Augmented reality embedded in historical fiction hard-cover books to enhance comprehension in historical concepts

Groff, Brittany D The Pennsylvania State University ProQuest Dissert 2016 해외박사(DDOD)

This qualitative comparative case study builds upon previous research on the use of augmented reality (AR) and how it can be used as a technology scaffold in education by embedding AR in physical books to assist students in reading material to better comprehend content. This study particularly focuses on the discipline of history, but attempts to remain open so as to inform reading in any discipline. This study argues the potential benefits for using augmented reality as a tool for scaffolding student's reading comprehension of subject matter texts, which in turn may give them a deeper understanding of the concepts and events. This comparative case study focuses on students in two social studies classes in seventh grade. One class received AR embedded in two historical fiction books and the other class did not. Student reading comprehension was measured by changes in pre and post concept maps and strategies evident in student discourse and observations. By providing students with these AR-based technology scaffolds, the findings show that students' collaboration increased during the reading activity, and their discourse demonstrated comprehension. The results of the pre and post concept maps did not yield interpretable results in terms of improvements in reading comprehension or learning historical concepts.

Language, education, and empowerment: Voices of Kumauni young women in multilingual India

Groff, Cynthia University of Pennsylvania 2010 해외박사(DDOD)

Local and minority means of producing, knowing, and communicating are often undervalued in the face of modern development schemes, universal systems of education, and languages of wider communication. Through this research, I attempt to understand a local situation from local perspectives -- specifically the language and education situation in the Kumaun region of North India from the perspectives of rural Kumauni young women and in light of their views on empowerment and their aims for the future. My questions address language and education issues in the Kumaun (1) in relation to national policies and local ideologies, (2) as experienced and negotiated by young women, and (3) as applied in a unique Gandhian educational context. The Kumauni people of the Himalayan foothills, numbering over two million, are one of several linguistic minority groups in the Hindi-speaking state of Uttarakhand. My research was based at Lakshmi Ashram, a Gandhian boarding school serving disadvantaged girls from throughout the Kumaun. I used ethnographic methods during nine months of primary fieldwork, observing interactions around language and education, starting conversations on these themes, and conducting interviews, focusing on a group of Kumauni young women. National-level language planning through the Indian Census, Constitution, and educational policies minimize some diversity. Locally, discourses about language and dialect, or bhasha and boli, and mother tongue allow for flexible categories and identities. Medium of instruction also takes new meaning through informal multilingual classroom practices. Each language -- English, Hindi, Kumauni, and Sanskrit -- is valued in its place or environment and in relationship with the other languages. Meanwhile educational opportunities vary in quality and reputation, including a push for English education and influenced, sometimes unexpectedly, by government policies. While constrained by social and economic realities, Kumauni young women look for ways to improve their lives. Alternative values advocated at the Ashram, and negotiated by the young women, point to empowerment as involving high thinking, self-confidence, and progress within community. I conclude using the ecology of language and continua of biliteracy to highlight significant themes and exploring the issues of collaboration and empowerment, community and ecology in relation to language and education.

Piecewise linear homeomorphisms for approximation of invertible maps

Groff, Richard E University of Michigan 2003 해외박사(DDOD)

Changes of coordinates play an important role in design and analysis for a wide variety of fields, including control systems, robotics, and color systems management. Though not necessarily explicitly called a change of coordinates, many other applications require simultaneous approximation of forward and inverse models from data. This thesis proposes piecewise linear homeomorphisms (PLH) as a computationally effective, finitely parameterized family of nonlinear changes of coordinates. Other approximation techniques generally require that separate approximations be computed for the forward and inverse maps, whereas piecewise linear homeomorphisms are invertible in closed form, requiring only a single model. Motivated by the industrially significant problem of color systems management identified in collaboration with Xerox Corp., this dissertation presents work on the design and analysis of algorithms to compute piecewise linear homeomorphism approximations from data. This thesis introduces two algorithms: the <smcap>MINVAR</smcap> algorithm for computing continuous multidimensional piecewise linear approximations to data, and the Graph Intersection algorithm, the scalar specialization of <smcap> MINVAR</smcap>. A geometrically influenced parameterization of PL functions as well as a theoretical framework for proving their properties is developed. The theoretical framework facilitates the main theoretical result, a proof of local convergence for <smcap>MINVAR</smcap> under the condition that the data generating function is piecewise linear with the same combinatorial structure as the approximation. Numerical studies of <smcap>MINVAR</smcap> and the Graph Intersection algorithm show that PL approximation compares favorably against other approximation techniques in terms of error and computational cost. The color systems management problem in electrophotography is shown to reduce to a search for the change of coordinates embodied by the print engine. PLH approximations are proposed as a replacement for the current industry standard, lookup tables. A preliminary numerical study on a set of simulated color data provided by Xerox Corp. indicates that <smcap>MINVAR</smcap>-generated PLH approximations compare favorably to lookup tables, providing good approximations with a more parsimonious parameterization. Further study is required, but the author remains cautiously optimistic that these methods may have an eventual impact on the printing industry.

