Comparison of individual and paired learning for the measurement of retention

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston UniversityThe purpose of this study was to measure and compare retention between children working alone and with a partner using S.R.A. (Scientific Research Associates) reading materials. The S.R.A. laboratory is a series of graded reading experiences intended to be used by individual children working alone and at their own rate of speed. Its general purpose is to improve many reading skills but in this study the retention factor will be the only concern

A microscopic view of the yielding transition in concentrated emulsions

We use a custom shear cell coupled to an optical microscope to investigate at the particle level the yielding transition in concentrated emulsions subjected to an oscillatory shear deformation. By performing experiments lasting thousands of cycles on samples at several volume fractions and for a variety of applied strain amplitudes, we obtain a comprehensive, microscopic picture of the yielding transition. We find that irreversible particle motion sharply increases beyond a volume-fraction dependent critical strain, which is found to be in close agreement with the strain beyond which the stress-strain relation probed in rheology experiments significantly departs from linearity. The shear-induced dynamics are very heterogenous: quiescent particles coexist with two distinct populations of mobile and `supermobile' particles. Dynamic activity exhibits spatial and temporal correlations, with rearrangements events organized in bursts of motion affecting localized regions of the sample. Analogies with other sheared soft materials and with recent work on the transition to irreversibility in sheared complex fluids are briefly discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures. Submitted to Soft Matte

Closing the Resource Gap: Strengthening the Nonprofit Sector in California

With support from The James Irvine Foundation, Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) used its 2015 State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey to examine California nonprofits, focusing on organizations in the San Joaquin Valley and the Inland Empire. The Foundation asked NFF to look at the challenges facing organizations in these regions, their resource needs, and their overall financial situations both on an absolute basis and in comparison to their coastal neighbors in the Bay Area and Los Angeles

Transformando la enseñanza y el aprendizaje

En el presente documento se expone el recurso material que presenta la utilización de las pizarras interactivas que "como ninguna tecnología lo había hecho antes tienen el poder de transformar la enseñanza y el aprendizaje", empleando las propias las palabras de la autora del artículo, Nancy Knowlton

Utilization of Research in Combating Violence in Alaska: An Ecological Perspective

This paper came out of a larger study: The Use of Research in Confronting Violence in Alaska: Final Report by Knowlton W. Johnson (1983). (https://scholarworks.alaska.edu/handle/11122/10715).Research diffusion and use has increasingly become an interest of social scientists and policymakers. This interest on the part of policymakers is evidenced by the results of this study. In particular, high level administrators in 268 human service agencies of Alaska reported moderate to high use of statistics, evaluation studies and other social science research in making pol icy decisions about combating violence. Findings are also presented that point to specific facilitators and inhibitors of research use. The conclusions and policy implications highlight how the results of this research utilization study can direct the formulation of a research and development agenda at the agency and state level.Abstract / [Introduction] / Methods and Procedures / Use of Research in Improving Violence Focused Services / Important Factors in Stimulating Research Use / Conclusions and Policy Development Implications / Notes / References / Maps & Table

Dial Access Retrieval and the Adoption Process: A Study on the Success and Failures of a Technological Innovation

In an attempt to define effective procedures for theadoption of technological innovations, the authorconducted a study of the successes and failures of dialaccess retrieval systems. Because of the interesting andcontroversial history of this medium, the study sought todetermine why some schools chose this medium, how it wasutilized and modified, and why it failed in some instances.The survey instrument used in this study was sent to schoolsusing their systems and to schools where the systems hadbeen discarded. The 68% rate of return did producevaluable data for a multiple regression analysis

Evaluation of SLAR and thematic mapper MSS data for forest cover mapping using computer-aided analysis techniques

A set of training statistics for the 30 meter resolution simulated thematic mapper MSS data was generated based on land use/land cover classes. In addition to this supervised data set, a nonsupervised multicluster block of training statistics is being defined in order to compare the classification results and evaluate the effect of the different training selection methods on classification performance. Two test data sets, defined using a stratified sampling procedure incorporating a grid system with dimensions of 50 lines by 50 columns, and another set based on an analyst supervised set of test fields were used to evaluate the classifications of the TMS data. The supervised training data set generated training statistics, and a per point Gaussian maximum likelihood classification of the 1979 TMS data was obtained. The August 1980 MSS data was radiometrically adjusted. The SAR data was redigitized and the SAR imagery was qualitatively analyzed

Converging Science and Practice in Analyzing Evaluation Data

A strategy is presented for converging science and practice which focuses on the needs of scientists and policymakers in analyzing evaluation data. Emphasis is placed on employing powerful statistical techniques that maximize the evaluators' confidence in their results. Attention is also drawn to the need for producing results which can be easily communicated to and interpreted by policymakers. In regard to these requirements, the discussion concerns application of four statistical techniques: factor analysis, Guttman scalogram analysis, multiple classification analysis and cross-break analysis. Each statistical analysis technique is described as to its value in evaluation research for dealing with problems known to inhibit the convergence of science and practice. The application of these techniques is demonstrated by illustrations taken from previous evaluation studies. The paper concludes with implications for stimulating the extent and quality of evaluation use.Abstract / [Introduction] / Data Analysis Problems Inhibiting Convergence / Multivariate Analysis in a Policymaking Context / Conclusions and Implications / Notes / Reference