"Comic self-consciousness" : oblique approaches to the elegiac : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Creative Writing at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

This thesis, composed of a collection of poetry and a critical essay, explores the contemporary elegiac poem. Whereas traditional elegists focused on death, contemporary elegiac poems deal with loss in a broader sense. The challenge contemporary elegiac poets take on is to engage with feeling but without veering into sentimentality. In the critical portion of this thesis, “‘Comic self-consciousness’: Oblique approaches to the elegiac,” I explore how two contemporary poets, Billy Collins and William Matthews, approach loss indirectly to evade sentimentality. Specifically, I argue that Collins and Matthews, both of whom are noted for their elegiac orientation and their use of wit, engage with loss through three strategies: the postponement of acknowledging the loss central to the poem, the use of incongruities manifesting as humour and irony, and by gaining the reader’s complicity through the use of metapoetics. In the creative portion of the thesis, “Farewell, My Lovely,” I have drawn inspiration from the strategies modelled by these two poets to engage with at times light-hearted or ironic approaches to loss—via wit, irony and at times metapoetics—to produce a collection of elegiac lyric poems that approach loss indirectly

Evidence Based Social Skills Interventions for Young Children with Asperger’s Syndrome and the Montessori Educational Method: An Integrative Review

Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) is a medically recognized disorder on the Autism Spectrum. One in 88 children age eight are diagnosed with AS (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2014). A key feature of AS is a deficiency in social skills. In the past ten years five main types of social skills interventions have been researched for their impact on young children with AS. Data suggest these treatments help children with AS acquire social skills. More research is needed on the types of learning environments that incorporate or lend themselves to utilizing these types of social skills interventions. One potential model, the Montessori Method of education was initially designed to teach children with significant developmental, social, and educational disabilities, with an intentional focus on individualized learning and socialization. To date, the potential overlap between empirically supported interventions to teach social skills to children with AS and the Montessori Method of education has not been researched. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to compare five researched interventions for social skill acquisition in children with AS with the Montessori Method of education. Findings suggest that of these five interventions, three bear significant resemblance to the Montessori Method of education while the other two do not. Implications and recommendations for parents, teachers, educational administrators, and social workers and other mental health practitioners who assist children with AS are provided

Enhancing Metacognition and Mindfulness in Middle School Students: Can Simultaneous Interventions Improve Academic Performance?

Students at HMTCA do not receive explicit metacognitive or mindfulness instruction in the classroom. Research on metacognition has shown a strong link between students’ metacognitive abilities and their subsequent academic performance, yet most teachers do not provide explicit metacognitive instruction in the classroom. Similarly, literature on mindfulness suggests that mindful practice can improve students’ self-regulatory skills and executive functioning, yet mindfulness is rarely incorporated into school curricula. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of simultaneous interventions related to these two components by working with five eighth-grade social studies classes at HMTCA taught by one teacher. An eight-week metacognitive intervention was designed based on the Ambrose et al. model of metacognition in order to foster students’ use of metacognitive skills. In addition, an eight-week mindfulness curriculum was developed to cultivate students’ present-moment awareness. The five sections were divided among the separate conditions: two sections were randomly assigned to the Metacognitive Intervention, one section to the Mindfulness Intervention, one section to the combined Metacognition and Mindfulness Intervention, and one section as the control group. With pre and post-testing quantitative and qualitative measures, we assessed the students’ levels of metacognition and mindfulness in conjunction with grade changes from the first to third marking period. Findings from these analyses will be presented

Driving Forces and Success Factors for Mergers, Acquisitions, Joint Ventures, and Strategic Alliances among Local Cooperatives

Agribusiness,

A Local Cooperative's Financial and Strategic Analysis of the Evaluation of Potential Merger Partners

This is a two-part teaching case developed through in-person interviews which were conducted with the managers of locally owned farm supply/grain marketing cooperatives in Indiana and Colorado in the spring of 2000. The case has been written so that each part can be used individually or together and can also be used in either the undergraduate classroom or in extension programming with cooperative managers and directors. Part I focuses on how to use financial analysis in business reorganization decisions and Part II focuses on how to analyze alternative business reorganization possibilities from a strategic management perspective.Cooperatives, Mergers, Evaluation of alternative business strategies, Agribusiness,

LOCAL COOPERATIVES' EVALUATION OF BUSINESS INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Agricultural cooperatives have been restructuring, by way of mergers, acquisitions, joint-ventures, and strategic alliances, to increase efficiencies to remain competitive in a changing business environment. The research evaluating the reorganization of cooperatives has revealed that less than one-half of the restructured businesses are financially successful. There is the potential to significantly influence the future health of the cooperative business sector if, first, insights can be gained concerning the factors being considered by cooperative managers when making restructuring decisions and, second, extension education programs can be adapted to meet the greatest need. In this study we examine: (a) what methods of valuation cooperatives are using when evaluating new business opportunities, and (b) what factors influence the methods of valuation preferred by cooperatives when evaluating new business opportunities.capital budgeting methods, cooperatives, finance, restructuring, Agribusiness,

