Matching Items (49)
Description
Increasing public criticism of traditional teacher evaluation systems based largely on classroom observations has spurred an unprecedented shift in the debate surrounding educational accountability policies, specifically about the purposes for and measures used to evaluate teachers. In response to growing public demand and associated federal mandates, states have been prompted to design and implement teacher evaluation systems that use increasingly available, statistically complex models (i.e., value-added) intended to isolate and measure the effects of individual teachers on student academic growth over time. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of school administrators and teachers within one of the largest school districts in the state of Arizona with regards to the design and implementation of a federally-supported, state policy-directed teacher evaluation system based on professional practice and value-added measures. While much research has been conducted on teacher evaluation, few studies have examined teacher evaluation systems in context to better understand the standards of effectiveness used by school administrators and teachers to measure system effectiveness. The perceptions of school administrators and teachers, considering their lived experiences as the subjects of the nation's new and improved teacher evaluation systems in context, must be better understood if state and federal policymakers are to also better recognize and understand the consequences (intended and unintended) associated with the design and implementation of these systems in practice.
ContributorsPaufler, Noelle A (Author) / Amrein-Beardsley, Audrey L (Thesis advisor) / Berliner, David C. (Committee member) / Fischman, Gustavo E (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
Although open access publishing has been available since 1998, we know little regarding scholars' perceptions and practices toward publishing in open access outlets, especially in the social science community. Open access publishing has been slow to penetrate the field of education, yet the potential impact of open access could make this publishing method an important innovation for understanding how to support the publishing needs of education scholars. To discover these perceptions and practices that education scholars have toward open access publishing, a 51-item web-based survey was provided to scholars with known investment in open access publishing. Participants had either (1) a publication in one of 34 United States education-based open access journals or (2) a manuscript submitted for peer review in one of those 34 journals. The survey contained subscales focusing on contemporary open access themes--issues identified through a comprehensive analysis of the major outlets for scholarly news in education. Through open and axial coding, several themes were extracted. They included rights and ease of access, ease of publishing, costs, support from colleagues and administrators, and perceived quality of open access outlets. The survey showed moderate to high reliability using Cronbach's alpha. Correlation and MANOVA testing showed significant results in scholars' teaching status and peer review status of manuscripts. Additional findings indicated that non-tenured education scholars responded more strongly than tenured scholars to issues related to rights and ease of access, promotion, and quality. Scholars with manuscripts currently in peer review felt strongly about themes of rights and ease of access, cost, and promotion. The results imply the following: (1) If scholars want their research read by a wider audience, they should publish in open access journals. (2) Pro-open access policies and procedures could gain more support by ensuring open access is promoted to non-tenured scholars seeking to publish. (3) More research, forums, discussions, and education about open access need to occur in greater abundance to continue to ameliorate scholars' views about the benefits of open access publishing. (4) Institutions and departments can offer their unconditional support for open access publishing as a method of meeting promotion/tenure requirements.
ContributorsEllingford, Lori Michelle (Author) / Brem, Sarah K. (Thesis advisor) / Husman, Jenefer (Committee member) / Ganesh, Tirupalavanam G. (Committee member) / Duggan, Mary Anne (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
This paper presents the results of an empirical analysis of deceptive data visualizations paired with explanatory text. Data visualizations are used to communicate information about important social issues to large audiences and are found in the news, social media, and the Internet (Kirk, 2012). Modern technology and software allow people and organizations to easily produce and publish data visualizations, contributing to data visualizations becoming more prevalent as a means of communicating important information (Sue & Griffin, 2016). Ethical transgressions in data visualizations are the intentional or unintentional use of deceptive techniques with the potential of altering the audience’s understanding of the information being presented (Pandey et al., 2015). While many have discussed the importance of ethics in data visualization, scientists have only recently started to look at how deceptive data visualizations affect the reader. This study was administered as an on-line user survey and was designed to test the deceptive potential of data visualizations when they are accompanied by a paragraph of text. The study consisted of a demographic questionnaire, chart familiarity assessment, and data visualization survey. A total of 256 participants completed the survey and were evenly distributed between a control (non-deceptive) survey or a test (deceptive) survey in which participant were asked to observe a paragraph of text and data visualization paired together. Participants then answered a question relevant to the observed information to measure how they perceived the information to be. The individual differences between demographic groups and their responses were analyzed to understand how these groups reacted to deceptive data visualizations compared to the control group. The results of the study confirmed that deceptive techniques in data visualizations caused participants to misinterpret the information in the deceptive data visualizations even when they were accompanied by a paragraph of explanatory text. Furthermore, certain demographics and comfort levels with chart types were more susceptible to certain types of deceptive techniques. These results highlight the importance of education and practice in the area of data visualizations to ensure deceptive practices are not utilized and to avoid potential misinformation, especially when information can be called into question.
ContributorsO'Brien, Shaun (Author) / Laure, Claire (Thesis advisor) / Brumberger, Eva (Committee member) / D'Angelo, Barbara J. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
There is a gap between today's scientific advances and their application--between what is known and what is actually being done. This gap occurs because of the process of knowledge translation required to digest research findings for policymakers and practitioners. Studies have repeatedly shown that because of this "know-do" gap, approximately one-half of patients in the United States and Europe are not receiving care according to the most recent scientific evidence. Children are a medically unique and underserved population that stands to be most affected by this gap. Therefore, in this study, the research-practice gap in the pediatric field was calculated and discussed in the context of knowledge brokers, who facilitate opportunities for knowledge translation. Article mentions from the journal Pediatrics were identified in policy documents and analyzed for the years 2010, 2013, and 2016 with the use of the Altmetric platform as a quantitative means of identifying patterns and drawing conclusions about the knowledge translation gap in pediatrics. Altmetric is a bibliometric tool that offers viable insights into the types of impact not covered with traditional methods of citation analysis. The expert policymaking bodies that cited the Pediatrics articles in their policy documents were coded, categorized, and subcategorized to clarify how and where Pediatrics research is ultimately being used to create health policy and to discover whether the gap is similar or different between the various types of policymaking organizations. This allowed the quantitative findings to be nested within a qualitative context. It took a mean of 7.1 years for research to reach the point of policy uptake for practitioners, with a range of 0-32.8 years. There were more international policy mentions than U.S. mentions, but information made its way through the knowledge translation process more quickly in the United States than it did elsewhere. In fact, nearly 40% of articles were cited in policy fewer than five years after original publication. The gap in pediatrics is thus significantly shorter than the 17-year average reported in the literature. However, knowledge brokerage activities performed by technical communicators are continually needed to build links between research, policy applications, and practice.
