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- Creator:
- Cortez, Nasser A.
- Description:
- This qualitative study explored how teachers of upper elementary school students with mild to moderate disabilities navigate the potentially competing demands of CCSS expectations and best practices for supporting students with learning disabilities in the areas of reading and writing. In total, 6 teachers participated in the study, 3 SDC and 3 RSP teachers. The methods used included interviews and observations. Observation notes and interview transcriptions helped unearth important findings. Key findings include that teachers viewed instructional level teaching as a best practice, time constraints and lack of resources and PD were viewed as challenges, there are more similarities in teachers’ perceived best practices compared to their perceived CCSS practices, and some teachers identified areas where CCSS practices and best practices align.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Berg, John Sonje
- Description:
- The philosophy behind the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and its tenets of critical thought, creativity, and application of knowledge require a shift from a focus on content knowledge to how that knowledge is applied across the curriculum and why it forms the foundation of education. The problem now facing educators is that CCSS has changed expectations for students without providing adequate professional development (PD) to ensure the proper adjustment to instructional strategies to meet its requirements. The purpose of this quantitative study is to determine how teachers have adjusted their application of instructional strategies to target Common Core learning objectives in high school classrooms and to provide recommendations on how site and district administrators can better structure PD to facilitate teacher needs as they shift their instructional practices. Through quantitative survey data from high school teachers and administrators, the study was able to determine that, while education has seen a shift since the adoption of the CCSS, it has not necessarily translated into a shift of instruction throughout all classrooms. In addition, the majority of teachers indicate that the current structure of professional development they receive within their district, at their site, or from out-of-district training has had only limited impact on their instruction to meet the needs of the CCSS. This research indicates that teachers want to professionally learn from teacher-experts in a collaborative setting. To adjust instruction, teachers must first be knowledgeable about what they are being asked to teach, so they can design strategies for students to learn. Almost 97% of the teachers in this study claimed to have at least some knowledge of the CCSS; however, of the 97% almost 40% did not feel they had a good grasp of those standards, let alone expertise. There is a need, as indicated by the results of this study, to focus on both increasing the knowledge base of teachers and administrators on the CCSS and structuring PD in such a way that teachers can continue to grow as learners, meeting the needs of their students by adjusting instruction to meet the demands of the 21st century.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Ramirez, Lizbeth
- Description:
- Second-generation Mexican-American millennials with parents of unauthorized status are understudied in the current literature compared to first-generation children and young adults who have unauthorized status in the United States. Although many second-generation Mexican-Americans in mixed-status households encounter hardships, some are able to surpass these adversities and excel in their adult lives, which is the main focus of this study. This study aims to examine the identity formation into adulthood of second-generation Mexican-Americans living with parents of unauthorized status and how they are influenced by their biculturalism, consisting of both American and Mexican heritage. In-depth interviews regarding their childhoods, family structures, parents’ motivations, the American Dream, and adult outcomes are used to explore the topic of identity formation and their pursuit of a better life.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Sociology
- Creator:
- Gonzales, Joseph
- Description:
- Running related injuries are related to foot strike pattern (FSP). Cross-sectional area (CSA), pennation angle (PA), and fascicle length (FL) of the lower limb musculature contribute to plantarflexion (PF)/dorsiflexion (DF) strength, and may influence FSP. the purpose of this investigation was to compare CSA, PA, and FL of the medial and lateral gastrocnemii (MG and LG, respectively) and tibialis anterior (TA) between forefoot (FF) and rearfoot (RF) strikers and to investigate associations between FSI, CSA, PA, and FL. 33 recreational runners (22 male/11 female; age = 22.26 ± 3.01 years; height = 1.72 ± .08 m; mass = 65.20 ± 8.97 kg) participated in this study. CSA, PA, and FL of the MG, LG, and TA were assessed using ultrasonography. PF and DF maximal strength values were obtained using handheld dynamometry. FSP was obtained using foot strike index (FSI), and 15 RF, 2 midfoot, 16 FF strikers were identified. Midfoot strikers were excluded from analysis. Spearman rho rank order correlation was used to evaluate the association between FSI and CSA, PA, FL, and strength; whereas Pearson product moment correlation (r) was used to evaluate relationships between strength and ultrasound measurements. ANCOVA analysis was used to compare dependent variables between groups. RF strikers demonstrated lesser TA EI, steeper TA PA, and lesser LG PA compared to RF strikers. There are lower limb muscle architectural and geometric differences that influence FSP, and are amenable to tailored interventions. These features should be considered when transitioning FSP in long distance runners.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Kinesiology
- Creator:
- Hue, Fong
- Description:
- Antibiotics are losing effectiveness as multidrug resistance among bacterial pathogens is spreading. Resistance enzymes, like AAC(6’)-Ib, allow bacteria to survive and proliferate in the presence of antibiotics. Conversely, discovery of new antibiotic compounds is decreasing; alternative strategies are needed to combat the rise and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Studying the resistance enzymes can provide new insights into developing alternative strategies. This project set out to quantify the number of enzyme molecules within a cell and determine the relationship between the amount of enzyme molecules and the level of resistance granted by the number of molecules. E. coli strains carrying CRISPR-dCas9 genes and pFH3, a near-wild type plasmid expressing AAC(6’)-Ib, were created. Fluorescence assays were used to measure AAC(6’)-Ib tagged with an mMaple fluorophore. Resistance levels were determined using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) tests with amikacin Etest strips. It was found that the relationship between fluorescence and enzyme molecule number was linear. Additionally, resistance conferred by the enzyme was proportionally dependent on the number of enzyme molecules present within the measured range.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Meister, Chelsea Marie
