Based on the self-generated attitude change model, a process constraint treatment analogue was investigated. Differential treatment effects were explored for people that are verbalizers and visualizers. It was predicted that people who participated in the process constraint condition would benefit more if they were verbalizers than visualizers. It was also predicted that there would be no difference in effects for people in the control condition. To test these predictions, people with a fear of speaking in public were asked to speak in front of a small group. The effects of the treatment conditions were assessed using self-report, behavioral, and physiological measures of fear. Results supported the predictions on the behavioral and physiological measures, but only in part on the self-report measures. Implications of these results are discussed as well as directions for future research.

A wearable computer interface with split button configuration was constructed using Arduino Lilypad components on the front of a vest with the goal of assessing its usability in an activity involving at least one hand. A sample of twelve men and eight women ages 18 to 62 participated in a usability study of the vest. The activity chosen for this study was a typing test during which users would control a media player remotely with the vest. The usability measures included ease of use, performance of the interface as determined by accuracy rates and time to task completion for both button pressing and the typing test, and comfort. Results indicate the participants found the vest easy to learn and use with no significant effect on the accuracy of the typing activity, but they often needed visual cues to locate the controls. Based on these findings, we offer suggestions for improving the design of the interface and future work we want to pursue after the modifications.

This master’s thesis involves the definition and development of a policy-based routing scheme for peer-to-peer overlay networks. Many peer-to-peer networks are in existence today and each has various methods for discovering new peers, searching for content, and overcoming connectivity problems. The addition of efficient policy-based routing enhances the ability of peers within overlay networks to make appropriate routing decisions. Policy-based routing provides a means for peers to define the types of network traffic they are willing to route and the conditions under which they will route it. The motivations for these policies are many and are described in upcoming sections. In order to express and enforce policies, a simple policy definition language was developed. This language is sufficient for owners of overlay nodes to choose to route traffic based on their own requirements and gives node owners a means to express these requirements, such that other nodes within the overlay network can learn them. A mechanism is presented that allows these policies to be stored either in a distributed hash table or on a set of directory servers. The effectiveness of policy-based routing was tested using a simulated network. The affect of these routing policies, in terms of both additional network traffic and requirements for client software, was also assessed. Finally, a comparison was made between storing policy information in a distributed hash table, versus on a set of directory servers.

This research project deals with the effects of standardized achievement tests on elementary-school mathematics. It contains a review of current literature dealing with the decline in mathematics achievement, mathematics assessment, concept development, and the effects of standardized testing. A survey was conducted in seven elementary schools throughout Clay County, Florida. The purpose of the survey was to assess teachers' perceptions of how preparation for the major annual standardized achievement test affects the pacing, sequence, and presentation of their mathematics curricula. Eighty-six teachers from grades one, three, and five completed a limited response questionnaire. The results indicate that a majority of elementary school teachers try to prepare their students for the standardized achievement test by covering all testable skills by testing time. However, most teachers feel that preparation for this test has a negative impact on their mathematics programs. This implies that the mathematics education of our students may be suffering due to the emphasis on preparing for a standardized achievement test.

The purpose of this study was to provide a synthesis and evaluation of research regarding the efficacy of using advance organizers as a pre instructional teaching strategy to enhance students' cognitive growth. Additionally, two sample advance organizers are provided as a model for classroom application, along with caveats for advance organizer construction, presentation and usage. The third component of this study was an evaluation of selected advance organizer studies based on the work of Mayer (1979). The conclusion was that advance organizers do facilitate long term retention and conceptual understanding if prepared and presented properly using language and examples relevant to the students' prior knowledge. Visual aids and metacognitive reading strategies seem to enhance the effectiveness of advance organizers. If the student already possesses prior knowledge of the subject matter or makes mental connections between familiar and unfamiliar content, then advance organizers are not needed.

