It is well known that the efficiency of a photovoltaic (PV) module is strongly impacted by its temperature such that higher temperatures lead to lower energy conversion efficiencies. An accurate measurement of the temperature de-rating effect, therefore, is vital to the correct interpretation of PV module performance under varied environmental conditions. The current work investigates and compares methods for performing measurements of module temperature both in the lab and in field-test environments. A comparison of several temperature measurement devices was made in order to establish the ideal sensor configuration for quantifying module operating temperature. Sensors were also placed in various locations along a string of up to eight photovoltaic modules to examine the variance in operating temperature with position in the string and within a larger array of strings.

This thesis compares the academic and military performance of women with that of men at the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) and U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA). Measures of performance are grade-point average and military proficiency scores. The SAT scores for men and women at the two academies were also compared. The population included the Classes of 1997 through 2003, totaling 1,184 cadets from USCGA and 6,598 midshipmen from USNA. A number of hypotheses were tested quantitatively for all cadets and midshipmen from these classes as well as for those who majored in a technical discipline. The results indicate that women at the two academies generally perform as well or better than do their male counterparts. This was especially true on measures of military proficiency, where women tended to outperform men, particularly those who were enrolled in a technical major. Further research should seek to explain gender differences in performance, given the pressures on women at these institutions and differences in scores on the SAT. Continued study of gender differences is recommended, and examples of possible research are provided. / US Coast Guard (USCG) author.

Cross-cultural factors affect the cognitive processes engaged in by subjects to respond to rating scales. By using a sequential explanatory strategy of mixed-method research design, this study investigates four cultural groups in the software industry (n=92) - Israelis, Latinos, Romanians, and Americans - to investigate cultural effects on the thought processes used by respondents performing selected verbal (ordinal) and numeric (interval) scales. Cluster analysis of the qualitative data identified four main response styles used by subjects – Extremes, Midpoint, Range, and Refiners. While the clusters did not differ in their demographics, when evaluating their cognitive processes against the theory of Tourangeau, Rips, and Rasinski (2000), clusters used different cognitive processes. Specifically, Refiners and Midpoint were more likely to adjust their responses during the Judgment stage before responding. The findings of this research identified that values as acquired through life experience (i.e., leadership position) and demographics (i.e., gender, age, and educational level) rather than basic culture play a key role in the cognitive processes used by subjects to respond to scales. These factors affected scale preference, response style, cognitive processes, and even generated sentiments and emotions. Focusing on cultural values rather than cultural practices is a key need to yield valid survey results. While some of the subjects are oblivious to the cultural effects discussed in this study, those effects have theoretical and practical implications for surveys conducted by multi-national organizations and business leaders. Furthermore, identifying and handling cross-cultural differences described in this study can be used to train leaders in cross-cultural environments.

M.Ed. / The objective of this study was to establish if the cultural factors as an aspect of culturally sensitive feedback are accommodated during assessment. This research has helped to procure teacher opinion as to the extent at which principals are culturally sensitive when giving feedback during assessment. The study showed that lack of awareness of cultural differences between principals and teachers make feedback ineffective and impairs the development of teachers. These differences have some implications for teacher competence and its assessment. Principals need to be culturally sensitive when they give feedback to teachers after assessment. In this way the feedback process will be regarded in a positive light and teachers will see it as a development procedure and not as a tool for pinning them down. The recommendations made in this study may be useful in developing teacher assessment programs that will be effective and also enhance teacher competence in schools countrywide.

The problem with which this investigation is concerned is that of developing a scale for rating a public school superintendent in Texas in terms of his adherence to selected characteristics of administrative leadership. A secondary problem is to verify the hypothesis that very few schools in Texas, if any, use a rating scale to evaluate the performance of the superintendent. The purpose of this study will be to identify a set of administrative leadership characteristics which are accepted by members of Boards of Trustees, professors of educational leadership, and superintendents.

This study is concerned briefly with (1) tracing the evolution of fire insurance and fire insurance rate making; (2) an explanation of the present most prominent rate making systems in the United States; and (3) a detailed analysis of fire insurance rating in Texas.

The problem of this study was to ascertain the relationship between secondary school principals' evaluation of professional behavior patterns of secondary teachers and these teachers' self-descriptions.

The problem of this study is to determine the relationship between attitudes of student teachers and the way these student teachers are perceived by their pupils. A subproblem is the effect of student teaching on these attitudes.

This study is concerned with the problem of determining the competencies which inservice kindergarten teachers and kindergarten-teacher trainers consider most important for teaching kindergarten. There are four purposes of the study: to identify specific competencies needed to teach kindergarten, to determine the teacher competencies considered most important by kindergarten teachers, to determine teacher competencies considered most important by teacher trainers, and to compare the rankings of teacher competencies by kindergarten teachers and kindergarten-teacher trainers.

The study attempted to determine the relationship between student evaluation of instruction and institutional performance ratings with the following predictors: faculty job satisfaction, faculty attitudes toward the evaluation process, faculty attitudes toward factors associated with the evaluation process, and faculty characteristics.