Thesis advisor: Larry H. Ludlow / Interaction with faculty is one of the most important aspects of completing an undergraduate degree (Chambliss & Takacs, 2014). At traditional colleges and universities, much of this interaction takes place within the classroom. However, out-of-class communication (OCC) is also an important part of the college-going experience. Participation in OCC has been associated with many positive undergraduate outcomes, such as motivation (Komarraju et al., 2010) and course grades (Micari & Pazos, 2012). Prior measurement instruments related to OCC suffered from limitations with respect to construct definition and methodological procedures that limit the interpretability and utility of the scores they yield. My dissertation ameliorates these issues in constructing a new instrument that measures students’ perceptions of faculty availability outside of class. This instrument is built using Rasch/Guttman Scenario (RGS) scale methodology, which brings together the frameworks of Rasch measurement (Rasch, 1960/80) and Guttman facet theory design (Guttman, 1954; Guttman 1959). Two scales, each containing seven short scenarios that function as items, were constructed: the Physical Accessibility Scale (PAS) and the Social Engagement Scale (SES). Together, these two scales comprise the Out-of-Class Availability Scales (OCAS). Three facets of physical accessibility and social engagement are identified and represented within the items: arranged meetings, chance encounters, and email. The OCAS development process and analysis results presented within my dissertation suggest that the RGS methodology is useful for capturing students’ perceptions of faculty availability outside of class. The OCAS can also be used by others to conduct future research on the topic of OCC. Because they measure students’ perceptions of availability and not frequency of OCC, the OCAS have value as a potential faculty evaluation tool. Even if students choose not to interact with a particular faculty member outside of class, they would still ideally find that faculty member available for such interaction should the need arise. Finally, the RGS scale development process ensures that OCAS scores are accompanied by qualitative descriptions, which enhances their utility and measurement value. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation.

Bibliography: leaves 232-238. / This study explores and documents the experiences of coloured workers in the Factreton area. Coloured workers in Factreton have a tendency to be unresponsive to political issues and political organisation. This unresponsiveness to politics is due to coloured workers tendency to perceive, and deal with, political and non- political realities as separate and unconnected. Coloured worker's social consciousness has been shaped by a particular set of historical and current factors. These factors are collectively termed, "The Politics of Exclusion". The apartheid state has politically, culturally, economically and psychologically excluded coloured workers from having access to the resources and status of the white population. The apartheid state has also separated coloured workers from the African majority. Coloured workers have responded to their oppression and exclusion by using non-political means to sustain community life. These have included particular kinship networks, high church attendance amongst women, excessive alcohol consumption amongst men, and a range of other cultural forms. Coloured workers' day-to-day struggle for economic survival has also tended to reinforce their unresponsiveness to politics. Coloured workers' lack of a clear political identity together with a prevalence of individualism and exclusive forms of behaviour has resulted in coloured workers distancing themselves from political organisation and action. These issues and arguments were developed through the use of extensive interviews with coloured workers and political activists. Furthermore, my year long residence within the Kensington/Factreton area was a vital method and experience which shaped this study.

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of class size reduction (CSR) on student performance while implementing Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The researcher sought to examine test scores specifically in 1st grade classrooms during the 1st year implementation of CCSS. Additionally, the researcher wanted to assist school leaders in identifying ways to motivate teachers to perform at the highest level and focus on student outcomes. The results indicated that students in the CSR classes had higher scores than the students in the non-CSR classes in some subjects. The findings from this study were consistent with the studies in the literature. There was a difference in the pre-test scores and the post-test scores of the CSR and non-CSR. The post-test scores were higher for the students enrolled in the reduction classes. School leaders should consider reducing class size and find a balance between CCSS and the Mississippi frameworks. This challenge will require the support and understanding of the entire learning community and other key members of the educational community. School leaders will be primarily responsible for ensuring this new initiative is put into practice at a high level of rigor to ensure that students are prepared for college and/or a career.

