Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-84). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 450-461). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 163-171). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis--Ph. D., University of Hong Kong, 1983.

Light pollution in urban areas - How to prevent light pollution at construction   Jakob Sjöling   Light pollution is a relatively new but rapidly growing form of pollution. Society's increasing demand for light coupled with the pace at which lighting technology evolves is accelerating that growth. The purpose of this study was to analyse how the construction industry plan and design outdoor lighting when erecting new buildings, specifically with regards to the issue of light pollution. It also investigated how local authorities work with these issues during urban planning. In both cases special interest was placed in ways to improve the planning and use of outdoor lighting in order to minimize light pollution. To this end a series of interviews were held with people in the construction industry who are involved in the planning of lighting. Interviews were also held with local officials who manages issues of lighting and the environment within the municipality of Kungsbacka, Sweden. The interviews showed that people who work with these issues were well aware that poorly planned lighting can cause glare and disturbances. They were, however, almost totally unaware of the severe danger that light at night poses to both human health and environmental stability. To remedy this, information about the risks posed by night-time lighting must be spread from the scientific community to entrepreneurs and local officials who work with lighting. There are also several areas where changes in routines can help to avoid many of the potential pitfalls threatening to cause an, otherwise good, lighting plan to fail in regards to light pollution.

Abstract The aim of the study is to investigate what the concept of “love of reading” means and how selected teachers act strategically to increase the love of reading in pupils in grade two. The Swedish concept of love of reading (läslust) has not always had the same meaning; in the past it was used in connection with the desire to pursue further studies, while the term is used today when talking about pupils’ own will to read books. The ability to read is a significant part of a pupil’s schooling, and therefore it is important to work to ensure that pupils love reading. Based on qualitative interviews with both teachers and pupils, the results show that teachers’ knowledge plays a significant part for how pupils are motivated to read. The strategies the teachers use to increase the pupils’ love of reading can be traced back to earlier research showing that these strategies are good for stimulating a love of reading among pupils in the early grades of school. Strategies that emerge in this investigation are mainly book selections, readings, discussions literature and the silent individual reading.The pupils expressed a desire for more support in their choice of books and wanted teachers to be greater role models for them when it comes to reading in school. One conclusion of the study is that motivation and reading comprehension are two phenomena, which play an important part in acquiring a love of reading.

Inline with the third pillar of the Basel accords, quantitative market risk measurements are investigate and evaluated comparing JP Morgan’s RiskMetrics and Bollerslev’s GARCH with the Peek over Threshold and Block Maxima approaches from the Extreme Value Theory framework. Value-at-Risk and Expected Shortfall (Conditional Value-at-Risk), with 95% and 99% confidence, is predicted for 25 years of the OMXS30. The study finds Bollerslev’s suggested t distribution to be a more appropriate distributional assumption, but no evidence to prefer the GARCH to the RiskMetrics. The more demanding Extreme Value Theory procedures trail behind as they are found wasteful of data and more difficult to backtest and therefore evaluate.

The purpose of this study was to examine the reflective essays of first-year, first-generation college students for evidence of self-directed learning at the conclusion of their first semester at the university. A phenomenological qualitative method was employed and a content analysis rating rubric used to identify and code evidence related to four themes: Self Awareness, Decoding and Pattern Fit, Autonomy/Responsibility, and Academic Success. The study findings indicated that first-year, first-generation college students have the capacity to take ownership of their learning in ways exemplified by self-directed learners. Participants demonstrated deep reflection and metacognition and their essays revealed unexpected student vulnerability as they voiced fears and hopes with a nearly innocent transparency and candor. Study findings also emphasized the importance of a support system that includes coursework designed to facilitate understanding of individual learner characteristics, emphasize strategies to maximize learner efforts that lead to successful outcomes, and empower students to become more self-directed. This study also expands the field of adult education by providing evidence that learner control is a key component of self-direction and is positively correlated to academic success. Ample evidence related to metacognition, self-regulation, and learner control was identified in the essay data.

It is important to identify students at-risk for school non-completion as early as possible. Research has demonstrated that data sources such as teacher nomination and individual demographic characteristics are less accurate identification methods of students who are at-risk for not graduating on-time. Instead, the use of early warning systems (EWS) based upon research validated indicators that reliably identify students who are Off-track, or at-risk for not graduating on-time, has been a promising approach. Questions remain though about the relationship of Off-track Status at an earlier time point to Off-track Status at a later time point as well as the relationship between a variety of individual and school-level predictors and Off-track Status. The purpose of this study was to examine student patterns of Off-track (for graduation) Status at two time points each year from sixth grade through the end of 10th grade as determined by a district-implemented EWS. In addition, this study examined factors that were hypothesized to contribute to students becoming off-track for high school graduation and the earliest time that those factors demonstrated influence on an Off-track Status. Individual (e.g., SES Level, Third-Grade Reading scores, etc.) and school-level predictors (e.g., School Rates of Discipline, School Promoting Power, etc.) of Off-track Status were collected through archival data on a cohort of 4,268 sixth-grade students across 15 middle schools and 13 high schools from the 2007/2008 school-year through the 2011/2012 school-year. Significant relationships between individual-level variables (SES Level, Hispanic racial/ethnic designation, Grade Point Average, Office Discipline Referrals and Previous Off-track Status) were found. Implications for research to practice include a focus on early intervention of Off-track Status students and the inclusion of additional variables in a middle and high school EWS. An additional implication for practice is the local customization of EWS through further analyses of predictor sensitivity and specificity as well as examination of specific school-level contributions to increased numbers of Off-track Status students which would allow for refinement of EWS specific to a given population and provide information on schools that may need additional resources to support students.

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