A New Quantitative Framework for Application of Ensemble Forecast Sensitivity to Observations in NWP

Groff, David Neil University of Maryland, College Park ProQuest Diss 2022 해외박사(DDOD)

Current global operational Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) systems (e.g.the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Forecast System(GFS)) generally assimilate on the order of 10 million observations every 6 hours.Furthermore, there is substantial diversity in the sampling characteristics and associatederror characteristics of the observation types assimilated. In this context, it is not feasibleto obtain sufficiently detailed information for determining which available observationsor observation types should be assimilated or rejected in NWP systems using traditionalObserving System Experiment (OSE) approaches. Forecast sensitivity to observationimpact (FSOI) based estimation techniques (Langland and Baker 2004) enable efficientestimation of forecast impacts due to assimilation of individual observations, and as such,represent a solution to this problem.The ensemble forecast sensitivity to observations (EFSO) (Kalnay et al. 2012)impact estimation technique uses ensembles of forecasts to perform linear mapping ofinnovations to forecast error changes. This mapping involves application of Kalman gain matrices consistent with the complete sets of observations assimilated during dataassimilation cycles. As with the other forecast-sensitivity based observation impactestimation techniques there are two prominent “contextual” limitations for applicationof EFSO in NWP systems: i) the observation impacts are estimated with respectto simultaneously assimilating all other observations that contributed to an analysis,ii) EFSO calculations are relative to a background that includes information fromall previously assimilated observations. To mitigate these “contextual” limitationsin application of forecast-sensitivity based observation impact information, a newquantitative framework we call “EFSO-components” is developed by decomposing EFSOemployed forecast errors and innovations into random and systematic components.Lorenz ’96 simple model experiments indicate that application of ”EFSO-components”provides potentially significant advantages in detection of specific observation flaws,and in further advancing the utility of EFSO-based PQC (Ota et al. 2013, Hotta et al.2017a, Chen and Kalnay 2019, Chen and Kalnay 2020). As such, we explore how“EFSO-components” fundamentally addresses the aforementioned contextual limitationsof forecast-sensitivity based observation impact estimation in a manner that explains thepotential application advantages according to Lorenz ’96 simple model experiments.Additionally, a new technique we call predicted EFSO (PEFSO), which is astraightforward extension to EFSO, is introduced in this study. PEFSO represents apotential capability for estimating the hypothetical forecast impacts of unassimilatedobservations. We explore the potential application of PEFSO as a convenient lowcomputational cost approach for comparing the efficiencies of observing systems inreducing forecast error using Lorenz ’96 simple model experiments.

Frontal lobe functions and eating pathology

Groff, April R Boston University 2007 해외박사(DDOD)

Converging evidence suggests an association between frontal lobe functioning and eating pathology. The present study had multiple aims. The first aim was to compare performances of individuals with significant eating pathology to control participants on neuropsychological tasks sensitive to frontal lobe functioning. The second aim of this study was to explore whether individuals with eating pathology reported more symptoms of disorders reflective of deficits in frontal lobe functioning compared to control subjects. The third aim was to determine if neuropsychological factors contribute to the prediction of eating pathology when previously established risk factors are considered. Performances on a neuropsychological test battery were compared between 51 non-treatment-seeking women with significant eating pathology and 51 control participants who had little or no reported eating pathology. Results indicated significant group differences across three of four neuropsychological factors of frontal lobe function: Strategy Implementation, Divided Attention, and Mental Flexibility. A continuous measure of eating pathology was also significantly correlated with Divided Attention, Mental Flexibility, and Behavioral Inhibition factors. The two groups did not differ on general cognitive measures, and scores on these general cognitive measures did not correlate significantly with eating pathology scores. The experimental group endorsed significantly more symptoms of current obsessive-compulsive disorder and current attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as childhood ADHD, than control participants. Eating pathology scores were also significantly positively correlated with scores on the three symptom inventory measures. Sequential regression analysis revealed that when established risk factors for eating pathology were accounted for statistically, factors of frontal functioning significantly contributed to the overall variance in eating pathology scores. Thus, when negative affect, exposure to individuals with eating disorders and body dissatisfaction were statistically controlled, Divided Attention and Behavioral Inhibition contributed significantly to the prediction of eating pathology scores. Overall, results suggest that eating pathology is associated with specific disturbances in frontal lobe functioning, that concurrent symptoms consonant with frontal deficits may be present, and inclusion of these deficits may improve models of eating pathology. More prospective, longitudinal studies including specific neurocognitive factors in addition to social and psychological influences in the development of eating pathology are needed.

