"A broad and comprehensive knowledge of the particular community and school, with the background of culture and personalities, in addition to many other factors, has almost become a necessity to the educator. It is only through the possession of such knowledge that he is able to do the best possible job of educating the children of that community"--Introduction. / "1949"--Cover. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science under Plan II." / Typescript. / Advisor: H. W. Dean, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 42).

This qualitative case study examines academic performance effectiveness (or lack of effectiveness) of a charter school based on the perceptions of the administrator and teachers. This study explores what they perceived to be effective/ineffective, the reasons for this effectiveness/ineffectiveness, and the solutions to any identified challenges/problems at their charter school as they relate to students' academic performance. The participants in the study were from one charter school in a charter school system in North Central Texas. The study utilized surveys and interviews as sources of data that revealed administrator and teacher perception of what they considered to be the strengths and weaknesses of the school, factors accounting for the strengths and weaknesses, and possible solutions to the weaknesses of their charter school as related to students' academic performance. Five perceived strengths were identified to be instruction, curriculum, personnel, mission statement, and parent involvement. Likewise, three perceived weaknesses were identified to be instruction, curriculum, and parent involvement. Recommendations of the study for practitioners included recruitment and employment of preservice teachers from colleges and universities, partnering with alternative certification programs, creating a program of professional development, creating professional learning communities, creating a parent committee, and partnering with local agencies and community businesses. Implications for future research included similar analysis of schools within the same charter school system, analysis of a charter school within another charter school district and replicating this study with the addition of parents.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This study served as a preliminary test of the Sports Team Effectiveness (STE) Model developed by Devine, Lindsey, and Wolfarth in 2017. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which several variables help explain winning in professional basketball. The value of the STE model in predicting the winner of basketball games was compared to already-existing predictors of winning. Archival data from 435 games from the 2016-2017 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA) were examined. Bivariate correlations between each antecedent of team effectiveness and team effectiveness were computed. Secondly, multiple logistic regression was used to examine the extent to which the antecedents predict winning while controlling for the other antecedents. Finally, hierarchical logistic regression was used to examine the extent to which the STE model can predict the winner of the game above and beyond game location and opposition quality. The variables of game location, opposition quality, role performance, and number of contested shots taken by the opposing team were significantly related to winning. Overall, the STE model did significantly reduce model error above and beyond game location and opposition quality, giving empirical support to the theoretical model.

Dissertation submitted to the School of Economic & Business Sciences in fulfilment for the requirements of award of the degree: PhD Business Sciences (Human Resources Management) in the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand. / Many organisations claim that Human Resources are their critical resource. However, what is most critical is not merely the human resources but how the Human Resources are managed. Human Resource Management is achieved through practices that the firm implements; these give the firm sustained competitive advantage. Many studies have found positive and significant relationship between HR management and firm performance. Previous studies have also studied reverse causality investigating whether organisational performance affects HR management policies and found significant positive relationship implying that it is good performing organisations that can afford adopting HRM practices. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether organisational performance motivates how employees behave at work in the reverse causality in the agricultural manufacturing firms in Malawi. To achieve this purpose a survey design was adopted using quantitative research strategy. Data were collected from a probability sample of 77 managers and 308 employees totalling 385 participants. Descriptive and inferential statistics using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) were used to analyse and test seven hypotheses. The proposed relationships were tested using a number of statistical methods. Adequate reliability was achieved on all measurement scales. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the content and structure of the measured constructs and were confirmed necessary. Reasonable fit was achieved for all the refined measurement models. A Lisrel based SEM was applied to examine whether the model fitted the data obtained from the sample and test the relationships between latent variables. Consistent with previous research; results of SEM revealed that Human Resource Management (HRM) practices are significant correlates of organisational performance. Further results showed positive relationships between business strategy and HRM practices; HRM practices and organisational performance. Significant negative relationship was found between employee attitudes and employee behaviour and employee behaviour and organisational performance. / TL2019

This study is designed to explore a three dimensional Chinese leadership behavior model - Initiation, Consideration, and Guanxi. The Initiation-Consideration model has dominated leadership behavior research in Western literature (e.g., Yukl 1994), whereas this study recognizes that Guanxi behavior is an important concept in Chinese values and that it should be employed to develop a model of Chinese leadership behavior. This study also examines whether Guanxi is the most frequently exhibited leadership behavior, as perceived by Chinese employees, and how this type of leadership behavior, along with Initiation and Consideration, contributes to leadership effectiveness within the Chinese culture.Data is collected from 166 subordinates at 15 KFC restaurants in Beijing. The empirical data collected demonstrates that Initiation, Consideration, and Guanxi are not distinctive leadership behaviors. Instead, they are highly correlated with each other. Other main findings related to the study's hypotheses are: 1) among Initiation, Consideration, and Guanxi, Initiation is the most frequently used leadership behavior, as perceived by subordinates at those restaurants; and 2) subordinates perceive that all these three forms of leadership behavior are positively related to leadership effectiveness. However, this thesis does not have enough confidence to make any conclusion based on the above findings because of the sample's response bias and a multicollinearity problem in the empirical data. / Master of Science

The COVID-19 pandemic elicited an abrupt uptake of virtual mental health care delivery to attend to an increased demand for mental health services in an efficient way, amid pandemic restrictions. This research study explores the experience of telemental health care delivery among resident and practicing psychiatrists to examine how their care is impacted by virtual delivery and their approaches to assessing the effectiveness of their virtual care. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviewing and thematic analysis to identify significant concepts. It included eight post-graduate year four (PGY4) resident psychiatrists and two practicing psychiatrists. The research findings indicate that elements of mental health care relating to patient information, safety, privacy, and therapeutic alliance are impacted when delivered virtually, and that patient suitability is an important factor for the success of virtual care. Findings also suggest that there exists a gap in both practice and in theory for methods or tools used to assess the effectiveness of telemental health care. Future research will be necessary to 1) adapt existing mental health care assessment tools to account for the nuances of virtual delivery, and 2) to implement in practice policies that ensure virtual care is used only with patients for whom it is suitable.

