The effects of self-monitoring on homework completion and accuracy rates of students with disabilities in an inclusive general education classroom

This study investigated the effects of self-monitoring on the homework completion and accuracy rates of four, fourth-grade students with disabilities in an inclusive general education classroom. A multiple baseline across subjects design was utilized to examine four dependent variables: completion of spelling homework, accuracy of spelling homework, completion of math homework, accuracy of math homework. Data were collected and analyzed during baseline, three phases of intervention, and maintenance. ^ Throughout baseline and all phases, participants followed typical classroom procedures, brought their homework to school each day and gave it to the general education teacher. During Phase I of the intervention, participants self-monitored with a daily sheet at home and on the computer at school in the morning using KidTools (Fitzgerald & Koury, 2003); a student friendly, self-monitoring program. They also participated in brief daily conferences to review their self-monitoring sheets with the investigator, their special education teacher. Phase II followed the same steps except conferencing was reduced to two days a week, which were randomly selected by the researcher and Phase III conferencing was one random day a week. Maintenance data were taken over a two-to-three week period subsequent to the end of the intervention. ^ Results of this study demonstrated self-monitoring substantially improved spelling and math homework completion and accuracy rates of students with disabilities in an inclusive, general education classroom. On average, completion and accuracy rates were highest over baseline in Phase III. Self-monitoring led to higher percentages of completion and accuracy during each phase of the intervention compared to baseline, group percentages also rose slightly during maintenance. Therefore, results suggest self-monitoring leads to short-term maintenance in spelling and math homework completion and accuracy. ^ This study adds to the existing literature by investigating the effects of self-monitoring of homework for students with disabilities included in general education classrooms. Future research should consider selecting participants with other demographic characteristics, using peers for conferencing instead of the teacher, and the use of self-monitoring with other academic subjects (e.g., science, history). Additionally, future research could investigate the effects of each of the two self-monitoring components used alone, with or without the conferencing.^

Teacher perception of self -determination skills in the inclusive and special education classroom

It has been proposed that special education teachers, who promote self-determination and link it to educational standards, help students with a disability succeed in school. The current school reform movement has focused on accountability through mandates such as the No Child Left Behind Act, 2001, and has emphasized participation in the general curriculum through amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997 and 2004. This study informs educators if educational setting, students' type of disability, and subject area taught, influence teachers' opinions about the importance of teaching components leading to self-determination and self-management. ^ The research questions that drive this study are: (1) do secondary school teachers who instruct students with a disability think that self-determination components taught in the classroom will make an important difference in students' school and later postsecondary achievements? and (2) does the type of classroom setting, students' type of disability, or specific subject matter influence teachers' opinions regarding the importance of teaching components related to self-determination and self-management? The collection and interpretation of data were done using descriptive and quantitative methods employing a teacher survey. The survey was administered to secondary teachers who instruct students with disabilities. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The sample consisted of 97 special education teachers currently teaching at the secondary level. ^ The results of the study indicated that teachers believe that self-determination is important for both school life and post school life. However teachers thought these skills to be more important for post school success. Teachers believe that self-determination is more important than self-management skills. Type of disability, educational environment, and subject area were not significant factors. ^

A self -testing approach for autonomic software

As researchers and practitioners move towards a vision of software systems that configure, optimize, protect, and heal themselves, they must also consider the implications of such self-management activities on software reliability. Autonomic computing (AC) describes a new generation of software systems that are characterized by dynamically adaptive self-management features. During dynamic adaptation, autonomic systems modify their own structure and/or behavior in response to environmental changes. Adaptation can result in new system configurations and capabilities, which need to be validated at runtime to prevent costly system failures. However, although the pioneers of AC recognize that validating autonomic systems is critical to the success of the paradigm, the architectural blueprint for AC does not provide a workflow or supporting design models for runtime testing. ^ This dissertation presents a novel approach for seamlessly integrating runtime testing into autonomic software. The approach introduces an implicit self-test feature into autonomic software by tailoring the existing self-management infrastructure to runtime testing. Autonomic self-testing facilitates activities such as test execution, code coverage analysis, timed test performance, and post-test evaluation. In addition, the approach is supported by automated testing tools, and a detailed design methodology. A case study that incorporates self-testing into three autonomic applications is also presented. The findings of the study reveal that autonomic self-testing provides a flexible approach for building safe, reliable autonomic software, while limiting the development and performance overhead through software reuse. ^

