2017 MU dissertations - Freely available online
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Item Implementation of a new teacher evaluation program : principal and teacher perceptions(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2017) Haner, Kurt; Dorner, LisaThis study examined the implementation of the Network for Educator Effectiveness (NEE) teacher evaluation system within two Missouri schools, one comprehensive high school of 1,000 students and another with 350. Framed by theories of sense-making and policy implementation, the study asked: How is the NEE teacher evaluation system being implemented within two different-sized school districts? While most studies of teacher evaluation programs solely use questionnaires, this study collected the following: 64 surveys from teachers and school leaders, 16 observations of teacher evaluations, and 22 interviews of the teachers and leaders involved in those evaluations. Findings suggest that each school's context shaped how teacher evaluation was implemented. While the larger school operated from a structural framework, the smaller school operated from a human resource framework. These frameworks affected how the evaluation was implemented. When the observations occurred, the length of the observation, and how the teachers received the results of their evaluation were experienced differently between the two differently-sized school districts operating from different frameworks. The study also found that most teachers and administrators in this study believed evaluators' observations should (1) last longer than 10 minutes; (2) be completed by experienced evaluators, and (3) allow stakeholders to choose the evaluation indicators. Lengthened observations would allow administrators more time to see the indicators, the transitional points in the lesson, where the lesson came from and is going, and how students apply the activity. Teachers wanted experienced evaluators who could give recommendations specific to their classroom on how to improve as teachers. The stakeholders wanted input on the indicators used and also wanted those indicators to be building specific. The findings presented in this paper give educators a voice in educational research and will assist in the improvement of teacher evaluation. Listening to the voices of administrators and teachers at the local level will not only help foster a better teacher evaluation system, but also in the end produce a better educational system for students.Item A concurrent mixed-methods study of a leadership model for physician assistants: implications for practice and training(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2017) Cleveland, Tracy L.; MacGregor, CynthiaA physician shortage currently exists in the United States and is projected to continuefor at leasta decade. Physician assistants(PA)are expected to help fill this healthcare gap,often requiring not just medical competence, but leadership skills. Leadership training is not often a component of PA medical training,and literature onPA leadership is limited. This study investigated a leadership model for PAsrooted in ethical leadership. The PA, asa medical leader,further defined asa learning leader, patient advocate, engaged professional, builder of future professionals, community activist and team collaborator was explored through a concurrent mixed-methods approach thatevaluatedsurvey datacollected from practicing PAs and PA faculty. Of the 681 practicing PAs invited, 107 (16%) participated,and of the 71 PA faculty members recruited, 43 (61%) participated.Results showed alignment in responses between the twosurveys. The greatest level of alignment was noted for the patient advocate,the team collaborator,and the learningleader,followed by the builder of future professionals and the engaged professional. The greatest amount of contrast between survey findings was with the community activist. Although all areas were supported, moreresearch is needed to further support this model.Item Piezoelectric transformer plasma ion source characterization for neutron production(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2017) Baxter, Emily A.; Gahl, JohnNeutron sources have applications in fields where the elemental composition of a material needs to be determined while retaining the integrity of the initial sample. While many different neutron sources are currently available, they face drawbacks such as size and radioactivity. The piezoelectric transformer plasma source (PTPS) has been developed as a compact source of ions. The PTPS consists of a 10 mm diameter by 2 mm thick lithium niobate (LiNbO3) disk which uses the piezoelectric effect to generate appropriate electric fields for plasma generation. The PTPS was characterized using multiple methods to determine the characteristics of the plasma being formed with consideration of possibilities for increased output. An ion current experiment was used to determine the impact of extraction voltage, input voltage to the PTPS, internal pressure of the plasma generating chamber, ionizing gas, and hollow anode size on the ion current produced by the PTPS and to demonstrate the scalability of the PTPS. The PTPS was integrated into a neutron generating system to show that the PTPS was capable of producing ion currents sufficient for neutron generation. Finally, the electron temperature and density of the plasma generated in the PTPS was measured through the use of a triple Langmuir probe system. The experiments showed that the PTPS is capable of producing ion currents in the 10 μA range with plasma electron temperature and densities in the 4 eV and 1015 m-3 range which, and when operated as a source of deuterium ions (and coupled with a deuterated target placed at a high voltage) was capable of producing neutron counts above background through the deuterium-deuterium (D-D) reaction.Item Boron quantitative analysis and imaging analysis in plants(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2017) Wang, Xingyao; Lever, SusanBoron is a very important nutrient element in plants, and thus it plays a key role in the world's food supply. Both boron deficiency and boron toxicity will cause plants to decrease their crop yield or even cause plants to die. To understand boron's role in plants, it is indispensable to investigate boron quantitatively and to study boron distribution so that we can know the amount of boron in each area of plants and the extent boron is transported in plants under various conditions. Some analytical methods have already been used to quantify boron in plants, such as UV-vis spectroscopy with the Azomethine-H method and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Also recently, some techniques are being developed by investigators to investigate boron distribution in plants such as Laser Ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) and Quantitative Neutron Capture Radiography (QNCR). The hypothesis of this dissertation is whether LA-ICPMS and QNCR can provide accurate and precise information on boron distribution analysis in plants. This information can be used to play a central role in analyzing boron distribution and to provide a better understanding of boron's role in plants. This dissertation has confirmed UV-vis spectroscopy with the Azomethine-H method and ICP-MS can analyze [B] in plants accurately and precisely as the destructive techniques. Their advantages and disadvantages are also discussed based on the experimental procedures and results. The dissertation also demonstrates that QNCR can be used to study boron imaging analysis in plants.Item Commerce clause new federalism in the Rehnquist and Roberts courts : dynamics of culture wars constitutionalism, 1964-2012(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2017) Robinson, Roger E.; Carroll, Mark M. (Mark McNeese)Commerce Clause New Federalism in the Rehnquist and Roberts Courts describes how interpretation of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution has evolved since the Constitution was first ratified by the several states. It shows how the clause, which was originally included to facilitate trade between the states by removing barriers to trade, evolved into Congress' primary justification for all kinds of actions that had previously been the domains of the states. The work includes case studies of four controversial cases that occurred when the Chief Justice was William Rehnquist along with a case study of National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius decided in the court of Chief Justice John Roberts. The work also makes the case that commerce-clause-based legislation was a critical contributor to the current culture wars occurring in America because each piece of legislation becomes a winner take all proposition with national ramifications.