Formation and transformation of teachers' ethnic identifications and atitudes toward language diversity : a recursive path analysis

장인실 University of North Carolina Chapel Hill 2002 해외박사

The main purpose of this study was to investigate which variables relate most significantly to in-service teachers' ethnic identifications and attitudes toward language diversity. Social contextual, institutional, and personal aspects -- specifically informal multicultural experiences, formal multicultural education, and demographic and professional background - were examined. The study had four goals: (1) to examine the effects of exogenous variables (i.e., informal multicultural experiences and personal background) on formal multicultural education; (2) to probe the effects of formal and informal multicultural experiences and personal background on teachers' ethnic identifications; (3) to scrutinize the effects of ethnic identification, formal and informal multicultural experiences, and personal background on teachers' attitudes toward language diversity; (4) to investigate more deeply the effects of informal multicultural experiences on teachers' ethnic identifications and attitudes toward language diversity. Questionnaires were used to collect data from a sample of 370 in-service elementary teachers in North Carolina. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and recursive path analysis. The results revealed that informal multicultural experiences were one of the most important factors in predicting both ethnic identification and attitude toward language diversity. Even though informal multicultural experiences were most important in the formation and transformation of ethnic identification and attitude, pre-service multicultural education did have a significant effect on language attitude. Teachers had established ethnic identifications and attitudes toward diversity based on informal multicultural experiences and personal background, but their attitudes could be changed through formal multicultural education. The study also found that proficiency level in a foreign language was important in predicting teachers' attitudes toward language diversity. The process of learning a language consists not only of learning language skills but also of learning culture through language. Thus, foreign language education is an important factor in understanding diverse populations. Implications for practice and for research were discussed. These findings will be useful for classroom teachers, teacher educators, multicultural curriculum developers, school administrators, policy makers, and institutions.

An examination of the legal and policy contexts governing access to public school resources for homeschooled students in Wake County, North Carolina

Roulhac, Gwen Delaun The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2016 해외박사(DDOD)

Homeschooling continues to experience unprecedented growth across the United States, including in North Carolina. More than 2 million children nationally and over 106,000 children in North Carolina are enrolled in homeschools. North Carolina's original homeschool law had long been interpreted to mean that parents had to provide all academic instruction. North Carolina's homeschool law was revised in 2013 such that parents are authorized to determine additional sources of academic instruction for their homeschooled children. Parents have sought access to public school resources as one such additional source of academic instruction. Homeschoolers' access to public school resources is highly contextualized due to North Carolina's "district discretion" policy. This qualitative case study aimed to understand how the legal and policy contexts at the state and local levels contributed to the accessibility of public school resources for homeschooled students in Wake County. Data for this study were generated through an analysis of the laws and policies governing homeschooled students' access to public school resources. Additionally, individual interviews with 18 Wake County homeschool educators who had three or more years of homeschooling experience and who had homeschooled or were homeschooling a high school-age child revealed homeschool educators' advocacy on behalf of their children, their interactions with public school administrators, and their selective use of public school resources. The researcher used social construction to analyze homeschool educators' stories and to draw connections between shifts in policy and policymakers' constructions of homeschoolers as a target group. The findings suggest that the passage of the revised homeschool law was mostly symbolic. The data also support the idea that the positive or negative constructions different policymakers held about homeschoolers have implications for both policy and practice. Policymakers as well as public school and homeschool educators and students have a vested interest in the implementation of policies that govern homeschooled students' access to public school resources. Should local education policymakers in Wake County want to fill the policy vacuum that currently exists, the present study offers insights into which resources homeschool educators most desire and the extent to which homeschoolers would like to engage with public schools.

Prehistoric Subsistence on the Coast of North Carolina: An Archaeobotanical Study

Schaefer, Kimberly A The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2011 해외박사(DDOD)

When European settlers first arrived on the coast of North Carolina, they encountered Native Americans who they described as living in permanent villages and pursuing a mixture of hunting, fishing, and farming. Very little is known of the subsistence practices of people in the area before the arrival of Europeans, however. My dissertation seeks to help rectify this by increasing our knowledge of plant use on the coast during prehistory. I analyzed plant remains from 606 flotation samples from eight sites on the coast and synthesize data from 13 previously reported sites. These sites are found on all subregions of the coast and include material from most periods of prehistory from the Early Archaic to the Late Woodland. Using this data, I explore several topics of interest to coastal archaeology in general: the value and use of coastal resources, seasonal mobility of coastal groups, and the nature of the adoption of agriculture on the coast. I discuss prehistoric subsistence in North Carolina within the framework of human behavioral ecology. I compile estimated handling return rates for different plant foods found on the coast and rank them in accordance with diet-breadth model building. I then explore the implications of the diet-breadth model and central place foraging models for prehistoric subsistence in coastal North Carolina. The plant resources with the highest estimated return rates correspond fairly well with the plant remains most frequently recovered from archaeological contexts. My results suggest that during most of prehistory people on the coast of North Carolina collected a fairly wide array of nuts, fruit, starchy and oily seeds, and weeds. Nuts, particularly hickory, seem to have been a mainstay of people's diets for most of prehistory. There is currently no evidence for farming on the coast before the Late Woodland period. During this time, some, but not all, coastal people began farming maize and, to a lesser extent, beans and squash. Over all, plant-based subsistence practices on the coast of North Carolina seem to have been fairly consistent throughout most of prehistory although the adoption of agriculture seems to have been highly localized.