The exploration enhancement workshop: An exploration-based approach to facilitating identity formation in young adults

This dissertation reports an investigation of the utility of two intervention programs to facilitate identity formation by way of exploration, one designed from an explicitly self-construction point of view and the other designed from an explicitly self-discovery point of view. The self-construction program was implemented using cognitive skills and orientations derived from Berzonsky (1989), Grotevant (1987), and Kurtines (1999). The self-discovery program was implemented using affective insight development strategies derived from Csikszentmihalyi (1990), Maslow (1968), and Waterman (1990). Three sets of measures were used: (a) cognitive identity measures, (b) affective identity measures, and (c) overall identity measures. Ninety undergraduates from Florida International University completed the intervention. Participants were assigned to one of three intervention conditions (Cognitive, Affective, and Control) and were pretested and posttested on cognitive, affective, and overall identity measures. Intervention strategies were introduced and discussed in the context of specific goals and choices that participants brought to group. Intervention results were then analyzed in terms of the effectiveness of the intervention conditions in promoting their respective developmental domains. The intervention was effective in promoting identity development in comparison to the control condition, with the cognitive condition facilitating cognitive competence and the affective condition facilitating affective insight. Results are discussed in the context of the constructivist and discovery perspectives, as well as in light of the broadened view of exploration offered in this paper. ^

Working adult students' perspectives on persisting in college

The purpose of this study was to describe and explain working adult undergraduate students' perspectives on persistence in college in order to address the applicability of retention theory to a specific group of college students. Retention of college students is a major concern in higher education where persistence rates have continued to decline for the last 16 years and changing student demographics have influenced enrollment patterns. ^ A qualitative research design was used. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with nine working adult undergraduate students. The participants were selected to include diversity in age, race/ethnicity, family roles, career/work levels, college majors, and educational histories. ^ Triangulation was performed on data from the interviews, participant data forms, and a research journal. Open and axial coding were used to generate emerging themes. Member checking was used to verify the interpretation of the participants' perspectives. A peer reviewer corroborated the data analysis. Three major themes emerged from the data which explained how the students stayed motivated, engaged in learning, and managed the institutional aspects of college. ^ Five conclusions were drawn from the findings of this study. First, working adult students described their core experience of college as both positive and negative, creating tensions and often conflicts that influenced their persistence. Second, persistence factors associated with working adult students included personal aspects, such as having clear career/life goals, self management skills, and supportive relationships; learning aspects, such as interactive teaching methods, connections to prior learning, and relevance to career/life goals; and institutional aspects, such as customer service orientation of staff, flexibility of policies and procedures, and convenient access to information. Third, current retention theory was applicable to working adult students. However, working adult students described their experience of academic and social integration differently from that of traditional college students found in the literature. Fourth, findings from this study supported the developmental components of the Adult Persistence in Learning model (MacKinnon-Slaney, 1994). Finally, the study findings indicated a clearly active role required of the institution in the persistence of working adult students by providing flexibility and accessibility in procedures and services. ^

Actionable pattern analysis in computing and business intelligence systems

With advances in science and technology, computing and business intelligence (BI) systems are steadily becoming more complex with an increasing variety of heterogeneous software and hardware components. They are thus becoming progressively more difficult to monitor, manage and maintain. Traditional approaches to system management have largely relied on domain experts through a knowledge acquisition process that translates domain knowledge into operating rules and policies. It is widely acknowledged as a cumbersome, labor intensive, and error prone process, besides being difficult to keep up with the rapidly changing environments. In addition, many traditional business systems deliver primarily pre-defined historic metrics for a long-term strategic or mid-term tactical analysis, and lack the necessary flexibility to support evolving metrics or data collection for real-time operational analysis. There is thus a pressing need for automatic and efficient approaches to monitor and manage complex computing and BI systems. To realize the goal of autonomic management and enable self-management capabilities, we propose to mine system historical log data generated by computing and BI systems, and automatically extract actionable patterns from this data. This dissertation focuses on the development of different data mining techniques to extract actionable patterns from various types of log data in computing and BI systems. Four key problems—Log data categorization and event summarization, Leading indicator identification , Pattern prioritization by exploring the link structures , and Tensor model for three-way log data are studied. Case studies and comprehensive experiments on real application scenarios and datasets are conducted to show the effectiveness of our proposed approaches.

