Thesis (M.S.M.)--Regis University, Denver, Colo., 2006. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Feb. 20, 2007). Includes bibliographical references.

Product differentiation is a key feature of modern economies. Although its relevance had already been recognized in the XIX century, it is only in the last forty years that a formal treatment has been developed. The 'address approach' distinguishes between horizontal and vertical product differentiation; in the former, consumers do not agree on the quality ranking of commodities, while in the second they do. The first three chapters of this thesis deal with vertical product differentiation in an imperfectly competitive framework. In particular, the first two essays take into account the empirical evidence concerning labor requirements in the production of vertically differentiated goods in order to model labor and product markets in an upstream-downstream relation to each other. The main assumption is that higher variants of vertically differentiated commodities require highly-skilled labor. This allows to study the links between labor markets and vertically differentiated products markets, their equilibrium implications and issues of trade liberalization. The third chapter explores another side of vertical product differentiation, namely the time-to-market of vertically differentiated goods. This interval, which corresponds to the lapse of time for a product to reach the market, is studied under the assumption that firms can make it shorter through costly investments. The analysis compares firms' choices as a function of the parameters characterizing products and technologies and of market structure. The last chapter develops a general equilibrium model with imperfect competition. The concept of monopoly equilibrium is applied to a Ricardian economy in order to study the emergence of trade in that framework.

Self-modeling (SM) involves an observer viewing oneself on an edited video showing desired behaviors (Dowrick, & Dove, 1990). The impact of a SM video on skill acquisition has been frequently explored (e.g., Clark & Ste-Marie, 2006), however, few researchers have investigated SM in competition (Ste-Marie, Rymal, Vertes, & Martini, 2009). Also of limited study has been the underlying self-regulatory mechanisms engaged in alongside a SM video (e.g., Rymal, Martini, & Ste-Marie, 2010). To date, research has not investigated the effects of SM on gymnasts competitive bar performance or how it is used to self-regulate, nor whether SM increases self-regulation. Thus, the purpose here was to investigate the effects of a SM video on gymnasts’ physical performance and self-regulation. Of further interest was to explore the combination of SM and psychological skills training (PST) on competitive performance. Eighteen gymnasts were divided into two groups; SM+PST (n = 10) and SM (n =8). The SM+PST group took part in workshops one month prior to the competitions wherein links between SM and psychological skills were made. The SM group did not do the workshops. Gymnasts competed at four competitions; two received the SM video and two did not. For the video competitions, participants viewed their video three times prior to warm-up and once before competing. After one video competition and one competition that gymnasts did not receive the video, interview sessions were conducted with ten gymnasts. The results of the physical performance data did not show any significant group or condition main effects (all F’s < 1). Imagery ability, however, was a moderating variable. Gymnasts low in visual imagery ability benefitted from the use of the self-modeling video later in the season F(1, 16) = 5.976, p = .026, η2 = .27, (1 – β) = .63, but not early in the season. Through the qualitative analysis of interview questions, it can be said that gymnasts used the SM video as a task analysis strategy before, during, and after their competitive event. Analysis of transcripts also suggested that the SM video encouraged the use of certain self-regulatory processes and beliefs related to the forethought (i.e., before) and self-reflection (i.e., after) phases above and beyond that typically used when competing.

The purpose of this research was to explore the perceptions of employers, teachers and graduates of the Oregon Carl Perkins Single Parent/Displaced Homemaker Programs regarding non-technical employment qualities. The Luft "Non-Technical Employment Qualities Survey Instrument" and open-ended questions were used to elicit personal responses from members of each group for the purpose of comparing the results. The research questions addressed the perceived rankings of non-technical employment qualities, the extent to which programs were perceived to have addressed these nontechnical employment qualities, the extent to which graduates were perceived to possess these non-technical employment qualities, the extent to which graduates were perceived to seek and receive feedback regarding these non-technical employment qualities, the specific non-technical employment qualities that were perceived as essential prior to entering the workforce, the perceptions as to why employees were terminated and the perceived reasons why graduates left employment. The findings concluded that the respondent populations were in general agreement as to their perceptions. Employers and teachers agreed more frequently regarding their perceptions as to the extent graduates possessed these non-technical employment qualities and the extent to which graduates sought and received feedback. Graduates agreed more frequently with the employers as to their rankings of the qualities needed, but there was great disagreement between graduates, and their employers as to the number of qualities possessed and the amount of feedback sought. Employers and teachers disagreed more frequently in their rankings as to which qualities were the most important. The principle implication of this research for education with regard to these populations is that a close relationship between employers and the instructors preparing graduates for employment is imperative. The principle research recommendation entails further inquiry into the specific behaviors that demonstrate the possession of these skills and that would prevent employment termination. / Graduation date: 1996

