No description available.

No description available.

Over the past several years, many state Cooperative Extension Services have taken inventory of their engagement with international issues, including barriers (real and perceived) to active participation in globalizing programs as well as staff needs for effective communication with diverse audiences. While Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) has actively involved 4-H youth in international exchange programs, they have not engaged in a coherent and proactive effort to globalize all program areas. The study purpose was to assess attitudes of VCE faculty toward globalizing their programming efforts. Also examined were information related to VCE faculty's current involvement in globally-focused activities and barriers to globalizing programming efforts. The survey instrument combined various sections of two surveys developed and employed by Barbara Ludwig in studies on Ohio Cooperative Extension. The web-based survey included four sections: 1) Employee Profile, 2) Involvement in International Activities, 3) Perception towards Global Issues, and 4) Perceived Barriers to Globalizing Extension Programs. The target audience included all VCE faculty members (N = 332). Two hundred six faculty members completed the on-line survey. This represents a return rate of 62%. Data revealed that 92% of the respondents were involved in international efforts within the past five years. On a scale of one to four, with four representing the highest level of engagement, campus administrators (mean = 2.66) and specialists (mean = 2.13) were the most involved in international programming effort; the least involved were the district directors (mean = 1.21). "Exchanged ideas with colleagues from other countries" and "hosted an international visitor" were the top two activities performed by faculty. Data also revealed an attitude mean score of 2.9 on a scale from one to four, with four being the most positive. Campus administrators (mean = 3) were the most positive of the four position categories; agents were the least positive (mean = 2.86). Furthermore, the top two barriers to globalizing VCE programs, as identified by respondents, were "lack of financial support" and "not a programming priority". Respondents also selected "Lack of time" as a major barrier. / Ph. D.

This study addressed two aspects of ecological theory developed primarily in North America and examined these theories using an Australian passerine as a model species. The first theory concerns the mechanisms by which habitat fragmentation affects avian populations. I investigated the mechanisms causing the decline of the Brown Treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus) in fragmented habitat, and specifically considered the effects of isolation and habitat degradation, which are potentially important in Australian woodlands, and edge (patch size), which are important in North America. Brown Treecreeper groups were as productive in isolated patches as in connected patches of habitat regardless of patch size, yet unpaired males were common in isolated fragments of habitat. I conducted a field experiment that confirmed that female dispersal was disrupted among isolated fragments. Thus, my results suggested Brown Treecreepers were declining due to disruption of dispersal by habitat fragmentation rather than degradation or edge effects. I compared the results of an individual-based, spatially explicit simulation model to field observations and concluded that territory spatial arrangement and matrix composition altered dispersal success, recruitment, and subsequent population growth. With the aid of a geographic information system, I determined that both landscape factors (fragmentation patterns within 4.5-km) and habitat characteristics (cavity density) explained Brown Treecreeper presence and absence from random locations in woodland habitat. The birds appear to be absent from suitable habitat in unsuitable landscapes. The second theory I addressed concerns the maintenance of avian cooperative breeding. The most widely accepted models to explain cooperative breeding suggest that individuals that delay dispersal obtain a payoff under conditions in which the quality of breeding positions varies greatly. These models arose chiefly from a few long-term studies in North American. This is an unfortunate bias because the occurrence of cooperative breeding among birds of Gondwanan origin is 22%, whereas the worldwide incidence is only 3%. I used demographic and habitat data to examine the influence of habitat and cooperative breeding on Brown Treecreeper fitness. Group size affected one component of fitness and habitat variables affected another. High cavity density may be favorable due to intense inter-specific competition for suitable cavities, which Brown Treecreepers require for roosting and nesting. Low tree density may be advantageous by favoring ground foraging, in which Brown Treecreepers frequently engage. Experimental manipulations of important habitat variables are needed to determine whether variability in these ecological factors is critical in maintaining group formation in this species. / Ph. D.

Recent calls for reform in teacher education have included improving the clinical experience of preservice teachers (Boyer, 1983; The Holmes Group, 1986). Research on student teaching indicates that the role of the cooperating teacher is of critical importance to the clinical experience (Tabachnick, 1980; Haberaan, 1978). Problems exist, however, in communication gaps between higher education and the public schools (O'Shea, 1984); in the selection of cooperating teachers (Griffin, 1981); and in their preparation for assisting novices in the development of knowledge about teaching and learning (Griffin, 1983; Kleinsasser, 1988). Early clinical supervision models (Cogan, 1973); Goldhammer, 1969) have been presented through top-down approaches. Literature on teachers as a cultural group (Lortie, 1975) provides some insight into why such approaches have not been successful and why cooperating teachers have not come to see themselves as teacher educators. / Ed. D.