Improving publicly funded human services: Incorporating capacity building into the contracting relationship between Children's Services Councils and nonprofit organizations

This qualitative two-site case study examined the capacity building practices that Children’s Services Councils (CSCs), independent units of local government, provide to nonprofit organizations (NPOs) contracted to deliver human services. The contracting literature is replete with recommendations for government to provide capacity building to contracted NPOs, yet there is a dearth of scholarship on this topic. The study’s purpose was to increase the understanding of capacity building provided in a local government contracting setting. Data collection consisted primarily of in-depth interviews and focus groups with 73 staff from two CSCs and 28 contracted NPOs. Interview data were supplemented by participant observation and review of secondary data. The study analyzed capacity building needs, practices, influencing factors, and outcomes. The study identified NPO capacity building needs in: documentation and reporting, financial management, program monitoring and evaluation, participant recruitment and retention, and program quality. Additionally, sixteen different types of CSC capacity building practices were identified. Results indicated that three major factors impacted CSC capacity building: CSC capacity building goals, the relationship between the CSC and NPOs, and the level of NPO participation. Study results also provided insight into the dynamics of the CSC capacity building process, including unique problems, challenges, and opportunities as well as necessary resources. The results indicated that the CSCs’ relational contracting approach facilitated CSC capacity building and that CSC contract managers were central players in the process. The study provided evidence that local government agencies can serve as effective builders of NPO capacity. Additionally, results indicated that much of what is known about capacity building can be applied in this previously unstudied capacity building setting. Finally, the study laid the groundwork for future development of a model for capacity building in a local government contracting setting.

Solid Waste Disposal: Independent Food Service Practices

Solid waste disposal is a major concern today. This study seeks to identify the current practices and attitudes of managers of independent food services toward solid waste management and the characteristics of food services which were most likely to be involved with a solid waste management program

Managing Quality in the Hospitality Industry:

In - Managing Quality In the Hospitality Industry – an observation by W. Gerald Glover, Associate Professor, Hospitality Management Program, Appalachian State University, initially Glover establishes: “Quality is a primary concern in the hospitality industry. The author sees problems in the nature of the way businesses are managed and discusses approaches to ensuring quality in corporate cultures.” As the title suggests, the author wants to point out certain discrepancies in hospitality quality control, as well as enlighten you as to how to address some of these concerns. “A discussion of quality presents some interesting dilemmas. Quality is something that almost everyone wants,” Assistant Professor Glover notes. “Service businesses will never admit that they don't provide it to their customers, and few people actually understand what it takes to make it happen,” he further maintains. Glover wants you to know that in a dynamic industry such as hospitality, quality is the common denominator. Whether it be hotel, restaurant, airline, et al., quality is the raison d’être of the industry. “Quality involves the consistent delivery of a product or service according to the expected standards,” Glover provides. Many, if not all quality deficiencies can be traced back to management, Glover declares. He bullet points some of the operational and guest service problems managers’ face on a daily basis. One important point of note is the measuring and managing of quality. “Standards management is another critical area in people and product management that is seldom effective in corporations,” says Glover. “Typically, this area involves performance documentation, performance evaluation and appraisal, coaching, discipline, and team-building.” “To be effective at managing standards, an organization must establish communication in realms where it is currently non-existent or ineffective,” Glover goes on to say. “Coaching, training, and performance appraisal are methods to manage individuals who are expected to do what's expected.” He alludes to the benefit quality circles supply as well. In addressing American organizational behavior, Glover postures, “…a realization must develop that people and product management are the primary influences on generating revenues and eventually influencing the bottom line in all American organizations.” Glover introduces the concept of pro-activity. “Most recently, quality assurance and quality management have become the means used to develop and maintain proactive corporate cultures. When prevention is the focus, quality is most consistent and expectations are usually met,” he offers. Much of the article is dedicated to, “Appendix A-Table 1-Characteristics of Corporate Cultures (Reactive and Proactive. In it, Glover measures the impact of proactive management as opposed to the reactive management intrinsic to many elements of corporate culture mentality.