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The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) in 2004 states that a local education agency (LEA) may use a process that determines whether a child responds to scientific, research-based intervention as part of the evaluation procedures to identify the child as having a specific learning disability and as eligible to receive special education services. One such process that LEAs are using is response to intervention (RTI). Typically, RTI has been conceptualized and implemented as a multitiered prevention and intervention instructional support system for struggling learners. The implementation of RTI requires practitioners’ knowledge and skill in the planning, development, and execution of its innovative, scientifically based research methods. Rogers’s (2003) diffusion of innovation model served as the framework for this study. Rogers’s 5 main steps in the innovation-decision process were examined: (a) knowledge, (b) persuasion, (c) decision, (d) implementation, and (e) confirmation. Through this lens, how the innovation-decision process influences educators and schools to adopt or not adopt multitiered instruction defined as RTI was examined. The study explored whether practitioners did adopt RTI; whether all 5 stages were implemented by the educators; and, if so, whether they were sequenced. The study also examined whether adoption occurred and all aspects of RTI were being adhered to. Despite an abundance of research and writings on the pedagogical implications related to RTI, largely due to recent federal policy, there is a paucity of research on RTI regarding the organizational complexity related to implementing RTI. This lack of inquiry of organizational processes and effects of RTI affects both general and special educators, and consequently students of all ages. / text

Diss. Univ. Kiel, 1999.

The problem with which this research is dealing is the lack of any explanatory model which explains both the perception and the adoption of new products. One objective of this study is to advance a new conceptual framework concerning both the perception and the adoption of new products. The second objective of this study is to evaluate this new framework theoretically and empirically. Bunge's evaluative criteria are used to evaluate the new model theoretically while Hunter, Schmidt, and Jackson's meta-analysis technique is used to evaluate the model empirically. An extensive review of literature pertaining to the definition of innovation, the adoption process, and innovativeness is included in the second chapter. Chapter three covers research plan and methods. The new model and its assumptions are presented in chapter four. The results of both theoretical and empirical investigations of the new model are reported in chapter five. Finally, chapter six includes a discussion of the main findings and provides some suggestions for future research. An interpretive and postulational model is introduced in this study. The model is built on three main assumptions and contains thirty-one different theoretical constructs. Those constructs are bounded together by forty-six theoretical propositions. Those propositions are the postulates or the axioms which state the nature of the interrelationships among all constructs included in the model.

Health pursuing is one of the most important and common aspirations of people in a modern society. However, what is their concept about health? What are the conditions of their cognitions about being healthy? As people¡¦s income has increased, nutritious diet supplements (generally called health foods) have become a popular product category. But, while types of health foods in the market are numerous and competition between the different products are fierce, how do consumers make their decision, facing these various choices? How do Taiwanese people understand and acquaint with particular types of health foods? How do they switch between them, if there is a need for switch among the particular products. The current research tried to develop a measurement scale for the concept of health suitable for Taiwanese people based on their daily life, using health confidence, health dieting, living adaptation, and social interaction as the four fundamental dimensions. This scale is different from those health concept measurement developed based on the traditional medical perspective. The major testing products of this research are ¡§Tong-Chong-Sia-Tsau¡¨ (Cordyceps Sinensis for medical terminology) and ¡§Ling-Zhi,¡¨ two of new categories of Chinese health supplements developed from special plants. Two other categories of health foods product, ¡§traditional Chinese herb medicine¡¨ and ¡§Western vitamin pills,¡¨ are also included in the observation of category switching. Adoption of innovation is an important issue in the buying behavior research of health foods. The current research developed a measurement scale of innovation adoption, adopting many measuring items from Kirton (1976). Regarding the choice behavior, this research observed and analyzed both ¡§need for cognition¡¨ and ¡§need for change¡¨ aspects, referring to Wood and Swait¡¦s (2002) choice research. The consumer samples of this research were collected from two groups of people in Taiwan: travel agents and land administration agents. The number of valid sample was 414. The relationship between health foods buying behavior and the demographic variables were as well analyzed and discussed for the valid sample.

