Thesis (M.A.)--Rowan University, 2009. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004. / Supervisor: John Kappelman. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010. / Prepared for: Dept. of Public Policy & Administration. Title from resource description page. Includes bibliographical references. Unavailable until 5/17/2015.

Thesis (M.S.)--Montana State University--Bozeman, 2007. / Typescript. Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Keith Hutchison. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 37-39).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Regis University, Denver, Colo., 2007. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on May 25, 2007). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2007. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xvi, 222 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 219-222).

This study examines an increasingly common distance learning context: where tertiary level and English-medium DE courses are produced, tutored and examined in one country but studied by learners in other countries and who have English as an additional language. Empirical work is drawn from a case-study of agricultural extension officers in disparate parts of Zimbabwe undertaking a professional development course which is produced and mainly tutored in the distant UK. This long-distance cross-cultural writing relationship between academics and students serves as a basis for the examination of difficulties created by taken-for-granted educational practices embedded in the course structure and materials, particularly in relation to language and academic literacy. The study examines contemporary debates around internationalised learning, including cultural and linguistic imperialism and the desirability of locally-produced courses, and provides an insight into black Zimbabwean perspectives on them. It explores a variety of contextual issues including the wider significance of DE in a southern African context, gendered learning patterns, the linguistic repertoire of the students and their academic literacy background. Drawing on grounded theory, discourse analysis, literacy as social practice and genre theories,this overseas research aims to provide the UK course producers with insight into some of the particularities of the Zimbabwean learning context and some of the learning and teaching resources which exists beyond their control and ambit. It is hoped that more multi-faceted image of some of their learners may help course producers consider more closely the differences and commonalities between course participants; it may challenge the normative pedagogy embedded in the course and prompt the producers to consider appropriate responses;it may raise the policy question of how to establish, within an asymmetrical donor-recipient situation, a north-south academic relationship of an emancipatory kind. These aims spring from the conviction that as we move towards globalised educational contexts, dominated by market leaders, significant changes and improvements in educational practice are more likely to come about as a result of an emerging reflexivity on the part of the course producers. Learners and importers of course may not have much influence over such decisions.

Attitudes towards persons with disabilities have been a concern for years. This study examined the attitudes of rehabilitation professionals towards persons with disabilities and toward educational accommodation. The attitudes were examined through the collection and analysis of three components of data. The components were included demographics, intensity of disability contact, and attitudes toward education accommodation.

This study argues that gender is a significant factor to consider in investigations of political opinions and presents evidence of the relevance of gender to support for various issues and in the social construction of opinion. Moreover, it argues that the patterning of women's and men's opinions, and differences in the sources of those opinions, point to a difference in political cultures: a women's political culture and a men's political culture. Using survey evidence gathered at the time of the 1988 Canadian federal election, the study follows three separate investigative paths in an attempt to uncover the existence of distinctive political cultures. The first path investigates gender gaps in opinions at the time of the election and links these findings to earlier work suggesting the existence of a women's agape ethos, their weaker hawkishness, and their weaker support of continentalism. It is shown that controls for women's lower average incomes, their lesser educational attainment, their greater support of feminism, and gender roles do not fully account for differences in women's and men's attitudes. Moreover, evidence is addressed of women's greater religious fundamentalism, which often works in such a fashion on attitudes as to attenuate gender gaps in opinions. The second path investigates the social structure of women's and men's opinions and finds that despite the similarity of opinion on a number of issues, divergence appears in the sources of opinion. The influence of economic self-interest, age cohort, region, social group memberships, religious fundamentalism and feminism are found to vary between women and men across a number of issues. The third and final path elaborates on opinion structure by the investigation of women's and men's belief systems, that is the connections between various opinions and the manner in which these connections are hierarchical. Although women's and men's belief systems are very similar, the positioning of feininist belief differs by gender. For women, regardless of their level of political sophistication, feminism is connected to the most basic ideological belief, economic liberalism. For men, however, ferninism is only connected with ideological belief among the politically sophisticated. The study links this evidence to the existence of a women's political culture and argues that it stems partially from each gender's socialization, but that it is a culture in transition. The weakening of religious belief generally is likely to result in larger gender gaps in opinion in the future. / Arts, Faculty of / Political Science, Department of / Graduate

Thesis advisor: Marina Vasilyeva / Motivated by the underrepresentation of women in math-related majors and occupations, the present dissertation explored the possibility that disparities in frequency of classroom participation—a measure of engagement prone to gender differences—could be partially responsible for gender differences in belonging and identity in math contexts. Via the introduction of a novel psychological construct, class participation confidence threshold, and the adoption of a Regulatory Focus Theory framework, the present work aimed to investigate mechanisms underlying gender differences in math classroom participation, as well as how these disparities might contribute to more distal outcomes.The dissertation consisted of two studies conducted with undergraduate students. Both studies tested a theoretical model that posited potential predictors and outcomes of gender differences in classroom participation. Study 1 (N = 161) was a cross-sectional investigation of students’ participation frequency, reported based on their general experience in current math and social science classes. Study 2 (N = 269) investigated the same associations using a daily diary methodology, including pre- and post-measures of relevant constructs. Results indicated that, when considering opportunities for participation, women participated less than men—both in math and the comparison domain of social science. In addition to less frequent participation, women generally displayed higher stereotype threat susceptibility and confidence thresholds in both domains. Women also demonstrated higher levels of a prevention focus in math compared to social science, while men’s regulatory orientation was similar across domains. With respect to the proposed outcomes of participation (i.e., belonging, identity, and career interest), women exhibited lower levels than men in math and equal or higher levels in social science. Path analyses revealed that students’ regulatory focus predicted their classroom participation and that this relation was mediated by their confidence threshold. Importantly, these results persisted even when controlling for motivational variables traditionally regarded as predictors of classroom participation according to Expectancy-Value Theory. The results suggest that an increased prevention focus in the math domain may lead women to set higher confidence thresholds and participate less frequently. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.