Social psychologists believe that attitudes occur both implicitly and explicitly suggesting that people can think, feel, and behave in ways that are counter to their outward views. Researchers within the field of instructional technology have proposed treatments for explicit attitude manipulation within an instructional situation but have yet to implement strategies that encompass implicit attitudes. Researchers from both fields concur that attitudes are malleable and can be manipulated with appropriate intervention strategies (Bertrand et al., 2005; Dasgupta & Greenwald, 2001; Dick & Carey, 1996; Gagné, Briggs, & Wager, 1988; Kamradt & Kamradt, 1999; Krathwohl, Bloom, & Masia, 1964). The purpose of this study was to investigate  the effectiveness of instructional design strategies intended to influence implicit and explicit attitudes in the direction of a  target attitude. The predominant strategies for attitude manipulation prescribed in the instructional design and technology literature were combined and adapted for online delivery. In addition, proven strategies from social psychology research were integrated into the existing instructional design strategies for implicit attitude manipulation. The independent variable for this experimental study consisted of the prescribed instructional strategies for influencing both implicit and explicit attitudes. For the purpose of this study, the attitude that the instruction was designed to address was the reduction of biased-based policing, thus, the dependent variables were implicit attitudes as measured by the Race Implicit Association Test (IAT), and explicit attitudes as measured by the Symbolic Racism Test 2000 (SR2K). Fifty volunteers were randomly assigned to one of two instructional modules. One module served as a control for 25 of the participants. The second module served as a treatment for the remaining 25 participants. The treatment was based on the incorporation of the recommended strategies for attitudinal instruction found in the literature. Implicit attitude assessment revealed that there was no statistically significant difference between the control and treatment groups as measured by the Race Implicit Association Test (Race IAT). Furthermore, explicit attitude assessment also revealed that that there was no statistically significant difference between the control and treatment groups as measured by the Symbolic Racism Test 2000 (SR2K). However, there were several limitations that may have affected the study. As a result, we still do not know for certain how the incorporation of attitudinal strategies within web-based instruction influence implicit and explicit attitudes. / Ph. D.

The following study aimed to understand pure wayfinding search strategies and identify the most efficient strategy when discovering a new environment. Participants performed one drive in a simulated city environment within a driving simulation lab. Their objective was to locate a target within the city, without any navigational aids (maps, GPS, etc.). Efficiency measures, such as number of road segments covered between origin and target, were evaluated. Experience and gender were also analyzed. There was a significant difference of efficiency between search strategies. Experience did not impact a driver’s efficiency. The knowledge from this study can be used in city planning of high tourist areas or major facilities.

This dissertation assesses the importance of a specific debt instrument, the Certifi- cate of Obligation in the state of Texas. It conceptualizes the Certificate of Obligation as a type of contractual debt that enables local governments to finance their capital projects. This dissertation is guided by three research questions: (1) What are the various types of debt instruments employed by local governments and what are their relative advantages? (2) How prevalent is the use of a specific debt instrument such as Certificates of Obligation? And why would some local governments prefer to issue them while others do not? (3) To what extent does the local institutional environment, e.g., the executive authority of city managers in the council-manager form of government, affect debt financing behaviors of local governments? To examine the first research question, we created a typology to represent four ideal types of borrowing methods: (1) Contractual Debt, (2) Voter Approval/Special Tax Debt, (3) Guaranteed, and (4) Non-Guaranteed Debts. The typology examines whether or not the state mandates the referendum requirement for the use of each of these debt instruments, and at the same time determines whether each debt instrument is secured by multiple or single revenue sources. Using data we collected among municipal governments in Texas, we conducted two empirical analyses. The first analysis tests the hypothesis that Certificates of Obligation have higher borrowing costs compared to GO bonds, since a GO bond is often issued under the pledge of the bond issuers’ full-faith credit and taxing authority. We employed a two-stage least square analysis to test the general proposition in the state of Texas. Based on 741 Certificates of Obligation and GO bonds issued between 2008 and 2011, our analyses show that Certificates of Obligation are likely to incur True Interest Costs (TIC) similar to those of GO bonds. The second analysis explores factors explaining the use of Certificates of Obligation in 225 Texas charter cities. Based on Heckman’s two-stage, we found that a local government’s decision to issue Certificates of Obligation to be partly explained by the characteristics of local population, i.e., median household income, population growth, and the percentage of senior citizens living in the jurisdiction. In the case of GO bonds, we found that population size, property tax rate, debt burden, and the percentage of population with at least a college education, to be an important determinant of GO bonds. The volume of GO issuance by local governments was also related to the level of regional competition, i.e., government density. Additionally, we found that local political institutions matter and that they affect debt financing behaviors of local governments.

