduate studies professor, and 1 graduate studies professor. The data analysis strategies included a within-case analysis and a cross-case analysis. Through the interviews participants discussed their experiences with the use ofreflection in the classroom. Through the completion ofthis analysis the researcher expected to discover the benefits ofreflection at this level of education, as well as provide suggestions for future use. Both undergraduate and graduate students and professors were found to benefit from the use of reflection in the classroom. The use ofreflection in the undergraduate and graduate classroom was found to improve student/teacher and student/peer relationships, foster critical thinking, allow for connections between learned theory and life experience, and improve students' writing abilities. Based on the results ofthe study the implications ofreflection for the undergraduate and graduate classroom and for further research are provided.

Improving the use of the nursing process: the impact of charting methodology developed from King's conceptual framework on the use of the nursing process

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of changing a nursing documentation system, developed from King's Conceptual Framework, on the use of the nursing process. The null hypothesis was that there would be no significant increase in the reflection of the use of the nursing process on the nursing care plan or nurses' notes, as a result of using a nursing documentation system developed using King's Conceptual Framework (1981). The design involved the development of a questionnaire that was used to review health records pre and post implementation of a documentation system developed based on King's Conceptual Framework and Theory of Goal Attainment (1981). A Record Completeness Score was obtained from some of the questions. The null hypothesis was rejected. The results of the study have implications for nursing administration and the evaluation of nursing practice. If the use of a documentation system developed from a conceptual framework increases the reflection of the nursing process on the patient's health record, nursing will have the means to measure patient outcomes/goal attainment. All health care organizations and levels of government are focusing on methods to monitor and control the health-care dollar. In order for nursing to clearly determine the costs associated with nursing care, measurement of patient outcomes/goal attainment will need to be possible. In order to measure patient outcomes/goals attainment nurses will need to be able to collect data on their practice. It will be critical that nursing have a documentation system in place which facilitates the reflection of the nursing process within a theoretical framework.

Generalization of the BTK Theory to the Case of Finite Quasiparticle Lifetimes

A generalization to the BTK theory is developed based on the fact that the quasiparticle lifetime is finite as a result of the damping caused by the interactions. For this purpose, appropriate self-energy expressions and wave functions are inserted into the strong coupling version of the Bogoliubov equations and subsequently, the coherence factors are computed. By applying the suitable boundary conditions to the case of a normal-superconducting interface, the probability current densities for the Andreev reflection, the normal reflection, the transmission without branch crossing and the transmission with branch crossing are determined. Accordingly the electric current and the differential conductance curves are calculated numerically for Nb, Pb, and Pb0.9Bi0.1 alloy. The generalization of the BTK theory by including the phenomenological damping parameter is critically examined. The observed differences between our approach and the phenomenological approach are investigated by the numerical analysis.

Effect of executive compensation on firm performance

The paper finds evidence that the equity-based CEO pay is positively related to firm performance and risk-taking. Both stock price and operating performance as well as firm's riskiness increase in the pay-performance sensitivities (PPS) provided by CEO stock options and stock holdings. PPS can explain stock returns better as an additional factor to the Fama-French 3-factor model. When CEOs are compensated with higher PPS, firms experience higher return on asset (ROA). The higher PPS also leads to the higher risk-taking. While CEO incentive compensation has been perceived mixed on its effectiveness, this study provides support to the equity-based CEO compensation in reducing agency conflicts between CEOs and shareholders.