A study to determine the influence of nursing students and their evaluators of the use of a rating scale for evaluating students' performance in medical-surgical nursing practice

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

Participation in Graduate Level Coursework and Self-Efficacy Development of Provisionally Licensed Special Education Teachers

The purpose of this study was to determine (a) whether participation in graduate level coursework increased the self-efficacy of provisionally licensed special education teachers, (b) whether participation in graduate level coursework increased the self-efficacy of general education teachers and, (c) if there was a difference between the self-efficacy beliefs of the two groups of teachers. A total of twenty-three provisionally licensed special education and general education teachers in rural Virginia responded to both a pre and post questionnaire consisting of 30 items designed to assist the teacher in assessing his/her self-efficacy beliefs. The working hypothesis was that the provisionally licensed special education teachers would have greater gains in teaching and personal teaching efficacy than the general education teachers. Significant mean gains were seen from pretest to posttest in foe areas of teaching and personal efficacy. Results showed that the general education and provisional special education teachers experienced positive gains in the domains of teaching efficacy and personal efficacy; however, a t-test indicated there was no significant statistical difference between the groups. The researcher was also interested in the effects of peer coaching on the self-efficacy development of teachers; however, limited data regarding peer-coaching and self-efficacy indicated that there was no significant differences between those participating in peer-coaching and those not participating in peer coaching

Factors Affecting the Practices of External Problem Solvers in Broadcast Search

In Broadcast Search (BS) an organization discloses the details of a problem to a community of potential solvers. An online intermediary often manages the process. This study investigates the problem solving practices of solvers. In particular it focuses on the intermediation services and knowledge sources thy use during BS. A questionnaire was distributed to successful solvers. Ninety-three complete questionnaires were returned. The results show that intermediation services can be divided in 3 categories: managing interfaces, supporting collaboration and supporting problem solving. Similarly the sources of knowledge can be divided in: institutional, social and output-oriented sources. The results also show that differences in solver’s use of intermediation services and knowledge sources can be explained taking into account solvers’ experience, organizational context as well as the nature of the proposed solutio

THE ROLE OF THE CUSTOMER IN THE ADOPTION OF AGILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGIES

This study focuses on the role the customer plays in the adoption and consolidation of Agile practices in software development firms. We considered two main aspects: 1) the degree of collaboration between customers and suppliers; 2) the degree of active participation of the customer in software development processes. We argue that both these factors affect the level of Agility of an organization. To investigate this topic we conducted a survey among firms that use agile software development methodologies. The sample of respondents was obtained from the social network Linkedin. We received one hundred and five valid questionnaires before subjecting the data to hierarchical linear regression analysis. Our findings suggest that a collaborative and active role of the customer increases Agility. This study provides original empirical data on the frequency of use of Agile practices in software development processes. From a theoretical point of view it clarifies the role of two different customer-related factors: customer collaboration and customer participation

CONTINUANCE INTENTION IN CROWDSOURCING PROCESSES

With the growing popularity of Crowdsourcing (CS), companies are developing different strategies to tap into the creativity of the crowd. Some of these strategies imply the long-term involvement of communities of external individuals. Since participation in CS is voluntary, it is important to understand the determinants of participation. Several studies exist that investigated the motivations of participants in CS initiatives. These studies, however, did not make distinction between people who participate only once and people who after the first experience intend to participate again. This research attempts to explore the determinants of repeated participation, critical for the success of long-term CS strategies. We investigate the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations on the intention continue for participants in CS initiatives. To address this objective, a survey involving individuals, who have participated at least once in CS initiatives, has been conducted. Hierarchical regression analysis has been used to test the hypotheses. The findings demonstrate that intrinsic motivations impact on the intention to continue for participants in CS initiatives. The impact of extrinsic motivations (i.e. monetary rewards and reputation) was found to be not significant. As a consequence, companies willing to adopt long-term CS strategies need to leverage intrinsic motivations in order to involve communities of external individuals in their innovation processes

Enabling open innovation: Proposal of a framework supporting ICT and KMS implementation in web-based intermediaries

Open Innovation is a model used to describe how nowadays companies source and exploit new technologies, new products and services. Web-Based Intermediaries (WBIs) have entered the emerging innovation market and are expected to dramatically increase the number of innovation exchanges. However there are not yet clear theoretical guidelines supporting the design and management of such intermediaries. We use organizational sense-making theory and relative absorptive capacity (RAC) theory to analyze the factors that still hinder Open Innovation. From sensemaking theory and RAC theory we draw directions on the services WBIs need to provide in order to effectively support an innovation market. Since information technology is critical to the success of a WBI, we also give directions on how ICT and KMS can be used in order to support these services

