Thesis advisor: Rebekah L. Coley / Children moving from early education programs into elementary schools face a critical transition, making it important for both systems to coordinate to better serve our youngest children. Yet, there is limited research on coordination around the transition to school. The objectives of this dissertation were to: 1) describe the coordination efforts used by Head Start programs to smooth children’s transitions to kindergarten, 2) examine the association between coordination and children’s outcomes in kindergarten, 3) test whether there is an interaction between Head Start coordination efforts and elementary school-based transition practices, 4) test interactions between coordination and child/family characteristics, and 5) understand the benefits and challenges to coordinating across systems. This study included two phases. Phase I examined coordination efforts between Head Start programs and elementary schools in a nationally representative sample of Head Start children (N=2,019). Findings suggest that Head Start programs are engaging in a variety of activities to coordinate with elementary schools. Results of regression analyses found that coordination was positively related to children’s language and mathematics skills in kindergarten for children enrolled in elementary schools engaging in limited activities to support the transition to school. Phase II involved interviews with sixteen Head Start directors. Results showed multiple ways they coordinate with elementary schools to share information about individual children and general program practices, as well as the ways they serve as a bridge between families and elementary schools. Findings suggest that coordination may benefit children through improved practices by Head Start and elementary schools, as well as increases in parental readiness and involvement.Overall this study shows that Head Start programs are engaging in multiple activities to coordinate with elementary schools. Although direct relationships between coordination practices and child outcomes were limited, interviews with Head Start directors pointed to indirect pathways by which coordination efforts may benefit children. These findings suggest the importance of coordination practices, and stress the need for additional research to explore these pathways. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

Thesis advisor: Mariela Páez / Across preschool classrooms in the United States, free play comprises the largest percentage of children’s daily activity time (Chien et al., 2010; Fuligini et al., 2012). During free play, preschoolers may frequently engage in sociodramatic play (SDP), or pretend play where groups of children take on assigned roles with implicit rules (Smilansky & Shefatya, 1990). Research has demonstrated the academic and social benefits of SDP engagement (e.g., Diamond et al., 2007); however, much of this work has addressed SDP in curricular and intervention contexts, in which teachers play a large role in facilitating the play. Fewer studies have explored SDP in free play contexts with minimal teacher scaffolding, and even fewer have studied this play in classrooms comprised of cognitively, culturally, and linguistically diverse students, such as those participating in Head Start programs. This study investigated individual and peer factors that relate to SDP occurring in the context of free play among children (n=50) in five diverse mixed-age Head Start classrooms. A mixed methods approach was used to examine relations between children’s individual characteristics and abilities, classroom peer networks, and SDP outcomes. Sources of data included: 1) naturalistic observations of children’s free play, 2) assessments and demographic surveys of individual children, and 3) sociometric and semi-structured interviews with child participants. Results from multiple regression and hierarchical cluster analyses were merged with case studies of children who engage in exemplary amounts of SDP to enhance the understanding of individual and peer factors related to sociodramatic play. Findings indicated that narrative skills, home language background, gender, membership in a cohesive peer subgroup, and teacher presence were related to high amounts of SDP engagement. Implications for future research and for preschool practitioners are discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Head Start, the largest early childhood organization in the United States, was federally mandated to employ bachelor degreed operational employees, with no additional funds. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore effective strategies that successful leaders of Head Start Nonprofit Organizations use to retain operational employees. The population of this study included 5 Head Start CEOs/Program Directors in 5 Head Start nonprofit organizations in Alabama who successfully retained operational employees in their organization. Kouzes and Posner's transformational leadership theory provided a conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected via telephone interviews and employee records from the human resources department. Reviewed human resource documents included the highest level of credentials for the leader, the policy for degree requirement for operational employees, and the number of operational employees, and the participants' highest level of education. The data were analyzed using inductive analysis which consisted of a line-by-line approach to review data identifying words, phrases, ideas, and actions consistent among participants and organizations to identify patterns and themes. Results indicated that Head Start leaders used incentives, continuous training, educational support, and job benefits to retain their operational employees. The implications for social change include the potential for young children to receive optimal teaching and caregiving from retained qualified operational employees.

