The Community College Student\u27s Social Construction of Global Learning in the Florida College System

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine the Florida community college student\u27s understanding of and engagement in global learning through the lens of constructionist theory. Using a grounded theory methodology, seven students in three Florida community colleges were interviewed to hear in their own words how personal and academic experiences have shaped their interest in other countries, cultures, and current international events. The goal of this study was to explore students\u27 perspectives using the principles of social constructionism and constructivism to create a new model of understanding of global learning. The final results of the study found that students primarily think of culture when asked about global learning, and they do not have a solid understanding of the concept in an academic sense. This understanding has been formed throughout their lives as their interest began well before their current community college experience. Remarkably, all seven students had some experience with global learning long before enrollment in their current institution, and all seven students had an unremarkable college experience thus far as it pertained to global learning. In the end, there were five major influences found to be involved in the formation of students\u27 understanding and engagement level in global learning, which included the family, peers, academic experiences, work experiences, and the external environment. The study concludes by emphasizing the importance of the community college\u27s role in helping to prepare college graduates for the 21st century workplace

Her Splendid Children Will Be Born Here”: Anglo-American Relations and Sexual Selection in Transatlantic Fiction, 1870–1914

In recent decades, scholars have sought to examine the discourse of evolutionary theory in the realist novel. This dissertation examines the ways in which the novel form embodied evolutionary theory by examining Anglo-American courtship plots. In chapter 2, I examine Charles Glascock’s courtship of Caroline Spalding in Anthony Trollope’s He Knew He Was Right. During their courtship, Caroline’s dominant behaviors subvert traditional hierarchies between nations, classes, and genders. However, the open plot of evolutionary change hints at a revolutionary restructuring of social relations. I argue that Caroline and Glascock’s relationship reverts to a more traditional power structure upon their marriage, an ending that resolves social instability. In chapter 3, I examine the two Anglo-American marriages in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Shuttle. This text uses the language of evolution, degeneration, and eugenics to interpret two Anglo-American marriages. While critics have demonstrated the importance of rational choice in New Women fiction and eugenic marriage plots around the turn of the century, I argue that Burnett’s novel highlights the limitations of knowledge and rational choice in mate selection. Burnett’s novel suggests the importance of relying on instinctive female sexual desire for mate selection. While the novel advocates for a shift to more equitable sexual relations within the marriage, it does so by reverting to traditional class and racial hierarchies to achieve social stability. For the last two chapters, I examine failed courtships and marriages between Anglo-American lovers. In chapter 4, I study the failed courtship between Paul Montague and the American Mrs. Hurtle in Anthony Trollope’s The Way We Live Now. The text relies on theories of individual sexual development to explain Montague’s selection of the civilized British Hetta Carbury over the savage American Mrs. Hurtle. However, Montague’s individual evolution fails to account for the larger societal development caused by the entry of Americans into England. Critics have noted the lack of narrative resolution, and I argue that this failure is due in part to the failed Anglo-American romance as the marriage between two British subjects fails to arrest the social and political changes in the novel. In the final chapter, I examine Isabel Archer’s process of mate selection in Henry James’s The Portrait of a Lady. James is credited with the creation of the American girl and the popularization of international marriages in fiction, and critics have examined the language of evolutionary psychology in Isabel’s choice of mate. I argue that James’s novel critiques the closed plots of women’s individual development in both science and literature. Instead, the novel creates an open plot in which Isabel can continue to change beyond the novel’s end. Overall, these transatlantic texts demonstrate the ways in which evolutionary plots bring about, complicate, or resist romantic resolutions in literary texts

Reproductive Success of American Kestrels (\u3cem\u3eFalco sparverius\u3c/em\u3e) Nesting in Boxes along an Interstate in Northeastern Tennessee.

Nest box programs provide supplemental nest sites for American Kestrels, Falco sparverius. When the availability of nest sites is a limiting factor, the addition of nest boxes can increase local breeding populations. These programs also facilitate the collection of data on breeding kestrels. This study focuses on an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) nest box trail along Interstate 26 in northeastern Tennessee during the breeding seasons of 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2009. Productivity measures and reproductive success of nesting birds are provided and compared to other programs. The data are analyzed across years and by box. Finally, a discussion of the habitat surrounding the most and least active boxes provides recommendations for increased efficiency of the program

Development of direct elemental speciation in solid state materials using pulsed glow discharge mass spectrometry

