Arizona college students: Willing advocates for campus tobacco policy

Eisen-Cohen, Eileen M Arizona State University 2005 해외박사(DDOD)

This dissertation examines attitudes and behaviors of Arizona university students regarding tobacco control policy. It investigates undergraduate students' responses from a telephone survey conducted by the University of Arizona in 2001. The sample consisted of 605 students from the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and Northern Arizona University. Students' attitudes toward tobacco restrictions and support regarding advocacy for campus tobacco policy were examined through secondary analyses of the data set. Specific methodologies utilized include constructing and analyzing indices of support for campus policy and propensity for anti-tobacco advocacy, conducting correlation tests, and multiple regression analyses. This study confirms previous research findings that college students support smoking restrictions on university campuses. It also produced a unique finding that student attitudes supporting smoking bans presage student advocacy behavior to affect tobacco control. The potential of student advocacy in advancing campus tobacco control policy fills an important gap by contributing new research that aids in developing new strategies that include student advocacy to impact campus tobacco policy and ultimately student health behavior. Campus wellness personnel and administrators can rely on favorable advocacy attitudes of undergraduate university students to support campus tobacco control policy. The contribution of this research to the academic literature may ultimately provide greater health protection to young adults by preventing and reducing tobacco use in this population.

Implementing learner-centered education: A case study of Arizona State University

Grillos, Paul A Arizona State University 2007 해외박사(DDOD)

This study examined the effectiveness of learner-centered education (LCE), through a case study analysis of LCE implementation at Arizona State University (ASU). In contrast to traditional teaching-centered approaches, LCE places greater emphasis upon students, prompting them to participate actively in learning activities and to share responsibility for their progress. Under the purview of the Arizona Board of Regents Tri-University LCE grant (2005-06 funding cycle), I developed four questions to guide this research: (1) what are the potential advantages and disadvantages of an LCE-mediated environment; (2) to what extent can faculty meet their intended learning outcomes utilizing LCE methodologies; (3) how do the experiences of students and faculty operating within an LCE framework differ by academic discipline; and (4) by what channels, formal or otherwise, is LCE advocated at departmental, college, and university-wide levels. Study participants derived from individuals who partook in the 2005-06 Tri-University LCE grant, in addition to participants of an earlier funding cycle. Regarding the former, I selected instructors from ASU who taught a spring 2006 course using LCE methods, along with students enrolled in these courses. Data collection occurred through semi-structured interviews with instructors and students, classroom observations, and document analysis. Additionally, I interviewed ASU instructors from the 2004-05 Tri-University LCE funding cycle. Data revealed that LCE has the potential to enhance student attainment of learning outcomes. Indeed, within the context of this relationship between LCE and learning goals, instructors discussed numerous advantages the approach has to offer, including enhanced student involvement, increased motivation and efficacy, and greater accountability on the part of students to achieve learning outcomes, among others. Student commentary, in addition to my own classroom observations and document analysis, likewise reaffirmed such advantages. Despite these benefits, not all instructors utilized LCE techniques equally, suggesting individual and/or disciplinary differences in the adoption of the approach. Of even greater concern, particularly within a research-based institution such as ASU, is the tenure system, which appears to threaten the widespread implementation of LCE. The challenge, therefore, is to promote LCE to make it appealing and practical to a wide range of audiences (faculty and administrators alike), thereby ensuring its successful adoption.

Revisiting the dean: Byron Cummings and southwestern archaeology, 1893--1954 (Arizona, Utah)

Bostwick, Todd William Arizona State University 2003 해외박사(DDOD)