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of instruction and use of a study method on scores achieved students in fourth grade compared with scores achieved by students in fourth grade who had not practiced that study method.A total of eighty-three students participated in the study. The subjects were members of four intact fourth grade classes in two separate buildings in a school system in northern Indiana. One intact class in each building was considered to be the comparison group and the other served as the experimental group. There were forty students in the comparison group and forty-three students in the experimental group. Membership in an intact class assigned to a specific teacher was the basis for assignment to the comparison group or to the experimental group. Classes were assigned to the comparison group or to the experimental group on a random basis.A rank was assigned to each student by the classroom teacher on the basis of individual academic performance and capability. Students were ranked in the upper third, middle third or lower third of the class. Four instruments were devised and administered in a counterbalanced pattern. Each student in the study responded to all four instruments through repeated measurements. The instruments were administered at the beginning of the study and at intervals of fourteen school days thereafter. Experimental teachers were provided instruction in the SQ3R Study Method in an inservice presentation prior to the beginning of the study. Following administration of the first measurement, the SQ3R Study Method was initiated with the experimental group. The comparison group did not receive instruction in that method. After fourteen school days, the second measurement was taken and treatment was suspended for fourteen school days. At the end of that period the third measurement was taken and the SQ3R Study Method treatment was resumed with the experimental group. The final measurement was administered on the fortysecond school day.A repeated measures analysis of variance was the statistical treatment applied showing the independent variable sex not to be a factor significantly contributing to differences among scores. A multivariate analysis of variance was applied to independent variables: membership in the experimental or comparison group; student rankings in the upper, middle or lower third of the classroom; and attendance at one of the schools participating in the study.The findings of this study suggest that fourth grade students can profit from instruction in the SQ3R Study Method. The experimental group demonstrated evidence of regular increase in mean scores achieved to a statistically significant degree, but the comparison group did not.

Self-modeling (SM) involves an observer viewing oneself on an edited video showing desired behaviors (Dowrick, & Dove, 1990). The impact of a SM video on skill acquisition has been frequently explored (e.g., Clark & Ste-Marie, 2006), however, few researchers have investigated SM in competition (Ste-Marie, Rymal, Vertes, & Martini, 2009). Also of limited study has been the underlying self-regulatory mechanisms engaged in alongside a SM video (e.g., Rymal, Martini, & Ste-Marie, 2010). To date, research has not investigated the effects of SM on gymnasts competitive bar performance or how it is used to self-regulate, nor whether SM increases self-regulation. Thus, the purpose here was to investigate the effects of a SM video on gymnasts’ physical performance and self-regulation. Of further interest was to explore the combination of SM and psychological skills training (PST) on competitive performance. Eighteen gymnasts were divided into two groups; SM+PST (n = 10) and SM (n =8). The SM+PST group took part in workshops one month prior to the competitions wherein links between SM and psychological skills were made. The SM group did not do the workshops. Gymnasts competed at four competitions; two received the SM video and two did not. For the video competitions, participants viewed their video three times prior to warm-up and once before competing. After one video competition and one competition that gymnasts did not receive the video, interview sessions were conducted with ten gymnasts. The results of the physical performance data did not show any significant group or condition main effects (all F’s < 1). Imagery ability, however, was a moderating variable. Gymnasts low in visual imagery ability benefitted from the use of the self-modeling video later in the season F(1, 16) = 5.976, p = .026, η2 = .27, (1 – β) = .63, but not early in the season. Through the qualitative analysis of interview questions, it can be said that gymnasts used the SM video as a task analysis strategy before, during, and after their competitive event. Analysis of transcripts also suggested that the SM video encouraged the use of certain self-regulatory processes and beliefs related to the forethought (i.e., before) and self-reflection (i.e., after) phases above and beyond that typically used when competing.

