Browsing by Subject "Rural"
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Item A case study of the perceptions of current and former school board members of a recently annexed, rural, impoverished, South Texas, Latino school district in a high stakes accountability system(2009-05-15) Rodriguez, Claudia G.This research study was a qualitative study involving eight current or former school board members of a recently annexed, rural, impoverished, Latino school district in South Texas. The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to highlight the plight of rural education, specifically the plight of a poor school district by examining the perceptions of the school board members. This study was organized around the following sensitizing concerns (Blumer, 1969; Patton, 2002; Schwandt, 2001): What were the school board members? perceptions about the school district prior to the annexation? What were the school board members? perceptions of the factors that contributed to the annexation? What were the school board members? perceptions of the effect of the annexation on the community? The method of inquiry was conversational information interviews (Patton, 2002), two unstructured interviews with each school board member, going where the interviews took me (Fontana & Frey, 2005). The themes revealed in the research included (1) power dynamics, with three sub-themes, (a) trusting those in power, (b) deferring to those in power, and (c) becoming those in power; (2) denial of the obvious, and (3) unspoken paternalism?the Anglo patron system. This study offers implications for policy, practice, and additional research in the areas of rural communities and rural school districts, but most importantly, it provides evidence that rural colonias located along the U.S.-Mexico border have unique educational needs. Rural school districts located along this border need strong school leaders with ?a critical leadership of place that support community as a context for learning, understand that schools and their local communities are inextricably linked and that the ability of each to thrive is dependent upon the other? (Budge, 2006, p.8).Item A Comparison of the Demographic Characteristics, Movtiations for Fishing, and Consumptive Orientation of Texas Urban and Rural Anglers(2010-01-16) Wolber, NathanSales of Texas fishing licenses have declined since 1988. Several authors have suggested that this decline is related to changes in the demographic characteristics of the Texas population, including increasing urbanization. As urban residents have been shown to participate in fishing less frequently than rural residents, the population of Texas residents most likely to engage in angling has declined accordingly. Based on these population trends, urban resident anglers (urban anglers) may represent the future of fishing. Information on urban anglers? demographic characteristics, motivations for fishing and consumptive orientation may be used to tailor and modify programs and policies targeting urban anglers. The purpose of this thesis was to identify differences between urban and rural anglers and to determine if the two groups were distinct from so-called average anglers. The thesis utilized data from the 2002 Statewide Survey of Texas Anglers. The independent variable, residency, was determined on the basis of United States Census Bureau criteria. Dependent variables included demographic variables (e.g., gender, age, race/ethnicity, and income), motivations for fishing, and consumptive orientation. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare mean ii scores among the three groups. The study found differences among urban anglers, rural anglers, and anglers in general in terms of their demographic variables, motivations for fishing, and consumptive orientation. The thesis also shows that by managing resources for average anglers, agencies may be ignoring important (and growing) constituencies.Item A time for reform: the woman suffrage campaign in rural Texas, 1914-1919(2009-06-02) Motl, Kevin ConradThis dissertation offers a new narrative for the local woman suffrage movement in nine rural counties in Texas. I argue that, unlike cities, where women used dense organizational networks to create a coherent suffrage movement, conservatism inherent in rural Texas denied suffrage advocates the means to achieve similar objectives. Rural women nevertheless used the suffrage campaign to articulate feminist sensibilities, thereby reflecting a process of modernization ongoing among American women. Rural suffrage advocates faced unique obstacles, including the political influence of James E. Ferguson, who served as Governor for almost two administrations. Through Ferguson's singular personality, a propaganda campaign that specifically targeted rural voters, and Ferguson's own tabloid Ferguson Forum, rural voters found themselves constantly bombarded by messages about how they should view questions of reform in their state. The organizational culture that sustained suffrage organizations in urban Texas failed to do so in rural Texas. Concerned for their status, rural women scorned activism and those who pursued it. Absent an organized campaign, the success of suffrage initiatives in rural Texas depended on locally unique circumstances. Key factors included demographic trends, economics, local politics, and the influence of frontier cultural dynamics. The