The Virginia Seed Service had its beginning in an older organization, the Virginia Crop Improvement Association. This later association was developed to stimulate the more widespread use of improved seed for field crops. / Master of Science

Master Gardener (MG) volunteers are nonpaid, education partners with Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE). VCE MGs have assisted Extension agents in meeting VCE's educational goals and mission by following the Sustainable Landscape Management educational program objectives within the VCE Plan of Work. Local MG volunteer programs must be managed appropriately so that volunteers are prepared for their work, complete their volunteer jobs, and remain an active part of the local program. Prior to 1996, local agents trained and managed MG volunteers and supervised the projects in which MGs volunteered. Budgetary actions in 1996 transitioned management from state-funded agents to a system of local MG coordinators consisting of locally funded agents, locally funded non-agent coordinators, or volunteers willing to take on additional responsibilities. In order to provide consistent, state-level direction and leadership to this less experienced group of local coordinators and to prepare them for their jobs as MG program managers, current management materials were extensively revised and expanded and new resources were developed. These efforts to ensure that everyone understood the purpose and focus of the VCE MG program resulted in revision of MG program policies; development of new volunteer management materials, VCE publication 426-699 Welcome to Virginia Master Gardenering! Guide to Educational Programming and Resource and Reference Guide; establishment of a MG planning and work team; new management guidelines, the VCE Master Gardener Coordinator Manual; in-service training for coordinators; an administrative website at http://www.ext.vt.edu/vce/specialty/envirohort/mastergard/master.html; the VCE-MGC electronic discussion "listserv" specifically for direct communication with coordinators; and the Virginia Master Gardener Leadership Development Newsletter, the state MG newsletter refocused on the role of Master Gardeners as community leaders and educators. Evaluation of the VCE Master Gardener Coordinator Manual, a 14-chapter resource book developed cooperatively with teams of Master Gardeners (MG), coordinators, and agents to enhance coordinators' skills in managing the local VCE MG program, identified areas for enhancement prior to final publication. It showed that coordinators are using the manual. They are adapting the suggestions and samples to fit their local programs despite the fact that more planning time is often required. Use of the manual has also resulted in increased understanding of VCE goals and the role of the MG by MG volunteers, coordinators, and other paid VCE staff; a slight increase in leadership skills of MGs; and increasing interest and demand for information on training MG to design and implement strong educational horticulture programs for Virginia communities. An assessment of current MG management practices in Virginia measured the adoption of new VCE MG volunteer management guidelines. Results indicated that the MG management practices among local VCE MG coordinators have changed to that of a more professional, long-term relationship that is committed to nurturing the volunteer, the MG program, and VCE educational programming. These changes were noted in areas of volunteer management, such as the role of the local coordinator, use of job descriptions, recruitment, volunteer evaluation, public relations, reporting and record keeping, and retention of volunteers. Although the improvements in management practices were slight, they were encouraging and they indicate areas where state MG management must provide additional training and support to local coordinators. Annual assessment of local MG program management practices will continue to document the progress of local coordinators and determine necessary changes and training needed to achieve more professional, well-managed MG programs. / Master of Science

This study of cooperative learning in post-secondary engineering education investigated achievement of engineering students enrolled in two intact sections of a computer-aided drafting (CAD) course. Quasi-experimental and qualitative methods were employed in comparing student achievement resulting from out-of-class cooperative and individualistic learning structures. The research design was a counterbalanced, repeated measures, nonequivalent control group design. During the first half of the semester, one course section served as the experimental group (cooperative learning) and the other section served as the control group (individualistic learning). During the second half of the semester, the treatment and control conditions were switched to the other section. Data collection involved a pretest, a mid-term exam, a final exam, weekly homework drawing grades, an introductory demographic survey, weekly peer reviews, and interviews. The data analyses showed that the differences between the treatment and control group means on the mid-term and final exams were not significant. However, the treatment group means on the weekly homework drawings were significantly higher than those for the control group in each half of the semester. The data revealed main effects of race, prior experience, time of achievement test administration, and prerequisite grade. A post-hoc analysis did not show significant differences among the various levels of prerequisite grade. Also, there were first-order interactions for gender-by-time, experience-by-time, method-by-time for the year as engineering major demographic variable, and method-by-academic year. Qualitative data revealed that most participants had positive group experiences, more participants preferred working in cooperative groups during more difficult activities than introductory material, academically stronger participants might have "carried" weaker participants in the cooperative groups, and there were times identified for cooperative group work during which groups did not work cooperatively. Based upon the findings in this study, one might reasonably conclude that cooperative and individualistic learning structures result in approximately equal student achievement. Thus, when deciding on the use of one learning structure over the other, instructors might focus on which approach seems more appropriate/practical for a particular instructional activity. / Ph. D.

No / Decisions on settlement location in the face of climate change and coastal inundation may have resulted in success, survival or even catastrophic failure for early settlers in many parts of the world. In this study, we investigate various questions related to how individuals respond to a palaeoenvironmental simulation, on an interactive tabletop device where participants have the opportunity to build a settlement on a coastal landscape, balancing safety, and access to resources, including sea and terrestrial foodstuffs, while taking into consideration the threat of rising sea levels. The results of the study were analyzed to consider whether decisions on settlement were predicated to be near to locations where previous structures were located, stigmergically, and whether later settler choice would fare better, and score higher, as time progressed. The proximity of settlements was investigated and the reasons for clustering were considered. The interactive simulation was exhibited to thousands of visitors at the 2012 Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition at the “Europe's Lost World” exhibit. 347 participants contributed to the simulation, providing a sufficiently large sample of data for analysis.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1965 E63 / Master of Science