This study describes the experiences of first-year students at IUP-Punxsutawney, a regional campus designed to provide additional support to a population of at-risk students, approximately half of whom are minorities. The purpose of this study is to provide the reader with a better understanding of the context and to describe students' experiences in this context by addressing two questions: What does it mean to be a first-year student at IUP-Punxsutawney? What is the first-year experience ...
Leah M Chambers.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Rafoth, Bennett A. Committee members: Sharon Deckert; Gian Pagnucci.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2011.
English

Many poverty authors point out that the various ways poverty is conceptualized and measured are very crucial because different poverty measures tend to capture different people as poor. The main focus of this research is to compare and examine how different poverty measures estimate poverty outcomes in the United States. The data for the study are from the 2004 of National Longitudinal Study of Youth, 1979 (US Department of Labor, 2006). Using frequency curves and cross tabulations, the distr...
Moses Kwadzo.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Yerger, David Committee members: John Anderson; Daniel Heckert.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2010.
English

The present study investigates specific details in the narrative strategies of six women clergy in order to identify thematic patterns reflected in their personal call narratives and to interrogate the socio-culturally situated identity reflected by these patterns. By conducting a cross-disciplinary study of six second-career women who understand themselves to be "called to the ministry," I unpack and foreground the transformative experiences they undergo in their journey as scholars and...
Kathryn A Broyles.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Fontaine, Jeannine M. Committee members: Paul Chilcote; Ben Rafoth.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2011.
English

This study focused on how six Korean students at a university in the U.S. constructed their academic writer identities ideationally, interpersonally, and textually (Halliday, 1994; Ivanie, 1998). The purposes of this study, grounded in social constructionism and discourse theory, were to (a) understand how Korean students constructed their identities as writers in the English academic discourse community based on previous L1 writing practices and the current L2 writing practices, (b) determin...
Soyoung Baek Burke.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Tannacito, Dan J. Committee members: Thomas Farrell; Bennett Rafoth.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2010.
English

In 2006, Governor Edward Rendell announced a three-year, $200 million Classrooms for the Future program to provide technology and technology support to schools across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, beginning in the 2006-2007 school year. The purpose of this research study is to examine the change process of the diffusion of technology within five schools through the implementation of the Classrooms for the Future initiative. This study will specifically examine the diffusion of the Classr...
Brian Jeffrey Slamecka.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Kaufman, Cathy Committee members: George Bieger; David Piper.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2011.
English

This meta-analysis is a review of how curriculum based measurement (CBM), short-term memory, and processing speed, relate to both basic reading skills and reading comprehension. This was developed due to the debate in the field of school psychology on the utility of using cognitive measures as important and relevant variables in the identification of learning disabilities. The goal of this study was to determine the strength of association of these variables to reading abilities and to determ...
John M Garruto.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Rattan, Gurmal Committee members: William Barker; Becky Knickelbein; Betsy Waterman.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2010.
English

This mixed-method study identifies cyber high school graduates' perceptions of the effect of a cyber high school education on successful transition to a traditional university. The study examined students' perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages their cyber education experience contributed to their academic and social transition to college. In addition, the level of involvement of cyber high school graduates in university-based social activities was compared to the similar involvement...
Dorothy M Gracey.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Corbett, Frank, Jr. Committee members: Kelly Heider; DeAnna Laverick; David Loomis.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2010.
English

This project will focus on the multi-ethnic American mother in the mid-to-late twentieth century and where she fits into contemporary American society. I will be taking a Cultural Feminist/Historical approach to motherhood and the mother figure in multi-ethnic American families. This approach will allow me to use a feminist lens and relevant historical context to consider how the "traditional" mother or "ideal" mother figure has become a model for how mainstream society thinks the mother fig...
Lea Johanna Delcoco-Fridley.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Wilson, Cheryl Committee members: Karen Dandruand; Susan Gatti.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2011.
English

This qualitative research study examines factors found in very-at-risk students contributing to degree or diploma completion. The purpose of this study was to locate the areas of their college program that contributed to their success, and to identify internal factors that were not readily apparent. Personal interviews provided an open-ended, in-depth exploration of the participant's journey through their educational program. The analysis of the data indicates that the academic programs and...
Marian E Yoder.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Anderson, John A. Committee members: Valerie Gunter; Beth Mabry.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2011.
English

This dissertation is an argument for the existence of a previously unidentified rebellion novel genre. A close study of dozens of rebellion novels proved this to be true. The findings are a significant step in genre studies and in the general understanding of British novels with political purposes. This dissertation primarily focuses on the rebellion novels by Sir Walter Scott (Waverley, Rob Roy, Black Dwarf, Tale of Old Mortality, and The Heart of Mid-Lothian), Charles Dickens (Barnaby Rudg...
Anna Faktorovich.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Orchard, Christopher R. Committee members: Christopher Kuipers; Signe Wegener.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2011.
English

In order to highlight the ways in which language may be ideologically bound to specific performances of selves, this qualitative project examines the relationships between conceptualization, performance and revelation of queer sexualities by bi-lingual, English-speaking Japanese men and women and their experiences with English language and culture. Written, narrative auto-ethnographies in the form of linguistic and sexual literacy narratives were completed by 8 participant-researchers who we...
Marlen Elliot Harrison.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Hayward, Nancy Committee members: Robert Heasley; Lilia Savova.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2011.
English