Preparation of building and district level administrators: An investigation of family engagement content and practices in administrator preparation programs in Kansas

Groff, Jane University of Kansas 2014 해외박사(DDOD)

Although the requirements for family engagement in education are included in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), teacher education and administrator preparation programs have offered limited educational opportunities for new teachers and administrators to gain knowledge, skills and practical experience related to family and community engagement. This descriptive study explores the inclusion of family engagement topics, resources, and field experiences in the twenty-one building (principal) and district (superintendent) leadership programs (BDLPs) in Kansas. In this study, faculty and instructors of these leadership programs also reflect on their own preparation to engage families in children's education and their current students' preparation to engage families. Limited professional literature is available that examines the incorporation of family engagement into administrator preparation programs. This descriptive study, as most descriptive studies addresses the "what" question. "What" are the characteristics of the inclusion of family engagement in administrator preparation programs in Kansas? This study does not answer the how/when/why questions regarding family engagement in administrator preparation programs, but rather describes the situation in terms of categories, such as, topics used, resources used, and field experiences utilized in programs. An online survey and two follow-up interviews provided the data to describe the inclusion of family engagement in administrator preparation programs for this research study. The purpose of the study was to describe the inclusion of family engagement in administrator preparation in Kansas programs as it exists. The survey (N=53) and interviews (two) revealed several themes. The first theme was that while Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) align administrator preparation programs in Kansas with the Interstate Leadership Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards, from this researcher's interview data it may be suggested that IHEs do not have a systematic approach to include topics on family engagement in courses even though two ISLLC standards focus on family engagement. The two IHE interviews conducted for this study suggest the inclusion of family engagement topics in courses was dependent upon the instructor of the courses. The second theme that developed from the interviews was that faculty and instructors of building and district leadership programs had limited knowledge of current articles or books on the topic of family engagement to use in courses. The two interviewees expressed a lack of awareness of current family engagement resources and a desire for knowledge and access to current resources. The third theme demonstrated that less than one fourth of instructors stated that their courses required a family engagement field experience and this experience may be as limited as attending one parent-student-teacher conference or another meeting on tardy or discipline issues. The two interviewees for this study stated that the quality of field experiences was dependent on the district level supervisor who was overseeing the student's field experience. Interviewees reported that field experiences with more exposure to families was important and should become a larger part of leadership programs. Finally, online survey data from this study revealed that instructors believed that their students were more than somewhat prepared to engage families in education, in comparison with reflections on their own preparation in family engagement, in which they reported they had less than some training in family engagement. The two interviewees reported the need for open and frequent conversation between administrator preparation program instructors and practitioners to create a closer connection between practice and theory.

Royal Democracy: American Dignity and the Aristocratic Impulse

Groff, Martin Johann ProQuest Dissertations & Theses The University of 2022 해외박사(DDOD)

Nineteenth-century American authors frequently employ a royal democrat trope, wherein the language of aristocracy characterizes ostensibly democratic characters and topics. “Royal Democracy: American Dignity and the Aristocratic Impulse” analyzes how the royal democrat figure historically shaped and continues to influence an understanding of democracy, aristocracy, and dignity in U.S. society. I argue that, for the royal democrat, being democratic is not necessarily about the practical promotion of equality and self-rule. Instead, this figure plays on democracy’s social appeal in the U.S., largely unmooring it from its actionable principles and remaking it into a self-authorized feeling that can elevate rank and dignity. When mobilized by people who already hold heightened social, cultural, and political power—mostly wealthy white men in nineteenth-century America—the royal democrat can be used to justify and naturalize preexisting social hierarchies. When evoked by those oppressed by such hierarchies—including women and people of color—it can be used to contest and expand the boundaries of dignity. Recent scholarship in dignity studies suggests that nineteenth-century U.S. culture preserved a logic of aristocratic rank by withholding dignity from people along racialized lines. My project builds on this work by examining the writing of several authors connected to the elite literary circles of the era and highly engaged in the period’s discourse on democracy, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Frederick Douglass, Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, and Pauline Hopkins. These writers use the royal democrat trope to either naturalize or challenge racialized aristocratic ranking, thereby generating different, often competing visions of what the ideal democracy should look like. Ultimately, this project suggests that if the U.S. is ever to truly fulfill its promise of equality, Americans need to challenge the self-authorization and social ascendency they associate with democracy.

