164 research outputs found

    Research Proposal: The Effectiveness of Personality Tests in Predicting an Individual‘s Job Performance

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    This study is designed for the purpose of determining whether personality tests are effective in predicting an individual‘s job performance. I chose to research this topic because of my interest in industrial psychology. In addition, there are a number of businesses that require potential employers to complete a personality test. Bates (2002), addresses the fact that personality assessments can be extremely useful in hiring the right person for a particular job. Employment tests seem to be on the rise and roughly 40 percent of employers use them. In addition, human resource professionals should expect to pay a significant amount of money for quality assessments, but in the long run it can cost less than hiring the wrong person. Bent (1996), emphasizes that personality tests should only be used as a supplement to other sources of information. No test is perfect and a person should be evaluated on additional criteria. Flynn (2002), informs employers that tests that are improperly handled can leave companies vulnerable to lawsuits. First, the employers must make sure that the test has gone through a validation procedure. Secondly, the language used in the test must not be biased (assuming everyone has the same education, culture, etc.). Additionally, there have been cases in which individuals have felt the test invaded their privacy. Extensive research has shown that personality tests can be extremely useful if they are properly handled, but should be used only as a supplement to other sources of information. Based on such research, I believe that if a group of applicants is given a personality test, it will be effective in predicting their job performance as an employee

    Correcting Student Motivation in a Mathematics Classroom

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    The intentions of this action research study are to analyze the motivational components of students in a classroom and test which forms of encouragement will create the most motivation. Utilizing the Motivational Systems Theory of Martin E. Ford, students will be measured quantitatively and qualitatively for their classroom motivation and which component of the theory causes them to lack it. The results will reveal how each type of student responds to different teaching styles, and how they will be motivated as a result

    Does choice of programming language affect student understanding of programming concepts in a first year engineering course?

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    Most undergraduate engineering curricula include computer programming to some degree,introducing a structured language such as C, or a computational system such as MATLAB, or both. Many of these curricula include programming in first year engineering courses, integrating the solution of simple engineering problems with an introduction to programming concepts. In line with this practice, Roger Williams University has included an introduction to programming as a part of the first year engineering curriculum for many years. However, recent industry and pedagogical trends have motivated the switch from a structured language (VBA) to a computational system (MATLAB). As a part of the pilot run of this change,the course instructors felt that it would be worthwhile to verify that changing the programming language did not negatively affect students’ ability to understand key programming concepts. In particular it was appropriate to explore students’ ability to translate word problems into computer programs containing inputs, decision statements, computational processes, and outputs. To test the hypothesis that programming language does not affect students’ ability to understand programming concepts, students from consecutive years were given the same homework assignment, with the first cohort using VBA and the second using MATLAB to solve the assignment. A rubric was developed which allowed the investigators to rate assignments independent of programming language. Results from this study indicate that there is not a significant impact of the change in programming language. These results suggest that the choice of programming language likely does not matter for student understanding of programming concepts. Course instructors should feel free to select programming language based on other factors, such as market demand, cost, or the availability of pedagogical resources

    Gender Differences in Attitudes of the United States Initiating War Against Iraq

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    Extensive research has shown that men have an attitude of war that is different from women’s. Based on such research, I hypothesized that more men than women would support the United States’ initiation of war against Iraq. The study involved 30 participants, in which there were 15 males and 15 females. All of the participants were administered a nine question survey that obtained information about how they felt about the United States initiating war against Iraq and if they supported it or did not support it. The results revealed no statistically significant effect of gender on a participant’s attitude of war

    Development of a Set of Pre-class Videos for Electromagnetic Theory

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    One important aspect of experiential learning is allowing students time to reflect on new concepts before the application of the material. Most commonly, this is attempted by assigning readings from a textbook, but research suggests that few students complete these readings. This discouraging fact has prompted the use of other resources, such as videos, to supplement pre-class readings in order to introduce new material. Previous work has been completed by this author to produce pre-class videos for use in an introductory circuits course. This paper extends that work to the development of pre-class videos for a senior level electrical engineering course in electromagnetic theory at Anderson University. Although the videos were developed for this course, many of the topics are also applicable to calculus-based physics courses on electromagnetics. As a result, a sophomore level Physics 2 course made use of some of the videos. To improve upon the existing resources, a set of 15 videos were created for use in an electromagnetic theory class. The videos are freely available on YouTube, without advertisements. This paper describes the conception and creation of these videos. Furthermore, this work contributes to the field of engineering education by providing a freely available set of videos that other instructors may use to increase student engagement and learning. Assessment of the initial use of these videos with a small sample group indicate that the target audience watched the videos, felt that the videos helped them do better in the course, felt better prepared for class because of the videos, and valued the videos as a resource. The results indicate that 100% would recommend the videos to students taking Electromagnetic Theory at another university, and 100% wish they had pre-class videos for their other courses. When asked how much they would pay for the resource, the average response was $45