Byron Cummings was one of the more influential archaeologists who worked in the Southwest in the early 1900s, yet his long and colorful life had not been examined in a comprehensive biography. This study documents his professional career and chronicles his activities in exploration, education, museum development, administration, and writing. He and his students explored hundreds of miles of Arizona and Utah from 1906 to the early 1940s and excavated more than 150 archaeological sites. Unfortunately, many of those excavations were not reported. Cummings also was a very popular professor of Latin, Greek, and American Archaeology, first at the University of Utah (1893–1915) and then later at the University of Arizona (1915–1937). Many of his students considered Cummings one of the best teachers they had known. He had excellent administrative skills and served as a Dean for several years at both universities, and as President of the University of Arizona from 1927 to 1928. As Director of the Arizona State Museum for 22 years, he acquired more than 25,000 artifacts for its collections through excavations, purchase, and donations. One of the current State Museum buildings was constructed by Cummings using federal New Deal money in the mid-1930s. While President of the University of Arizona, he convinced the State Legislature to pass an Arizona Antiquities Act in 1927, which firmly established control of Arizona archaeology with the Arizona State Museum. That year he also started a graduate program in archaeology. In the 1930s, he clashed with other archaeologists from eastern institutions, as well as with some within the state, as competition for archaeological specimens intensified in Arizona. A tireless promoter and educator, Cummings contributed immensely to the growth of public awareness of Arizona archaeology.

Due process and Arizona teacher dismissals for cause: A comparison of rights and practices

Johnson, Keith Herbert Arizona State University 2003 해외박사(DDOD)

Fairness is the driving force behind the concept of due process. This study compares the apparent discrepancy between constitutional and case law guarantees of due process rights for teachers and the practices involved in teacher dismissal procedures in Arizona's public school districts. In 1985, the Supreme Court ruled that, prior to being deprived of one's property right in continued employment, minimum procedural due process is required. The process must include a pre-termination opportunity for the accused employee to be notified of the charges and evidence against him, coupled with a chance for the employee to tell his side of the story. There is no provision in Arizona law for pre-termination due process. Post-termination due process is provided in Arizona statutes, but it relates only to teacher representation by legal counsel at a dismissal hearing and to the teacher's ability to present testimony and evidence in his own behalf. In 1990, the minimum statutory requirements were expanded through case law precedent to include: adequate written notice of the grounds for termination, disclosure of the evidence supporting termination, the opportunity to confront adverse witnesses, an impartial decision maker and a written statement by the school district governing board as to the evidence which supports the decision. To date, the expanded requirements have not been incorporated into the statutes and their application in teacher dismissal cases has been inconsistent. In recent years, the ability of the governing board to be impartial when presiding over teacher dismissal hearings has been questioned. In a 1997 case, the Arizona Supreme Court determined that a statutory scheme similar to the one involving the adjudication of teacher termination cases by governing boards violated due process. Continuing teachers facing termination for cause in Arizona may not be provided the minimum procedural due process to which they are entitled. Arizona Revised Statutes should be amended to ensure that teachers targeted for dismissal are afforded the minimum federal pre-termination due process protections, as well as all post-termination hearing procedures established through Arizona case law precedent.

Advocating for English language learners: Flores v. Arizona, a case study

Randolph, Angela Marie Arizona State University 2005 해외박사(DDOD)

This dissertation focuses on the development and resolution of a funding case that affects educational programs for Arizona's English language learners. The purpose of this case study is to describe, through a political culture lens, the development and resolution of Flores v. Arizona. The Flores case, a class action lawsuit originally filed by Southern Arizona Legal Aid, sought adequate programs and financial resources for English language learners. This study addressed the following question: How did Flores v. Arizona, a school finance case on behalf of ELLS, develop and come to a resolution within the political culture of Arizona? Additional questions which guided this study included (a) What were the characteristics of the political culture in which the Flores case developed? (b) What were the characteristics of the linguistic ideology in Arizona? (c) What were the characteristics of Arizona's fiscal policy?. Qualitative case study methodology was used as a guiding practice and determined the procedures to identify and define the political culture in Arizona in regards to the education of English language learners. Data were drawn from education statutes, authoritative court documents, newspaper articles, minutes from legislative and group meetings, and interviews with 11 key policy actors in the state of Arizona. The data analysis process resulted in the emergence of the following three assertions: (a) Anti-federalism as characterized by a negative attitude toward the judiciary coupled with an elaborate system for delay tactics are fundamental aspects of Arizona's political culture; (b) Arizona's political culture is Anglo-centric as exemplified by anti-immigration, anti-bilingual sentiments and an English-only linguistic ideology, and (c) a conservative fiscal policy characterizes Arizona's political culture as evidenced by the Legislature's unwillingness to fund special interest groups.