No description available.

A growing body of literature has provided evidence of the contribution of various metalinguistic skills to children's English literacy development; however, most of the studies focused on reading outcomes while spelling outcomes have been under-researched. Further, very few studies have been conducted to investigate if the results based on native English speakers can be generalized to speakers of other languages who are learning to read and spell in English. In this study, the simultaneous influence of phonological, morphological and orthographic knowledge that may impact English spelling acquisition, among Chinese students learning English as a foreign language in Grade 8 (n = 339) in mainland China and native English-speaking students in Grade 3 (n = 166) in the United States, was investigated. Measures in English tapping into the three aspects of metalinguistic skills—phonological awareness (PA), morphological awareness (MA) and orthographic awareness (OA)—were administered to both groups. Multi-group structural equation models were used to compare models between the Chinese and the American group. Results showed that 1) the overall model of metalinguistic skills predicting spelling outcome was highly similar between the American and the Chinese groups; 2) metalinguistic skills were correlated and worked in concert to compose the linguistic repertoire construct which concurrently predicted the spelling outcome; 3) MA was the major component, compared to PA and OA, of Linguistic Repertoire (LING) across the two groups. Linguistic repertoire explained 64.1 percent and 40.2 percent of the total variance in the spelling outcome for the American and the Chinese groups, respectively; and 4) the contribution of OA was greater in the Chinese group than it was in the American group, whereas the contribution of PA was greater in the American group than it was in the Chinese group. This study highlights the important contribution of MA to literacy development among both the American students and the Chinese students. It also sheds light on the influence of first language (L1) orthography on English literacy acquisition. That OA contributed more than PA to the LING construct may reflect that the English learners with L1-Chinese background have enhanced visual-orthographic processing skills. This study challenges phase models of literacy development that claim MA only contributes to literacy acquisition late in the process and offers some empirical evidence to support the emerging "linguistic repertoire" theory of literacy development.

The present study was conducted to examine the process of consolidation when learning a difficult bimanual coordination pattern. There are two phenomena associated with the process of consolidation, an enhancement in performance without additional practice and the stabilization observed as resistance to interference from a similar task after acquisition of a novel skill. Both phenomena have been widely examined in sequence skill learning studies. However, few studies have examined the consolidation effect after training of a continuous and rhythmic bimanual coordination pattern. The first goal of this study was to determine if sleep enhances the performance of a minimally trained 1:2 pattern of bimanual coordination in a manner that has been observed with sequencing skills, that is, performance significantly improves after an overnight sleep. A recent study by Buchanan & Wang (in-press) showed that by manipulating the position of a visual-augmented-feedback cursor, either behind or to-the-side of a 1:2 bimanual coordination template, an advantage of the side cursor position was found in the no-feedback retention test after a fifteen-minute break. The second goal was to test whether an overnight sleep may reduce the guidance effect associated with the behind cursor position as reported in Buchanan & Wang (in-press). In the present experiment, the effect of an overnight sleep on learning a 1:2 pattern of bimanual coordination was accessed with six test trials presented immediately (IMM group) or 24 hours (SLEEP group) after 5 minutes of practice. The test trials included three trials with feedback and three trials with feedback removed. For either the IMM or SLEEP group, half of the participants practiced with the behind cursor position and the other half practiced with the side cursor position. The results indicated that the SLEEP group showed an improvement in performance from the acquisition trials to the feedback test trials whereas the IMM group did not. The advantage of the side cursor position at the no-feedback retention test was not evident in the current study. These results are consistent with our two predictions and provide evidence of enhancement in learning a 1:2 pattern bimanual coordination skill.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.