The impact of a precollege intervention, the Junior High Washington Gateway Academy (JHWGA), on early adolescent aspiration and motivation for a college education was measured. JHWGA provided an intensive week of activities in career planning, self-concept improvement, and study skills. Specific research questions were: a) did participation in this program increase career readiness, self-concept, productive study habits, aspiration, and motivation to prepare for college? b) what percent of the variance in aspiration to and motivation for college in early adolescents could be explained by career readiness, self-esteem, and study habits? Using survey research, a questionnaire was developed with five scales (career readiness, self-esteem, study habits, aspiration, and motivation). Questionnaires were sent to 301 West Virginia students in Grade 8 who had been JHWGA applicants in 1996. The 265 (88%) who responded were divided into two groups: a participant group consisting of 104 students who participated in the 1996 program and a comparison group consisting of 161 students who did not attend the 1996 program. T-tests and chi square tests revealed no significant differences between groups. Multiple regressions were performed for the aspiration and motivation variables using career readiness, self concept, and study scales as independent variables. An assumption of normal variance was found to be violated because subjects favored endpoints on Likert scale causing data to be skewed. Career readiness, self-concept, and study habits (using transformation and excluding several outliers) were found to explain 59 percent of the variance in the aspiration model. However, two regressors (study habits and career readiness) were discovered to be highly correlated (r = .66). Only one regressor for the motivation model (study habits) was found to be significant. Data results may have been affected by group differences, group selection, and lack of normal distribution. The two groups being measured were found to be unevenly matched with JHWGA participants having significantly lower grades than the comparison group. Based on this information and the low variance in data collected, results are believed to have been inconclusive regarding the effectiveness of JHWGA. Recommendations for further research are included. / Ph. D.

The effectiveness of a guide training program was evaluated as a means of providing interpretive services to commercial boaters at the New River Gorge National River. Commercial river guides attended a National Park Service sponsored training program which provided accurate information and education concerning natural and cultural history of the New River, the national significance of the New River Gorge National River, the history and purpose of the National Park Service, and information and services available at the visitor centers. The emphasis of the training session was to increase the river guides’ knowledge base and to encourage their interpretive presentation of this information to their customers. Customers of a commercial outfitter were administered a questionnaire before and after the guide training program. Significant differences in the amount of interpretation guides presented on the river, the amount of knowledge customers acquired during the trip, and the customers' overall trip rating were noted by empirical testing. Increases in the means of all three outcome variables occurred following guide training. Customers’ intentions to visit a New River Gorge Visitor Center did not significantly change following guide training. The validity and reliability of the instrument is discussed as well as potential biases and constraints of the study. Implications for management and further research are also discussed. / M.S.

The phenomenon of a single line An architect’s approach to the dissolution of Form and Meaning / Master of Architecture

The (Plethodon nettingi) Cheat Mountain Salamander is a rare and endangered species that relies heavily on (Picea rubens) Red Spruce for habitat. P. rubens communities on the Cheat Mountain range in West Virginia have been disturbed by fires and logging, and regeneration of P. rubens stands are central to the survival of the P. netting. A supervised and unsupervised landscape classification of three Landsat images over the past 26 years was conducted to analyze change in P. rubens communities on Cheat Mountain Range. Change detection results revealed that from 1986-2012 a 52% growth increase of P. rubens stands, 18% loss, and 29% stayed the same over the last 26 years. P. rubens stands are vital habitat to the rare and endangered P. netting and regrowth of P. rubens is vital in restoring the habitat of the salamander on the Cheat Mountain. The regrowth of P. rubens on the Cheat Mountain range is critical to the survival of the P. nettingi. Identifying critical forest as it relates to salamander habitat is essential for conservation efforts. Since not all P. rubens stands are of equal significance to the P. nettingi, it is important to identify and map those that adhere to their stringent habitat needs as defined by forest fragmentation, aspect, slope, and lithology. I used spatial analysis and remote sensing techniques to define critical forest characteristics by applying a forest fragmentation model utilizing morphological image analysis, northeast and southwest aspects, moderate slopes, and limestone lithology. Patches were ranked based on this quantitative model and key P. rubens stands identified using spatial statistics. The results could aid in prioritizing research areas as well as conservation planning in regards to P. rubens and the P. nettingi. In this study, the MaxEnt modeling framework was used to predict habitat suitability for P. rubens under current conditions and under two future climate change scenarios. P. rubens distribution data was acquired from the U.S Geological Survey. Both the IPCC A1B and A2 emission scenarios of the HadCM3 global circulation model were projected to years 2040-2069 and 2070-2099. Results showed that a substantial decline in the suitability of future P. rubens habitat on the Cheat Mountain is likely under both climate change scenarios, particularly at lower elevations. By the end of the century, P. rubens is likely to be extirpated from the Cheat Mountain Range. By the end of century, the A1B and A2 scenarios predict the average habitat suitability for P. rubens on Cheat Mountain will be 0.0002 and 0.00004 respectively. Conservation as well as species migration efforts for P. rubens should be focused on areas such as Cheat Mountain to preserve this vital habitat.

