Examining Middle School Students\u27 Statistical Thinking While Working in a Technological Environment

Examining Middle School Students\u27 Statistical Thinking While Working in a Technological Environment Melissa Arnold Scranton The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how students think in a technological environment. This was accomplished by exploring the differences in the thinking of students while they worked in a technological environment and comparing this to their work in a paper and pencil environment. The software program TinkerPlots: Dynamic Data Exploration (Konold & Miller, 2005), a construction tool that middle school students use for data analysis was the technological environment. In both environments, types of critical, creative, and statistical thinking were characterized. Two research questions were addressed: (i) How does the critical and creative thinking of middle school students using the software program Tinkerplots differ from their thinking while using a traditional paper and pencil format? (ii) How does the statistical thinking of middle school students using the software program Tinkerplots differ from their statistical thinking while using a traditional paper and pencil format? In order to answer the research questions students in grades 6 and 7 engaged in two tasks; one worked using the Tinkerplots software and the other worked using paper and pencil. This study was guided by the interplay of two theoretical perspectives. First, was the use of the technology acting as an intellectual partner with the user, lending itself to the support of cognitive processes (Salomon, 1990). Second, was the concept of a computer functioning as a Mindtool, that is, a computer application that engages students in critical thinking (Jonassen, 2000). The findings of this study indicate that Tinkerplots appears to be a valuable asset in enhancing student\u27s statistical thinking

Spatial, Roadway, and Biotic Factors Associated with Barn Owl (\u3cem\u3eTyto alba\u3c/em\u3e) Mortality and Characteristics of Mortality Hotspots Along Interstates 84 and 86 in Idaho

One of the world’s highest roadway mortality rates for barn owls (Tyto alba) occurs along Interstate 84/86 (I-84/86) in southern Idaho. Although mortality occurs in numerous portions of the I-84/86 corridor, there are segments where relatively much higher numbers of owls are killed (in total comprising \u3e20% of the corridor total, hereafter “hotspots”). My objectives were to 1) identify areas of greatest mortality (hotspots), 2) understand the spatial, roadway, and biotic factors potentially contributing to barn owl-vehicle collisions and 3) assess how mortality hotspots have changed over time. If factors contributing to barn owl mortality along highways can be identified, it may be possible to find ways to reduce barn owl-vehicle collisions in this region. To do so, I conducted road surveys to identify locations of barn owl-vehicle collisions, and quantified spatial, roadway, and biotic factors along the focal highway to examine how they related to patterns of barn owl roadway mortality. I also quantified mortality hotspots to examine temporal and spatial changes between a previous survey in 2004-2006 and this study in 2013-2015. Standardized road kill surveys conducted by Than Boves from 2004 to 2006 located 812 dead barn owls. Between 2013 and 2015, I located another 550 dead barn owls. I characterized nine spatial, 19 roadway, and nine biotic variables that may potentially affect barn owl roadway mortality using squares of 1-, 3-, and 5-km lengths centered on 120 randomly selected sites along the I-84/86 corridor. I evaluated variables at each of the three scales in relation to the number of dead barn owls counted along 1- and 5-km highway segments to determine their respective best scales (either 1-, 3-, or 5-km) using Akaike Information Criterion (AICC). This approach produced two sets of models: the 1-km highway segment model set and the 5-km highway segment model set. The final variable set included 14 variables for both the 1- and 5-km model sets. I assessed the potential effects of all possible combinations of these variables within each set (spatial, roadway, and biotic) on number of dead barn owls in 1- and 5-km highway segments using Generalized Linear Models within an AICC information theoretic model selection framework and combined the variables from the top models in each variable set into a final set in which I assessed all possible combinations (a total of eight variables for the 1-km set and seven variables for the 5-km set). I averaged the variables into a final model for the 1-km set, whereas model averaging was not necessary for the 5-km set. One of the variables in the final 1-km model (width of the median) was further analyzed to determine its potential correlation with percent land cover type. In the final 1-km model set, percentage human structures, cumulative length of secondary roads (length of all roads other than I-84/86), and width of median had an inverse relationship with the number of dead barn owls/1-km segment/survey. Percent land cover type varied with the width of the median in that the median was generally wider when the highway was surrounded by shrubs (rs = 0.30, p = 0.0008) and narrower when surrounded by crops (rs= -0.24, p = 0.009). The number of dead barn owls/1-km segment/survey increased with commercial average annual daily traffic (CAADT), small mammal abundance index, and when the plant cover type in the roadside verge was grass. The final model for the 5-km model set included percentage of crops in which the number of dead barn owls/5-km segment/survey increased as the percentage of crops increased. Barn owls are associated with agricultural lands and thus less likely to occur in areas with high percentages of human structures, secondary roads, and when the median is wide in shrublands. Barn owl carcasses increased with higher small mammal abundance index values as well as when there was grass in the verges. Furthermore, the small mammal abundance index was greater in grass versus mixed shrub verges (Wilcoxon rank sum test: eastbound verge, W = 1507, p = 0.01; westbound verge, W = 2255, p I evaluated temporal and spatial changes in hotspots between survey periods using point density estimation and KDE+. Additionally, of the 120 randomly selected sites, I calculated which fell within an area delineated as a hotspot and which did not as defined by the point density estimation analysis. I compared characteristics of the two types of sites (hotspot and non-hotspot) for the 14 spatial, roadway, and biotic variables selected for final modeling. The area between Bliss and Hazelton was the section of I-84/86 with the highest rates of barn owl-vehicle collisions in both surveys, although particular hotspots did exhibit some expansions and contractions between 2004-2006 and 2013-2015. Two of the historical hotspots no longer appeared as hotspots in the recent surveys indicating they perhaps have shifted or were so fatal they reduced the local barn owl population and thus no longer appear as hotspots. Therefore, these historical hotspots may still be important mortality zones and important for future mitigation consideration as the hotspots potentially have reduced the barn owl population in these areas. The most important difference between hotspots and other sites was the higher number of secondary roads (Wilcoxon rank sum test: W = 613, p = 0.001) and higher traffic volume (W = 600, p = 0.002) in hotspots. However, hotspots were also generally situated close to the Snake River Canyon and other water features which should have more prey, provide nesting and/or roosting sites, and attract owls; had low slopes (level terrain) which would allow owls to fly low to the pavement; narrow medians (correlated with cropland); and flexible rather than rigid pavement type (potentially related to noise level), and did not contain the highest number of dairies (which should attract owls to their higher rodent populations). The hotspots were also in regions of I-84/86 with moderate to high small mammal abundance and features that should correlate with higher rodent abundance: low percentages of human structures near the highway, grass cover types in the median and verges, high percentages of crops, and few obstructions to low flight. Mortality hotspots along I-84/86 were generally devoid of low flying obstructions, so establishing barriers to low flight may be an effective technique to reduce barn owl-vehicle collisions. Reducing small mammals in verges and median vegetation could also potentially reduce barn owl mortality. Because I found fewer small mammals in areas with shrubs, establishing taller shrub vegetation may reduce small mammal habitat and reduce hunting success, encouraging owls to hunt elsewhere. Reducing wildlife-collisions involving barn owls in Idaho is important for motorist safety and would be an important step in ensuring the persistence of this avian species