- Description:
- Tourism is an informal way that developing countries are able to enter into the global economy. Ecotourism, the fastest growing sector of this industry, is an economic development tool that also seeks to achieve social development, and environmental preservation. the tourism industry in Panama is relatively new and therefore has significant potential for failure or success, in social and environmental terms, depending on whether or not it chooses to become sustainable. Proper planning for ecotourism as opposed to commercial tourism needs to happen before huge international investors take advantage of Panama’s efforts to become relevant in the global economy. Using geographical-spatial analysis and Panamanian government publications, I argue that Panama has considerable potential for ecotourism development. the components of successful ecotourism are identified and used to create a spatial analysis development tool as well as geographical maps. through these buffer analysis maps, I identify the best locations for future successful ecotourism development based on tourist convenience and proximity to existing amenities—transportation hubs, unique attractions inherent in nature reserves, and other resources. Because lax governmental standards and regulations have historically allowed for some unsustainable mass commercial developments, improved adherence to ecotourism standards, by developers and tourists alike, is important for future sustainability of the industry in the beautiful country of Panama.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Geography and the Environment
- Creator:
- Coombs, Kimberly Marie
- Description:
- Cryptic species can often cause problems for baseline and ecological studies as these species are not readily identified in the field. Lottia scabra and Lottia conus form a north/south cryptic species pair where they occupy the same habitat, but L. scabra is more abundant in northern California and L. conus is more abundant in at least the southern portions of southern California. Past El Niño events have resulted in prolonged anomalous warming of coastal seawater, which may be impacting the vertical and latitudinal distribution of these two species as has been documented for another north/south pair in California, L. austrodigitalis and L. digitalis. To monitor the current and potentially changing distribution of L. conus and L. scabra, quadrat sampling was performed at nine sites in California at various heights in the mid to high intertidal, collecting a subset of limpets to identify in the lab. A range refinement of L. conus has occurred with its previous documented northern limit being Point Conception to now its current northern limit being Jalama Beach, CA. A transition zone occurs from San Pedro to Jalama Beach where L. conus becomes less abundant and L. scabra becomes more abundant. With an established baseline, future studies may document whether this distribution changes in response to temperature variations from climate change or El Niño events. Susceptibility to temperature changes may make limpets good indicator species for detecting regional climate change effects in the intertidal as well as potential model species for future studies to use when observing rocky intertidal habitats.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Park, Sung Hwan
- Description:
- Gender peer effects on the educational production function are one of the most important determinants in choosing the most optimal sorting of males and female students into a school, grade and classroom. the Burkinablé Response to Improve Girls’ Chances to Succeed (BRIGHT) project created high-quality “girl-friendly” schools with the goal of increasing the number of female student enrollment and academic achievements for all students across the 10 lowest performing provinces. the BRIGHT project creates a unique opportunity to measure the impact of an increased proportion of female students on male students’ academic performance. I exploit the discontinuity that is created from the selection process of BRIGHT schools by employing a regression discontinuity design 1 year after implementation of the program. I find variation in math and French achievement for male students who are exposed to female students. the empirical results presented in this paper suggest that a higher female cohort composition has a positive effect on male students’ test scores.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Economics
- Creator:
- Oliverio, Ryan
- Description:
- Determining the reasons behind how and why evolutionary mechanisms that establish or remove genetic variations within a population is a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. by tying together, the origin, evolutionary patterns, molecular mechanisms, and functional outcomes of genotype to phenotype, we gain insight on how and why genes are conserved or changed. This methodology was followed to investigate the stress-inducible Hsp70 gene in humans (HSPA1A), a critical component of the cellular stress response, and whose modification has been associated with a variety of human diseases. My results indicate that the origin of the HSPA1A gene is in placental mammals. Additionally, a combination of purifying selection and genetic recombination with its closely-related paralog, HSPA1B, have conserved the amino acid sequence of this gene from possibly deleterious mutations in multiple mammalian species. This pattern can also be applied to human microevolution in how single-nucleotide polymorphisms are distributed for both HSPA1A and HSPA1B, in contrast to their closely-linked homolog HSPA1L. This finding is further supported by the fact that natural variants of HSPA1A, that were most likely to change function, only apply small changes to the primary function of HSPA1A and have very low allele frequencies within human populations. Altogether, my experimental observations show HSPA1A is subject to purifying selection and provide functional characterization of two positions, R36 and I480, that appear to have importance in the folding function of HSPA1A. Supplementary Tables 1 and 2 of extended mammalian evolutionary trends are provided.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Pullman, Herbert Patrick
- Description:
- In an effort to place motive in context, this essay addresses the issue of whether worldviews and histories that emphasize race and geography offer more distractions and less understanding than do studies that focus upon labor. through the narrative of the murder of whaling captain Isaac Bunker Hussey and the years leading up to his death (1847 to 1852), this work examines this problem in a way that connects historical actors with historians, and history with early historiography. Though not readily apparent in the nineteenth century or even after, labor offers an opportunity to understand the lives of those who sailed the Pacific in the 1800s. the failure of both Captain Hussey and the whaling industry to recognize his crew through their labors rather than by their race or place of origin contributed to his murder.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of History