Hands-On Precision Agriculture Data Management Workshops for Producers and Industry Professionals: Development and Assessment

Three Precision Agriculture Data Management workshops regarding yield monitor data were conducted in 2014, reaching 62 participants. Post-workshop surveys (n=58) indicated 73% of respondents experienced a moderate to significant increase in knowledge related to yield monitor data usage. Another 72% reported that they planned to utilize best management practices presented or would expand their current practices based on knowledge gained. One-year post-workshop survey (n=14) results indicated that far less (36%) were able to implement some of the techniques presented. However, comments indicated that accessible follow-up material would be beneficial in successfully integrating learning topics into data management systems

Stereoselective 1,2‒ and 1,4‒Additions Enabled by Asymmetric Organocatalysis

I. Enantio- and Diastereoselective Organocatalytic Conjugate Additions of Nitroalkanes to Enone Diesters. Enantio- and diastereoselective conjugate addition reactions between nitroethane or nitropropane and enone diesters are described. A bifunctional triaryliminophosphorane catalyzed the addition reaction with consistently excellent stereoselectivities and yields across a wide range of substrates. Using the geminal diester functional handle present in the adducts, local desymmetrization via diastereotopic group discrimination was demonstrated and a polyfunctionalized lactam with three contiguous stereocenters was synthesized. II. Asymmetric Organocatalytic Sulfa-Michael Addition to Enone Diesters. An asymmetric sulfa-Michael addition of alkyl thiols to enone diesters is reported. The reaction is catalyzed by a bifunctional triaryliminophosphorane-thiourea organocatalyst and provides a range of α-sulfaketones in high yields and enantioselectivities. Leveraging the gem-diester functional handle via a subsequent diastereotopic group discrimination generates functionalized lactones with three contiguous stereocenters. III. Efforts Towards the Reduction of α-Imino Esters via Dynamic Kinetic Resolution. Efforts toward the enantioconvergent trichlorosilane-mediated reduction of β-substituted α-imino esters are described. Chiral Lewis base catalysis enables the synthesis of N-aryl unnatural amino esters with β-alkyl or β-halo substitution in moderate yields and stereoselectivities. Reactions of β-alkyl α-imino esters provided suffered from poor diastereoselectivity, whereas decomposition and product instability plagued the β-halo analogs. Additional complicating factors associated with dynamic kinetic resolution and imine chemistry are broadly discussed and noted in this work. IV. Organocatalytic Iso-Pictet-Spengler Reaction for the Enantioconvergent Synthesis of Tetrahydro-γ-Carbolines. Progress towards an enantioconvergent iso-Pictet-Spengler reaction using thiourea/Brønsted acid co-catalysis is reported. Preliminary control studies demonstrated a significant difference in reactivity between α-substituted β-formyl amides and esters, with the latter proving amenable for asymmetric reaction development. Optimized conditions provide unprotected tetrahydro-γ-carbolines with two contiguous stereocenters, including an exocyclic stereogenic center and orthogonal ester functional handle. Finally, promising efforts to expand the substrate scope to include α- and β-keto esters are disclosed.Doctor of Philosoph

Insights From Deploying a Collaborative Process for Funding Systems Change

Many foundations are seeking to impact root causes of social issues through funding initiatives that are both technically and socially complicated and where past experience is no guarantee of success. These situations exhibit the growing need for more adaptive funding approaches, such as emergent philanthropy. This article looks at an application of emergent strategy at the Colorado Health Foundation. It shares tools used to design the funding approach for the foundation’s Creating Healthy Schools initiative, including support for grantees in refining their grant-proposal budgets and activities, decreasing duplication, and leveraging resources more effectively. This article will look at lessons learned, including the need to continue to evolve emergent philanthropy and collaboration not only between funders and grantees, but between funders themselves. The authors hope the tools experimented with in this case will help other foundations design and implement system-change strategies in complex environments

Leadership and Gender: School Counselors’ Experiences of Girls’ Leadership in Secondary Schools

There has been a proliferation of girls’ leadership programs to stymie the leaking pipeline of women’s leadership and resulting gender leadership gap. School counselors are advocates and change agents in the schools and play a key role in student development and leadership programming. School counselors’ training in their counseling programs may impact their support and assessment of girls’ leadership programming. This phenomenological research utilized the open-ended questions of an online survey to understand school counselors’ experiences of girls’ leadership. The themes, (a) Formal Approach to Girls’ Leadership, (b) Informal Approach to Girls’ Leadership, (c) No Girls’ Leadership, and (d) Non-Gender Specific Approach to Girls’ Leadership were discovered. Themes are discussed and suggestions for school counselors and counselor educators are offered