    Writing Children’s Stories to Improve Engineering Student’s Communication with Non-Engineering Audiences

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    One of the biggest challenges for students in science and engineering is communicating technical information to a non-technical audience. Students may struggle because they are not adept writers, because they cannot divorce the ideas from the jargon, or because they simply don\u27t understand the material well enough to explain it to someone else. To attempt to address this issue, this study proposes the use of children’s stories to help students practice writing for a target, non-technical audience. To measure the efficacy of this method, junior level engineering students in an electronics course in Fall 2018 were asked to write children’s stories to explain the operation of specific electrical devices. The students wrote one story at the beginning of the semester and another at the end of the semester. Using a written communication rubric, the stories were assessed by non-engineers (a biologist, a business person, and a physical therapist) to determine if the stories effectively explain the content to a non-technical audience. Without showing the rubric to the students, qualitative feedback was given on the first stories. By receiving this feedback, average review scores for the second story increased by 28.3%, indicating that the second story better communicated the material to the audience. With promising results, this study will be expanded to other areas of science and engineering

    Pupation site selection in the stable fly, (Diptera: Muscidae)

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    Call number: LD2668 .T4 ENTM 1989 M47Master of ScienceEntomolog

    Engineering Challenges Associated with Welding Field Repairs

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    Welding as technology exists in two worlds. Manufacturers execute designs typically based on professional society-backed standards. Repair service centers that administer field repairs where welding applications are required can sometimes have staff members with little formal education. The challenges of a technical manager seeking welded field repairs to equipment are significant and numerous. This chapter will seek to outline the process of executing a successful welding field repair by breaking down the analysis into three parts—(1) the identification of the engineering challenges associated with a specific job, including significant stresses, difficult materials or locations, and adequate piece preparation to ensure of weld integrity; (2) the ability to properly specify the type of repair, including knowledge of the types of weld junctions and preparations, the various types of welding processes and their features, weld types and associated drawing symbols, and the repair design and repair support process; and (3) the challenges for field engineers and technical managers in identifying weld defects, executing measures, and providing adequate examination and evaluation of weld quality in the field. This chapter tries to bridge the gap between the formal, engineered welds used in manufacturing and the sometimes-needed expediency of fieldwork

    Genetic diversity in Brazilian populations of Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart) based on mtDNA.

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    Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart), the West Indian fruit fly, is the second most polyphagous species within the genus in Brazil and therefore one of the most economically important pest species. It infests an extensive range of hosts, at least 60 species. Anastrepha obliqua ranges from northern Mexico to southern Brazil also including the Caribbean Islands. Methods: We sequenced a fragment of the mitochondrial gene COI to estimate population structure and genetic diversity of A. obliqua geographic collections in Brazil. Results: A total of 153 specimens from the Amazon Forest, Atlantic Rainforest, Cerrado, and Caatinga were analyzed. A total of 20 haplotypes were found. The highest diversity levels were observed in collections from the Amazon Forest. AMOVA and Fst tests showed evidence of genetic structure allowing us to delineate two groups of A. obliqua populations. The Mantel tests were not significant indicating a weak correlation between genetic and geographic distances. Mismatch distributions and Neutrality Tests suggest that the Caatinga, Cerrado and Atlantic Forest populations have experienced a recent population expansion. Conclusion: Populations in the Amazon Forest showed high genetic diversity when compared to the other biomes and the demographic parameters indicated a recent expansion of A. obliqua in Brazil

    Cost-Effective, Sanitary Shallow Water Wells for Agriculture and Small Communities Using Mechanized Tube Well Installation

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    Multiple studies have adequately demonstrated the connection between sanitary water supply for developing communities and sustainable economic growth. Unfortunately, the cost of traditional drilled water wells prevents their more rapid installation across much of the developing world. Numerous communities and agricultural areas could benefit greatly from access to groundwater less than 10 meters deep. Researchers have developed a means to mechanize shallow tube well installation to provide sanitary water wells of modest capacity. A hydraulic ram for agricultural fence post driving has been attached to a small PUP utility vehicle and repurposed to drive small diameter well pipe. This chapter will outline the water access problem from a global perspective, describe the traditional means of construction for sanitary water wells in remote areas and their relative costs, and detail the recent advancements and potential cost savings provided by a simple mechanized means to install tube wells in shallow water table areas
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