Background: Non-specific low back pain is a growing problem in society. No treatment have shown satisfying results to reduce pain or disability for patients with non-specific low back pain, and 1-18% of these patients develop chronic low back pain. STarT Back Screening Tool (SBST) is an instrument for sub grouping patients with non-specific low back pain into low, medium or high risk of developing chronic low back pain and then modifying the treatment after the different needs of every patient. The purpose of this study was to do a systematic review, investigating validation of the SBST to evaluate the justification of its use by clinicians. Method: Pubmed, Cinahl and Medline was searched in February 2017 for studies investigating criterion validity, construct validity and content validity of the SBST. The author (JG) assessed risk of bias and extracted relevant data following the procedures of PRISMA-statement. Result: 15 articles were identified for inclusion in the review. 8 articles investigated criterion validity, 11 articles investigated construct validity and 1 article investigated content validity. Predictive validity showed heterogeneous statistical analysis and varying results, a narrative result was presented that showed marginal benefits for the use of SBST for prediction of future outcome. Concurrent validity was measured with Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient in all investigated articles, showing results between 0.34-0.802. Discriminant validity was measured with Area under the curve analysis in all articles, scoring between 0.69-0.92. Convergent validity showed a Pearson’s correlation between 0.708-0.811 and a Spearman’s rank correlation between 0.35-0.74. Conclusion: Because of heterogeneity of the results it is not possible to draw conclusive conclusions. However, results tend to show limited evidence for the use of SBST as a predictive instrument for patients with non-specific low back pain.

本研究之主旨在探討一般新創公司在創業前期及創業後期所面臨的經營管理問題與對策，給有心創業者作為參考，以降低失敗的風險，進而能一舉成功，避免傷及創業之鬥志與勇氣，減少財務的損失。 首先藉由文獻的整理，蒐集專家及學者之菁華，找出與創業有關的學理，再將學理套於個案公司之經營管理，深入暸解創業成敗之關鍵因素，從實務中發掘學理之依據，進而整理出成功的創業模式，得以印證學理之正確性，讓有志於創業者加強對文獻之信心與認同。 本研究之個案雖屬高科技公司，但經過學理之印證後，可發現其經營管理之方法也離不開文獻之範疇，主要是採用Timmons及 Shane之創業模式來加以剖析，雖然研究者將Timmons之模式運用於創業前期，而將Shane之模式運用於創業後期，或許有些牽強，但目的是為了方便敘述，好讓讀者容易理解。 針對本研究之主要問題可區分為下列兩期，將籌備到創業後三年歸納為創業前期，第四到十五年則歸納為創業後期，雖然期間有點太長，但經營者自認為規模還小，仍應秉著創業期之衝勁追求更完美： 一、 新創公司創業前期的管理作法為何? 二、 新創公司創業後期的管理作法為何? 從本研究中可獲得以下之主要結論: 一、 新創公司在創業前期會善用其核心能耐以尋找商機，同時以外部資源取用補足內部資源及能力之不足，並加強創業團隊成員之專長互補與共識，提高創業成功的機會。 二、 新創公司在創業後期之技術管理上會著重利基性及差異性之思維，在行銷管理上會以客戶需求為導向，在組織管理上則會特別重視風險管理並適時網羅人才以增強組織的陣容，並以創新來提高報酬。 / The newly start-up company will face the different management difficulties during the starting period. The study distinguished the start-up period into Earlier Period of the Start-up and the Later Period of the Start-up. The selecting company of the thesis is classified as the high-tech industry. We use the Timmons Model to analyze the Earlier Period of the Start-up, and use the Model of Scott A. Shane to analyze the Later Period of the Start-up. The main research questions of the thesis are : 1. What’s the right management method in the Earlier Period of the Start-up Company? 2. What’s the right management method in the Later Period of the Start-up Company? The conclusions of the research are： 1. In the Earlier Period, the company must (1) make a good use of its core competency to catch the good chance, (2) use the external resources to strengthen the lack of the internal resources or capability, (3) strengthen and increases the complementarity of the abilities of the start-up entrepreneurial team. 2. In the Later Period, the company must (1) focus on the niche market and attach importance to the differentiation on the Technology Management issue, (2) take the customer demand-oriented method as the principal on the Marketing Management issue, (3) pay attention to the risk management, recruit the talented person or team on the Organizational Management issue.