Among the various elemental mass spectrometry techniques, glow discharge mass spectrometry is recognized for its ability to provide direct determination of trace elements present in solid state samples. In the present work, a pulsed glow discharge time of flight mass spectrometry method is developed for the direct speciation of chromium in solid state samples. In initial investigations, time-resolved power perturbation and Langmuir probe studies were undertaken to elucidate the excitation and ionization processes in a pulsed glow discharge plasma. The experimental data provides further insight into the energy transfer processes that occur at different spatial locations and in different temporal regimes of these pulsed glow discharge plasmas. Of greatest interest is the afterpeak regime, in which dissociative recombination between molecular argon ions (Ar2+) and electrons is thought to be the principal process responsible for emission enhancements. Careful tuning of the operating parameters within this time regime yields the plasma chemistry that favors cluster ion formation. Unique mass spectral features found in the afterpeak permit differentiation between the trivalent and hexavalent forms of chromium, (CrIII) and (CrVI) respectively, in chromium oxide samples

The Practitioner\u27s Corner: An exploration of municipal active living charter development and advocacy

Background: Numerous municipal active living-­‐related charters have been adopted to promote physical activity in Canada throughout the past decade. Despite this trend, there are few published critical examinations of the process through which charters are developed and used. Purpose: Thus, the purpose of this study was to establish greater understanding of active living charter development and advocacy. Methods: Semi-­‐structured interviews were conducted with eight primary contributors to different active living-­‐related charters across Ontario, Canada. Interview questions explored participants’ experiences developing and advocating for an active living charter. Interviews were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. Results and Conclusions: Participants consistently described a process whereby an impetus triggered the development of a charter, which was subsequently adopted by regional or municipal council. Continued advocacy to develop awareness of the charter and to promote desired outcomes in the community was valued and the capacity of the working group as well as the local political context played pivotal roles in determining how the charter was implemented. Outcomes were, however, only objectively evaluated in one case that was described – evaluation being a process that many participants thought was omitted in regard to their own charter. This work provides practical guidance for health professionals developing regional active living charters as a component of broader advocacy efforts

Le Community Resources Consultants de Toronto : deux programmes de case management

Cet article décrit deux programmes bien établis de case management qui ont été développés en réponse aux lacunes identifiées au sein du système de soins de santé mentale à Toronto. Le case management y est défini ainsi que la place qu'il occupe au sein du système de soins en santé mentale. On y décrit aussi la philosophie des programmes, comment elle est appliquée au niveau organisationnel et dans la dispensation des services. Des vignettes illustrent ensuite le travail quotidien des case managers et soulignent l'importance de la relation de partenariat avec l'usager.This article describes two well established case management services which were developed in response to clearly identified gaps in the mental health system in Toronto. The significance of case management and its place in the mental health system are addressed. CRCT's service philosophy and how that philosophy is put into operation at an organizational level and in the delivery of case management service is described. Client vignettes illustrate the day-to-day work of the case managers and the importance of a strong working alliance.Este articulo describe dos programas de case management bien establecidos, que han sido desarrolados como respuesta a las lagunas identificadas al interior des sistema de asisencia de salud mental en Toronto. Una definiciôn des case management asî que el lugar que este ocupa al interior del sistema de asistencia en salud mental, son abordados. También se describe la filosoffa de los programas, el como son aplicados de manera organizacional en el dispensario de servicios. En seguida, las vinuelas ilustran el trabajo diario de los case manager y subrayan la importancia de la relation de partenariado con el usuario

Access to early childhood education in Australia: insights from a qualitative study

Based on interviews with 94 parents in Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia, this report investigates parents\u27 knowledge of and attitudes towards early childhood education. Executive summary This report documents the background, methodology and findings from the Access to Early Childhood Education (AECE): Qualitative Study, undertaken by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) and commissioned by the then Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR; now the Department of Education) on behalf of the Early Childhood Data Subgroup (ECDSG). This research was commissioned within the context of the National Partnership Agreement on Early Childhood Education (NP ECE), which jointly committed the Commonwealth and all state and territory governments to achieving universal access to preschool by 2013. The AECE Qualitative Study was undertaken in order to develop a qualitative evidence base about how the concept of “access” to early childhood education (ECE) is defined and understood, and to explore what reasons and barriers exist in relation to access to ECE. A qualitative framework was chosen for this study to enable more in-depth study of any barriers to ECE, and/or factors that lead to parents making particular decisions about their children’s use of ECE. &nbsp

Opportunities and Access: Exploring How School District Leaders Make Meaning of Equity in Practice through Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to explore how PBIS and equity interacted according to school and district leaders.Research methods/approach: This study examined how five schools made meaning of the implementation process, ongoing efforts, and structures created. Through a case study including interviews, focus groups, and observations, the primary research question was explored: How do school leaders and teachers make meaning of implementing and assessing PBIS in their schools as a component of a journey toward equity?Findings: While the five schools had unique aspects, four common themes emerged across schools, including the benefits of PBIS, the power of relationships, the importance of communication and leadership, and PBIS challenges