tactics and rhetoric employed by rural suffragists in Texas generally reflected those used by suffragists nationwide. While rural suffragists mustered arguments grounded in natural and constitutional rights, rural voters responded more to the claim that votes projected woman's feminine virtue into public life, which accommodated prevailing attitudes about woman's place. The First World War supplied rural suffragists with patriotic rhetoric that resonated powerfully with Texans. Rural Texas women successfully reframed public dialogue about women's roles, articulating feminist ideas through their work. Unlike rural clubwomen, suffragists pursued the ballot as a means to improve the status of all women. Feminist ideas increasingly obtained with women in visible leadership, and eventually reached all rural women, as countless hundreds registered to vote, and still more educated themselves on political issues. In doing so, rural women in Texas joined women across America in challenging the limits of domesticity and envisioning a fuller role for women in public life.Item A welfare evaluation of post-Conservation Reserve Program alternatives(Texas Tech University, 1993-12) Johnson, Phillip N.The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a long-term (10 year) cropland retirement program with natural resource, conservation, and farm income support goals. CRP enrollment totals 36.53 million acres nationally. Texas enrollment totals 4.12 million acres, with 3.12 million acres in the Texas High Plains Region (THPR). Future policy regarding CRP lands will impact CRP land owners, the federal budget, environmental quality, and soil erosion levels. The effect of post-CRP policy on environmental quality and soil erosion should be considered along with the net governmental costs and land owner benefits in determining the appropriate policy toward CRP lands when the current contracts expire. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of specified post-CRP policy alternatives by combining the interest of agricultural producers, land owners, consumers, and environmental quality in a welfare economics framework. The study area chosen for this study was Hale County, Texas. Hale County is located in the central part of the THPR. CRP enrollment in Hale County totals 99,161 acres with an average annual rental rate of $40 per acre. The reduction in crop base acres totaled 91,230 acres for corn, cotton, grain sorghum, and wheat.Item Agricultural phosphorus in an integrated crop/livestock system in the Texas High Plains(Texas Tech University, 2003-12) Collins, Jennifer L.This study Is a component of a project designed to develop a productive and environmentally sustainable integrated crop/livestock system that will assure the viability of agricultural activities in the Texas High Plains. The integrated crop/forage livestock system consists of (1) a Conventional Irrigated Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) System and (2) an Alternative Integrated Crop/Forage/Livestock System with 1-paddock of Old World Bluestem (Bothiiochloa bladhii) and a 2-paddock rotation of rye {Secale cerea/e)/cotton/wheat (Tiiticum aestivum), and wheat/fallow/rye. Cattle sequence grazed the forages. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in soil phosphorus (P) concentrations between the Conventional and Alternative Systems. Each system was replicated three times In a complete randomized block design. Soil samples were collected in 1997 and 2002 at multiple locations within each paddock by compositing three cores at each of the following depths: 0-15 cm, 15-30 cm, and 30-45 cm. Available P was determined using the Olsen bicarbonate extraction method.Item An investigation of passing operations on a rural, two-lane, two-way highway with centerline rumble strips(Texas A&M University, 2005-02-17) Miles, Jeffrey DavidThe research in this thesis was conducted to investigate the initial stage of passing maneuvers on a rural, two-lane, two-way (RTLTW) highway with centerline rumble strips (CRSs). Four measures of effectiveness were used: (1) number and type of erratic movements by a passing vehicle, (2) number of and time between centerline encroachments of a passing vehicle, (3) gap distance of a passing vehicle, and (4) centerline crossing time. Data were collected for a before-and-after analysis at one site, in Comanche County, Texas. The test section was on US 67 from Comanche, Texas to the county line south of Dublin, Texas. The posted speed limit for this RTLTW highway was 70 mph during the day. CRSs were installed along approximately 15 miles of US 67. Only one test design for CRSs was installed. The design specification was for a CRS to be milled to a 0.5-inch depth, 7-inch length, and 16-inch width. This specification was developed from current state practices throughout the United States. CRSs were installed continuously through passing and no-passing zones, and they were spaced at 24 inches on-centers. Pavement markings were striped over the CRSs. Data were collected using an innovative data collection system developed by the author through the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). This system was mounted to a four-door sedan, and it consisted of four concealed cameras that recorded the entire passing maneuver around the data collection vehicle. Data were collected at three different speeds during the daytime. The speeds were 55, 