<p>In the past years Väderstad Verken has been developing rapidly and expanding the sales of its machines in new markets, in particular in Eastern Europe. Due to the growing sales and some risks related to possible increases in the import duties on some agricultural equipment the company is considering the possibility of building a factory in the Eastern Europe to serve that market.</p><p>For this reason the company was interested in a pre-study on the important factors for the factory start-up in Eastern Europe, in particular, Russia and Ukraine. Thus the scope of the thesis included the research and identification of the factors important particularly for Väderstad Verken as well as identifying some general steps necessary for the factory start-up. In order to identify and analyse location factors critical for Väderstad Verken, literature on location analysis was analysed in order to identify a list of possible factors as well as tools which could be used to evaluate them.</p><p>Center of Gravity and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) have been selected to evaluate the performance of several regions on these factors to identify the suitable location of the factory. Expert Choice software was applied in order to simplify the comparison of various factors following the AHP steps.</p><p>A specification for the potential factory has been defined given the desired production capacity and requirements. Two factory layouts have been suggested taking into consideration the possibility of the factory expansion.</p><p>In some way this master thesis could be used as a guideline for the selection of suitable manufacturing location as well as factory start-up.</p>

<p>As a part of a large project at Norrmejerier, a biogas production plant has been constructed at Umeå Dairy. In this plant wastewater, residual milk and whey are decomposed and biogas is produced. The biogas is burned in a steam boiler. The biogas plant is designed as an anaerobic contact process, with sludge separation and recirculation by a clarifier. The fat in the substrate is treated in a separate reactor.</p><p>The purpose of this study is to evaluate the design and start-up of this biogas production plant. Further, the interaction with the contractor responsible for construction and start-up is evaluated.</p><p>The plant is generally well designed, the process conditions are suitable and the objectives are realistic. However, the seed sludge is unsuitable and the time plan is too optimistic.</p><p>At the end of the period of this study, the plant was running and all central components are performing as intended. Still, the objectives have not been reached. This is mainly attributed to the poor quality of the seed sludge.</p><p>The management of the plant and the interaction with the contractor has generally been good. Most problems that arose were of typical start-up nature. Others were due to insufficient planning or lack of communication. Further, several design flaws were identified during start-up.</p><p>Washout of sludge has been one of the most significant drawbacks during start-up. This inconvenience seems to be the result of improper seed sludge and a too hasty increase of the organic loading rate.</p> / <p>Norrmejerier har som en del av ett större projekt låtit uppföra en anläggning för biogasproduktion vid Umeå mejeri. I anläggningen, som är utformad som en anaerob kontaktprocess, behandlas avloppsvattnen och andra organiska restprodukter från mejeriet tillsammans med vassle från både Umeå och Burträsk mejeri. Fettet i substratet avskiljs och behandlas separat. Den biogas som produceras vid nedbrytningen av det organiska materialet bränns i en brännare och ånga produceras.</p><p>Syftet med den här studien är att utvärdera anläggningens design, valda processförhållanden och förfarandet under uppstarten av biogasanläggningen. Dessutom utvärderas interaktionen med den tyska entreprenör som är ansvarig för konstruktion och uppstart.</p><p>Anläggningens utformning och valda processbetingelser är passande och de uppsatta målen är rimliga. Däremot är valet av ymp olämpligt och tidsplanen för uppstarten är för optimistisk.</p><p>När denna studie avslutades var anläggningen i bruk och biogas producerades. Alla de mål för som formulerats hade dock inte uppnåtts. Ympens dåliga kvalitet är den mest bidragande orsaken till att uppstartsperioden har blivit förlängd.</p><p>Arbetet under uppstarten och samarbetet med entreprenören har generellt sett varit lyckat. Man har dock stött på många komplikationer, varav de flesta har varit av typisk uppstartsnatur. Andra har varit resultatet av bristande planering och kommunikation. En rad konstruktions- och designfel har också identifierats under uppstarten.</p><p>Slamflykt från reaktorerna har varit det mest betydande problemet hos den biologiska processen. Denna förlust av slam förmodas bero på olämpligt val av ymp och en alltför hastig ökning av den organiska belastningen i reaktorerna under uppstarten.</p>

