Revisiting Poor Joshua: State-Created Danger Theory in the Foster Care Context

The Supreme Court\u27s decision in DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services declared that abused children in the legal custody of the state (but residing with their natural parent) have no private cause of action against the state for substantive due process violations. Since the decision, many courts have attempted to circumvent DeShaney by using a state-created danger theory, by which a state may be liable, under negligence principles, for removing a child from foster care and returning him/her to a parent, despite clear indications that future abuse will occur. This note examines the application of the state-created danger theory in the context of foster care, including the advantages and problems of permitting such a private cause of action. The author assesses whether a private cause of action should be permitted in these instances, and proposes avenues of redress and state accountability where a child\u27s rights have been violated

An Examination of Elementary Preservice Teachers\u27 Self-Efficacy Beliefs for Teaching Reading

In the United States, an alarming number of students cannot read proficiently, though there is best-practice research on how to effectively teach readers at all levels. This study examined the impact teacher preparation courses as well as the student teaching experience had on preservice teachers’ self-efficacy for literacy instruction. An extensive review of the literature revealed there is not a large body of research that is literacy content-specific and focused on the preservice teacher efficacy. This study is significant in that the process of teacher preparation in universities is one of continuous improvement. Professors of teacher preparation courses must rely on research to consistently put evidence-based practices in place for improvement to impact student achievement. This study adds to the knowledge base of institutions of higher education to help build preservice teachers’ sense of self-efficacy, thus making stronger, more efficacious beginning teachers. The researcher utilized a mixed-methods research design. Data were collected with the Efficacy Scale for Teachers of Reading (EST-R) and through interview questions that determined the extent of preservice teacher perceptions on (a) the impact the student teaching experience had on elementary preservice teachers’ sense of self-efficacy in teaching reading, (b) the impact a senior-level literacy course had on elementary preservice teachers’ sense of self-efficacy in teaching reading, and (c) the relationship between the impact of coursework and the student teaching experience on elementary preservice teachers’ sense of self-efficacy in teaching reading

L'influence des femmes: women, Evangelical Protestantism, and mission in nineteenth century France

This dissertation argues that female piety and mission practices shaped the Evangelical Protestantism and the missionary movement that emerged from the Réveil [Revival] in nineteenth century France. It shows that women through their writings, their philanthropic initiatives, and their focus on education and social renewal on behalf of children laid the foundation for French Protestant mission and outreach. This study fills a gap in Anglophone scholarship on the role of women in French Protestant mission history and the history of the nineteenth century Evangelical Revival in France. After the Reformation, Protestant women preserved the Huguenot cultural identity of Protestants both at home and abroad. This continuity was manifested in the nineteenth century when the countries of the Huguenot Refuge sent missionaries of the Evangelical Revival back into France. The ethos of Jan Hus’ Dcerka [The Daughter] present in the work of French Protestant women in philanthropy, education, and social renewal demonstrates the continuity in piety and outreach from the Reformation to the nineteenth century. After the founding of the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society in 1822, the Paris Mission women’s committee, led by Albertine de Broglie and Émilie Mallet, played a crucial role in promoting missions by mediating regional and class differences between Protestants. Late eighteenth century female initiatives on behalf of vulnerable women and children laid the foundation for the work of missions because, through them, women developed networks that served the goals of philanthropy, fundraising, and infant education. Infant school education, pioneered in the Lesotho Mission by Elizabeth Lyndall Rolland, was essential to women’s mission practice. The infant school pedagogy of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and Jean-Frédéric Oberlin, with its religious teaching, the centrality of the female role, and the emphasis on kindness was the key component in the work of the Lesotho Mission. In the 1830s, the arrival of missionary wives launched the work of the Lesotho Mission and energized French Protestant faith. In the 1840s, women once again sparked spiritual renewal with the creation of deaconess communities in Paris and Strasburg that served as models of Christian unity and self-sacrificial service. Overall, women’s piety and outreach were sources of revitalization in the Reformed Church and influenced early Evangelical Protestantism in nineteenth century France. Women’s mission practices that focused on works of mercy, education, and the nurturing of Christian families served as catalysts for renewal

Social Media Perceptions of Academic Performance and Self-Esteem as Defined by Female Adolescents

The essential need for developing social interaction and relationships through participation on social media has begun to have an influence on academic performance and self-esteem in adolescents. This study examined the perceptions of adolescent females on the effect social media has had on both academic success and self-esteem. The literature reviewed the effects social media has on this population as it relates to these two areas. This was a qualitative study with 10 participants ages 11-15. A convenience group of participants were interviewed through in-person discussion whenever possible or through Google Meet/Zoom meetings. Questions were posed from an interview guide to record their perceptions the effects social media had on their academic achievement, family and friendships, and self-esteem

The Nature of beads

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the various qualities of nature through the concept of the bead. A series of beads has been created whose aesthetic elements enhance the essence of nature and the spirit of the individual. With these pieces I wanted to express my sensitivity and feelings about nature relating to seasons of the year and personal memories. It is my hope that this body of work will heighten an awareness of nature and arouse thought and curiosity about beads

Method of remotely characterizing thermal properties of a sample

A sample in a wind tunnel is radiated from a thermal energy source outside of the wind tunnel. A thermal imager system, also located outside of the wind tunnel, reads surface radiations from the sample as a function of time. The produced thermal images are characteristic of the heat transferred from the sample to the flow across the sample. In turn, the measured rates of heat loss of the sample are characteristic of the flow and the sample

Field Evaluations of Broadcast and Individual Mound Treatment for Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, (Hymenoptera; Formicidae) Control in Virginia, USA

Field evaluations were conducted to determine efficacy, residual activity, and knockdown potential for fire ant control products.  Broadcast granular products (Advion, 0.045% indoxacarb; and Top Choice Insecticide, 0.0143% fipronil) were individually evaluated, and compared with a combination of two products applied together, and with individual mound applications of Maxforce Fire Ant Killer Bait (1.0% hydramethylnon). After application, the greatest percent reduction (90 days) were observed in the Advion/Top Choice combination plots (100.0%), followed by Top Choice alone (96.4%).  Advion and MaxForce produced significantly lower foraging reductions at 90 days (61.2% and 27.5% respectively).   At the conclusion of the test (day 360), significantly fewer ants were collected in the Advion (777.7), Top Choice (972.8), and combination plots (596.2) than in the control plots (1257.8) (df 13, F = 8.3, P < 0.05). The mean number of ants collected from MaxForce treatment plots was not significantly different from controls (P > 0.05).  Overall, the efficacy and residual studies suggested that the Advion/Top Choice combination produced both the most rapid reduction in ant foraging and the longest lasting control (90%) at 300 days.  When evaluating time to knockdown of foraging populations, the Advion/Top Choice combination also provided the most complete and rapid results by day 7, reducing foraging by 100%. While other products also performed well (75.6 - 95.9% reductions), both the MaxForce and Advion plots had significant increases in foraging at 30-90 days. Overall, foraging knockdown was the most complete in the Avion/Top Choice combination plots at 90 days