This study was designed to investigate practical and effective methods of increasing reading compliance, reading comprehension, and metacognitive reading strategies in the college classroom. Participants were recruited from Delta State University, a small university located in Cleveland, MS. There were 148 students who completed the study. 50% of these participants were Caucasian and 42% were African American. The average age of the participant was 20.0 years of age. Students were primarily freshman and sophomore undergraduate students taking a Psychology course. The following instruments were used during the course of this study: The Nelson Denny Reading Test, The College Textbook Questionnaire, The Survey of Reading Compliance (pretest and posttest), two teacher-made comprehension tests, and the Metacognitive Reading Strategies Questionnaire (pretest and posttest). The independent variables in this study were the threat of the Monte Carlo quiz and the availability of the Reader’s Guide. Dependent variables included the scores from the Survey of Reading Compliance (pretest and posttest), scores from the comprehension (pretest and posttest), and scores from the Metacognitive Reading Strategies (pretest and posttest). Results from this study suggested that the majority of college undergraduates reported reading their course textbook 2 hours or less per week. According to the results from the Nelson Denny Reading Test, undergraduates scored relatively high on comprehension. However, performance on the teacher-made comprehension tests based on textbook material was very low. The Metacognitive Reading Strategies Questionnaire suggested that undergraduates are utilizing some basic metacognitive reading strategies, but do not use more sophisticated strategies. The threat of the Monte Carlo quiz had no statistically significant effect on reading compliance, comprehension, or metacognitive reading strategies. The Reader’s Guide did not have a statistically significant effect on reading compliance or comprehension. However, students exposed to the Reader’s Guide experienced a statistically significant increase in the use of metacognitive strategies.

本研究旨在探討台灣高中學生學習英語字彙時所使用之學習策略，除了解各種不同字彙學習策略的使用頻率情形，找出較常和較少使用之字彙學習策略，探求字彙學習策略的使用和字彙成就表現的關係外，並找出字彙成就高者和字彙成就低者對學習策略使用之不同處，藉此，俾能提供老師有效教學及學生有效學習字彙之依據。 本研究以271位高三學生為調查對象，研究工具為字彙學習策略問卷和字彙測驗。分析方法主要採量化分析，包括描述性統計、皮爾遜積差相關分析及獨立樣本t檢定。 本研究結果如下：(一)最常使用的是認知策略，最少使用的是社會策略。(二)學生偏愛機械記憶或與拼字及發音有關之策略。(三)學生的策略使用和其字彙成就表現有明顯相關。(四)字彙學習成就較高者與字彙成就學習較低者在策略使用上亦有明顯差異。高字彙學習成就者較喜重複念誦記憶單字的策略，並傾向於有上下文的情境中學習單字；低字彙學習成就者偏愛重複書寫的策略，並傾向學習孤立的單字。 / This study investigated the vocabulary learning strategies used by senior high students in Taiwan. The aim was (a) to investigate the frequencies of different vocabulary learning strategies use; (b) to find out the most and the least frequently used strategies; (c) to explore the relationship between strategy use and vocabulary size; and (d) to identify the differences in strategy use between good and poor learners. A total of 271 senior high students in northern Taiwan participated in the study. A vocabulary learning strategies questionnaire and a Vocabulary Levels Test were administered to the participants as instruments. The collected data were analyzed by using SPSS version 10.0, including descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlations, and independent-samples t-tests. The results are summarized as follows. (1) Cognitive strategies were reported as the most frequently used strategies while metacognitive and social strategies the least frequently used strategies. (2) Students favored strategies related to “rote repetition” or “the form of a word.” (3) Students’ strategy use was significantly correlated with their vocabulary size. (4) There was a significant difference in strategy use between good and poor learners. Good learners tended to learn words in context while poor learners tended to learn words in isolation. The findings of the study suggest that teachers should introduce students to a variety of vocabulary learning strategies, especially deep strategies and strategies related to context.