Twenty-five years later: A comparative study of the socioeconomic integration of Vietnamese refugees in Arizona

Gibbons, Gail Arizona State University 2006 해외박사(DDOD)

Vietnamese refugees have been arriving in the United States since the fall of Saigon in 1975 with more than 13,000 settling in Arizona. Previous research has focused on their socioeconomic integration in other states but their progress within Arizona is largely unknown. This research project, therefore, sought to better understand their socioeconomic integration in this state by looking at the following socioeconomic systems and exploring how their ethnicity, location, gender and age related to these systems: (1) Education System; (2) Employment Sector; (3) Economic Structure; (4) Housing Market. Comparative research methods were used to explore the extent to which Vietnamese have successfully integrated in Arizona. Within group outcomes of Arizona Vietnamese (AZ VN) were examined by gender and age cohort and compared to Arizona's total population (AZ TP). This comparison illustrated their socioeconomic integration in the state and was used as a measure to show how their ethnicity related to the outcomes. A second comparison was made contrasting outcomes observed in the total population of Vietnamese (TP VN) to the total population of the United States (TP US). The percentage differences observed in the comparison between AZ VN--AZ TP with the percentage differences observed in the comparison between TP VN--TP US shed light on the impact that location had on integration. Analysis of these comparisons suggests that Arizona Vietnamese have likely integrated into each of the four socioeconomic systems explored in this study. An added finding also suggests that the total population of Vietnamese nationwide have likely integrated into each of the socioeconomic systems explored with the exception of the housing market. For Arizona Vietnamese, age and location were more closely associated with the outcomes than were their ethnicity and gender.

Getting scholarship into policy: Lessons from university-based bipartisan scholarship brokers

Ackman, Emily Rydel Arizona State University 2013 해외박사(DDOD)

There is a documented gap between research-based recommendations produced by university-based scholars in the field of education in the United States and the evidence that U.S. politicians' use when deciding which educational policies to implement or amend. This is a problem because university-based education scholars produce vast quantities of research each year, some of which could, and more importantly should, be useful to politicians in their decision-making processes and yet, politicians continue to make policy decisions about education without the benefit of much of the knowledge that has been gained through scholarly research. I refer to the small fraction of university-based education scholars who are demonstrably successful at getting scholarly research into the hands of politicians to be used for decision-making purposes as "university-based bipartisan scholarship brokers". They are distinct from other university-based education scholars in that they engage with politicians from both political parties around research and, as such, are able to use scholarly research to influence the education policymaking process. The problem that this dissertation addresses is the lack of use, by U.S. politicians, of scholarly research produced by United States university-based education scholars as input in education policy decisions. The way in which this problem is explored is through studying university-based bipartisan scholarship brokers. I focused on three areas for exploration: the methods university-based bipartisan scholarship brokers use to successfully get U.S. politicians to consider scholarly research as an input in their decision-making processes around education policy, how these scholars are different than the majority of university-based education policy scholars, and how they conceive of the education policy-setting agenda. What I uncovered in this dissertation is that university-based bipartisan scholarship brokers are a complete sub-group of university-based education scholars. They work above the rigorous promotion and tenure requirements of their home universities in order to use scholarly research to help serve the research needs of politicians. Their engagement is distinct among university-based education scholars and through this dissertation their perspective is presented in participants' own authentic language.

High school courses and other variables affecting academic success of Arizona public university freshmen

Orlowsky-Yuskis, Mary Elizabeth Arizona State University 2000 해외박사(DDOD)