Program Theory and Quality Matter: Changing the Course of Extension Program Evaluation

As internal evaluators for the 4-H program in two states, we simultaneously yet independently began to change the way we approached our evaluation practices, turning from evaluation capacity building (ECB) efforts that prepared educators to define and measure program outcomes to strategies that engage educators in defining and measuring program quality. In this article, we discuss our similar experiences, how these experiences are changing the ECB work we do, and how changing our evaluation approach ultimately will position 4-H for better evaluations in the future. This shift in evaluation focus has implications for other Extension program areas as well

Understanding Bias of Forensic Psychologists who Conduct Competency Evaluations with Minority Defendants

Competency to stand trial (CST) evaluations may be the most common criminal forensic psychology evaluation. Due to the increased diversity of defendants within the legal system, forensic psychologists can be faced with major challenges regarding evaluation practices within various cultural groups. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research was to investigate how forensic psychologists’ lived experiences help them to understand racial/ethnic bias when conducting CST evaluations on minority defendants. Implicit bias theory founded on the concept that all people have unconscious biases that affect decision-making and actions. The research question explored the lived experiences of forensic psychologists and the impact racial/ethnic bias has when conducting CST evaluations on minority defendants. Each participant had at least one year of experience conducting CST evaluations on minorities, were currently employed at a place where CST evaluations are conducted and were over the age of 18. Data collected from nine forensic psychologists were coded and placed into thematic categories and themes. Results indicated minority defendants were impacted by both negative (e.g., racial profiling, White privilege, making assumptions based off race and/or gender, and engaging in problematic practices/behaviors) and positive (e.g., continuing education and receiving guidance from academic resources and colleagues) effects. This research is significant to psychology professionals, teachers/professors, and persons of all racial/ethnic backgrounds due to creating awareness of racial/ethnic factors that affect CST evaluations, creating educational opportunities, and increasing insight which could hopefully lead to less bias within CST evaluations