60, and 65 mph (15, 10, and 5 mph, respectively, under the posted speed limit). Based on the assessment of the four MOEs, the overall finding of this thesis was that driver performance during the initial phase of passing maneuvers was not negatively impacted after the installation of CRSs on US 67. The caveat is that differences in the weather conditions may have influenced the results. The weather was dry with clear skies at the study site during data collection prior to the installation of CRSs; however, the weather consisted of intermittent rain during the data collection after the installation of CRSs.Item Barriers to Higher Education for Rural High School Students: A Qualitative Study(2013-05) Taylor, Brandon; Jones, Stephanie J.; Logan, EthanRural high school students face many barriers when choosing to matriculate into higher education. With limited resources and support, rural students are less likely to enroll in college than their urban counterparts. This crisis is escalated when 90% of the fastest-growing high-wage jobs in the United States require not only a high school diploma, but demand higher education. The lack of college participation among rural high school students threatens to undermine an educated workforce and increased access to higher education for all populations. The purpose of this study was to provide secondary and postsecondary educational professionals a view of the needs of rural high school students through the lenses of high school counselors who provide vital college admissions guidance to these students, among their many other roles within high schools. Of specific interest was the identification of the barriers rural high school students face in matriculating into higher education, as well as current and missing support services that can assist rural high school students in pursuing postsecondary education. This qualitative collective case study analyzed the perceptions of three high school counselors who service rural high school students in the Texas High Plains region. A categorical aggregation analysis and open coding of the data collected in the study resulted in five emerging themes: 1) rural students’ lack of self-efficacy in their own academic abilities, 2) the intimidating costs of higher education, 3) a lack of parental/guardian support, 4) rural students’ motivations for matriculating to higher education, and 5) needed support services to address the barriers that rural students face when matriculating to higher education. The overall findings of the study indicated that rural high school students need additional support in addressing their perceived lack of self-efficacy when determining whether to pursue a college education or not after high school graduation. In addition, many rural students and their parents are uneducated in financing the cost of higher education, and prematurely dismiss the opportunity based upon perceived costs. Parental or guardian involvement in their student’s college decision making process is also a prescribed need for rural students to make higher education a possible reality.Item Behavioral ecology of Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) in northwestern Texas(Texas Tech University, 2006-05) Chipman, Erica D.; McIntyre, Nancy E.; Schmidt, Kenneth A.; Wallace, Mark C.Western Burrowing Owls are a species of international conservation concern, yet their behavioral responses to urbanization and radio-telemetry are unknown. We monitored breeding male burrowing owls at urbanized and rural sites in 2 areas of northwestern Texas in 2004-05 in separate studies of behavioral responses to urbanization and radio-collars. For the urban behavioral study the activity budgets of urban and rural burrowing owls did not differ significantly for most behaviors, although urban burrowing owls (n = 17) displayed significantly greater vigilance and resting behaviors than did rural owls (n = 10). Other behaviors, including amount of time spent hunting or hunting success, did not show consistent trends by land-use type; instead, there was as much variation between owls as between land-use types. Further research on the behavioral effects of urbanization is needed with larger sample sizes, more locations, and longer duration. For the radio-collared study non-collared owls (n = 6) spent significantly more time being vigilant (P = 0.007) than did radio-collared owls (n = 3) in 2004, who spent significant amounts of time interacting with their collars. In 2005, radio-collared owl (n = 8) behaviors were significantly affected (P < 0.001) by the presence of radio-collars compared to control individuals (n = 4) but not consistently by treatment period (pre-collared vs. collared vs. post-collared periods). Behavioral activity budgets varied considerably among all individuals. Although the owls spent a significant amount of time interacting with their collars, they appeared to habituate to the presence of the collars within a relatively short period (<1 wk), and collars did not affect survivorship or fitness in the short-term.Item Career lines of chief academic officers at rural two-year colleges(Texas Tech University, 2005-05) Allen, Nathan; Cejda, Brent D.; Murray, John P.; Butner, Bonita K.There is evidence in the literature that two-year colleges will be facing a significant shortage of administrative leaders in the next few years. While the chief academic officer (CAO) plays a