The Department of Special Education at West Virginia University offers an online graduate certification and/or degree program in six areas of specialization: (a) Autism Spectrum Disorders; (b) Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education; (c) Gifted Education; (d) Low Vision/Blindness; (e) Multicategorical Special Education; and (f) Severe/Multiple Disabilities. All courses in all program options are offered entirely online, using a combination of live online class sessions from 5-7 pm Eastern Time on alternate weeks plus multimedia content modules and other learning activities available on demand with scheduled due dates across the semester. Field and clinical experiences are arranged in the students’ home communities, with on-site supervision by local personnel and online supervision by university faculty. Students do not need to come to campus for any part of the program; they apply for admission, register, take courses, complete field and clinical experiences, seek advising, and apply for graduation online and can even participate in the graduation ceremony through a live webcast. Although this program was designed to serve prospective and practicing teachers throughout the state of West Virginia, it also enrolls students from many other states and several international locations.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Youngstown, Ohio was devastated by the closing of three major steel mills in three years: In all, more than 15,000 steelworkers and another 35,000 in related industries lost jobs in this period. The purpose of this thesis is to study the response of the local nonprofit sector to the closing of the Campbell Works, a mill located just outside the city of Youngstown that employed approximately 4,100. The activities of traditional nonprofit organizations are briefly reviewed; however, much of this study focuses on the story of the Ecumenical Coalition of the Mahoning Valley, a diverse group of religious leaders whose mission evolved into a campaign to garner the resources necessary to purchase the Campbell Works and reopen it as an employee-owned company. Additional analysis is made of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Weirton, West Virginia; two nearby steel centers that faced similar economic downturns in the 1980s and used the lessons learned from the Ecumenical Coalition. The final chapter of this thesis examines the work of two researchers, Vaughn Grisham, Jr. and Richard Cuoto, and their work studying Tupelo, Mississippi and Appalachia, respectively. In these works, we see cities and regions laid bare by stark economic conditions and the collective action taken by a wide variety of constituencies to not only survive but to thrive.

Despite technological advances in public health informatics, the evaluation of infectious disease surveillance systems data remains incomplete. In this study, a thorough evaluation was performed of the West Virginia Electronic Disease Surveillance System (WVEDSS, 2007-2010) and the West Virginia Electronic Disease Surveillance System NationalEDSS -Based System (WVEDSS-NBS; March 2012 - March 2014) for Category II infectious diseases in West Virginia. The purpose was to identify key areas in the surveillance system process from disease diagnosis to disease prevention that need improvement. Grounded in the diffusion of innovation theory, a quasi-experimental, interrupted, time-series design was used to evaluate the 2 data sets. Research questions examined differences in mean reporting time, the 24-hour standard, and comparison of complete fields (DOB, gender etc.) of the data sets using independent samples t tests. The study found (a) that the mean reporting times were shorter for WVEDSS compared to WVEDSS-NBS (p < .05) for all vaccine-preventable infectious diseases (VPID) in Category II except for mumps; (b) that the 24-hour standard was not met for WVEDSS compared to WVEDSS-NBS (p < .05) for all VPID in Category II except for mumps, and (c) that most fields were complete for WVEDSS compared to WVEDSS-NBS (p < .05) for all VPID in Category II except for meningococcal disease. Healthcare professionals in the state can use the results of this research to improve the system attributes of timeliness and completeness. Implications for positive social change included improved access to public health data to better understand health disparities, which, in turn could reduce morbidity and mortality within the population.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This paper examines the history that influences the rate at which female justices are elected and appointed to state supreme courts. There are different variables like judicial campaign activity, limited pool, role expectations of women and advocacy that influence the selection process. I pick the states with the earliest history of selecting female justices (Ohio and New Mexico) and the states that selected female justices last (South Dakota and West Virginia) to address some of the variables mentioned above that have influenced the use of feminist jurisprudence on the bench. After selection, I examine if it is possible for said judges to use feminist theories (like liberal feminist theory) in decision-making processes on the bench. Specifically, can we, in fact use feminist theory to understand the decision making of female state Supreme Court justices? For the most part, I find that we can imply that they do and are additionally interested in creating policy and programs based on the decisions made. Does this change with political party affiliation, race and sexual orientation of the female judges? I determine that more research needs to be conducted in this area on the courts of last resort at both the federal and state level.

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