<p> Teacher retention is a pressing issue for school districts throughout the nation. Attrition, combined with an older teaching population and increasing student enrollment, is causing a teacher shortage (Suell &amp; Piotrowski, 2007). This teacher shortage is exacerbated in low-performing school. Many studies have been conducted to determine why teachers are leaving the classrooms of low-performing schools, but very few have examined the subject of why they are staying. This study attempted to identify teacher demographics and factors that exist in teachers who have five or more years of experience working in a Priority School in Arkansas. The results of the study determined that &ldquo;commitment to making a difference to the students in the community&rdquo;, &ldquo;strong/effective administrative leadership&rdquo;, and &ldquo;relationship among staff&rdquo; to be the most important factors considered when making the decision to stay employed in a Priority School.</p><p>

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the process of remaining a non-smoker used by adolescent females. Grounded theory was used as the research methodology to guide this qualitative study. Through the use of theoretical sampling, data was collected from seventeen female adolescents through audiotaped interviews. The findings of the study revealed that the girls proceeded through a three-phase process in order to remain a non-smoker. The main theme underpinning the entire process was found to be the development of self-confidence. The girls each possessed their own individual degree of self-confidence which enable them to commence the process by first making sense of smoking. Subsequently, the girls proceeded to phase two, rejecting smoking, only after they had decided that smoking served no purpose in their lives. Successfully rejecting smoking enabled two things to happen; 1) self-confidence increased and 2) one became known as a non-smoker. Finally, the girls were able to declare themselves to be nonsmokers, signaling the completion of the process of remaining a non-smoker. Three intervening conditions being busy, having support, and peer pressure to fit in were identified which influenced both the development of self-confidence and the progress of the process of remaining a non-smoker. By studying the experiences of non-smoking female adolescents, the investigator discovered that some girls do implement a process for remaining non-smokers. Interestingly, these girls were quite unaware of the process they were utilizing. This would imply that there may be value in fostering an awareness in adolescents and the people who interact with them that indeed there is a process occurring that empowers teenagers to be successful at remaining smoke-free. By learning more about this process, more adolescents could be prepared for what they may experience and then health care professionals could better support and foster their efforts to proceed on a path of remaining smoke-free. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Nursing, School of / Graduate

The estimation of age is an important aspect in osteoarchaeological analysis. In order to understand people and their fates in past societies, researchers must turn to palaeodemography. Therefore, it is vital that the methods of age estimation, which the foundations of palaeodemographic reconstructions rest upon, are as accurate and reliable as possible. In current Swedish cremation-osteoarchaeology, two methods of age estimation are commonly used: suture closure and relative thickness of the diploë. However, no substantial evaluation of these two methods have been undertaken. This study aims to evaluate the two methods of age estimation of cremated remains, suture closure and relative thickness of the diploë. This was done by testing the two methods on two unburnt populations, Mediaeval city-dwellers from Helgeandsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden, and Middle-Neolithic hunter-gatherers from Ajvide, Gotland, Sweden. Suture closure and proportion of diploë was observed in comparison with age-related changes of the auricular surface of the ilium and the pubic symphysis. Based on the results of the study, possible courses of action were proposed and then applied on cremated remains from a Late Iron Age burial ground on Lovö, Stockholm, Sweden. The results showed significant moderate correlation with age for both methods (0.61 for suture closure and 0.58 for proportion of diploë). However, early stage of suture closure could identify a group consisting of juveniles and young adults, while advanced suture closure could identify a group consisting of middle adults and old adults. These results, which proved to be more reliable than existing methods, can, hopefully, lead to improvements of the assessment of age in cremated remains, and increase our understanding of the fates of people of the past.

Forensic archaeology applies archaeological methods to crime scenes which provides better documentation and a more complete recovery of skeletal remains. It is important to have a recovery protocol for burned vehicle scenarios that will help to recover more skeletal remains and aid in the investigative process. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) remains and pig (Sus scrofa) mandibles were burned in two recycled vehicles. Recovery protocols outlined by previous researchers and screening methods were tested in this study to determine the most effective recovery method to be used in a burned vehicle scenario. Screening methods that were tested include wet screening, dry screening, 1/4-inch mesh, and 1.0 mm mesh screen sizes. A univariate ANOVA test was conducted using the total mass percentages of skeletal remains recovered from each separate screening method. The p value from this statistical test was 0.938 and was not significant. The results demonstrated that no individual screening method was significantly more effective than another screening method even though more skeletal remains were recovered using wet screening and 1.0 mm mesh screen size. The recovery of identified skeletal remains was tested by comparing the total mass percentage of identified skeletal remains recovered between wet and dry screening methods. The p value for this univariate ANOVA test was 0.421. Neither wet or dry screening methods were statistically more effective when recovering identifiable skeletal fragments during the comparative process, but wet screening overall recovered more identifiable skeletal remains. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that recovery protocols used in a burned vehicle scenario include using personal protective equipment to prevent inhaling toxins from the burned vehicles. Further, the vehicle should be split into zones for recovery to facilitate proper documentation of the skeletal remains. The large burned car debris should be removed from above and around the immediate area of the skeletal remains. Larger identifiable skeletal remains should be recovered first, placed in labeled bags, and placed in a container for transportation to the laboratory. Smaller skeletal remains and ash matrix should be recovered using a small soft bristle brush and small make-up brushes, and the ash should be swept into a dust pan for removal from the vehicle. The ash matrix should be placed in a large bucket and covered with a lid when excavation is complete so that the bucket can be safely transported to an area where the remains can be screened. Screening methods should include the use of wet screening and a smaller screen size than 1/4-inch, such as 1/8-inch or 1.0 mm mesh screen sizes.