significant role in the academic agenda of an institution, a number of CAOs are expected to move vertically to the chief executive officer (CEO) position, move laterally to another CAO position at another institution, or retire in the next few years. However, to date only a few national studies have been reported in the literature that focus on the career lines to the CAO position. Nationally, nearly 70% of two-year colleges are rural thus constituting a large portion of the population of two-year institutions. Yet, none of the studies in the literature have focused on the career lines to the CAO position at rural two-year colleges. The purpose of this study was to examine the career lines of CAOs at rural two-year institutions, and the entry points and boundaries which shape those career lines. Four research questions were developed to investigate the entry points, job experiences, career lines, and boundaries of the rural CAOs. The data for this study was drawn from a larger study of CAOs conducted by the National Council of Instructional Administrators (NCIA). Career line data from 72 CAOs at rural two-year institutions was used for this study representing 63% of the CAOs in the NCIA database. Although no single point of entry for the CAO career line was found in this study, a faculty position in higher education was identified as the most frequent entry point. Additionally, division/department chair was identified as a common point of entry into higher education. Combined, faculty and division/department chair positions represented 52.1% of the CAO entry points. CAOs have held a variety of positions in higher education prior to becoming a CAO. Two-thirds of CAOs at rural institutions (66.7%) have been a dean or director prior to becoming a CAO. Half of current CAOs (50%) have been the CAO at another institution and nearly one-third (31.9%) have held an associate or assistant chief academic officer position. Seven career lines were found leading to the CAO position at rural two-year colleges. A total of only five positions were found in the seven career lines: CAO, associate academic officer, academic dean, division/department chair, and faculty. These seven career lines represented 73% of the population. In this study, two types of boundaries were observable: single institution (firm) and two-year institution (occupational). Both types of boundary become increasingly narrower the closer one moves to the CAO position. Of the CAOs in this study, 69.6% moved to their current position within the same organization. Including those moving within the same institution, 91.3% moved from either within the same organization or another two-year institution. While this study was the first study to focus on career lines of CAOs at rural two-year colleges, additional research is needed to fully understand the career paths to the CAO position.Item Career lines of chief academic officers at rural two-year colleges(2005-05) Allen, Nathan; Cejda, Brent D.; Murray, John P.; Butner, Bonita K.There is evidence in the literature that two-year colleges will be facing a significant shortage of administrative leaders in the next few years. While the chief academic officer (CAO) plays a significant role in the academic agenda of an institution, a number of CAOs are expected to move vertically to the chief executive officer (CEO) position, move laterally to another CAO position at another institution, or retire in the next few years. However, to date only a few national studies have been reported in the literature that focus on the career lines to the CAO position. Nationally, nearly 70% of two-year colleges are rural thus constituting a large portion of the population of two-year institutions. Yet, none of the studies in the literature have focused on the career lines to the CAO position at rural two-year colleges. The purpose of this study was to examine the career lines of CAOs at rural two-year institutions, and the entry points and boundaries which shape those career lines. Four research questions were developed to investigate the entry points, job experiences, career lines, and boundaries of the rural CAOs. The data for this study was drawn from a larger study of CAOs conducted by the National Council of Instructional Administrators (NCIA). Career line data from 72 CAOs at rural two-year institutions was used for this study representing 63% of the CAOs in the NCIA database. Although no single point of entry for the CAO career line was found in this study, a faculty position in higher education was identified as the most frequent entry point. Additionally, division/department chair was identified as a common point of entry into higher education. Combined, faculty and division/department chair positions represented 52.1% of the CAO entry points. CAOs have held a variety of positions in higher education prior to becoming a CAO. Two-thirds of CAOs at rural institutions (66.7%) have been a dean or director prior to becoming a CAO. Half of current CAOs (50%) have been the CAO at another institution and nearly one-third (31.9%) have held an associate or assistant chief academic officer position. Seven career lines were found leading to the CAO position at rural two-year colleges. A total of only five positions were found in the seven career lines: CAO, associate academic officer, academic dean, division/department chair, and faculty. These seven career lines represented 