Relationship of sexual violence and high-risk behaviors among male and female U.S. college students

Stephens, Sara Groff The Florida State University 2016 해외박사(DDOD)

Sexual violence is a major issue among students in college. In the past 20 years, researchers have made great strides contributing to the knowledge base of sexual violence and have begun discussing the myriad of outcomes and associations seen in victims/survivors of sexual violence. The present study, guided by stress and coping theory (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984), adds to the growing body of research attempting to understand the scope of sexual violence in higher education by looking at sexual violence broadly and in a more nuanced way. Further, the present study examined the relationships among specific high-risk behaviors (heavy drinking, purging, suicide attempts, and deliberate self-injury) in a large, national sample of U.S. college men and women who have experienced different types of sexual violence (sexually touched without consent, attempted sexual penetration without consent, and sexual penetration without consent) in the last 12 months. Additionally, the study explored whether sexual violence has a differential impact on male and female college students. Further, acknowledging the history of rape in the U.S. as intertwined with the oppression of black individuals, this study explored the role of race in the associations between sexual violence and high-risk behaviors. A secondary analysis of National College Health Assessment data collected annually from 2011 to 2014, resulted in sample of 96,977 male and female college students. Four research questions (resulting in 32 hypotheses) were examined. A series of analyses (independent samples t-test, ANOVAs, and logistical regression) were conducted to test the hypotheses. The results suggested that students in this sample who reported experiencing broad sexual violence were more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors (i.e., heavy drinking, purging, attempted suicide, and deliberate self-injury) when compared to those who did not report experiencing sexual violence, supporting all related hypotheses. Further, as the degree of sexual violence increased, so did the odds of engaging in three of the four high-risk behaviors (purging, attempted suicide, and deliberate self-injury). The effect of gender was examined to determine whether men and women who experienced sexual violence had similar behavioral associations. It was hypothesized that being male would moderate the relationship between sexual violence and each high-risk behavior. These hypotheses were largely unsupported; however, there were a few instances where the more nuanced definition of sexual violence provided insight into male and female differences. Men who experienced sexual violence were more likely to engage in purging behaviors, and men who experienced severe sexual violence were more likely to engage in suicide attempts. Finally, the effect of race was examined to determine whether black individuals who experienced sexual violence were more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors than white individuals and other racial minorities. It was hypothesized that identifying as black would moderate the relationship between sexual violence and each high-risk behavior. These hypotheses were not supported, suggesting that being black did not significantly increase the odds of any high-risk behaviors compared to other minority and white individuals. The present study adds to the body of literature of sexual violence on college campuses and provides further evidence that examining sexual violence in a more nuanced way has merit. Comparing the outcomes between sexual violence broadly and as the degrees of sexual violence provided insight into the relationships between each high-risk behavior and the impact that different types of sexual violence can have on an individual. Understanding that there are individual differences in reactions to diverse types of sexual violence has clinical implications. Victim advocates working with individuals immediately after and/or in the months to follow the sexual violence incident are in a particularly special position to assist victims in the coping process. This study demonstrated that generally, the likelihood of engaging in problematic coping increased as the severity of sexual violence increased. The study also provided valuable information regarding gender differences in associations between sexual violence and high-risk behaviors. To date, most of the research regarding male victims of sexual violence has a primary focus on documenting its existence. A strength of the present study is that it moved beyond reporting prevalence and demonstrated that male victims of sexual violence also have increased high-risk behaviors. Acknowledging the problem of sexual violence in our society has been the first step. Understanding the specific behavioral associations of individuals who have experienced sexual violence is the second step. This is essential in order to help to effectively and responsibly inform victim advocates, health and mental health professionals, campus police, and Title IX investigators how to respond to victims of sexual violence given their unique needs and vulnerabilities.