Coptic is the latest stage of the indigenous Egyptian language written in the Greek alphabet with some additional characters taken from the Demotic script. Due to climatic conditions many manuscripts have survived from Egypt. The bulk of Coptic manuscripts of the 1st millenium A. D. is preserved in fragmentary condition and the remains are scattered – often as single leaves or small groups of leaves – over collections on three continents. So a major aim of scholarly work is the virtual reconstruction of codices. Assigning a fragment to a specific manuscript is often not easy. It’s not only necessary to compare the script for similarities but also to take into account the contents in order to identify the manuscript of origin and the position of the leave therein. In the case of known texts which have been recorded in a manuscript as full texts a mathematical approach can be used to estimate the position of a fragment. Special problems arise with manuscripts of uncertain arrangement, e.g. liturgical codices that do not have one continuous text. They combine texts from the scriptures, hymns, prayers, or lifes of saints. In these cases reliable estimates can only be given by comparing the identified text / texts on a single leave with a representative amount of data: this means collecting and indexing as much known material as possible and arranging it according to liturgical usage. The lecture presents ways of assigning fragments by use of palaeography to known codices. An important tool is the “palaeography data base” developed in the Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung at Münster (INTF) as a base instrument for virtual reconstructions in the Virtual Manuscript Room (VMR) of the INTF. Furthermore, electronic tools will be shown that are a by-product of the lecturer’s PhD for identifying texts, the order of manuscripts as well as for further research.

The pharmaceutical industry has long been regarded as one of the most innovative industries, with ingenious products that have saved millions of lives. However, after the 1980s boom, innovation has stagnated, resulting in a high level of pressure being placed on companies. The people who work with the actual innovative aspect of discovery in these companies are the researchers. The purpose of this study is to examine how these scientists individually perceive innovation as well as setbacks in their work and what is required of them to perform innovatively. In order to find the answer to this, literature studies have been compiled together with interviews with scientists at pharmaceutical companies in the Stockholm and Uppsala region. In the course of the interviews, the main objective was to receive a broad view on how their working conditions from an innovation standpoint. During the interviews, the discussions were based on the researchers’ perspective of innovation, motivation, how they view setbacks as well as their ultimate research dream. From the interviews, I have extrapolated factors which are fundamental considerations for innovative work, both generally and in setback situations. Moreover, how setback situations are perceived, and what is considered to be success. The result from the interviews regarding innovation parameters is consistent with the theory of innovation success. All interviewees reported a significant absence of several of these factors. Above all, the importance of time, the possibility of lateral thinking through spontaneous meetings with colleagues and obstacles created by huge bureaucracy and control. The research staff did not perceive setback situations as actual setbacks but instead they deemed it as an associated factor in their profession. Half of those interviewed expressed no faith in the fact that pursuit of their work would result in a commercialized product that would help people in need.

Presented in the session “Current research in Maya bioarchaeology."

Voluntary employee turnover is damaging to the sustainability of child protective services (CPS) organizations, as 60% of social workers who contemplated leaving their organizations quit during the year of consideration. The purpose of this exploratory case study was to examine the strategies CPS leaders used to reduce voluntary employee turnover and motivate employees. The conceptual framework for this study included the motivational hygiene theory and the behavior engineering model. The target population consisted of 9 CPS leaders from a large metropolitan area in Southern California who had specific knowledge of voluntary employee turnover. Data collection involved face-to-face semistructured interviews, company memoranda, and statistical data reports. The data analysis process included inductive coding of specific word and phrases, word frequency searches, and organizing the data for theme interpretation. Based on the analysis of the data, 4 themes emerged: supportive leadership, effectual communication, teamwork, and training. These themes revealed that these were the necessary ingredients to reduce employee turnover. The findings from this study may contribute to positive social change through improved employee wellbeing from trusting relationships and open communication with managers understanding the factors that contribute to employee motivation, job satisfaction, and reduced employee turnover. Social change also extends from improved collaborative relationships between CPS, community-based organizations, and clientele to build supportive teams that can reduce the incidence of child abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

This qualitative study seeks to identify the situational and cultural influences related to single motherhood among a specific population in South Africa. Through semi-structured interviews and participant observation, this thesis reveals the life stories and experiences of the women utilizing the Salem Baby Care Centre. Hopefully, this contributed to a better understanding of these Xhosa mothers' reasons for remaining single. These single mothers are caught in a cycle of poverty. They often begin having children at a very young age, leading to children with different fathers. This differs from traditional family systems where women and children were protected. Women are often solely responsible for the physical care of their children. Additionally, in recent years AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases have risen drastically. These factors, combined with the poverty of their partners which limits their ability to pay lobula, distrust of men, apartheid, and urbanization, are all explored in this study as reasons for these mothers remaining single.