The ecology of birth defects: Socio-economic and environmental determinants of gastroschisis in North Carolina

Root, Elisabeth Dowling The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2009 해외박사(DDOD)

Gastroschisis is a serious birth defect that has increased in prevalence in North Carolina over the past decade. The causes of the defect, and the reasons for this increase, are largely unknown. This study uses the disease ecology framework and spatial methodologies -- spatial statistics, Geographic Information Systems, and hydrological modeling -- to explore the geographic distribution of gastroschisis in North Carolina and suggest possible socioeconomic and environmental factors that may contribute to the disease. Specific questions addressed in this study include: (1) Do significant geographic clusters of gastroschisis exist in North Carolina? (2) Do clusters suggest the presence of point-source environmental pollutants? (3) What area-level socioeconomic characteristics are related to gastroschisis outcomes? (4) What can this tell us about possible causes of the disease?. Using data from a population-based birth defects registry, this study uses Kulldorff's spatial scan statistic to identify the location and extent of clusters of gastroschisis births in North Carolina between 1999 and 2004. Spatial clusters are controlled for four major risk factors (maternal age, race, prior births and Medicaid status) to ensure that the clusters are not an artifact of the population composition of the State. The relationship between neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics (e.g., race, poverty, education and unemployment) and gastroschisis outcomes are examined using logistic regression models, which combine individual-level and neighborhood-level variables. Finally, simple hydrological models are used to determine if exposure to upstream textile mill effluent increases the risk for a gastroschisis affected pregnancy. Results indicate the presence of a localized cluster of gastroschisis in the rural southern Piedmont of North Carolina. In addition, both individual-level (Medicaid status) and neighborhood-level (poverty and unemployment) socioeconomic factors appear to contribute to the risk of a gastroschisis affected pregnancy, suggesting that neighborhood-level socioeconomic factors exert an independent causal effect on gastroschisis. Despite the localized nature of the cluster, which often suggests the presence of an environmental contaminant, there is no evidence to support this hypothesis. These results may help understanding the myriad social, economic and environmental factors that combine and interact to influence gastroschisis outcomes.

Instructional programs used in home schools in five North Carolina counties

Carr, Linda Jewell The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2000 해외박사(DDOD)

The author explored the instructional programs used in home schools in five North Carolina counties. North Carolina's home school population has continued to increase at a high growth rate over the last 10 years. Similarly, nation-wide, the home school movement has grown rapidly over the past decade. The author explored what type of curricula are being used in 100 home schools in five North Carolina counties. The major research questions concerned information about home schools from a questionnaire and included (a) education level of the home school parents, (b) primary reason for home schooling, (c) number and gender of students, and (d) subjects taught. Interviews and observations from a selected volunteer population produced information about what instructional programs parents used to educate home schoolers, why they chose the programs they chose, and how they discovered these curricula. This information assists in a better understanding of home schools and aids in the refinement of future research on the subject. Questionnaires were mailed to potential home schoolers in five North Carolina counties. Many on this list were no longer in the home school business or had relocated. One hundred returned questionnaires were used for analysis. Follow-up one-day observations and interviews were conducted at 12 home school sites. The major findings from the questionnaire revealed that: most home school teachers were college educated, 44% of the respondents reported individualized child centered instructional program to be a primary reason for choosing to home school; there were one to three home schoolers in most households; and the major subjects taught were language arts, social studies, mathematics, science, music, and art. The 12 home school sites visited confirmed findings from the questionnaire, namely, that parents selected instructional programs to individualize instruction for their children. The findings in this study on home schoolers were limited to five counties in North Carolina.

