Vaccination is power—power to prevent disease, power to shape populations, power to define sickness and health, and power to compel scientific beliefs into the bodies of people around the globe. It is unsurprising, therefore, that vaccinations have garnered centuries of dissent. Specifically, the conscience—the parent or patient’s perceived right to make vaccination decisions based on personal perceptions of acceptable risks—has been used since vaccination’s inception as a rationale for individual rights to refuse vaccines in the face of the very public health goals that vaccinations aim to achieve. Existing studies of vaccine disputes in medical literature have understood vaccine questions to be a problem of scientific knowledge or literacy, claiming largely that vaccine skepticism arises from a lack of proper comprehension or understanding of the scientific and medical bases for vaccination or statistical evidence proving vaccines are safe and effective. Studies of vaccination controversy in social science, communications, and historical literatures have largely examined the role that alternative notions of risk valuation, sources of trusted health information (such as preferring the advice of friends and neighbors to doctors), or conceptions of uncertainty have played in largely parental decision making about childhood vaccinations. Despite these extensive studies of vaccine sentiment, vaccine skepticism and refusal remains a small, though significant, voice in public debate. This dissertation examines vaccine discourses as object-oriented rhetorics—as rhetorics shaped and defined by the physicality of the vaccine’s operation—as a way of re-conceptualizing the vaccine debate. Using object-oriented theories from computer programming, philosophy, and rhetoric, this research examines the professional and public voices that make up contemporary vaccine controversy. Through three data sets, including interviews with physicians, parent discourses produced on the Internet, and survey responses from young adults, this dissertation observes that vaccines function as objects that have multiple, coexisting operations for different actors across the medical system. Consequently, vaccination controversy can be conceptualized not as accurate versus inaccurate understandings of science or as a conflict of perspectives, but instead as a by-product of multiple ontologies of vaccines at work under competing disease exigencies. / Ph. D.

Many K-12 schools across the US have embraced the philosophy of professional learning communities (PLC) as a school improvement measure; however significant quantitative research is lacking on the effectiveness of this phenomenon. Survey data were collected from a purposeful sample of elementary school principals or designees from four large school divisions in three metropolitan areas in Virginia. The survey incorporated questions regarding demographic information, including pass rates on the Virginia English and Math SOL tests for 2015-2016, the percentage of students classified as economically disadvantaged, the school's experience as a PLC, as well as Hord's (1996) School Professional Staff as Learning Community Questionnaire (SPSLCQ) instrument, to determine functionality as a PLC. Of the 158 surveys distributed, 74 were returned for a 47% return rate. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including a hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The results of the hierarchical multiple regression support a predictive relationship between English SOL pass rates and the independent variables of economically disadvantaged students and the degree of functionality of PLCs. The model significantly predicted English SOL pass rates (F(2,71) = 70.86, p < 0.001, adjusted R2 = 0.66). Second, the results of the hierarchical multiple regression support a predictive relationship between Math SOL pass rates and the independent variables of economically disadvantaged students and the degree of functionality of PLCs. The model significantly predicted Math SOL pass rates (F(2,71) = 33.21, p < 0.001, adjusted R2 = 0.47). Lastly, there was no statistically significant relationship between the number of years a school had operated as a PLC and the functionality of the PLC (r = 0.16, p = 0.17). The findings may assist school leaders in determining the benefits of PLCs on student achievement as measured by pass rates on Virginia's English and Math SOL tests. / Ed. D.

