A study of the reactions of third grade pupils to the various types of children's literature that were available during three specific periods: 1900-1920; 1920-1940; 1940-1953

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Improving subseasonal to seasonal rainfall forecasts in Central America using dynamic model ensembles

Hydrometeorological hazards such as droughts and floods can have devastating consequences. Central America is one region at risk of hydrometeorological extremes impacts, which will likely increase under human-induced climate change. Physically-based subseasonal to seasonal (S2S) rainfall forecasts from Atmospheric Oceanic General Circulation Models (AOGCMs) can be used to inform anticipatory actions from multiple weeks to several months ahead. Multiple AOGCMs can be combined into multi-model ensembles (MMEs) to generate ensemble forecasts, which often have higher skill than individual models. There are two leading MMEs that provide publicly available forecasts: the North American Multimodel Ensemble (NMME) and the European multi-model seasonal prediction system (C3S). The skill of these models’ rainfall forecasts is critical. Uncertainties in AOGCM estimates affect preparedness planning, as they are used to drive regional rainfall and hydrological models. Rainfall forecasts from individual AOGCMs and MMEs need more evaluation over Central America at the S2S scale. Relatively few evaluations have compared multiple AOGCMs over the region, making it difficult for stakeholders to choose which models to use and to know when to trust the predictions. More clarity is needed on the performance of S2S rainfall forecasts spatially and temporally, and on optimal postprocessing techniques to enhance the detection of low and high rainfall extremes. This thesis conducts a comparative assessment of S2S rainfall forecasts across ten AOGCMs that contribute to the NMME and C3S, using statistical and process-based evaluation techniques. AOGCMs are found to generally have higher skill in the late wet season (September and October) compared to the early wet season (May and June), possibly due to the increased strength of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) teleconnection in the late wet season. The models often perform better on the Pacific side of the region, which experiences a more distinct wet season compared to the Caribbean. Low and high rainfall extremes are challenging to predict even in the late wet season when the ENSO teleconnection is stronger. Techniques to optimize AOGCM outputs for S2S rainfall prediction are then assessed, including using hybrid forecasts and subsampling. Hybrid forecasting methods use AOGCMs to generate forecasts by statistically relating their predictions of large-scale drivers, such as sea surface temperatures, to rainfall. Findings show some hybrid methods improve AOGCM forecasts at the seasonal scale, such as those using forecasts of Tropical North Atlantic (TNA) sea surface temperatures in the early wet season when TNA is more strongly associated with regional rainfall. A novel post-processing technique is also developed that improves subseasonal detection rates of low and high rainfall extremes by subsampling ensemble members that better represent key drivers of Central American rainfall. The post-processing technique is beneficial for operational forecasters who can leverage their expertise of relevant rainfall-generating processes to subsample better performing ensemble members for their region. These findings underscore the importance of evaluating AOGCM rainfall forecasts regionally due to the spatial and temporal variability in AOGCM skill and showcase how alternative ways to post-process or use these models can significantly improve S2S forecasts over Central America

Vitalizing the dismal science: (non-textbook reading materials for the development of certain basic economics concepts)

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University, 1937. This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

An unintentional case study: How synchronous meetings may influence student perception of instructors

This case study explores a class where students in an online social work graduate course provided much harsher qualitative and quantitative feedback in the Student Evaluations of Teaching measure. Mindful of relational theory and adult focused pedagogy, the main difference between this course and previous semesters was the removal of periodic optional synchronous meetings. Possible rationales for the value the synchronous meetings played in facilitating classroom relationships and clarifying instructor personality were postulated in connection to current literature in best online teaching practices. Implications for the online student- instructor relationship are discussed along with the need for instructor reflection to refine skills

Nurturing the Intersubjective Capacities of Social Work Students

While navigating numerous pressures as they work with vulnerable clients and communities, social workers are expected to use their emotional responses intentionally rather than to be ruled by them. Social work accreditation competencies require that students demonstrate regulation of their own affective processes, but their ability to do so will vary. This paper explores methods that instructors can take to support this developmental growth through the concept of intersubjectivity within the relational theory framework

Resident Assistant secondary trauma and burnout associated with student nonsuicidal self-injury

Objective: To determine whether or not encountering students struggling with nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) put Resident Assistants (RAs) at greater risk of burnout or secondary traumatic stress. Participants: 155 RAs at three Midwest public university campuses between March and April 2016. Methods: RAs participated in an anonymous online survey that collected demographics, information on RAs’ experiences and thoughts related to their work, RAs’ exposure to NSSI struggle of a resident, and measurements of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Results: RAs who encountered resident NSSI demonstrated significantly higher levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress than RAs who did not encounter resident NSSI. Conclusion: College student struggle with NSSI can significantly affect the people around them. Residence life administration and college counseling centers should provide training, support, and supervision to RAs in a way that addresses and reduces the RAs’ potential distress

An empire of water and stone : the Acuecuexco Aqueduct Relief

In 1499, the eighth Aztec ruler, Ahuitzotl, completed one of his last great contributions to his empire’s capital: a new aqueduct. Although initially met with jubilation across Tenochtitlan, the aqueduct soon faltered, flooding the city and causing damage that would eventually take the leader’s life. While this event marked a tragic end to Ahuitzotl’s reign, the monument carved as part of the initial celebration stands today as a reminder of the attempts and accomplishments of Aztec city planning. This monument, named the Acuecuexco Aqueduct Relief after its corresponding waterway, depicts the ruler in a scene of bloodletting, facing the date of the aqueduct’s inauguration and surrounded by feathered serpents. Ahuitzotl was famed for his many conquests that brought significant expansion to the empire, but he did not forsake the capital city, as his self-sacrificial act would suggest. Placing his image in stone at the southernmost boundary, Ahuitzotl could both take credit for the aqueduct and mark the edges of the capital. Using his own image alongside the god Quetzalcoatl, the ruler was able to declare the aqueduct as both a physical and supernatural causeway, guiding the natural and supernatural into the city. By studying the iconography of this Aqueduct Relief Carving, this paper attempts to explore the interrelationships between identity and territory within the Aztec realm, with a specific focus on water management systems. Approaching this work through the lens of art history as well as geography, this project seeks to analyze how ancient people mapped their empires and how these ideas have carried through the colonial period into present-day Mexico CityArt Histor