73% of the population. In this study, two types of boundaries were observable: single institution (firm) and two-year institution (occupational). Both types of boundary become increasingly narrower the closer one moves to the CAO position. Of the CAOs in this study, 69.6% moved to their current position within the same organization. Including those moving within the same institution, 91.3% moved from either within the same organization or another two-year institution. While this study was the first study to focus on career lines of CAOs at rural two-year colleges, additional research is needed to fully understand the career paths to the CAO position.Item The context of a rural professional learning community(2015-05) De Zeeuw, Audrey R.; Barufaldi, James P.; Marshall, Jill; Hughes, Joan; Marder, Michael; Stroup, WalterThis dissertation is concerned with exploring the context of a rural professional learning community and the interactions between the context and participants, both teachers and facilitators. An interpretive, qualitative, instrumental case study, the format of data collection and analysis used an instrumental case study approach and interviews, classroom observations, field notes, and artifacts. Participants included four teachers across three different rural locales and two facilitators. Data on the six study participants was collected over the 2013-2014 school year. Findings from this study add to research on the understudied rural context as well as work of in-service educators and teacher educators working within and across these communities. First, this study elucidates nine components of the rural context: students, standards, and student learning needs; teachers and teacher learning needs; practices, curriculum instruction, assessment, and the learning environment; organizational culture; organizational structures and leadership; national, state, and local policies; resources; history of professional development; and parents and community. Additionally, this study identifies new roles for professional development facilitators and explores classroom the teaching practices in rural science classrooms. Finally, this dissertation highlights the importance of rural communities on the interactions of facilitators and participants who work in a rural context. Attention to the roles and interactions between facilitators, teachers and the rural context is of utmost importance towards understanding and ultimately improving professional development experiences for these predominantly isolated educators. This work has the potential to directly impact current and future STEM students and ultimately the STEM workforce by improving professional development for science educators and ultimately science students. Therefore, attention to who is working in and around these communities as well as what is happening within the context of the professional development of rural educations is of particular interest for all those working to improve science education.Item Doctor without borders : he's a physician who covers huge stretches of rural Texas -- and whose work provides key lessons about the fate and future of rural health care in America(2011-12) Garcia-Ditta, Alexa Nicole 1986-; Dahlby, Tracy; Minutaglio, BillDr. Jim Luecke, a rural family physician in Alpine, Texas, is one of six doctors responsible for thousands of patients across a sprawling 25,000 square foot remote region of the state. He is a community doctor that travels between three towns to treat patients with various illnesses, injuries and income levels. But his type of general medicine is a dying practice in Texas, especially in rural areas. Texas, with a primary care and family physician shortage likely to get worse over the next several years, faces continued obstacles in providing access to quality healthcare in some of its most isolated areas. Luecke, while he embodies some of the challenges that come with practicing rural medicine, is in some ways an exception to those challenges.Item Empowerment in rural secondary novice science teachers(2013-12) Stehling, Susan Melinda; Barufaldi, James P.The purpose of this research was to investigate what can be learned from the professional voices of secondary novice science teachers in rural schools during their first one to three years of their teaching assignment. The results of this research were viewed through the lens of empowerment as defined by Melenyzer (1990) and the six dimensions as defined by Short (1994): autonomy, self-efficacy, professional growth, status, impact, and decision making. This study examined what caused teachers’ empowerment to change in the context of their work environment with a focus on key events or experiences that caused empowerment to change. Data were collected that provided insight into what can be done to strengthen empowerment and improve retention so that rural novice science teachers can reach their full potential. In addition, patterns were examined to determine what strengthened or weakened teacher empowerment so that schools, professors, or science specialists can provide appropriate professional development opportunities for their new teachers and help teachers move along the professional continuum. This research can be utilized to determine what secondary novice science teachers bring to the classroom as well as what they need to become empowered effective teachers. The data revealed