Evolution and Christianity

https://place.asburyseminary.edu/ecommonsatsdissertations/1935/thumbnail.jp

A six weeks developmental language enrichment program for first graders with no kindergarten experience

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston UniversityThe purpose of this study is to plan and informally try out a series of language activities which will enrich the speaking and listening vocabularies of first graders with no kindergarten experience. The construction of a simple background inventory will be necessary to find the child's previous experiences. A check-list will record growth and reactions. It is hoped that the integrated language activities will develop habits of attention and create within each child a lasting desire to seek information concerning the world about him. Many of the children in the school used in this study have below average economic and social backgrounds. In many instances both parents must work leaving the children without parental supervision. More than half of the parents are poor with less than high school educational backgrounds -- their occupations being mainly domestic work

EDUCATORS’ AND PARENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD THE INCLUSION OF STUDENTS WITH EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIOR DISORDERS

Educating students with emotional and behavior disorders (EBD) has historically been a difficult task for educators (McKenna et al., 2021). The general education setting comes with many barriers when attempting to include students with EBD to the equation. Parents are instrumental to the success of their students with EBD regardless to the setting. Educators may lack in the skills needed to communicate, educate, and understand students with EBD. Without educators and parents collectively communicating and collaborating, students with EBD will not have the opportunity to have the positive experiences and outcomes to be successful. Applying the theoretical frameworks of Bandura’s social cognitive theory and Ajzen and Fishbein’s theory of planned behavior, this mixed methods study aims is to examine the attitudes of educators and parents regarding the inclusion of students with emotional and behavior disorders into the general education classroom. Phase I was conducted using quantitative methods to explore the attitudes of educators regarding general inclusion, students with emotional and behavioral disorders in inclusion, perceived barriers of inclusion before and during the pandemic and the specific supports educators suggest for overcoming those barriers. After completion of Phase I, the data was analyzed and the overall results indicated that educators have a positive attitude regarding the inclusion of students with EBD; however, the attitudes of educators can greatly affect the effectiveness of inclusion when factors such as lack of collaboration, communication, implementation, and educator knowledge are prevalent. Phase II of this study, consisted of semi-structured interviews with parents of students with EBD and obtained their view of inclusion based on their past and current experiences with their child in the elementary education setting. Upon completion of the interviews with each parent participant, the data were transcribed and coded and as a result three major themes emerged from the experiences of the parents of students with emotional and behavior disorders: (a) social stigma; (b) teacher preparedness; and (c) communication

Regional Comparisons of Timber Dependency: The Northwest and the Southeast

We perform a comparison of the timber dependency and socioeconomic characteristics of timber dependent counties for three states in the Northwest region (Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) and three states in the Southeast region (Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi) of the United States. The purpose of this research is to examine whether two forested areas of the United States experience timber dependency in similar ways. This research defines timber dependent counties as those with 20 percent or more of the total employment in forest-based industries. Questions related to forest-based employment patterns and socioeconomic correlates of timber dependency are examined. Tests of difference between means are used to determine whether timber dependent counties in the two regions score similarly on measures of community well-being. The results show that there is much variation in the characteristics associated with timber dependency in the timber dependent counties in the Southeast and the Northwest. While timber dependency may be applied to both regions, the phenomena can be quite different

Interviewing Key Informants: Strategic Planning for a Global Public Health Management Program

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Sustainable Management Development Program (SMDP) partners with low - and middle - resource countries to develop management capacity so that effective global public health programs can be implemented and better health outcomes can be achieved. The program’s impact however, was variable. Hence, there was a need to both engage in a strategic planning process and collect useful data to inform the process. We therefore designed a qualitative evaluation and findings that emerged concerning o ur program’s contribution to individual career advancement and professional growth; the need for institutional support and a champion to move public health management capacity development efforts forward in low - and middle - resource countries; and interest in diverse professional learning opportunities contributed to program improvement and suggested new strategic directions for CDC’s global public health management service delivery. Our inquiry provides a concrete example of how qualitative methods, specifically key informant interviews, can provide useful data for strategic planning within public health settings. It may be useful to readers who are interested in conducting strategic planning within public health and other related areas including health care, mental and behavioral health, and the social sciences

Historical Analysis of Timber Dependency in Alabama

Almost every part of Alabama is heavily forested and by most standards the forest products industry is the state\u27s leading industry. A significant portion of the total employment and the majority of the manufacturing employment of these counties are in forest product enterprises, criteria used here to define timber dependent counties. This paper will use the historical demographic, economic, and agricultural census data to trace the development of timber dependency in rural counties in Alabama. Understanding the social and land use history is critical in examining timber dependency in Alabama today. Conclusions will be drawn between rural and timber dependent and non-timber dependent counties

An Organizational Communication Analysis of a Medium-Sized Newspaper

A medium-size newspaper in Central Florida was observed for 8 weeks in the Spring and Summer of 1976 and 58 employees interviewed to determine internal communication patterns and measure attitudes toward the communication system, organization and job related variables. A system theory of organizations provided basic theoretical assumptions. Since communication activities occur within the framework of internal organization elements such as structure, objectives, leadership style, reward system, technology, intergroup relations, and individual employee characteristics, those elements were described. Communication activities were reported in terms of message purpose, network traversed, method of diffusion and relationships. Findings indicated that the nature and technology of the organization were more important predictors of communication activities than other elements. Messages were primarily task related, diffused both horizontally and vertically over formal and informal networks. The method of diffusion was primarily oral in face to face dyadic of small group situations. Analysis of attitudinal data indicated that communication satisfaction was the most important predictor of organization and job related attitudes. Persons occupying the lowest levels in the organizational hierarchy were the most negative about the communication system and were least involved in in. Persons occupying the upper levels were the most positive about the system and were the most involved in it. A factor analysis of the attitudinal data revealed 14 factors to be considered in future research