Overview As an activity that produces wealth, musical production and its effects have largely been neglected by the economics profession. This dissertation seeks contribute to a small but growing literature on the subject by analyzing musical production through a particular class analytical lens of political economy. A first problem that has encountered many within political economy, specifically within its radical variant of Marxism, is how to understand music in relation to the social totality. In the first essay of this work I provide a critical review of the literature that approaches music through the "base-superstructure metaphor", a tool of analysis well known within the Marxian theoretical tradition. In it I show how assigning elements to either one or the other of these spheres and understanding the forces of production in terms of its technical dimension (i.e. technology) limits the analytical possibilities provided by Marx's original insights. In the second part of this essay I review the ways the concept of class has been ued to analyze topics related to music within the Marxian tradition. I highlight how the essentialist moments of those particular class concepts lead to analyzes that obscure and sometimes contradict one of the main purposes Marx's original intent: to show the various guises that exploitation might take in a capitalist society. In the second essay of the dissertation I theorize musical production with the aid of a class qua surplus analysis that highlights the process of the production, appropriation, and distribution of surplus labor in relation to the production and dissemination of meaning associated with music as a cultural process. I identify various musical scenes and show the dialectic of aesthetics and musical labor. In the third and final essay, I compare and contrast two discourses of theft: those of exploitation and of piracy. I focus my attention on the music recording industry and show how the adoption of a discourse of exploitation by musicians that are not exploited and their support in anti-piracy campaigns hamper, marginalize, and contribute to eliminating none-exploitative class structures. This result is important to the literature that explores how intellectual property poses constraints to economic growth and development in the so-called Third world where most of the pirate production takes place.

A conventional RF power amplifier will convert the low powered radio frequency signals into high powered signals. Along with the expected ability to increase the communication distance, data transfer rates, RF power amplifiers also have many applications which include military radar system, whether forecasting, etc. The main objective of any power amplifier research is to increase the efficiency while maintaining linearity and broadening the frequency of operation. The main motivation for the renewed interest in PA technology comes from the technical challenges and the economics of modern digital communication systems. Modern communications require high linear power amplifiers and in order to reduce the complete system cost, it is necessary to have a single broadband power amplifier, which can amplify multiple carriers. The improvement in the efficiency of the power amplifier increases the battery life and also reduces the cooling requirements for the same output power. In this thesis, I aim to design and build a wideband class J power amplifier suitable for modern communications. For wideband operation of the GaN technology PA, a bandwidth extension design method is studied and implemented. The simulation results are proved to have a good argument with the theoretical calculations.

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This thesis focuses on the impact of social class and sex caste influences on upper-class women. Preceding analysis have tended to suggest either that upper-class women are, women, essentially powerless and irrelevant to the broader historical context or that they are, as members of the upper-class, powerful and, on occasion, important historical actors. This research addresses these issues in a more systematic and comprehensive fashion than previous attempts. Specifically, the thesis of this dissertation considers three questions: 1. Do active upper-class women exercise power? 2. Is this exercise of power socio-historically significant? and 3. Through this exercise of power do active upper-class women seek to advance their social class or their sex caste? In order to pursue this inquiry, 'power' must be conceptualized as a broad range of activities through which individuals directly or indirectly exercise their will or serve their own interests. This expanded understanding of power is receptive to woman's experience of social reality. The particular 'strategic' research population selected for this investigation is upper-class women who were active in New York City between 1880 and 1920. The socio-historical milieu in which these women lived was a vortex of powerful social class and sex caste forces -the role of women was in the midst of sweeping reformulations and the class system was embroiled in crucial struggles. Active upper-class women's activities in this context are investigated by means of cumulated biographies. Using standard biographical sources, biographical dossiers (detailing family background, organizational affiliations and so on) are assembled for 412 subjects. This information is then analysed, first, in terms of the general characteristics of the research population (for example, their distinguishing social traits) and, secondly, in terms of their involvement in three key fields -social welfare, ideological domination and the status of women. The results from this analysis suggest, first, that upper-class women did wield power (they held important executive offices, were influential figures or were founders, leaders or benefactors of movements, organizations or institutions). Secondly, their exercise of power was of socio-historical significance (many of the organizations, institutions and movements in which they exercised power played an important role in social and historical events.) Finally, although substantial evidence indicates that many research subjects aided on-going projects of the upper-class, worked with class colleagues and defended the interests of the upper class, sex caste affiliation was also an important consideration. Many of the research population's activities were undertaken through woman-only organizations or were directed specifically to women. In a few significant instances concern with sex caste issues led some active upper-class women into conflict with traditional upper-class values. The research indicates that upper-class women's social activities and historical role cannot be viewed simply as expressions of either class or caste influences. Rather, analyses must recognize an interplay between the two factors. Further, the inquiry suggests that the family (with female as well as male components considered) must 'in a real sense' be conceptualized as the foundation of the upper class. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)