Evaluating the influence of university organizational characteristics and attributes on technology commercialization

Goble, Lisa A The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2013 해외박사(DDOD)

This dissertation project seeks to make a contribution to the growing body of literature on academic technology commercialization and the entrepreneurial efforts of faculty and students at US research universities. The academic environment across the United States has seen an increased emphasis on moving the results of academic research into the commercial sector. In addition to their core missions of education and basic research, universities are expected to have a larger role in stimulating regional and national economies. This dissertation project contributes to this growing body of literature on university technology commercialization efforts by summarizing findings on characteristics and factors known to have an influence technology transfer outcomes, evaluating a technology licensing consortium between three large research institutions, and empirically evaluating specific university and technology licensing office characteristics for their influence on the technology transfer process and its outcomes. Three related research studies contribute to this project. The motivating framework, background and context for the three research projects in this dissertation are presented in an introductory chapter. The literature review in Chapter 2 summarizes findings from a selection of studies evaluating characteristics and attributes of US universities, their technology licensing offices (TLOs), and regions that have an influence upon a university's involvement in technology commercialization efforts. Findings are summarized for how various characteristics influence the technology transfer process, invention disclosure from faculty, and subsequent licensing and startup formation form US research universities. Chapter 3 presents a case study of an early technology licensing consortium between three North Carolina universities: Duke University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University during 1988-1995. This consortium facilitated a growing entrepreneurial culture, increased patenting and technology licensing activities at each campus, and enabled the successful licensing of several academic inventions. In Chapter 4, an empirical analysis utilizes survey data from 76 universities to review potential correlations between university organizational and TLO characteristics and the metrics commonly reported by US research universities engaged in technology transfer. This research fills a gap in the literature by evaluating the potential influence TLO organizational reporting structure and characteristics of the TLO director may have on the technology commercialization efforts and outcomes of US research institutions. Chapter 5 integrates the general findings from the three projects, and outlines the significance of those findings for how characteristics of the university and TLO influence the technology transfer process and its outcomes. Implications and recommendations for university administrators and for policy development within the US university environment and their economic regions are discussed in this final chapter.

Tick-borne diseases in North Carolina: Seroepidemiology of spotted fever group rickettsiae and prevention of tick bites among outdoor workers

Vaughn, Meagan F The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2013 해외박사(DDOD)

Tick-borne diseases are the most common vector-borne diseases in the US. North Carolina suffers from some of the highest rates of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), which can cause severe illness and death. The first aim of this dissertation explored whether spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR) other than Rickettsia rickettsii are responsible for spotted fever rickettsioses in North Carolina. A retrospective seroepidemiologic study was conducted in which the reactivity of paired sera from North Carolina patients who had been tested for RMSF we evaluated against a panel of SFGR, including R. rickettsii, R. amblyommii, and R. parkeri . Of the 106 eligible pairs tested, 21 patients seroconverted to one or more antigens. Cross-reactivity was observed in ten patients and seroconversions to single antigens occurred in 11 patients, including one against R. rickettsii, four against R. parkeri, and six against R. amblyommii. These findings suggest that species other than R. rickettsii are associated with illness among North Carolina residents. The second aim of this dissertation focused on tick bite prevention among North Carolina outdoor workers. A double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the protective effectiveness of long-lasting permethrin impregnated (LLPI) uniforms among workers from North Carolina State Divisions of Forestry, Parks and Recreation, and Wildlife. 159 subjects were randomized; uniforms of participants in the treatment group were factory-impregnated with long-lasting permethrin while control group uniforms received a sham treatment. Participants continued standard recommended tick-bite prevention activities and provided weekly tick bite logs during two tick seasons. 130 subjects reported 1,045 work-related tick bites over 5,251 person-weeks of follow-up. The effectiveness of LLPI uniforms for the prevention of work-related tick bites was 0.82 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.66, 0.91) for the first year of follow-up and 0.34 (95% CI: -0.67, 0.74) for the second year of follow-up. These results indicate that LLPI uniforms are highly effective for at least one year against tick bites in the context of existing tick bite prevention measure usage by outdoor workers.

A policy mystery: The passage of the 2004 school calendar changes bill

Higgins, Kyle P The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2009 해외박사(DDOD)