Social Vulnerability, Frailty and Mortality in Elderly People

BACKGROUND:Social vulnerability is related to the health of elderly people, but its measurement and relationship to frailty are controversial. The aims of the present study were to operationalize social vulnerability according to a deficit accumulation approach, to compare social vulnerability and frailty, and to study social vulnerability in relation to mortality. METHODS AND FINDINGS:This is a secondary analysis of community-dwelling elderly people in two cohort studies, the Canadian Study of Health and Aging (CSHA, 1996/7-2001/2; N = 3707) and the National Population Health Survey (NPHS, 1994-2002; N = 2648). Social vulnerability index measures that used self-reported items (23 in NPHS, 40 in CSHA) were constructed. Each measure ranges from 0 (no vulnerability) to 1 (maximum vulnerability). The primary outcome measure was mortality over five (CHSA) or eight (NPHS) years. Associations with age, sex, and frailty (as measured by an analogously constructed frailty index) were also studied. All individuals had some degree of social vulnerability. Women had higher social vulnerability than men, and vulnerability increased with age. Frailty and social vulnerability were moderately correlated. Adjusting for age, sex, and frailty, each additional social 'deficit' was associated with an increased odds of mortality (5 years in CSHA, odds ratio = 1.05, 95% confidence interval: 1.02-1.07; 8 years in the NPHS, odds ratio = 1.08, 95% confidence interval: 1.03-1.14). We identified a meaningful survival gradient across quartiles of social vulnerability, and although women had better survival than men, survival for women with high social vulnerability was equivalent to that of men with low vulnerability. CONCLUSIONS:Social vulnerability is reproducibly related to individual frailty/fitness, but distinct from it. Greater social vulnerability is associated with mortality in older adults. Further study on the measurement and operationalization of social vulnerability, and of its relationships to other important health outcomes, is warranted

Grammar of Ambel, an Austronesian language of Raja Ampat, west New Guinea

This thesis is a descriptive grammar of Ambel [wgo], an endangered Austronesian (South Halmahera-West New Guinea) language. Ambel is spoken by approximately 1600 people on Waigeo, the largest island in the Raja Ampat archipelago (West Papua province, Indonesia). This grammar is based on naturalistic and elicited data, collected by the author from native speakers of Ambel. Ambel is a head-marking language, with basic SV/AVO constituent order. There are 14 native consonant phonemes and five vowel phonemes. Ambel has a tone system, in which /H/ syllables contrast with toneless syllables. Neither stress nor vowel length are contrastive. In verbal clauses, the subject of the clause is marked on the verb. This system makes a four-way number distinction (singular, dual, paucal, and plural), an animacy distinction in the third person, and a clusivity distinction in the non-singular first person. The Ambel noun phrase is mainly head-initial. There are five distinct morphosyntactic possessive constructions, the choice of which is primarily determined by a lexical specification on the possessed noun. Some nouns (including most body parts and some kin terms) are possessed in one of three constructions in which the person, number, and animacy of the possessor is marked directly on the possessed noun, while most other nouns are possessed in one of two constructions in which the possessor is marked on a prenominal possessive classifier. Within the clause, all negation particles and most aspect and mode particles are clause-final. There is no passive construction. Ambel has a rich system of spatial deixis, in which six different classes of deictic words (such as demonstratives, deictic prepositions, and deictic nouns) are derived from one of four demonstrative roots or 28 directional stems. Verb serialisation is used to express, among other things, purposive motion and changes of state. This thesis is the first major description and documentation of the Ambel language. As such, it will be of considerable interest to typologists and historical linguists, as well as others interested in the languages, cultures, and history of New Guinea. All of the data on which this grammar is based have been archived with both the Endangered Languages Archive, and the Center for Endangered Languages Documentation at Universitas Papua in Manokwari. The data will thus be available to future generations, including the Ambel community themselves

Preservation Pending: The Future of E-book Access in the Digital Age

For a very long time human knowledge has been recorded on print media and passed down, or preserved, for future generations. Since the latter half of the Twentieth Century however this human knowledge has been increasingly recorded in digital media. Whether we will be as successful as our predecessors at preserving human knowledge will depend on the steps we take now to identify and address the risks and threats when knowledge is stored in digital form. This report will focus specifically on e-books as a subset of all digital media. In some respects we are lucky in that the conversation surrounding the risks and threats to journal literature as it passed from print to digital has been going on for more than two decades, and some promising models and ideas have emerged. On the other hand e-books present problems that differ from those on the journal side and which will need to be addressed from scratch, as it were, with no prior models on which to build. Nor will this report provide ready answers. Rather, by bringing the conversation here we are throwing down the gauntlet and challenging all members of the information ecosystem to think seriously about the issues and to take the steps necessary to work toward a solution that is of mutual benefit to us all