Scope and Method of Study: The purpose of this study was to describe the effects of career and technical education (CTE) on recidivism for offenders enrolled in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections CareerTech Skills Center School Systems (SCSS) programs. Specifically, the study mined existing CareerTech and ODOC data to: (a) compare the…

This dissertation is about the elements that build verbs, the elements that introduce arguments, and how these elements interact to determine the interpretation of arguments and events. A theory of argument structure is a theory how arguments are introduced syntactically, interpreted semantically, and marked morphologically, and how this…

The contemporary business world demands adaptive individuals (Friedman & Wyman, 2005). Adaptation is essential for any life transition. It often involves developing coping mechanisms, strategies, and seeking of social support. Adaptation occurs in many settings from moving to a new culture, taking a new job, starting or finishing an…

This study explores how teachers narrate and develop their identities through their participation in an online video study group. Participants are six public school world language teachers using "Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling" (TPRS) methodology who live in geographically diverse regions of the United States but…

TV shows, especially soap operas and sitcoms, are usually considered by ESL practitioners as a source of authentic spoken conversational materials presumably because they reflect the linguistic features of natural conversation. However, practitioners might be faced with the dilemma of how to evaluate whether such conversational materials reflect…

This dissertation is comprised of two manuscripts resulting from a single study, which examines a) the types of graphics that appear, and in what frequencies, in children's informational texts, and b) the defining features of different graphics. Graphics are ubiquitous in children's informational texts and a lot is known about the impact…

Little is known about the deterrents to licensed nurses' participation in continuing professional education (CPE) in Oklahoma, the licensed nurses' preferred method for obtaining CPE, and the ways in which employers support participation in CPE. A random sample of 78 licensed nurses in Oklahoma completed a 20 item questionnaire and a 40…

In the early to late 1990s, school systems throughout the United States were undergoing a rash of educational reforms as a result of public demands for holding schools accountable for student learning. Schools were searching for the reform or innovation that would help them improve student achievement. All over the country, "professional…

This study analyzed the emergency protocol and violence prevention methods utilized at an American university. The four research questions were: (1) What are the sources of violence at the university? a. How has the university addressed these sources? (2) What constitutes an emergency in the eyes of the university? (3) How do emergency protocols…

This dissertation consists of three essays on adolescents' post secondary education choices and labor market returns. The first chapter analyzes returns to selectivity of four-year colleges by different post-bachelor's degree schooling paths. The second chapter documents the role of family income in college application and enrollment…

A decade of research utilizing the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework has unveiled the priority of teaching presence in effective models of online education. The data for this finding are significant, as is the momentum of the CoI in suggesting theoretical and practical implications for implementing contemporary online education. However,…

The purpose of this study was to begin to examine the factors that contribute to the inclusion and exclusion of children with disabilities in piano lessons in private studios. Specifically, using a qualitative approach. the perceptions piano teachers have regarding the inclusion of children with disabilities in the piano studio were studied. The…

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of institutional policies and practices, based on the perspectives of minority adult learners, which contribute to and militate against underrepresented adult learners' persistence in college until baccalaureate degree completion, describe why these policies and practices influence…

Doctoral training in the molecular biosciences often fails to prepare students for academic and alternate careers. Several studies of doctoral training have reported a need to improve doctoral education; outlining specific criticisms related to the need to broaden the scope of the doctoral degree in order to prepare students for careers. The…

The purpose of the study was to understand and explain the overall culture and subcultures of Prairie College (a pseudonym) and how those cultures socialized students to persist or depart from the institution. In accordance with the higher education student retention theory and research of Braxton (2000), Kuh and Love (2000), and Kuh (2001), there…