DRESS-Down: /ε/-lowering in Apparent Tme in a Rural Scottish Community

This paper presents a sociophonetic investigation of /ɛ/-lowering in apparent time. The data come from 24 speakers, across three generations from Buckie, northeast Scotland (12 males, 12 females). Acoustic analysis of the DRESS-vowel reveals that it is lowering in apparent time. Inspection of the constraints reveals an interaction of internal and external constraints. Analysis of the phonetic context revealed that following-l promoted DRESS lowering. However, this conditioning was only significant for the young females who were shown to be leading the change. The results presented here are related to broader phonological characteristics of the Buckie dialect as well as ongoing changes in a number of different English varietie

Service-Learning Community Partner Impact Assessment Report

In the summer of 2017, VCU’s Office of Service-Learning conducted an evaluation of the impact of service-learning on community partner organizations. This assessment aimed to collect actionable feedback from partners and to inform improvements to service-learning courses at VCU that successfully address partners’ concerns. An external researcher conducted phone interviews with a representative sample of 22 community partners. Partners were asked how a specific service-learning course impacted their organization in three areas: organizational capacity, economically, and socially. Partners were also asked about faculty interactions and the likelihood of recommending the service-learning course to other organizations like their own. This report presents the findings of this community partner impact assessment, outlines an assessment model for a three-year continuous improvement cycle, and offers key recommendations and next steps that emerged from this assessment

Effect of explicit instruction in the use of graphic organizers and text features on a struggling fifth grade reader

This is a case study involving a ten-year-old male. The researcher sought to determine if explicit comprehension strategy instruction in conjunction with teacher modeling, guided small group practice, and individual practice in the comprehension strategies of identifying text structure and using graphic organizers would facilitate improvement in overall comprehension skills, knowledge of reading strategies, transfer to individual use, and promote retention of information in a student who was in need of Tier 2 reading interventions

Studies on the preservation of flowers

A known method for the preservation of green foliage was adapted in order to preserve floral tissues, retaining the colour and texture, thereby providing a method suitable for the preservation of whole flowers. Initially, the effects of the existing foliage preservation process on floral tissues were studied and the resulting problems of limp sticky petals and colour loss were identified. Subsequently, with a knowledge of basic plant anatomy and of the properties of the main floral pigments, the anthocyanins, a series of experiments on petals and whole flowers were carried out in an attempt to rectify these problems and to incorporate the remedies into a method for preserving whole flowers. The problem of improving the texture and firmness of flower heads was tackled by investigating the effects of adding bulking or setting ingredients to the process fluid and establishing their optimum concentrations. In the case of flower colour, the addition of acid was required in order to maintain the bright anthocyanin colours and a range of acids was investigated. Furthermore, since it is known that in nature the anthocyanin pigments are stabilised by metal ions and copigments, the use of these agents in the preservation process was also considered. This empirical work was then validated by confirming the identity of the main pigments involved and by studying various aspects of the new preservation process. Factors examined included acid concentration, temperature, solvent composition and the addition of metal ions and copigments to solutions of petal extracts containing anthocyanin pigments. Physical changes resulting from processing, including process fluid content and the moisture absorption properties of processed petals were also measured. Finally, the application of a selection of coating materials was assessed in an attempt to increase the life span of the processed flowers by providing extra protection against environmental stresses

Family Engagement in Urban Education: The Impact and Factors Affecting Engagement

Much research has documented the importance of parental participation in education, but the findings are mixed in regards to what type of parental engagement yields higher academic achievement. As an educator, I have witnessed programs and ideas that are successful in a suburban setting completely fail or be unrelated to an urban school setting. I realize that every school setting is unique and what works for one teacher or school may not work for another. As an urban educator it is my desire to discover the most effective types of parental engagement relating to my students. To that end, the purpose of this research is to explore the types of parental engagement that demonstrate a positive impact on students in low-income, urban, elementary settings. I include reviews of studies that are specific to urban education, as well as race, socio-economic status, and single-family households. I have also extended the research to middle school and high school to see if practices put in place in elementary school demonstrate a lasting effect on future academic achievement

Evaluation of a Web-based Intervention for College Marijuana Use

Young adults in college have high rates of marijuana use, abuse, and dependence. Web-based interventions have been growing in popularity, but their dissemination currently exceeds empirical support. One especially popular (but understudied) program is The Marijuana eCHECKUP TO GO (e-TOKE) for Universities & Colleges (San Diego State University Research Foundation, 2009). The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether this program is effective in changing marijuana involvement and perceived norms in undergraduates. Participants were 317 undergraduates (52% female, 78% White) who reported marijuana use within the month preceding baseline. Conditions were the e-TOKE program or assessment only, crossed with brief vs. extensive baseline assessment (to assess assessment reactivity), producing four experimental conditions to which participants were randomly assigned. Thus, 161 (51%) received eTOKE (77 with extended baseline, 84 with brief baseline), and 156 (49%) received assessment-only control (85 with extended baseline, 71 with brief baseline). One month later, all participants reported on marijuana use, problems, abuse and dependence symptoms, and descriptive norms. Assessment reactivity analyses yielded no significant differences by assessment condition. Individuals completing the e-TOKE program reported less extreme descriptive norms (ps \u3c 0.01) but no decrease in marijuana use frequency, problems, abuse, or dependence symptoms (ps \u3e 0.10). Analyses controlling for baseline yielded similar results. The program thus seems effective for changing perceptions of others\u27 use, but there is not yet evidence for its utility in changing personal use and problem indicators. More research with longer follow-ups is indicated, especially given the possibility that descriptive norms could play a mediating role in change