El objetivo general de la investigación es conocer si las estrategias del marketing político funcional de promoción y producto que se utilizaron para las elecciones presidenciales del Perú en el año 2016, tuvieron influencia en la preferencia de los electores entre 18 y 25 años de los NSE B-C en relación a los programas que utilizaron los cinco primeros candidatos políticos. Continuando con la misma línea los objetivos específicos de la investigación se centran en identificar si el uso de los medios tradicionales, redes sociales, imagen del candidato, atractividad y carisma del político inciden en la preferencia de los electores jóvenes antes mencionados. La investigación desarrolla las variables funcionales propias del marketing en un contexto político, resaltando los elementos de promoción y producto. Una vez analizado estas variables y su relación con el marketing político se procede al diseño de instrumentos que comprueben si existe vínculo con la decisión de voto del segmento. De esta forma se empieza a ejecutar herramientas cualitativas y cuantitativas que esclarezcan los objetivos e hipótesis. Entre las conclusiones centrales de la tesis resalta la fácil adaptación de las estrategias funcionales propias del marketing empresarial en el ámbito político. Ya que el producto puede ser graficado por el candidato, la marca representa al nombre del partido político y la promoción se apoya en la teoría comunicativa. Finalmente con respecto a los cinco candidatos se concluye que todos ellos cuentan con ideologías, posturas y propuestas diferentes lo que proporcionó diversas opiniones en el segmento objeto de estudio. / The general objective of the research is to know if the strategies of political marketing linked with promotion and product that will be used for the presidential elections of Peru in 2016, had an influence on the preference of voters between 18 and 25 years of the NSE BC in relation to the programs used by the first five political candidates. Continuing along the same lines, the specific objectives of the research focus on identifying whether the use of traditional media, social networks, candidate image, attractiveness and charisma of the politician affect the preference of the young voters identified above. The research develops the functional variables of marketing in a political context, highlighting the elements of promotion and product. Once these variables and their relationship with political marketing have been analyzed, proceed to the design of instruments that verify whether there is a link with the voting decision of the segment. In this way, qualitative and quantitative tools are used to clarify the objectives and hypotheses. Among the central conclusions of the thesis highlights the easy adaptation of the functional strategies of business marketing in the political field. Since the product can be graphed by the candidate, the brand represents the name of the political party and the promotion is supported by communicative theory. Finally, with respect to the five candidates, it is concluded that they all have different ideologies, positions and proposals, which provides different opinions in the segment under study. / Tesis

Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP) 2007 reading ability item data and contextual data on reading strategies were analyzed to investigate the relationship between self-reported reading strategies and item difficulty. Students who reported using higher- or lower-order strategies were identified through a factor analysis. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether students with the same underlying reading ability but who reported using different reading strategies found the items differentially difficult. Differential item functioning (DIF) analyses identified the items on which students who tended to use higher-order reading strategies excelled, which were selected response items, but students who preferred using lower-order strategies found these items more difficult. The opposite pattern was found for constructed response items. The results of the study suggest that DIF analyses can be used to investigate which reading strategies are related to item difficulty when controlling for students’ level of ability.

Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP) 2007 reading ability item data and contextual data on reading strategies were analyzed to investigate the relationship between self-reported reading strategies and item difficulty. Students who reported using higher- or lower-order strategies were identified through a factor analysis. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether students with the same underlying reading ability but who reported using different reading strategies found the items differentially difficult. Differential item functioning (DIF) analyses identified the items on which students who tended to use higher-order reading strategies excelled, which were selected response items, but students who preferred using lower-order strategies found these items more difficult. The opposite pattern was found for constructed response items. The results of the study suggest that DIF analyses can be used to investigate which reading strategies are related to item difficulty when controlling for students’ level of ability.

Social media have transformed business commerce and consumer communication, yet organizational leaders lack clear strategies for using social media platforms to their advantage. The purpose of this qualitative multicase study was to explore social media marketing strategies for increasing sales. The relationship marketing conceptual framework grounded this study. Data collection included semistructured interviews with 5 organizational leaders from 5 different organizations in the San Francisco, California, Bay Area and a review of participants’ documents including marketing materials, social media posts, and published sales reports. Data analysis included coding, categorization, and identification of major themes. The thematic assessment approach revealed 5 major themes from participants’ responses that aligned with findings from the literature review. Themes included identifying the target audience, developing a customer roadmap to convert prospects to consumers, managing customer relationships to increase brand loyalty, and developing key performance indicators to measure the success of social media campaigns. Study findings may increase local organizational leaders’ knowledge of social media strategies that they can use to increase brand awareness, brand loyalty, and sales for their organizations. Implications for social change include the opportunity for local leaders to increase sales, which could lead to more jobs and improved economies in local communities.

Due to a lack of effective writing strategies and inhibition of English language proficiency, university students in China are found to produce little and shallow content in their English academic writing. Similar problems are also embodied in the academic writing of Chinese overseas students who struggle to survive in the target academic community. The purpose of this study was to investigate the writing processes of second language (L2) writers, specifically examining the writing strategies of three Chinese post-graduate students in an Australian higher education institution. The study was prompted by the paucity of research in the writing strategies used by Chinese students in English academic writing in an authentic context. Although it was too small in scale to generalise in the field of L2 writing, the study will stimulate research in L2 writing theory and practice. Based on a review of theories related to L2 writing and research in Chinese and English writing strategies, the writing strategies used by three Chinese post-graduate students while writing academic papers in English were investigated. Their understandings of English and Chinese writing processes, the issue of transfer of Chinese writing into English writing and cultural influence of native language on L2 writing were explored as well. Qualitative hermeneutic multi-case study methods were employed to provide a richer description of the writing strategies used by the three students to develop a deeper understanding of the L2 writing process. Data were provided by three Chinese post-graduate student writers in Public Health who were observed undertaking different tasks. Ally, a Masters student, was observed completing one of the assignments for a course. Susan and Roger, both doctoral students, were observed working on a second stage proposal and a journal paper respectively. Data collected from semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, retrospective post-writing discussions and papers were categorised and analysed using topical structure analysis and cohesion analysis. The findings suggest that writing in a second language is a complicated idiosyncratic developmental process influenced by cognitive development, social/educational experience, the writer's first language (L1) and second language (L2) proficiency and cultural factors as well. These proficient writers were found to utilise a broad range of writing strategies while writing academic papers in English. This study in some degree supports Silva's (1993) finding that the L2 writing process is strategically, rhetorically, and linguistically different from the L1 writing process. Most of the metacognitve, cognitive, communicative and social/affective strategies except rhetorical strategies (operationally defined in this study as organisation of text or paragraphs) were found to transfer across languages positively. These student writers were noticed to have difficulties in acculturating into the target academic discourse community because of their background of reader-responsibility which is regarded as a crucial feature in Eastern rhetoric and is distinguished from writer-responsibility in English rhetoric (Hinds, 1987, 1990).