The Challenges of Inclusion: Perceptions of Superintendents, Principals, and Teachers in Mississippi Alternative Schools

Alternative schools serve a population of students who have come in conflict with the codes of conduct of their home school district. Students with disabilities are subject to the same codes of conduct and occasionally are referred to alternative schools. These referrals constitute a change in placement mandating alternative schools to provide academic and educational services and supports commensurate to the home school. This includes educating students with disabilities in regular classes. This research sought to ascertain perceptions of superintendents, alternative school principals, and regular and special education teachers regarding how well alternative schools in Mississippi meet the challenges of implementation of inclusion. This study indicated no significant difference in perceptions among respondent groups; the results yielded positive responses with the majority echoing unanimity of support regarding inclusion. They agreed students with mild disabilities belonged in regular classrooms, that both students with special needs and regular students benefited socially and academically from inclusion, and that inclusions should prevail even over parental objections. They disagreed that students should be excluded from regular classes due to severe physical disabilities, increased instructional time requirements, using assistive communication devices, or being unable to read normal size print. All four respondent groups unanimously expressed support or strong support for the implementation of inclusion

The study of advanced materials using neutrons

The first part of this thesis describes a new methodology based on a novel combination of x-ray reflectivity and small-angle neutron scattering to evaluate the structural properties of porous silica thin films about one micrometer thick supported on silicon wafer substrates. To complement these results, film composition was determined by high-energy ion scattering techniques. For the sample thin film presented here, the overall film density was found to be (0.55 ± 0.01) g/cm3 with a pore wall density of (1.16 ± 0.05) g/cm3 and a porosity of (53 ± 1) %. The average dimension for the pores was found to be (65 ± 1) Å. It was determined that (22.1 ± 0.5) % of the pores had connective paths to the free surface. The mass fraction of water absorption was (3.0 ± 0.5) % and the coefficient of thermal expansion was (60 ± 20) x 10-6/°C from room temperature to 175 °C. In the second part of this thesis, we elucidate the structure of a small molecule liquid crystal/polymer interface using specular neutron reflectivity. More specifically, we examined the interfacial transition zone width of a small molecule liquid crystal/polymer interface as a function of increasing temperature. We found that the interface between a thin film (≈ 1000 Å thick) of the liquid crystal 4\u27-n-octyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) and a thin film (≈ 800 Å thick) of deuterated poly(methyl methacrylate) (d-PMMA) is broad and broadens with increasing temperature. It is also observed that the thin film geometry influences the mixing behavior of the PMMA/8CB system. These results may have implications on current theories of liquid crystal display devices that are formed by the phase separation of liquid crystal polymer mixtures

Assessing the Impact of the Mobile Assisted Career Exploration Unit 3 Years Later

The specific objective of this research was to determine if the MACE (Mobile Assisted Career Exploration) Program has had an effect on the realistic occupational decision-making ability of students after a period of 3 years. Subjects were 12th grade students at Dixie High School. The experimental group was composed of 40 students (15 males and 25 females) who had been involved in project MACE in the ninth grade. The control group was composed of 32 students (15 males and 1 7 females) who had moved into the boundaries of Dixie High School since the loth grade and who had, therefore, not been involved in the MACE Program. Both groups were administered the SVIB (Strong Vocational Interest Blanks) to determine their highest interests. Grades for both semesters of the 11th grade and the first semester of the 12th grade were collected as an indicator of each student\u27s strongest aptitudes. A questionnaire was administered wherein the student was required to 1) select an occupation that he was planning to enter; 2) report whether he thought his interest and aptitudes agreed with his job choice (the SVIB and grades were used as instruments to verify if a student\u27s interests and aptitudes did in fact agree with his job choice); 3) report the degree of certainty he felt about his job choice; 4) select the type of training that would be required to qualify for his job choice; 5) report a specific institution where such training could be acquired; 6) report those persons and/ or influencing factors which had lead up to his job selection; and 7) report at which grade level he had decided on his present job choice. Seven null hypotheses were formulated stating differences would not be found between the control and experimental groups on the criteria measured by the aforementioned measuring instruments. Results of the study indicate that in fact no difference was found between the experimental and control groups in the following areas tested. Correct identification of personal interests with job choice. Correct identification of personal aptitudes with job choice. Degree of certainty about job choice. Selection of the categories mobile van, parents and personal interests as being of assistance in making a job choice. Selection of the ninth and 10th grades as the time periods when job choice was made. Selection of an appropriate type of education or training for the student\u27s job choice. Selection of a specific and appropriate institution at which the student had made plans to obtain the training or education for his job choice. On the criteria measured, the MACE Program had no apparent longitudinal effect on the occupational decision-making ability (as defined in this study) of the students tested. Several limitations of the study should be considered in this conclusion: 1) sample size was small and limited to a rural, all-white population; 2) other measures may detect advantageous effects of the program. However, it is recommended that a program such as MACE be part of a total K-12 career development program rather than a one grade level experience

Lateral Collinearity and Misleading Results in Variance-Based SEM: An Illustration and Recommendations

Variance-based structural equation modeling is extensively used in information systems research, and many related findings may have been distorted by hidden collinearity. This is a problem that may extend to multivariate analyses, in general, in the field of information systems as well as in many other fields. In multivariate analyses, collinearity is usually assessed as a predictor-predictor relationship phenomenon, where two or more predictors are checked for redundancy. This type of assessment addresses vertical, or “classic”, collinearity. However, another type of collinearity may also exist, here called “lateral” collinearity. It refers to predictor-criterion collinearity. Lateral collinearity problems are exemplified based on an illustrative variance-based structural equation modeling analysis. The analysis employs WarpPLS 2.0, with the results double-checked with other statistical analysis software tools. It is shown that standard validity and reliability tests do not properly capture lateral collinearity. A new approach for the assessment of both vertical and lateral collinearity in variance-based structural equation modeling is proposed and demonstrated in the context of the illustrative analysis