some important findings that fill in the gaps from Hobbs; (2004) and (Barufaldi, Hobbs, Moreland, & Schumacker, 2010) empowerment work with veteran (9+years) science teachers and Moreland’s (2011) empowerment research with mid-career (4-8 years) science teachers. Autonomy and decision making were not viewed as distinct dimensions but had significant effects on empowerment, self-efficacy was influenced by student successes, classroom management, and inadequate pre-service training, professional growth closely resembled empowerment, impact was weak but it did exist for many of the teachers, status was higher than expected for all teachers, overall empowerment was higher than expected, attending conferences such as the Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching (CAST) was a major positive force for empowerment, positive reinforcement played a large role in empowerment and leadership was found to either drive empowerment upward or break down empowerment depending on the situation. The results of this study can be used to inform decisions on how to differentiate professional development for science teachers as well as how they can be professionally sustained, empowered, and retained over time.Item Evaluation of the impact of technological progress on cropland values(Texas Tech University, 2000-12) Wei, JingweiIn the 20th century, U.S. agriculture became increasingly dependent upon science for technological advances to increase productivity and ensure a safe and competitive food supply. Until the close of the land frontier in the early part of the 1900s, most agricultural production increases came from expanding the area devoted to crops. Today, growth in U.S. agricultural production comes almost entirely fi'om increases in crop yields. The basis of this growth has been the application of modern science and technology to agricultural production. Technological innovation in production agriculture has caused far-reaching changes in the techniques farmers use to produce agricultural commodities in the U.S. The transition fi-om horsepower to mechanical power, the widespread use of chemicals, and the development of new and improved seed varieties have resulted in substantial and continuing increases in agricultural productivity. Innovations in agricultural production such as these have significantly increased the quantities of many agricultural commodities produced in the U.S. and around the world. These increased quantities have generally led to significant shifts in total supplies of many commodities. Because of the impact on prices and availability of consumer products derived from agricultural commodities, shifting supplies have had meaningful social and economic impacts. Common in most American industries, widespread expectations for technological progress are to continue to play a fundamental role in the production of agricultural commodities.Item Evidences of significant changes in rural life in selected counties of the South Plains: Floyd, Lubbock, and Yoakum(Texas Tech University, 1951-05) Hill, Kate AdeleWithin the period of 1939 - 1949, rapid changes have occurred in the South Plains of Texas which have affected the habits and needs of rural families living in this area. To find out how these changes have affected the rural families and how the needs of these families differ now from ten years ago have been the objectives of the author in this thesis.Item Exemplary rural community college presidents: A case study of how well their professional qualities mirror job advertisements(Texas Tech University, 2005-12) Leist, James E.; Cejda, Brent D.Major differences exist between rural community colleges (CCs) and their urban and suburban counterparts, especially in the areas of mission, location, culture, and constituencies (Valadez & Killacky, 1995; Eller, Martinez, Pace, Pavel, & Barnett, 1999; Rosenfeld, 2001). The educational, economic, and sociological challenges endemic to rural America may require a CC president to possess professional qualities not needed in a city-based venue. Although research has suggested this fact, presidential job advertisements continue to treat rural, urban, and suburban CCs as a homogenous group—thus perpetuating the notion that a universal set of professional qualities exists. This can lead to an advertisement focused on personal attributes rather than organizational needs and challenges and prevent a “good fit” between a president and an institution (Bumpas, 1998). This study examined how well the professional qualities of exemplary rural CC presidents mirror job advertisements. Archival records and telephone interviews supported the collective case study methodology. Ninety-five job advertisements published over a five-year period in The Chronicle of Higher Education provided data for a baseline template. This document offered a marketplace perspective of the professional qualities typically sought in rural CC presidents. Fifteen rural CC presidents participated in one-on-one interviews. They critiqued how well the template depicted the qualities for their position. They also suggested changes for future advertisements—to improve the potential for a good fit between a president and a rural institution. Despite acknowledging the existence of a universal set of professional qualities, these senior leaders nonetheless emphasized that rural CCs are different. As such, a president must possess special