Digital inequality, or the disparity in the access and use of information and communication technologies (ICT), is one of the most critical issues in the knowledge economy. This inequality prevents under-privileged people from exploring digital opportunities to enhance their life quality. Governments, business, and the public have devoted tremendous resources to address this issue, but the results are inconclusive. Theoretical understanding, complemented with theory-based empirical assessment of the phenomenon, is essential to inform effective policy-making and interventions. This dissertation explored the key factors that lead to the inequality in the access and use of ICT, particularly the high-speed Internet, between the privileged and under-privileged. I applied a belief-based perspective to understand how distinctive beliefs concerning ICT acceptance differentially influence under-privileged and privileged people¡¦s innovation decision and behavior at different stages of the implementation process. A theoretical model that drew upon the Theory of Planned Behavior, Motivation Theory, Social Learning Theory, Diffusion of Innovation, and Trust was developed to explain how cognitive, social, behavioral, and institutional factors inform digital inequality as a whole. The conceptual model and forwarded hypotheses in the dissertation were empirically tested using data collected from a large-scale field survey. The survey investigated the adoption and usage behavior of residents in the city of LaGrange, Georgia where the city government, aiming to address digital inequality, provided high-speed Internet connection and devices to residents at no cost. A complementary case study was subsequently conducted to examine a multi-stage process model in which various barriers and facilitators may prevent or promote the progress of individuals¡¦ ICT innovation. The results of this research reveal valuable insights into the differential patterns of ICT access and usage, and the key factors that cause them, for under-privileged and privileged people. The findings, in turn, suggest a segmentation and stepwise technology implementation strategy for people with different backgrounds and at different stages of their innovation processes. This dissertation makes several notable contributions for both researchers and practitioners. First, the dissertation contributes a holistic and theoretically grounded perspective that extends beyond the technology-centered view in most digital inequality studies. It also highlights the multifaceted nature of the phenomenon. As such, this research meets the challenge set forward by notable researchers to develop theoretical models capable of revealing the complexity embedded in this issue. Second, the dissertation presents a unifying theory reflected upon adoption and diffusion of innovation. Testing theories in the context of digital inequality extends and complements our existing knowledge about these related fields. Most importantly, the empirical findings derived from the rich data set identity powerful leverage points for stimulating the adoption and use of ICT among the under-privileged. With such insights, practitioners, particularly policy-makers and service providers, can formulate effective interventions to address the problem of digital inequality.

This research introduces a novel methodology to study the appropriation of new Information and Communication technologies (ICTs) or "Multimedia" in a natural setting. This includes computers, mobile phones and television, and any application and service based on these. Building on theoretical and empirical research in technology studies, diffusion of innovations and consumer research, the study investigates the processes of adoption, consumption and domestication across the life-space of individuals and natural groups. The BEAN approach is developed to investigate data from qualitative fieldwork that engaged with respondents in four natural social networks. This shows how a range of new ICTs are entering into the everyday world of these respondents, and how they engage with them: the way these technologies are appropriated, including adoption, learning and struggling, but also strategies of resistance, non-adoption, and arms-length appropriation. It shows the importance of the informal economy in providing access to technology, skills, knowledge and resources to deal with the complexities and difficulties of adopting and using ICTs. In particular, it finds the local expert is crucial to the adoption and use of many of these technologies, providing support that the commercial world fails or is unable to provide.

