Access to abstract restricted until 12/14/2014 / Access to thesis restricted until 12/14/2014 / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

Research studies indicated that teachers' sense of self-efficacy is a multidimensional construct related to teachers' beliefs about teaching, their ability to teach, and their students' ability to learn. This study described the change in a cohort of graduate preservice elementary teachers' sense of efficacy as they progressed through a four quarter Master of Arts in Teaching degree program. Forty-nine subjects were administered the Teacher Efficacy Scale (Gibson and Dembo,1984) at four selected times during their program. Subjects' sense of efficacy was compared to the independent variables of age, years since completion of the baccalaureate degree, scores on the General Knowledge and Communication Skills components of the National Teacher Examination (NTE), and baccalaureate degree major. Data were factor analyzed. The three factor solution selected suggested that factors one and two represented the teacher's sense of personal teaching efficacy. Factor one represented the teacher's responsibility for positive student outcomes. Factor two represented the teacher's confidence in personal skills and abilities. Factor three represented the teacher's sense of general teaching efficacy. Subjects were divided into three groups based on their baccalaureate degree major. Means and standard deviations of efficacy factors discussed in this study were calculated for each of the three baccalaureate major groups at the June, 1991.; August, 1991; November,1991; and June, 1992 administrations. A summary of correlations (p = ≤ 0.05) was presented with data plots including best fitted lines. Multiple regression analyses indicated no significant interactions between age, and years since completion of the subject's baccalaureate degree, but did indicate that in two predictions, age made the most important contribution. Recommendations for further study and program improvement were presented. / Graduation date: 1993

The purpose of this study is to examine how members of the Oregon State University polo team negotiate aspects of their social identity. Over the course of the 2011-2012 school year, 15 interviews and 30 hours of observations were conducted. From the data, five overarching themes were identified: inclusion as a motivation to join the club, perceived stereotypes associated with polo, levels of self-presentation when discussing identity, hierarchy within the club structure, and the perceived future connection with the social identity as an OSU polo club member. Discussion of the themes include applications to Ting-Toomey's identity negotiation theory and Picket and Brewer's ingroup inclusion and exclusion concepts. This study also provides recommendations based on the findings in order to promote competent identity negotiation amongst the members. / Graduation date: 2013

The graduate student experience varies for each individual. While some graduate students decide to continue school after being away from some time, others continue with their studies immediately following the completion of their Bachelor's degree. This decision to continue one's education can be difficult and may require further assistance from the student's peers, faculty members, and student services entities. While the undergraduate student transition has been studied extensively, the graduate student transition has not been studied in as much depth. It was the intent of the researchers conducting this study to research the graduate student experience as it pertains to the graduate student transition at Oregon State University. This research was conducted using a web-based survey which was sent to academic department heads with a letter of recommendation from the Dean of the Graduate School asking them to forward this survey onto their graduate student list-serves. The survey asked students a variety of questions about their overall experience, their relationship with their major professor, their satisfaction levels with services available to them, and also included a few open-ended questions that allowed students to expand on their comments. Approximately 12.6% of the students who received the survey responded and there was about a 5.8% response rate of the entire graduate student population. Although there was a wealth of information gained from the responses, no statistical analysis was conducted nor was a statistical significance determined. The results indicated that a majority of students in most cases were either satisfied or very satisfied with their experiences at Oregon State University. / Graduation date: 2004

This dissertation is situated as the third work in a series on academic women. In 1964, Jessie Bernard published Academic Women, which provided a comprehensive assessment of the status of women in academia. Two decades later, in 1987, Angela Simeone offered insight into attempts to achieve equity for women in higher education in her book Academic Women: Workings Towards Equality. Now, at the next twenty-five year interval, this dissertation continues the scholarly engagement with questions about academic women. Drawing primarily on in-depth interviews with academic women (n = 35), this dissertation is more than a status update. The research presented here furthers the discussion by recognizing the limitations to the use of "academic women" as an all-encompassing category, and it offers a more nuanced approach to understanding their experiences in academia. Drawing on both the individual strategies of women and the organizational structure of the university this dissertation offers a new framework for assessing the various ways in which academic women navigate academic organizations. Additionally, lessons and practices are featured as recommendations and resources for both academic women and academic organizations. / Graduation date: 2013

Graduation date: 2000

Graduation date: 1994

Graduation date: 2006 / The purpose of this study was to explore, from current Native American and Alaskan Native undergraduate students, what their experiences were as first year college students on the Oregon State University campus. In addition, it was important to learn how these experiences contributed to their success, satisfaction or dissatisfaction, and overall quality of life during that first year. To answer these questions a mixed method research approach was used that included an online survey sent only to current, undergraduate, Native students and personal interviews with current, undergraduate, Native students. The online survey and personal interviews gave students an opportunity to disclose the types of experiences and challenges, campus involvement, and overall satisfaction they have had at OSU. Native students identified time management, financial costs, class/educational work, and missing family as major challenges during their first year on campus. Additionally, students identified positive relationships with faculty and/or advisors, having financial resources from tribal governments, the ability to be involved with student groups, and having a Longhouse as reasons for their success during their first year. As a result of these findings institutions can develop and provide intentional and appropriate programming and services to assist Native American and Alaskan Native students during their first year of college.

A combination of theoretical perspectives is used to create a rich description of student reasoning when facing a highly-geometric electricity and magnetism problem in an upper-division active-engagement physics classroom at Oregon State University. Geometric reasoning as students encounter problem situations ranging from familiar to novel is described using van Zee and Manogue's (2010) ethnography of communication. Bing's (2008) epistemic framing model is used to illuminate how students are framing what they are doing and whether or not they see the problem as geometric. Kuo, Hull, Gupta, and Elby's (2010) blending model and Krutetskii's (1976) model of harmonic reasoning are used to illuminate ways students show problem-solving expertise. Sayer and Wittmann's (2008) model is used to show how resource plasticity impacts students' geometric reasoning and the degree to which students accept incorrect results. / Graduation date: 2013

In 2008, the Oregon State TRIGA�� Reactor (OSTR) was converted from highly-enriched uranium (HEU) fuel lifetime improvement plan (FLIP) fuel to low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel. This effort was driven and supported by the Department of Energy's (DoE's) Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors (RERTR) program. The basis behind the RERTR program's ongoing conversion effort is to reduce the nuclear proliferation risk of civilian research and test reactors. The original intent of the HEU FLIP fuel was to provide fuel to research reactors that could be utilized for many years before a necessary refueling cycle. As a research reactor, the OSTR provides irradiation facilities for a variety of applications, such as: activation analysis, fission-track dating, commercial isotope production, neutron radiography, prompt gamma characterization, and many others. In order to accurately perform these research functions, several studies have been conducted on the HEU FLIP fuel core to characterize the neutron spectra in various experimental facilities of the OSTR. As useful as these analyses were, they are no longer valid due to the change in fuel composition and the resulting alteration of core performance characteristics. The purpose of this study is to characterize the neutron spectra in various experimental facilities within the new LEU core so as to provide data that is representative of the OSTR's current state. / Graduation date: 2013