This qualitative study aims to understand the varied needs and expectations that Korean students bring into a large scale English writing class, as well as the transformation of these stated needs in the course of a semester. Moreover, it investigates how the writing teacher and his students negotiate these different needs and expectations. Also, this study examines the topics and approaches that the Korean students utilize when they want to dialogue with their writing teacher. Additionally, ...
Soyeon Kim.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Fontaine, Jeannine M. Committee members: Jerry Gebhard; Gloria Park.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2011.
English

In an effort to meet the societal demands for a better prepared workforce and the educational reform movements, such as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, school districts have begun to partner with post-secondary institutions. In particular, community colleges and high schools are working together to make education more affordable, more accessible, and more attractive by bridging the gap between high school and college. Early College Programs exist to meet these needs. Although informatio...
Barbara Zuchelli.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Bieger, George R. Committee members: Anne Creany; Cathy Kaufman.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2010.
English

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine educational and community issues affecting academic achievements of students with visual impairments among the Maasai tribe in Narok, Kenya. More specifically, this study described difficulties teachers and their students with visual impairments experience in the implementation of the curriculum in relation to visual and educational provisions that are relevant and necessary for their education. This knowledge is essential in the sense...
Elizabeth Koirrag Kalu.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Bieger, George R. Committee members: Susan Glor-Scheib; Monte Tidwell.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2011.
English

Extensive anecdotal evidence and multiple case studies indicate that the use of hypnosis can help improve athletic performance. Several formal mental training programs using hypnotic techniques for performance enhancement have evolved. In sports, even a small gain in performance can mean the difference between a fantastic play and a costly error; therefore, techniques to improve reaction time could be of great benefit to athletes. This study was designed to examine what effect manipulating ...
Molly Haas Cowan.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Federoff, Lynda M. Committee members: Jeff Ditch; John Mills; Eric Rosenberger.
Psy.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2010.
English

This study sought to understand the effectiveness of compliance-gaining appeals when used in online political videos. Current literature, while addressing what types of compliance-gaining techniques individuals would use in differing situations, calls for but is devoid of empirical research that delves further into understanding appeal impact. A survey was established that consisted of constructed embedded videos that utilized content analysis for developmental guidance of message information...
Mark T King.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Wilson, B. G. Committee members: Mark Piwinsky; Jay Start.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2011.
English

The current study investigated the effects of hyperglycemia, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia on the severity of sequelae related to traumatic brain injury. Existing data of 209 participants was utilized from an urban hospital, which included neuropsychological evaluations following traumatic brain injury. Specific areas examined included measures of executive functioning, both immediate and delayed memory, and learning. Each participant was placed into a group based on the number of d...
Rachel R Andaloro.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: LaPorte, David J. Committee members: Michael Franzen; Dasen Lue.
Psy.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2011.
English

Exposure to objectified images of males and females has been found to have a negative effect on body esteem, self-esteem, and psychological health of men and women. Few studies have investigated the effects of exposure to objectified images on male sexual esteem. Ninety male college students participated in the current study, which examined the effects of exposure to objectified images of males and females on male sexual esteem and self-esteem. This study considered the constructs of gender r...
Martin Pino.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: McHugh, Maureen C. Committee members: Laurie Roehrich; Eric Rosenberger.
Psy.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2011.
English

Historically there has been great focus on the performance of nonprofits versus for-profit entities. The literature has included research on variances in salaries, operational efficiencies, pricing, market penetration, composition of clientele, etc. However, there is a new category of entity that exists between the traditional nonprofit and for-profit spectrum. This entity is the nonprofit engaged in social enterprise activities. Social enterprise is the pursuit of earned income activities. T...
Wendy Pardee.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Nowak, Thomas Committee members: Alex Heckert; Willard Radell.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2010.
English

This qualitative ethnographic Linguistic Landscape (LL) study collected and analyzed ten individual 'walking tour' interviews with residents of Memphis, Tennessee, exploring the personal thoughts and feelings about linguistic changes in the communities triggered by the LL. The researcher focused the participants' attention on multilingualism present on public signage and the emotional affects of the LL at the moment of seeing. The interviews were conducted in 2007 and 2008 and a follow-up was...
Rebecca Todd Garvin.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Hanauer, David I. Committee members: Kevin Patrick; Ben Rafoth.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2011.
English

This dissertation addresses the concept of English national identity as a series of ideological constructs in selected novels by Julian Barnes, Angela Carter, John Fowles, and Jeanette Winterson. To this end, this study includes texts that best reveal the struggle between the various forms of national identity: England, England and Metroland by Julian Barnes; Nights at the Circus and Wise Children by Angela Carter; Daniel Martin and The Magus by John Fowles; and Gut Symmetries and Oranges ...
Christine D Pristash.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Orchard, Christopher Committee members: Susan Gatti; Mike Sell.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2011.
English

With the implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Legislation, Secondary Special Education Teachers have been subjected to many change initiatives resulting from high stakes testing. These teachers, as well as their students, have been scrutinized and required to implement new ideas presented by the administrators in their districts in order to raise achievement on tests. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the evolution of Secondary Special Education Teach...
Donna M Messner.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Kaufman, Cathy C. Committee members: Valeri Helterbran; Jennifer Rotigel.
Ed.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2011.
English