The purpose of this research is to describe and explain how the major players representing the education associations in the North Carolina education political system create and employ power and influence in order to lobby and negotiate for their needs and values for state policy initiatives. This study's focus on the politics of the school calendar made it necessary to collect data from the major players representing the education associations in the North Carolina education political system. There are four key state-level education interest groups or associations in North Carolina. They are the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), the North Carolina Association of School Administrators (NCASA), the North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA), and the Professional Educators of North Carolina (PENC). In addition, the Public School Forum of North Carolina (PSFNC) is a sister organization to the four key state-level education associations in North Carolina. Further, another major player in the North Carolina education political system is the Education Committee's chief legislative staff members. The conceptual framework devised for the study is adapted from both Bronfenbrenner's (1979) Ecological System of Human Development and Marshall and Gerstl-Pepin's (2005) Politics from Margin to Center. Each circle in the conceptual framework has a lens that any researcher can use to observe and then understand any political system. The circles in the conceptual framework are arranged in order of concreteness. As one moves outward through each circle, the behaviors become more internalized and less measurable or observable. The political system is located in the center circle of the framework because the political system is the logical and obvious location to begin a study of political power and influence. The first circle exemplifies Mazzoni's (1991) Arena Model. The researcher found that an arena shift occurred because Representative Culpepper placed the school calendar bill into the Commerce Legislative Subsystem as opposed to the Education Legislative Subsystem. The second circle exemplifies Marshall, Mitchell, and Wirt's (1989) the hierarchies of power and circles of influence models. The third circle exemplifies Marshall et al.'s assumptive worlds model. The hierarchies of power, circles of influence and assumptive worlds models formed the bedrock of this study. Many of the interview questions spring from these models. These models also help to explain data describing actions that occurs in the different circles as well. The fourth circle is best explained through Elazar's (1966) political culture and Thompson, Ellis and Wildavsky's (1990) cultural theory. The researcher did discover evidence that North Carolina is a traditionalistic-hierarchical state. The fifth circle is best explained through the competing-values perspective. The researcher employed the competing-values perspective to flesh out details and to help refocus the assumptive worlds model when behaviors or beliefs appeared to contradict. Beyond the five circles are ideologies. The researcher found two major discoveries concerning ideology. The first major discovery is that the ideology lens reveals North Carolina's persistent belief in the myth that education issues and education legislation are non-partisan. The second major discovery concerning ideology is that a political party in the majority can lock out the other party as well as certain education interests from participation in the legislative process. Finally, beyond the hegemonic policy square is situated politics from beyond the margins. The researcher discovered that a better classification system that denotes the political abilities of a marginal group is needed to structure a group's ability to maneuver beneficial legislation through the political and legislative arenas. Further, the conceptual framework provided a way to see how marginal groups must learn to organize, find their voice, make their issues more global, secure more money, communicate their issues more effectively to the media, free themselves from the myth of one champion and finally find voices from every region of the state to support their issues.

Black freedom and the University of North Carolina, 1793--1960

Chapman, John K The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2006 해외박사(DDOD)

Recent histories of the University of North Carolina trivialize the institution's support for white supremacy during slavery, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow, while denying that this unjust past affects the university today. The celebratory lens also filters out African American contributions to the university. In fact, most credit for UNC's increased diversity is due to the struggles of African Americans and other traditionally disenfranchised groups for equal rights. During both the 1860s and the1960s, black freedom movements promoted norms of democratic citizenship and institutional responsibility that challenged the university to become more honest, more inclusive, and more just. By censoring this historical viewpoint, previous scholarship has contributed to a culture of denial and racial historical amnesia that heralds UNC as the "University of the People," without seriously engaging questions of justice in the past or the present. This dissertation demonstrates that before 1865, the gentry used the university to promote the growth of slavery. Following Emancipation, university trustees led the white supremacy campaign to suppress black freedom and Radical Reconstruction. At the turn of the century, university leaders organized the movement for black disfranchisement and segregation that led to Jim Crow. Until the 1960s, the university enforced Jim Crow in its employment practices and its relations with the Town of Chapel Hill. Throughout its history, black workers were the main force challenging UNC's institutional racism on campus, in Chapel Hill, and throughout the state. An extended Epilogue examines how the university's institutional culture changed during the 1960s from an open defense of Jim Crow to acceptance of non-discrimination. Although the university accepted formal equality in admissions, employment, and its relations with the larger community, it did not acknowledge or attempt to dismantle the institutional structures of white supremacy that it had helped to create throughout its history. In this way, UNC established a paradigm of diversity without justice to replace Jim Crow, replacing the open celebration of white supremacy with new forms of subtle, "colorblind" institutional racism that persist today.

The effects of pre-service school experiences on the attitudes about teaching as a career of freshman teaching fellows at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Saulsberry, Nichole The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2004 해외박사(DDOD)

The purpose of this research was to examine whether one school exposure model produced freshman UNC-Chapel Hill Teaching Fellows with a more positive attitude toward teaching as a career than the other. This study examined and compared perceptions concerning teaching as a career of freshmen who began UNC-Chapel Hill and the Teaching Fellows program in August 2002. Between September and December 2002 these freshman completed the first semester of program-required and organized school experiences. Of 58 participants, 18 participated in a classroom-based initial school experience under the guidance of several teachers. The remaining 40 students participated in an after-school initial school experience that involved one-on-one interactions with students. All participants completed their initial school experience at an elementary school located in the research triangle. To address the research questions, this study analyzed the results of pre- and post-Likert-scale surveys distributed and collected by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Teaching Fellows program as part of its internal program evaluation process. The results of this study showed that participants completing their field experience in the classroom under the supervision of a teacher experienced a non-significant negative change in their attitudes about teaching as a career, while participants completing their field experience after-school working one-on-one with students experienced a significant increase in positive attitudes regarding teaching as a career. Rosenberg's theory of cognitive structure and attitudinal affect was used to guide the discussion of this study's results.