The increasing government and consumer interest in, and growing concerns about environmental issues have pressured businesses to adopt eco-innovative measures and activities. These pressures have been felt particularly by the food and drink sector in Scotland, a sector that is of considerable importance to the Scottish economy. To date, few studies have considered the challenges businesses in this sector face with regard to the adoption of eco-innovations. In particular, there has been little research on the challenges faced by the SMEs in the sector and how they are adopting eco-innovations. This study seeks to address this research gap through utilization of the diffusion of innovation theory to explore the adoption of eco-innovations by the Scottish food and drink SMEs. A qualitative survey of the website of 52 businesses was used to collect data and analysed using content analysis to generate five categories of eco-innovations namely; Waste, Energy, GSCM, Carbon and Embedding. This data collected informed the next phase of the research where in-depth interviews was conducted with 18 businesses to understand their eco-innovation adoption processes. The findings revealed two groups of attitudes among the participants namely; the positive and the sceptics. The main motivators to adoption were found to be; moral principles and beliefs, eco-consumer drive, cost saving, legislation and the creation of jobs and new opportunities. The major barriers to eco-innovation were more profound and found to include; non-recyclable waste, non-compliance by suppliers, cost of adoption, lack of interest, the challenge of finding credible and reliable sources, attitudes and behaviours, and a general lack of education and awareness. Using the categorisation of eco-innovations that emerged from the website data analysis, the research developed a scale of greenness reflecting the adoption of eco-innovation along with a classification of adopter types namely; advanced, intermediate and basic adopters. The thesis contributes to the theory of diffusion by illustrating ways to capture and evidence innovation adoption without dependency on the time element and enabled a classification of eco- innovation adopters. The contribution to methodology is viewed from the application of a qualitative approach that enabled the categorisation of the forms of eco-innovation which resulted in the model depicting eco-innovation adoption and the profiling tool for innovation diffusion. Practical contributions are offered to enable businesses to understand their adoption of eco-innovation through the use of the model, adopter type classification and the application of a best practice guide to facilitate adoption. Recommendations for policy, practice and further areas for research are also proposed within the thesis.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agricultural Economics / Dalton, Timothy J. / Essay one evaluates two farmer field schools aimed at promoting conservation agricultural practices. The field schools were conducted and offered to approximately 1/3 of all individuals surveyed in a baseline in 2010. These same farmers were resurveyed in 2012 in order to determine whether their knowledge of conservation agriculture practices had changed using a double-difference approach. The approach was also used to determine whether innate perceptions and biases against conservation agriculture have changed over time due to training in the field schools. These findings are supported with enterprise budgets of conservation practices to determine whether knowledge or on-farm economics limit adoption of conservation practices. The data showed that farmer-to-farmer communications are effective tools for raising knowledge. Essay two examines the interdependence of sustainable agricultural intensification practices (SAIPs) in order to better understand the constraints and incentives for the adoption of components and “packages” of components. The impact of accumulated knowledge score on the adoption of SAIPs was assessed using data from 168 participant and non-participant farm households that completed a survey in 2014 and 2012 from the Upper West region of Ghana. From a three-step regression, our findings show knowledge of participant household improved with evidence of knowledge spillover to non-participant. Participation, age and gender of the head of household and experience were factors impacting farm household knowledge score change on SAIPs. The study found that, knowledge score through the treatment effect impacts adoption of SAIPs which are complementary. Younger household heads and experience in farming are also found to likely impact adoption. Essay three estimates technical efficiency (TE) scores for millet and sorghum and evaluates the impact of soil and water conservation methods on TE scores. The paper also examines the sensitivity of TE scores on the distributional assumptions of the one-sided error using data from 518 and 754 farm households producing millet and sorghum respectively from a random national household survey in Niger. A Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier model was used. The mean TE scores range from 52% to 66% and 35% to 60% respectively for adopters and non-adopters of soil and water conservation methods in millet production based on the distributional assumptions of the one-sided error. For sorghum production, the mean TE scores range from 47% to 63% and 39% to 63% respectively for adopters and non-adopters of soil and water conservation methods based on the distributional assumptions of the one-sided error. This suggests inefficiencies in the production of millet and sorghum and hence, the potential to improve output using existing technology. Adopters are relatively more efficient than non-adopters of soil and water conservation methods. The TE score differences in millet production are explained by location of household (rural), educational level and adoption of soil and water conservation. The efficiency score differences in sorghum can be explained by household size, educational level and soil and water conservation adoption. We also found TE scores are sensitive to the distributional assumptions of the one-sided error using the farm household level data.

The purpose of this study is to investigate which factors that influence cloud adoption and contribute to existing research about cloud computing. Ten hypotheses were derived from the Technological, Organizational, and Environmental (TOE) framework combined with the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) framework. Data was collected using a questionnaire and 91 individuals working in several industries and different countries participated in the study. The research model was tested using a quantitative approach using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The main factors that were identified as drivers for adoption of cloud computing are: digital strategy, competitive pressure, trading partner support, standardization, firm size and network and collaboration. These findings have important implications and great value to the research field, companies and cloud providers as they could formulate better strategies for a successful cloud adoption. The study also provides a new approach in research about cloud adoption where the type of enterprise system migrated to the cloud is taken into consideration. Findings in this study points towards system specific requirements influencing the adoption rate.