The purpose of this study was to collect and interpret base-line data concerning the organizational culture and climate of selected elementary and secondary schools. The sample consisted of 20 parochial schools, 10 elementary and 10 secondary, in the mideast section of the United states. The study focused on three specific questions: 1) What are the cultural values of parochial schools, 2) What is the organizational climate of parochial schools, and 3) Do the cultural values and climate characteristics of parochial elementary schools differ from those of parochial secondary schools? Nelson's (1990) Cultural Value Analysis Tool (CVAT) was used to gather organizational culture data. Hoy, Tarter and Kottkamp's revised Organization Climate Description Questionnaire (OCDQ) was used to gather organizational climate data. Analysis of data on the 419 responses included the following: 1) One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) on real and ideal means of the sixteen cultural dimensions across the elementary and secondary schools individually, 2) One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) on the real means of the sixteen dimensions comparing the elementary and secondary schools, and 3) confidence intervals on the principal and teacher behaviors of the OCDQ as compared to the norm group of Hoy, Tarter, and Kottkamp. Significant differences between ideal and real means were found on dimensions of effort, status, and flexibility for the elementary schools (p < .05). Significant differences between the ideal and real means were found on dimensions of effort, time, quality, empathy, dominance, status, political, abstract, planning/organization, and flexibility (p < .05) for the secondary schools. The one-way analysis of variance conducted on the descriptive mean scores of the 16 dimensions of the CVAT showed no statistical difference between elementary and secondary level schools. Confidence intervals indicated that parochial elementary principals are more supportive, less restrictive, and as directive as the principals in the norm group. Parochial elementary teachers were more collegial, less disengaged, and as intimate in their behaviors as the teachers in the norm group. Confidence intervals formed from the mean scores on the OCDQ-RS indicated that parochial secondary principals were more supportive and as directive as the principals in the norm group. Parochial secondary teachers were more engaged, less frustrated, and more intimate in their behaviors as compared to the teachers in the norm group. All parochial schools had an open climate to varying degrees ranging from below average openness to very high openness. The 20 parochial schools valued the cultural dimensions of quality, empathy, leader, and planning/organization. Parochial schools valued the cultural theme of relations as the top priority, followed by the themes of work, thought, and control.

Guidelines for primary grade (k-3) teachers to use in oral story reading were developed as a means of increasing students' reading achievement. These guidelines were incorporated into primary grade lesson plans. Each lesson plan included a research principle which served as the lesson objective, identified a book for oral reading, and described pre, post, and during activities. The lesson plans were pilot-tested by primary grade teachers at an elementary school site. Data were collected and analyzed to determine teacher perceptions of the effectiveness of the guidelines. This analysis indicated that the teachers perceived the guidelines to be effective. Based on feedback, one additional guideline was added. Conclusions, recommendations, and implications for further research were developed.

The annual rates of hospital Chief Executive Officer (CEO) turnover are important to track and evaluate for several reasons. Like other industries, the extent of hospital CEO turnover on an aggregate level is an indicator of the current instability and pace of change within the hospital industry. Sudden large changes in leadership trends can indicate broad changes in the industry, and small changes can indicate a general satisfaction with the status-quo. Since hospitals still dominate and have considerable influence over other sectors of the health care industry, the extent of hospital leadership changes, and the causes of those changes, are also potential indicators and predictors of the regulatory, structural, and financing directions for the entire health care industry. Trends in the types of hospitals with high and low CEO turnover can isolate potential problem areas, and potential characteristics of CEO stability.

This curriculum project was developed to provide the teacher of a self-contained primary ESOL classroom with a workable integration of the critical elements of bilingual education. The project traces the history of bilingual education in the United States. It reviews some of the important legislation and judicial decisions that form the framework for current bilingual education. It examines some learning and language theories that educators translate into practice in instructing, guiding, and evaluating ESOL students. This design was developed for use in a self contained ESOL class in Duval County, Florida. Students in the class speak a variety of languages other than English. All are learning English as their second language. Their English proficiency level varies from nonspeaker to fluent. The curriculum is designed to recognize each child's abilities and needs while meeting the second grade objectives set forth by the Duval County School Board and complying with the Duval County Public Schools Limited English Proficient Plan. It is hoped that an examination of an integrated thematic unit will provide a useful model for the primary ESOL teacher.

Nose gear failure is a high concern in the aviation industries. According to the Federal Aviation Administration reports, 55% of aircraft failures occur during takeoff and landing while 45% of failures occur during flight. The objective of this thesis is to determine the stress behavior and the displacement of a nose gear of an aircraft during landing using structural finite element analysis. The nose gear was first modeled using computer-aided design software and then imported into finite element software. The external forces were determined analytically and the interactions between components were carefully modeled using contact analysis. The tire was modeled using the eye-bar theory. The results obtained in this work are consistent with the Federal Aviation Administration’s recommendations for physical testing.