Principals have an impact on the teaching and learning that takes place in their schools. This research focuses on principal involvement in professional development (PD) to meet policy requirements while developing principals' skills to meet their changing roles to serve as instructional leaders accountable for student academic performance. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the types of PD principals and principal supervisors find most beneficial in developing principals' instructional leadership skills along with the perceived benefits and challenges of participating in PD designed for the principalship role. The secondary purpose was to identify the impact principal PD may have on instructional leadership practices and student achievement. The two research questions were: What types of PD do principals and principal supervisors find most impactful to developing principals' instructional leadership skills? What are the perceived benefits and challenges of participating in virtual, hybrid, and in-person PD specifically designed for the principalship role? A demographic survey and one-on-one, semi-structured interviews were completed with five elementary school principals, four secondary school principals, and three principal supervisors from a rural and suburban school division in Virginia. Deductive coding was used to analyze the data from interviews to determine common themes, patterns, similarities, and differences. Nine findings were discovered, including principals engage in PD focused on instructional leadership skills and perceive that PD has improved instructional practices and student outcomes, principals find value in networking and choice in PD, time is a barrier to participating in PD, and principal supervisors select and support principal PD opportunities. The findings provide principals, principal supervisors, and providers of principal PD with guidance on how to design PD focused on developing instructional leadership skills. Practitioners can utilize the study to guide the design of effective PD sessions that leverage the benefits noted by study participants while overcoming the challenges. Division leaders may consider the findings when developing PD plans for principals based on the literature and perceptions of study participants. These practices will help ensure principals receive the timely, targeted PD they need to become instructional leaders with a positive impact on student achievement. / Doctor of Education / Principals have an impact on the teaching and learning that takes place in their schools. This research focuses on principal involvement in professional development (PD) to meet policy requirements while developing principals' skills to meet their changing roles to serve as instructional leaders accountable for student academic performance. The two research questions were: What types of PD do principals and principal supervisors find most impactful to developing principals' instructional leadership skills? What are the perceived benefits and challenges of participating in virtual, hybrid, and in-person PD specifically designed for the principalship role? One-on-one, semi-structured interviews with five elementary school principals, four secondary school principals, and three principal supervisors from a rural and suburban school division in Virginia were conducted. Findings including, principals engage in PD focused on instructional leadership skills and perceive that PD has improved instructional practices and student outcomes, principals find value in networking and choice in PD, time is a barrier to participating in PD, and principal supervisors select and support principal PD opportunities. The findings might guide how to design PD to focus on developing instructional leadership skills. Practitioners can utilize the findings to guide the design of effective PD sessions that leverage the benefits noted by study participants, while also working to overcome the challenges. Division leaders may consider the findings when developing PD plans for principals. These practices will help ensure principals receive the timely, targeted PD they need to become instructional leaders with a positive impact on student achievement.

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The purposes of the investigation were to determine if status of professional sports and professional athletes increases as male participation increases, if perceived status of 'athlete' increases with participation in sports that contain 'male' attributes, and if gender differences are related to status indicators. Sixty-eight students were administered a status-determinants questionnaire. A one-way ANOVA (gender) and a 2 x 12 ANOVA (gender x sport) were employed to determine status ratings of sports. A 3 x 2 (increase/decrease/no change x gender) Chi square was employed to determine status of sports, perceived masculinity of males/femininity of females, and status of the athlete related to gender attributes of sports.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a teacher professional development program as measured by the extent that participants have continued to use lessons and materials up to three years after the professional development experience. The professional development program was delivered online and structured by five key characteristics of effective professional development. Sixty-five participants of Food, Land, and People (FLP) professional development completed an online survey answering certain demographic variables and indicating the number of lessons and activities they had used from the FLP professional development. An implementation and continued use measurement model was used to create weighted FLP use scores and compare participants within each group. Results suggest that the FLP professional development program was effective in obtaining long-term continued use of materials.

