Browsing by Subject "Perspectives"
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Item Couples' perceptions of a brief intimate partner violence intervention: A qualitative analysis(2013-08) Pettigrew, Haley; Whiting, Jason B.; Smith, Douglas B.; Ivey, David C.; Wherry, Jeffrey N.Conjoint treatment for couples experiencing intimate partner violence has been found to be effective; however, there are still many concerns around the safety it provides for the victims. This study looked at the experiences of adult couples who disclosed the existence of physical or severe psychological abuse and then completed one or more sessions of a brief-intimate partner violence intervention. These couples were interviewed about their perceptions and experiences of the intervention using a semi-structured interview format. Constructivist grounded theory methodology was used to collect and analyze the data. A model was constructed that portrays the overall experiences participants had during the intervention sessions. This model contains useful information on the effectiveness of conjoint interventions for couples experiencing intimate partner violence and on their perceptions of safety in their relationships. Results indicated all components of the intervention were influential in the development of awareness.Item Developmental Education Faculty Perspective of the Texas Success Initiative Assessment as a Placement Exam(2017-11-07) McAdams, Felicia Chunta; Moore, George W.Purpose The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the essence of developmental education faculty experiences with the placement of students in their classrooms as a result of the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA). The interviews from this study were used to give developmental education faculty a voice and insight into implementing or redesigning practices for students in developmental education. The final purpose was to obtain perceptions regarding patterns associated with placement of developmental education students. Methods Using Moustakas’ phenomenological design, developmental education faculty were asked to participant in one-on-one interviews. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed according to qualitative coding conventions. Categories were constructed and then synthesized to identify the emerging themes. Findings Seven developmental education faculty were interviewed to understand the essence of their experience with the TSIA as a placement exam for their courses. Overall, developmental education faculty do not believe the TSIA is an effective instrument for placement due to the assessment’s inability to assess or take into consideration the non-cognitive factors that interfere with student success. Participants also suggested the level of the cutoff scores also interfere with the TSIA ability to place students in the correct developmental education course. Four themes emerged from this study; arbitrary cutoff scores, college expectations and non-cognitive factors, content alignment, and an imperfect system. Future studies should focus on cutoff scores and factors suggested by Saxon & Morante (2015) and Conley (2007, 2010) for a systematic onboarding process to increase student success.Item The impacts of nitrogen utilization and allocation strategies on photosynthesis for an invasive grass, Phalaris arundinacea, in comparison to the native sedge, Carex stricta.(2012-08) Guvvala, Hasitha; Holaday, A. Scott; Schwilk, Dylan W.; Zak, JohnPhalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass) is an invasive C3 perennial grass of temperate/boreal wetland communities. It is more abundant in areas with high nitrogen (N) inputs. Our hypothesis is P. arundinacea gains a competitive advantage over Carex stricta, the native sedge it often displaces, with increased N, because it allocates more N to features that enhance net carbon gain than C. stricta does. To test this hypothesis, we are comparing the responses of photosynthetic parameters and leaf morphology to various N levels (0.15 to 45 mM N) for P. arundinacea and C. stricta. We grow the plants in a course medium whose N content is controlled by varying the nitrate and ammonium in standard Hoagland’s solution. With an increase in the N concentration provided, we observed an increase in net CO2 assimilation on an area basis (A), leaf N content, leaf area, and specific leaf area (SLA) for P. arundinacea, but the effect on chlorophyll content was not clear. At low concentrations of N supplied C. stricta, had the higher A, leaf N content and leaf area compared to P. arundinacea. It appears that N level affects total carbon gain for P. arundinacea by affecting A, leaf area, and SLA, allowing it to rapidly attain its full height and shade C. stricta. These advantages of high nitrogen had made the P. arundinacea become more aggressive and invade the wetlands displacing the C. stricta.