The Relationship Between Professional Preparation of Student Affairs Professionals and Community College Completion Rates

This study was conducted to gather data and investigate what type of degree or degrees student affairs professionals hold at community colleges in Illinois, and how earned a degree in College Student Affairs or an equivalent degree. Then, to compare this data with existing graduation and retention data to see what, if any, correlation there might be. A survey was distributed to student affairs officers at each of the 48 Illinois community colleges, with the request the survey be forwarded to their student services professional staff. This data was then compared to recent graduation and retention rates at each school. No significant correlation was found

The Influence of Homeschooling on the Lives of College Graduates: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the influence of a K–12 home education on the academic, familial, spiritual, and vocational aspects of the adult lives of select four-year college graduates. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory framed this study, as it purports that learning and development occur in the symbiotic relationship between learner and environment. Central research question: How do select four-year college graduates describe the influence of a K–12 home education on their adult lives? Sub-questions: (a) How do participants describe the impact of a K–12 home education on their experiences in higher education? (b) How do participants describe the impact of a K–12 home education on their relationships with their parents? (c) How do participants describe the impact of a K–12 home education on their spiritual journey? (d) How do participants describe the impact of a K–12 home education on their vocational choice? Fourteen participants were selected via purposeful, snowball sampling, and data collection was triangulated via personal interviews, focus groups, and document analysis. Data were analyzed utilizing Moustakas’s modified Stevick–Colaizzi–Keen approach to transcendental phenomenology. Research question responses indicated that (a) participants felt prepared for college because of critical thinking skills as well as experience in dual enrollment, co-ops, and outside classes, (b) the greatest challenges in college were balancing a heavy course load and navigating new social dynamics/venues, (c) most participants had close relationships with their parents, (d) homeschooling helped lay a strong faith foundation, and participants’ faith was similar to their parents’, and (e) there was a connection between homeschooling experiences and vocational choice

Perfecting Pamela: Samuel Richardson\u27s Final Revisions to his Earliest Novel

This author details Richardson’s revision process as he edits his first novel Pamela as the last thing he does before dying. There are three chapters detailing Richardson’s motives behind revising his first novel and his actual revision process, which included three main techniques—substitution, addition, and deletion. Motives considered and argued were: moral purpose and criticism received from others—especially analyzing Shamela, a satire of Pamela—which undermines the morality that Richardson had hoped Pamela accomplished. At the end of the essay, there is an extensive chart complied by the author, spanning a total of 55 pages, of all of Richardson’s revisions as well

An Assessment of the Retail Food Environment, Access to Food, and Food Security in Missoula, Montana in Relation to the Socioeconomic and Health Status of Its Residents

Inadequate access to healthy food sources may contribute to less nutritious diets and an increased risk for chronic disease. Numerous studies on nutrition environments and food access have found disparities between low income neighborhoods and higher income neighborhoods in regards to access to supermarkets and healthier foods. The purpose of this study was to examine the retail food environment, access to food, and food security in Missoula, Montana in relation to the socioeconomic and health status of its residents. This study was conducted in four neighborhoods based on the average median family income level of each neighborhood as defined by the 2000 U.S. Census. Each neighborhood fell into one of the following categories: very low income, low income, medium income, and high income. Neighborhood boundaries were defined using census tracts. Data were collected at supermarkets, grocery stores, and convenience stores in the four selected neighborhoods. The retail food environment was assessed using the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for Food Stores (NEMS-S). Food security, access to food, and health status were analyzed using a food store shopper survey which included the Six-item Short form U.S. Household Food Security Module and the SF-12v2 Health Survey. Data were collected in both September and February to account for any seasonal variability in food selection, food access, and food security. The results from this study indicate that there is no relationship between the retail food environment in the four neighborhoods assessed and the food security or health status of food store shoppers within each neighborhood. However, there was a significant difference in the type of transportation food store shoppers used to get to the food store among the four neighborhoods. Food store shoppers in the very low income neighborhood were more likely to walk to the food store than food store shoppers in the other neighborhoods and food store shoppers in the very low income and medium income neighborhoods were more likely to ride their bike to the food store than food store shoppers in the low income and high income neighborhoods