Profesijos pasirinkimas yra viena aktualiausių problemų, nuo kurios tinkamo sprendimo priklauso žmogaus asmeninė gerovė. Todėl labai svarbu, kad jau pats pirmasis moksleivio apsisprendimas būtų sąmoningas, tikslingas, kad jaunuolis suprastų, jog adaptacija darbo pasaulyje ir asmenybės vidinė harmonija priklauso nuo tinkamo apsisprendimo. Dabar, kai vis labiau integruojamės į Europos Sąjungą, jaunimui susidaro vis didesnės galimybės laisvai pasirinkti profesiją, tačiau tuo pačiu padidėja jaunimo individualios kompetencijos ir asmeninės atsakomybės reikšmė. V.Stanišauskienė, straipsnyje „ Ugdymas karjerai mokykloje: kaip padėti moksleiviui įgyti šiuolaikinę karjeros kompetenciją“ teigia, kad mokytojui reikalinga šiuolaikinė karjeros kompetencija, įgalinanti vystyti savąją karjerą, ir ugdymo karjerai kompetenciją, apibrėžiama kaip nuostatų, žinių, gebėjimų, būtinų ugdant moksleivius karjerai, sistema. Taigi, norint keisti profesinio orientavimo metodus ir formas, kurie padės moksleiviui rasti tinkamiausią profesinį apsisprendim����, reikia supažindinti mokytojus su šiuolaikiniame darbo pasaulyje teikiamomis galimybėmis, mokinių ugdymo karjerai būdais ir leisti suprasti, kad tik įgyta ugdymo karjerai kompetencija, naudojama saviugdos procese, leis pasiekti laukiamo rezultato. Šiame darbe atlikto tyrimo metu nustatyta, kad profesinis orientavimas, informavimas ir konsultavimas vidurinėje mokykloje yra aktualus ir turi didelę įtaką tolesnei mokinio profesinei karjerai, kadangi... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The choice of profession is the most topical problem, which is the key to every person’s welfare. It is very important that the first pupil’s decision would be aware and purposeful, and youngster would understand that adaptation in the world of job and individuality depends on the right decision. Nowadays, when everybody more and more integrates in European Union, the youth has larger opportunities to choose the profession, though, the individual competence and responsibility is large as well. V. Stanišauskienė in her article “Education for career at school: how to help the pupils to gain the up-to-date career competence” states, that teachers need the up-to-date career competence, which could help to develop their own career and give enough knowledge, useful to educate pupils for their career. Therefore, if we want to change the methods and forms of professional counseling, which will help to find the most suitable professional decision, the teachers must be acquainted with the possibilities of work in the nowadays world, career competences and how these competences could be used in the self-help process. In this study, using research methods was found, that professional counselling, information and consulting in the secondary school is very relevant and has great influence on pupil’s professional career, because most of them have no right decision about future profession; and teachers are not informed in this area, too. It is very important, that school would pay more... [to full text]

This study compared the levels of professionalism among Indiana corporate and agency public relations practitioners. The entire population, 339 individuals, was contacted via telephone and administered McLeod and Hawley's professional orientation instrument, yielding 183 usable responses.Respondents rated the importance of 24 items on a 5point Likert scale, and provided information on age, education, undergraduate major, salary, and length of time with current organization, in public relations, and in the workforce.Professionalism scores were calculated by subtracting the sum of answers to the non-professional items from the sum of answers to the professional items. Scores were ranked, then divided at the median. "Professionals" fell at or above the median; "semi-professionals" fell below the median,following McLeod/Hawley methodology.A multiple regression analysis determined the only significant relationship between level of professionalism and demographics occurred with undergraduate major--a slight negative correlation. Frequency distribution showed journalism/public relations majors had higher percentages of professionals than either English or other majors. / Department of Journalism

Traditionally, one of the major characteristics of established professions such as medicine and law has been the possession of a Code of Ethics. The last three decades have seen the formulation of Codes of Ethics by many new professions and semi-professions as well as by many of the service occupations. In view of the intense concern of these professions, semi-professions and service occupations with the formation of codes of ethics, we set out to examine the codes of three professions to ascertain their functional significance both to the professions themselves and to the public. The rationale for the choice of the three professions of Medicine, Social Work, and Librarianship lay in their being professions whose codes of ethics were in different stages of development. A theoretical framework formulated in the first chapter was used in the following three chapters to examine the judicial viability of the codes of ethics of these professions. As main features of this analysis, we considered the formulation, promulgation, administration, review and revision procedures, jurisdiction, and implications for social policy of the codes. On the basis of the analysis and discussion of the codes of ethics studied we drew the conclusion that many of the existing codes are, to a great extent, deplorably non-specific and even rhetorical. It would therefore seem to be desirable that some measures should be taken to improve the judicial viability of these Codes; and we have made a number of recommendations calculated to achieve this end. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Hoffmann, Walter Paul Fritz; Humphrey, Patricia McLean; Thompson, Douglas Terrence / Graduate