This dissertation research uses the No Child Left Behind Act to assess two essential performance measure issues, measure development and the use of performance measures to enhance effectiveness. The study specifically explores what impact political party unity, the percentage of certified teachers, the percentage of state NEA members, past performance, per capita income, the percentage of minority students, and spending per pupil have on the level of challenge associated with performance measure development as well as the change in outcome. The level of challenge associated with performance measures is captured in a 6 point performance index. The change in outcome is defined as the change in 8th grade NAEP math and reading results during the life span of the act. The results reveal that the level of difficulty associated with performance measures was significantly related to variables in the model. The change in outcome was also influenced by strength of state performance measures as well as other variables included in the model.

The aim of the investigation was to search the current literature (from April 2005 to December 2012) and determine the effectiveness of orthodontic tooth movement using the Invisalign system. With changes in attachments implemented within the past few years, a more recent appraisal of the available literature is of value. It is expected that this systematic review will provide a more up-to-date understanding of the treatment effects (efficacy in tooth movement and stability) of the Invisalign system. Additionally, an evaluation of the indications and case selection using Invisalign will be conducted A computerized search was conducted using PubMed, Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) Reviews Database (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews), Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Science Direct, and Thomsen's ISI Web of Science. Inclusion criteria that were to be satisfied by the literature search results were publications in English and human clinical trials. Studies not pertaining to the question of clinical effectiveness of Invisalign were selected for exclusion. Case reports, book chapters, and review papers were considered separately for analysis and contribution to the general information gathering in the systematic review. Book chapters were excluded. Quality assessment was performed on the studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The quality and design of the study was considered. Of the studies that passed the quality assessment stage, a thorough evaluation was completed. Summaries of the included articles were prepared and information regarding study design, subjects, treatment times, and outcomes were organized in tabulated form. Appraisal of the included studies was performed using the 2010 CONSORT statement and 2009 ADA Clinical Recommendations Handbook. Overall, of the 271 studies reviewed (Stage I), 23 were selected for further review (Stage II). Ultimately, 10 studies were included in the systematic review (Stage III). In summary, after thorough analysis of the studies, it has been shown that Invisalign is an effective appliance for minor space closure, lingual constriction, and correction of anterior rotations and marginal ridge height discrepancies. However, Invisalign lacks the ability to correct anteroposterior discrepancies, occlusal contacts, extrusion, and rotations greater than 15 degrees. While the achieved and predicted tooth movement discrepancy was very minimal, it was found that overbite must be overcorrected. / Oral Biology

Background: Copula methods have been proposed as a way of modeling dependence between random variables because it lies in the flexibility of the assumption on marginals. As previous authors stated, "A copula is a function which joins or “couples” a multivariate distribution function to its one-dimensional marginal distribution functions. Given that cost and effectiveness are often related to each other and therefore they show statistical dependence, the use of copulas to handle uncertainty caused by sampling variation could be potentially useful when cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) are performed using patient-level data. The objective of this study was to empirically compare various copula distributions with two traditional methods, namely, the bootstrapping approach and the Bayesian approach assuming that incremental cost and LYs gained are bivariate normally distributed. Methods: The patient-level data from a previously published observational study were analyzed using four copula distributions: independent, Farlie-Gumbel-Morgenstern (FGM), Frank and Clayton copulas. Using the results from the traditional methods previously published, models were compared in terms of incremental cost, incremental life years (LYs) gained and the cost-effectiveness acceptability curves (CEACs) based on the net monetary benefit (NMB). Results: Using the traditional methods provided similar results. The most pronounced impact was the improvement in precision given that the confidence intervals were so much narrower for the copulas methods in comparison to the traditional methods. Consequently, the probability of being optimal derived from the Frank and Clayton copulas were close to 1.0 at a willingness to pay (𝜆) of CA$20,000. By contrast, the traditional methods were optimal for a 𝜆 of $100,000 CAD. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstreate the potential impact and importance of copulas in patient-level cost-effectiveness analysis. This approach could be particularly important in those situations where the data suggests some kind of dependence and some restrictions on the marginals, as observed in our case study. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

The question of advisory group effectiveness continues to be a topic for discussion and research. As these groups have been organized to study and give recommendations on a diversity of issues, questions have arisen in relationship to their ability to impact educational decision making. The purpose of this research was to examine the perceptions of effectiveness held by members of a Citizen Advisory Committee and by members of a school board in relationship to the committee's ability to complete tasks as requested by the school board. Data were gathered from members of the Citizen Advisory Committee and the school board through the use of a questionnaire and individual interviews. Data analysis revealed concerns in relationship to the clarity and number of tasks assigned by the school board, membership on the committee, feedback from the school board, and the future of the advisory committee. In conclusion, citizen advisory councils can be an effective avenue to involve the community in the operation of schools when given appropriate education and support. / Ed. D.