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The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of four variables, principal salary, district wealth, student socioeconomic status, and school size, on the achievement level of public school students in Mississippi. The first, principal salary, was found not to have been studied as a variable that may correlate with student achievement. One may have hypothesized that more effective principals would correlate with increased student achievement test scores and that those principals would have been rewarded with higher salaries. The results of this study did not support that idea. The data indicated that there was no meaningful correlation between highly paid principals and higher student achievement. There was no significant correlation between district wealth and student achievement. This may indicate that Mississippi school funding (MAEP) and federal funding have been effective in aiding low-wealth schools as was intended by lawmakers. There was a significant low positive correlation between school size and student achievement in non-urban elementary schools and a significant very low positive correlation with student achievement in high schools. That places this study in the minority camp of recent research in concluding that larger schools did not correlate with lower achievement. The most significant, meaningful, and important finding of this study was the dramatic impact that student poverty has on student achievement in Mississippi. In urban schools and rural schools, in elementary, middle, and high schools, poorer children scored poorly on their achievement tests. Correlations were significant moderate to high at all levels, with the highest at middle schools with a significant high negative correlation of -.636. The analysis indicates that a decrease in poverty will result in a dramatic increase in student achievement.

Local school board members play a significant role as leaders of public education in the United States. As leaders, local school board members are charged with the responsibility to create an environment within their school districts that enable students to meet rigorous content knowledge and performance standards. The public's expectations of the local school boards have changed considerably in recent years, primarily due to the standards and accountability reform movement. In most states, local school board members are now being held accountable for student achievement based on annual standardized assessments. The increased expectations and scrutiny of local school boards have been accompanied with greater emphasis on preparation and training programs for local school board members. The purpose of this study was to investigate and report states' mandates and requirements for local school board training and to document the characteristics of training activities provided for local school board members across the United States. The design of this quantitative study included two surveys disseminated to two target populations. The first target population was comprised of the executive directors of each state's school boards association. The second target population included local school members who held leadership positions in their school boards association for their respective states. The study was designed to identify which states in the United States: (1) mandate training for local school board members with an enforcement provision; (2) mandate training for local school board members with no enforcement provision; and (3) do not mandate training for local school board members. The study explored whether or not there were differences in the perceptions held by local school board members regarding training pursuant the following variables: (1) length of service on the local school board; (2) education level; (3) gender (4) district size (5) whether the board member was elected or appointed; and (6) whether training in their respective states was mandated, mandated with an enforcement provision, or not mandated. Information was also requested relative to the characteristics of training activities provided for the local school board members. The findings from this study showed that the legal requirements for training of local school board members across the United States have remained relatively unchanged from those reported in previous research studies. There were minimal differences found in local school board members' perceptions about training in states that mandate training (with and without an enforcement provision) and states that do not mandate training. An analysis of data collected through a survey administered to a delimited population of local school board members indicated a preference for training through use of for small-group concurrent sessions. The respondents perceived that small group concurrent sessions was the most effective presentation format for training. Further analysis of data also found that the respondents perceived that regional meetings and school board retreats were effective formats for training. Findings from the study appear to suggest that local school board members participated in training whether it was mandated in their states or not. The findings also seem to imply that more emphasis and attention could be placed on the quality of the training provided for local school board members. / Ed. D.

Yes / Sluggish adoption of emerging electronic government (eGov) applications continues to be a problem across developed and developing countries. This research tested the nine alternative theoretical models of technology adoption in the context of an eGov system using data collected from citizens of four selected districts in the state of Bihar in India. Analysis of the models indicates that their performance is not up to the expected level in terms of path coefficients, variance in behavioural intention, or the fit indices of the models. In response to the underperformance of the alternative theoretical models to explain the adoption of an eGov system, this research develops a unified model of electronic government adoption and tests it using the same data. The results indicate that the proposed research model outperforms all alternative models of technology adoption by explaining 77 % of variance in behavioural intention, with acceptable values of fit indices and significant relationships between each pair of hypothesised factors.

Historic preservation commissions are required to review proposals of infill within historic districts. Often, this process is viewed as something that stifles an architect. What can an architect to do to both comply with the preservationists wishes and fulfill their clients desires to have an innovative new construction? An architect must look past the prescribed ways of satisfying preservation commissions requirements and fully interpret the process. / Master of Architecture

No abstract / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

Stigma is broadly considered as an important obstacle in HIV prevention and treatment. In Mozambique, more PLWHIV have access to treatment than ever. ART increased their QoL and created a new context for stigma production. This cross-sectional study conducted in Northern Mozambique explored a possible association between stigma and QoL. The Berger Stigma Scale and WHOQOL-BREF were used to measure levels of HIV-related stigma and perceived QoL in two groups of PLWHIV receiving ARV, with participation in a HBC programme as the independent variable. The study uncovered a weak to moderate negative correlation between stigma and QoL scores. Statistically significant differences were discovered between the groups’ scores on the Berger Stigma Scale and a higher perceived QoL for PLWHIV in the HBC group on three WHOQOL-BREF subscales and on the overall score. The scores on the social relationships subscale indicated lower perceived QoL for PLWHIV in the HBC group. / Sociology / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

This research focussed on the roles and responsibilities of school principals, School Governing Body chairpersons and finance officers in managing the finances of Section 21 schools to ensure that quality teaching and learning are provided within context. A qualitative investigation was conducted using individual interviewing. This was supplemented by a study of official documents on financial management at the different research sites. A research sample of 33 participants consisting of eleven school principals, eleven School Governing Body chairpersons, and eleven finance officers represented the selected eleven schools. The findings revealed that school principals lack knowledge and understanding of legislation on financial management. All three types of role-players lack capacity to augment school finances, capacity to manage school assets sufficiently, and capacity to comply with prescripts guiding school finance management. Based on the perceptions of participants, guidelines are provided to improve the capacity of the role-players to manage school finances effectively. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Thesis (MAgricAdmin (Agricultural Economics)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / HIV/AIDS has become a major concern globally as it affects different facets of a country’s economy as well as household economics. This study aimed to determine the impact of the disease on household food security. This was done by investigating the impact of the disease on household livelihoods, agricultural production for subsistence purposes and household consumption patterns. The study followed a case study approach, and Bokaa village in Kgatleng district, Botswana was selected as the study area. Data collection was done with the aid of a semi-structured questionnaire in multiple households as well as by gathering information from secondary sources. The study focused on the concept of food security as a theoretical base for the analysis, which was mainly a cross-case analysis. The analysis of individual cases is not presented in this thesis; nonetheless, individual cases are presented as illustrations and as backup for the synthesis. Furthermore, the analysis of food security only focused on calorie availability and not on nutritional quality. The study revealed that the impact of HIV/AIDS varied according to the status in which the household was before the onset of the disease or the subsequent death. Coping strategies also varied, depending on household status and the level of contribution the sick family member made to the household’s food budget. Inter-household effects and gender differentials have been observed during the time of caring for the sick family member. Inter-household effects have also been observed during times of food shortages. A high dependence on government safety nets has also been observed among these households, which contributed to some extent to lack of livelihood diversification. The results of this study reveal the need for empowering households through training for income-generating skills and practise of small-scale home gardening in a more sustainable way. The need for nutrition education was also revealed, in order that traditional and nutritious options can be included in the household food consumption patterns and not only be regarded as an option when preferred foods such as meat are not available.