“O espírito correto de obediência”: A mulher criminalizada entre a cruz e o magistrado (Ceará, 1974-1984)

A partir de experiências de mulheres empobrecidas custodiadas em um presídio feminino no estado do Ceará (1974 - 1984), pretende-se analisar as relações de poder entre estes sujeitos e instituições cujos dispositivos de vigilância, controle e punição objetivavam produzir o indivíduo feminino adequado a um dos projetos de sociedade idealizado. Assim, tendo como mote reflexivo o prontuário de uma das inúmeras mulheres que passaram pelo sistema prisional cearense, propõe-se um diálogo entre bibliografia interdisciplinar e fontes documentais de instituições de confinamento, periódicos, leis e decretos, entre outros, de modo que seja possível refletir sobre as tessituras entre a moral e políticas públicas desenvolvidas durante o período de ditadura civil-militar no Brasil. Palavras-chave: Gênero, Mulher, Prisão, Moral

Utilização de mudas da regeneração natural em reflorestamentos com especies nativas

Em pesquisa desenvolvida sob condições de campo, foram estudadas as mudas formadas por regeneração natural, das espécies nativas Ilex paraguariensis (erva-mate), Ocotea puberula (canela -guaicá) e Podocarpus lambertii (pinheiro-bravo), quanto aos seus aspectos silviculturais. O objetivo principal deste trabalho foi o de comprovar a viabilidade técnica de aproveitamento de mudas obtidas em regeneração natural e determinar a melhor técnica de utilização destas mudas em plantios florestais. As mudas usadas neste trabalho foram extraídas de regeneração estabelecida em floresta nativa na região Sul do Brasil, primeiro planalto paranaense, de ocorrência típica do pinheiro-brasileiro (Araucaria angustifolia). Selecionadas na floresta, em função do seu vigor, qualidade de fuste e sanidade, as mudas foram agrupadas em 3 classes de altura, ou seja: porte pequeno (até 30 cm) , médio (de 30 a 60 cm) e grande (de 60 a 120 cm) Metade das mudas selecionadas foi extraída da regeneração, passando por uma fase de viveiro (3 meses) , onde receberam condicionamento especial, através de transplante para recipientes, irrigações e sombreamento, sendo levadas depois, para o plantio definitivo. A outra metade das mudas permaneceu estes 3 meses na floresta, sendo extraídas da regeneração somente por ocasião do plantio definitivo no campo, e utilizadas na modalidade de mudas de raiz nua, em plantio direto. O experimento foi instalado em capoeira, sob sombreamento, em delineamento de blocos ao acaso, com 3 repetições e os tratamentos arranjados fatorialmente. Os tratamentos preconizados, em número de 18, decorreram das combinações de 2 fatores com 3 níveis e um terceiro fator com 2 níveis (fatorial 3 x 3 x 2) , ou sejam: FATOR A - Espécies Níveis: a1 - Ilex paraguariensis a2 - Ocotea puberula a3 - Podocarpus lambertii FATOR B - Portes das mudas Níveis: b1 - pequeno (até 30 cm) b2 - médio (30 a 60 cm) b3 - grande (60 a 120 cm) FATOR C - Condicionamento das mudas Níveis: c1 - mudas de viveiro c2 - mudas de plantio direto. As variáveis analisadas no experimento de campo, foram a sobrevivência e o crescimento inicial das mudas, num período de 180 dias após o plantio. Concluiu-se que os melhores tratamentos foram: a) para as espécies Ilex paraguariensis e Ocotea puberula, o plantio de mudas de porte médio (em torno de 50 cm) , condicionadas em viveiro por um período de 3 meses. A fase de viveiro é indispensável, para uma pré-adaptação das mudas destas espécies e garantir o sucesso do plantio. b) para a espécie Podocarpus lambertii, o plantio direto de mudas com raiz nua, de tamanho médio (em torno de 50 cm) , apresentou ótimos resultados. A fase de viveiro para adaptação das mudas é absolutamente desnecessária para esta espécie, podendo-se assim, eliminar várias operações de viveiro, que oneram o custo de produção da muda. As espécies investigadas são umbrófilas na fase juvenil, sendo recomendável o plantio de suas mudas em ambientes sombreados, semelhantes aos do local da regeneração natural, onde foram produzidas. Os plantios de enriquecimento, para recuperação de florestas degradadas e capoeiras de pouco valor florestal, constituem um bom campo de aplicação prática para esta pesquisa, de acordo com os objetivos propostos

Avaliação do crescimento inicial das cultivares recomendadas de arroz em comparação ao arroz vermelho

34