The current study examined the influence of classroom age composition (the variability in ages of children in the classroom) on low-income preschool children's rates of change in multiple domains of school readiness. The sample consisted of 4,417 preschool children enrolled in 207 classrooms in a large, diverse Head Start program. Children were assessed throughout the year on four school readiness domains: emergent literacy, emergent numeracy, social and emotional skills, and approaches to learning. Multilevel modeling was employed to examine the main effect of classroom age composition as well as the interaction between classroom age composition and child's age as predictors of children's rates of change in these school readiness domains. Results showed that classroom age composition did not uniformly influence rates of change in school readiness for all children. Instead, a significant interaction between child's age and classroom age composition indicated that younger children developed skills in the domain of approaches to learning at an increased rate when placed in classrooms with a large age composition (i.e., in classrooms with a greater degree of age-mixing). This study extends literature focused on identifying classroom structures that promote positive development of school readiness skills, particularly for at-risk children.

The current study investigated the relationship between peer interactions and school readiness children enrolled in Head Start. The constructs of displayed and received physical aggression, relational aggression, and prosocial behavior within children's peer interactions were examined through direct observation. School readiness was measured through direct assessment. It was hypothesized that aggression within peer interactions would predict lower school readiness, while prosocial behaviors within peer interactions would predict better school readiness. Sex was also hypothesized to moderate the relationship between relational aggression, relational victimization, physical aggression, physical victimization and school readiness. It was hypothesized that relational aggression and victimization would more severely impact the school readiness of girls and physical aggression and victimization would more severely impact the school readiness of boys. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses revealed that physical aggression and victimization as well as displayed and received prosocial behavior did not significantly predict school readiness. Relational aggression predicted better school readiness. Also, sex moderated the relationship between relational victimization and school readiness such that relational victimization predicted better school readiness for girls, but did not predict school readiness for young boys. Knowledge gained from this study can inform preschool classroom practices on the role that peer aggression and prosocial behavior play in individual differences in children's school readiness.

Previous research indicates that joint storybook reading between caregivers (parents or teachers) and children can have positive effects on the oral language development of young children (Whitehurst et al., 1988; Dickinson & Smith, 1994). This study aimed to add to this body of research by providing information on the relationship between teachers’ language complexity and vocabulary strategies used during storybook reading and vocabulary outcomes for monolingual and dual language learners in linguistically diverse Head Start classrooms. Videotapes of 23 Head Start teachers were coded and analyzed for vocabulary instruction strategies and language complexity during storybook reading using hierarchical regression techniques to determine how these factors related to gains in student vocabulary over the course of a year. Students’ oral language was assessed using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and the Learning Express vocabulary sub-test (LE). Teacher’s language complexity was calculated with respect to both quantity (mean length of utterance) and quality (type/token ratio and use of uncommon words). Teacher’s use of vocabulary strategies was examined with respect to the words chosen for instruction and the strategies used to instruct those words. Overall, teachers in this study tended to choose high utility words to instruct, but the strategies used to teach those words, and the number of words chosen for instruction, were often not optimally aligned with best practices in vocabulary instruction (Beck et al., 2002). For the PPVT outcome measure, teachers’ use of higher numbers of vocabulary instruction strategies per word was differentially related to students’ vocabulary outcomes based on the student’s prior vocabulary knowledge, such that the use of more vocabulary instruction strategies per word was negatively related to vocabulary outcomes for students who began the year with the smallest vocabularies. There was also a significant interaction between teachers’ use of uncommon words and students’ prior vocabulary knowledge, though this relationship was only statistically significant for the PPVT outcome. Teachers’ use of more complex language was differentially related to students’ outcomes. Students who began the year with the lowest vocabulary levels exhibited a positive relationship between the teacher’s use of uncommon words and vocabulary outcomes, while average or higher vocabulary students showed a negative relationship between increased exposure to these uncommon words and their vocabulary outcomes. The implications for teachers’ professional development are discussed.