Across the country, little research has been conducted and insufficient data collected to determine the number and pattern of college preparatory courses that best prepare a student for academic success at a public university in the freshman year. This study, which centers primarily on the state of Arizona, identifies the significant data elements and their sources as important components in predicting the academic success of freshmen. The focus of this research is on courses in public high schools in Arizona as well as standardized test scores required for admission to the state's three public universities. The identification of these data elements allows researchers in Arizona to determine the relationship between the differing number and pattern of college preparatory courses taken in secondary schools and academic success in the freshman year of college as measured by grade point average, persistence and need for remedial coursework. These data elements can be adapted for use as a basis for building a prediction equation model by other public colleges, universities and systems. Nine independent predictor variables were identified as potential influences on academic success in the freshman year. Three dependent cognitive variables were also identified. The main sources of data for these variables include high school and college transcripts, university research offices and State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) agencies. A recommended data record is outlined for the collection and reporting of data by university researchers. States other than Arizona using this study to build a prediction equation model need to be aware of their current data collection and reporting capabilities and make appropriate changes as necessary to determine the levels of academic success of public university freshmen related to their respective admission requirements. Several suggestions for further study and recommendations for improvement in data collection and communication between secondary and postsecondary institutions are made in chapter five.

The response of the Arizona legislature to Roosevelt Elementary School District No. 66 versus Bishop: A case study

Sprout, Jeffrey Charles Arizona State University 2001 해외박사(DDOD)

In 1994, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled in <italic>Roosevelt Elementary School District No. 66 v. Bishop</italic> that the state's funding system for school facilities violated the Arizona Constitution, which states that Arizona must create and maintain a “general and uniform” system of public education. In the Roosevelt decision, the court placed responsibility for developing a constitutional plan for financing new and existing capital needs upon the Arizona legislature. This started a four-year process in which three plans were passed and subsequently declared unconstitutional by the courts. In July of 1998, the legislature's fourth plan, Students FIRST, won approval of the plaintiffs and the court and the lawsuit was terminated. This study addresses the following research question: How did the Arizona legislature create an acceptable plan for funding school facilities? A case study methodology was employed to solve the problem. Data were collected from two sources: documents and interviews. Over 700 pages of documents were gathered as well as approximately 650 pages of interview transcripts from 19 interviewees who were key players in the process. Many factors affect the way a legislature works. As the data were analyzed, ten factors emerged as playing a major role in this legislative process: (1) the decisions of the Arizona courts; (2) the ideology of the Republican majority leadership; (3) the desire of property-wealthy districts to maintain the existing system of general obligation bonding for school facilities; (4) the practice of partisan politics in Arizona's legislature; (5) the actions of Governors Symington and Hull; (6) the actions of Mr. Tim Hogan, lead attorney, and the plaintiffs; (7) the pace of legislative change; and other factors, including (8) the healthy Arizona economy, (9) the elimination of capital appreciation bonds, and (10) the actions of the Arizona Department of Education.

The adequacy and equity of funding for K--8 gifted programming in Arizona

Thor, Janet Wertsch Arizona State University 2003 해외박사(DDOD)

A key academic gauge of the effectiveness of a nation's educational system is its ability to provide an adequate education for all of its children. A universal system of education such as that provided in Arizona and throughout the United States is eventually tested by that provided to students that can be considered “exceptional”. The purpose of the study was to determine the equity and adequacy of funding for gifted education in the state of Arizona. Specifically, the study addressed three research questions. The first question focused on determining which school districts in Arizona met minimum programming requirements for gifted education as prescribed by the National Association for Gifted Children. The second question determined the necessary per-pupil expenditure for an adequate gifted education in Kindergarten through grade eight districts. The third question calculated the equity of the funding of gifted education in Arizona by determining the extent to which school district wealth, as measured by assessed property valuation, was related to expenditures for gifted education. An average cost of an adequate gifted education was derived from the expenditures of seven benchmark districts. The population for this study was the 188 Arizona elementary and unified public school districts that enrolled students in kindergarten through grade eight during the school year 2001–2002. Data from the benchmark districts, after removing the highest and lowest five percent in terms of property wealth, were averaged and that figure was said to represent the cost of an adequate gifted education in Arizona. An adjustment was then made to accommodate for the cost of doing business, using the National Center for Educational Statistics Cost of Education Index. The relationship between expenditures for gifted programming and school district wealth, as measured by assessed property valuation, was calculated by the use of the coefficient of correlation. The cost to provide an adequate gifted education in Arizona ranged from a high of $546 to a low of $430. The relationship of gifted expenditures to school district wealth was high, with a coefficient of correlation of .8264.