traits and characteristics to successfully confront the challenges and issues posed by the geography, politics, and culture of a rural setting. These challenges and issues require a president to genuinely engage, respect, and embrace local citizens—and assimilate—into their rural way of life. Most institutions either downplay or fail to mention this “concept of rurality” in their advertisements. The baseline template also failed to address the situational context of an institution. The 15 presidents argued that advertisements must emphasize the current status of the organization and its future goals and challenges, to help applicants understand where the institution is, where it wants to go, and what factors might serve as barriers in getting there. Rural CCs should use this situational context to identify the professional qualities listed in a presidential job advertisement. This feedback, coupled with inputs focused on other aspects related to the professional qualities needed by a rural CC president, resulted in a new format for future job advertisements. This format utilizes the concept of rurality and the situational context of the organization to identify specific professional qualities that will maximize the potential for a good fit between a president and the institutional mission, location, culture, and constituencies.Item Exemplary rural community college presidents: A case study of how well their professional qualities mirror job advertisements(2005-12) Leist, James E.; Cejda, Brent D.; Murray, John P.; Duemer, Lee S.Major differences exist between rural community colleges (CCs) and their urban and suburban counterparts, especially in the areas of mission, location, culture, and constituencies (Valadez & Killacky, 1995; Eller, Martinez, Pace, Pavel, & Barnett, 1999; Rosenfeld, 2001). The educational, economic, and sociological challenges endemic to rural America may require a CC president to possess professional qualities not needed in a city-based venue. Although research has suggested this fact, presidential job advertisements continue to treat rural, urban, and suburban CCs as a homogenous group—thus perpetuating the notion that a universal set of professional qualities exists. This can lead to an advertisement focused on personal attributes rather than organizational needs and challenges and prevent a “good fit” between a president and an institution (Bumpas, 1998). This study examined how well the professional qualities of exemplary rural CC presidents mirror job advertisements. Archival records and telephone interviews supported the collective case study methodology. Ninety-five job advertisements published over a five-year period in The Chronicle of Higher Education provided data for a baseline template. This document offered a marketplace perspective of the professional qualities typically sought in rural CC presidents. Fifteen rural CC presidents participated in one-on-one interviews. They critiqued how well the template depicted the qualities for their position. They also suggested changes for future advertisements—to improve the potential for a good fit between a president and a rural institution. Despite acknowledging the existence of a universal set of professional qualities, these senior leaders nonetheless emphasized that rural CCs are different. As such, a president must possess special traits and characteristics to successfully confront the challenges and issues posed by the geography, politics, and culture of a rural setting. These challenges and issues require a president to genuinely engage, respect, and embrace local citizens—and assimilate—into their rural way of life. Most institutions either downplay or fail to mention this "concept of rurality" in their advertisements. The baseline template also failed to address the situational context of an institution. The 15 presidents argued that advertisements must emphasize the current status of the organization and its future goals and challenges, to help applicants understand where the institution is, where it wants to go, and what factors might serve as barriers in getting there. Rural CCs should use this situational context to identify the professional qualities listed in a presidential job advertisement. This feedback, coupled with inputs focused on other aspects related to the professional qualities needed by a rural CC president, resulted in a new format for future job advertisements. This format utilizes the concept of rurality and the situational context of the organization to identify specific professional qualities that will maximize the potential for a good fit between a president and the institutional mission, location, culture, and constituencies.Item From the countryside and city to the edges and interstices : places and spaces of the quotidien in contemporary French film and literature(2013-05) Jones, Claire Catherine; Wettlaufer, AlexandraThis dissertation examines the use of the quotidien (the everyday) in contemporary French film and literature to understand its relationship with notions of place and space. Defined as the paradoxical process of how one repeatedly constructs each day "anew" on a routine basis, the quotidien in the texts of my analysis is not static, but rather a means for articulating changes in French communities and ways of life, while further reflecting ongoing changes to attitudes, politics, and identity. I advance current