Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2005. / Title from title screen (viewed May 13, 2009) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Dept. of Anthropology, Faculty of Arts. Includes bibliography.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1968. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

The general goal of the present study was to assess mathematics achievement at the end of Grade 12 in the Dominican Republic, with particular attention to school and regional differences, as well as gender differences. Also, gains in achievement were examined by comparing the achievement of students in Grade 12 to that of students finishing Grade 11. In addition, the performance of Grade 12 students was compared to that of Grade 8 students as assessed in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics in the Dominican Republic (TLMDR) study and to that of students from other countries in the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS). The sample included 1271 students in Grade 12 and 1413 in Grade 11, distributed over 49 schools. Three types of schools were sampled, public schools, and two kinds of private schools. They were urban schools located in the twelve largest cities of the country. These cities were grouped into three regions of similar size. The mathematics test consisted of 70 multiple-choice items distributed over two test forms. Students' scores were analyzed to assess how much mathematics students in Grade 12 know. Grade 11 data were used as a surrogate for pre-test scores to estimate gains in achievement. School means were used in an analysis of variance designed to examine the effect of school type and region on mathematics achievement. Males' and females' scores were used to analyze gender differences in achievement at the item level, and within each of the school types and regions in the sample. Grade 12 students' responses to 14 items were compared to those of Grade 8 students. Finally, Grade 12 students' responses to 10 items were compared to those of students from other countries in SIMS. Among the findings of this study were: 1. Students in Grade 12 scored poorly on the mathematics test. Grade 11 and Grade 12 students obtained similar achievement levels which indicated that the achievement gains between the two grades were very small. 2. School type and region were found to significantly affect mathematics achievement, but no interaction effect was found. 3. The comparison of school type means showed that only one type of private school significantly outperformed public schools. This type of school also outperformed the other type of private school. 4. The comparison of region means did not produce the predicted outcome. The pairwise comparisons showed that none of the regions was significantly different from the other, despite the fact that the region factor was significant. 5. The analysis of gender differences in mathematics achievement showed that males performed significantly better than females. At the item level, males outperformed females on only 19 items. Most of these items dealt with geometry, or were at the application level. 6. Gender differences favoring males were found to be independent of school type and region. 7. Comparison between Dominican Grade 12 and Grade 8 students revealed that mathematics achievement improved between the grades for most items. 8. Dominican performance was very poor on the SIMS items and it was far behind that of other countries. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

No description available.

Throughout the history of the Dominican Republic, theater has played an instrumental role in the cultural life its people, one which transcends purely artistic and cultural dimensions extending its influence into the political and social fabric of the nation. In spite of Spanish colonization and later Haitian occupation, a nascent national identity began forming early on. The staging of certain plays exposed latent conflicts and revealed sectorial, class interests. Theater provided a means of expression for popular sentiments, thus revealing an urge by the people to manifest their concerns, usually under the heavy weight of censorship. This thesis focuses on key moments of the first 140 years of Dominican Republic theater. It is organized into three chapters: "Historical Antecedents", "Theater of the Dictatorship" and "Theater of the Post-Dictatorship." The first chapter deals with the struggle for independence through 1844; the next focuses on the theatrical plays and political climate of bloody Rafael Leonidas Trujillo dictatorship which spanned from 1930 to his assassination in 1961, and the third presents the theater that appeared in the subsequent years of the equally repressive Joaquin Balaguer presidency (1966-1978). The analysis of these key historical moments, in conjunction with the dramaturgy of playwrights such as Franklin Domínguez, Marcio Veloz Maggiolo and Héctor Incháustegui Cabral, maps the function of theater as a tool of raising awareness, transmitting ideologies, and unifying a nation, in spite of despotism and oppression often disguised as democracy. As such, it documents the role that theatre played during a nation-building process that stages the history of political repression, lack of freedom of expression as well as social and political injustice.

No description available.

Introduction: The Dominican Ranks 79th in the world for high rates of under five year mortality at 33 deaths per 1000 live births. The Ninos Primeros en Salud (NPS) in Consuelo, DR has an extensive Nutrition Program for children 0-5 years to address food insecurity and malnutrition with nutrition education, regular weight checks, home visits, micronutrient supplementation and supplemental food packages in an attempt to decrease mortality amount 0-5 year olds. Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to compare the two groups (nutrition intervention group and healthy reference group) to determine if there were differences in demographic characteristics among children receiving care at NPS. The secondary aim was to evaluate the Nutrition Program at NPS during the first nine months of the program by observing changes in wasting, weight for height z-score (WHZ), weight for age z-score (WAZ) and height for age z-score (HAZ) in children participating in the nutrition intervention program compared to the healthy reference group. The tertiary aim was to determine if there were differences in outcomes of wasting and WAZ in the Nutrition intervention group in relation to household size. Study Design: Observational study with propensity score frequency matching in healthy reference group. Baseline and up to nine months follow up data were examined on all patients being seen at NPS (n=75) consisting of age, weight, height and birth weight.. Baseline and monthly follow up was also collected on patients enrolled in the nutrition program (n=53) with monthly data consisting of weight, height, age and number living in household. All data were de-identified. Results: The intervention group and healthy reference group differed only in age and birth weight at baseline after matching. The intervention group showed statistically significant improvement in all three areas of weight anthropometric measurements (i.e. wasting, WAZ and WHZ) from pre intervention to post intervention when compared to the healthy reference group. Both the intervention and reference group showed statistically significant decreases in HAZ, with the intervention group showing a decrease in HAZ compared to the healthy reference group. The intervention group also showed significant worsening in measure of stunting over the follow up period. Outcomes measurements of wasting and WAZ did not differ based on household size. Conclusions: The intervention was successful in increasing the weight of malnourished children. However, it appears that the intervention had no positive effect on increasing linear growth. Further investigation is needed to determine the impact of the nutrition intervention on malnutrition, specifically linear growth. / Public Health

This dissertation examines US media representations of Dominicans during the American occupation of the Dominican Republic between 1916 and 1924. It argues that American media images of the Dominican Republic changed to accommodate US government policy. For example, when there was interest in annexing the country in the mid-1800s, those who were in favor of annexation depicted Dominicans as white in order to demonstrate that they could be integrated into the United States. In the early 1900s, however, when the United States wanted to prevent foreign powers from intervening in the Dominican Republic, US media representations of Dominicans were overwhelmingly black to show the need for American oversight of financial matters. Whether depicted as black or white, this dissertation argues that the primary lens the US media employed to represent Dominicans was that of underdevelopment. Subsumed within this imperial narrative of underdevelopment were malleable depictions of race and, by 1916, a new element of humanitarianism that operated under the assumption that the Dominican Republic was underdeveloped and thus in need of American guidance. Lastly, this dissertation examines the shift in the US media in 1920 as American sources began to critique the occupation. / History