readings of the quotidien by viewing it as both descriptive, a recurring manifestation of change, as well as transformative, able to effect change. I argue that, in these depictions, the quotidien effectively erodes traditional spatial categories to create and reveal new and less stable versions. Specifically, places lose their real and symbolic sway to indeterminate spaces in which meaning is uncertain, in flux, or non-existent. My dissertation is novel for its interest in tracing the quotidien across spatial categories, so that its chapters move from the more "stable" categories of the rural and the urban to those in more obvious flux, edges and interstices. Chapter 1 studies the depicted quotidiens of rural France in Agnès Varda's film, Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse (2000), and Raymond Depardon and Claudine Nougare's film series, Profils paysans (2000-2008). Chapter 2 investigates the quotidiens of urban centers in Cédric Klapisch's film, Chacun cherche son chat (1996), Patrick Modiano's novel, Dora Bruder (1997), and Laurent Cantet's film, Entre les murs (2008). Chapter 3 examines everyday France at the periphery of Paris in Gérard Gavarry's novel, Hop là! Un deux trois (2001). The Conclusion addresses the emergence of a new space, the interstitial, in which its dwellers float, move, or exist between places on a daily basis, such as a commute to work. I analyze Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas's short film, Loin du 16ème (2006), Abdellatif Kechiche's film, La Graine et le mulet (2007), and Alain-Paul Mallard's film, L'Origine de la tendresse (1999). These mini-ethnographies of French society reveal a France grappling with issues related to globalization, shifting populations, the relative newness of the European Union, and consequently, identity. Who is French, and where does "authentic France" lie?Item Health promotion : predicting physical activity in normal weight and overweight rural adolecents(2014-05) McAdams, Cynthia Ann Brooks; Rew, Lynn; García, Alexandra Anne, 1964-; Brown, Adama; Brown, Sharon A; Walker, LorraineAdolescent obesity is ubiquitous and is often antecedent to adverse physical and psychosocial health outcomes. Physical activity is a leading modality for preventing and treating overweight and obesity. A modified resilience framework was used in this study to examine six empirically supported risk factors for physical inactivity and low activity (i.e., body mass index, media use, parental activity, Hispanic ethnicity, minority race, and female sex) along with moderating protective resources (i.e., sense of ethnic identity, health awareness, and social connectedness). The study sample consisted of 251 adolescents, in Grades 8 and 9, recruited from three rural and economically disadvantaged school districts in the southwestern U.S. Data were retrieved from the Longitudinal Health Risk Behaviors in Youth (LongHerby; Grade 8) and Developing Health Behaviors in Middle Adolescence (DHBMA; Grade 9) databases for this secondary analysis of extant longitudinal data. One parent of each participant contributed data used in the study. Demographic analysis revealed the sample was mostly of female sex (56%), White race (81%), and non-Hispanic ethnicity (55%). A descriptive, correlational design was used to examine relationships among variables. Data analysis included correlation, linear regression, and hierarchical multiple regression techniques. The findings showed the outcome of physical activity in Grade 8 was the most statistically significant predictor of physical activity in Grade 9, using two different measures for the outcome (i.e., the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Scale [YRBSS] and the Adolescent Lifestyle Questionnaire [ALQ]). Two hierarchical multiple regression models explained 20% (YRBSS) and 21% (ALQ) of the variances in adolescent physical activity practices with female sex (R2Δ = .101, p < .001; YRBSS) and health awareness (R2Δ = .114, p < .001; ALQ) contributing the largest proportion to the hierarchical variances. Body mass index percentiles were not correlated with physical activity (YRBSS or ALQ), but did show a small inverse correlation with female sex (r = -151, p = ≤ .005) and a small positive relationship with Hispanic ethnicity (r = .168, p = ≤ .001). Findings of this study are congruent with previous research and could be used in planning health promotion strategies to improve adolescent physical activity.Item Intuitive decision making in small rural schools: a phenomenological study(Texas Tech University, 2007-05) Windom, Vivian J.This study examined how small school superintendents dealt with decision making on a regular basis. The methods used by these individuals, whether of their own device or through the use of models, were discussed and observed. The study included the types of decision maker style each participant possessed, an overview of decision making models, and a discussion of phenomenological methodology as a tool for use in viewing and discussing decision making practices. Whether the administrator used experience, intuition, or a standard model discussed in current literature was uncovered through this qualitative method. Phenomenology methodology applied the process of interviewing and unbiased observing to discover themes, apply reflection, and analyze the results. Results were reported in a rich thick, qualitative format.