ContributorsBabiar, Heather (Author) / D'Angelo, Barbara (Thesis advisor) / Brumberger, Eva (Committee member) / Maid, Barry (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Today, in the internet-age with global communication every day, it is more important than ever to learn how best to communicate across cultures. However, a review of literature and localization research reveals no studies comparing written communication preferences between cultures using the English language. This gap in research led me to my question–How do localization needs or preferences differ between English-speakers in the U.S. and Canada? To answer my research question, I created a study focused on written communication using a quality measure after consulting the IBM rubric (Hofstede, 1984). I incorporated a demographics questionnaire, a sample document of an Alberta Government brochure, and a survey to measure participant perceptions of quality for use with the sample document. Participants for the study were recruited from Phoenix, Arizona and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. All participants reviewed the Canada-based sample document and answered the questions from the survey. The survey responses were designed to obtain data on culturally specific variables on contexting, which were critical in understanding cultural differences and communication preferences between the two groups. Results of the data analysis indicate differences in cultural preferences specific to language, the amount of text, and document organization. The results suggest that there may be more significant differences than previously assumed (Hall, 1976) between U.S. and Canadian English-speaking populations. Further research could include a similar study using a U.S.–based document and administering it to the same target population. Additionally, a quality-based measure could be applied as a way of understanding other cultures for localization needs, since inadequate localization can have an adverse impact on perceptions of quality.
ContributorsO'Brien, Tara (Author) / Brumberger, Eva (Thesis advisor) / D’Angelo, Barbara (Thesis advisor) / Maid, Barry (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Contemporary cities are physical and virtual. This thesis describes the findings of a mixed-methods study concerning visual images of the city in the urban Northeast of the United States. I ground these approaches in existing literature concerning digital media, visual narrative, genre ecology, urban planning, and virtual places. The first part of the study analyzes the results of a survey in which 150 people responded to questions about social media use and the relationships between image type and the functions of social media in urban contexts. The second part of the study analyzes the results of coding one year of visual images tweeted by @CambMA, the municipal Twitter feed for the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts. These approaches required the development of new tools for analyzing visual communication and genre moves in specific media contexts. My research suggests that specific image types are suited for specific media functions in the context of visual communication in virtual urban environments and that some image types are especially effective in capturing and expressing the city. These findings provide potential strategies for municipal social media channels to consider in terms of how they communicate with their audiences.
ContributorsDel Nero, Zachary (Author) / Maid, Barry (Thesis advisor) / D'Angelo, Barbara (Committee member) / Mara, Andrew (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
With 285-million blind and visually impaired worldwide, and 25.5 million in the United States, federally funded universities should be at the forefront when designing accessible websites for the blind community. Fifty percent of the university homepages discussed in my thesis failed accessibility checker tests because alternative text was not provided in the alt-attribute for numerous images, making them inaccessible to blind users. The images which failed included logos, photographs of people, and images with text. Understanding image content and context in relation to the webpage is important for writing alternative text that is useful, yet writers interpret and define the content and context of images differently or not at all. Not all universities follow legal guidelines of using alternative text for online images nor implements best practices of analyzing images prior to describing them within the context of the webpage. When an image used in a webpage is designed only to be seen by sighted users and not to be seen by screen reader software, then that image is not comparably accessible to a blind user, as Section 508 mandates.
ContributorsSabbia, Michael Robert (Author) / Maid, Barry (Thesis advisor) / Brumberger, Eva (Thesis advisor) / Mara, Andrew (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
This project presents a mixed methods analysis of proposal editing in sponsored research administration at U.S.-based universities. As sponsored research funding has become increasingly competitive, universities have sought to support their faculty and research infrastructure by offering proposal editing services as a component of the proposal development process. However, the relative newness of proposal and research development as fields, combined with prior studies that show a general lack of research into proposal editing and faculty perceptions of proposal development resources, mean that these areas can benefit from additional focused research. This study aimed to answer two primary research questions: How do universities approach and offer proposal editing as a component of the proposal development process, and what are faculty reactions to editing services as a resource during that same process? The study consisted of two components: a survey of 32 faculty members' perceptions of editing services as an element of their proposal development, and interviews with ten research administrators and editors to discuss how editing services function within the proposal preparation process. Despite a small sample size and disciplinary homogeneity, the survey results showed that demand for institutionally provided editing services varies by research field and activity level, but that faculty showed noticeable interest in at least having the option of an editor reviewing their proposals prior to submission. Interview participants agreed that faculty who are new or early in their careers, along with faculty who speak English as a second language, are especially interested in receiving editing services. Editors themselves provide various levels of edit, dependent on their own backgrounds, editing timelines, and faculty receptiveness to the edits. When provided, edits focus on compliance and grammar, but deeper edits help academic styles of writing transition into more persuasive grant writing styles to strategically position the proposal. As proposal editing services become more widespread as a way of supporting faculty and increasingly proposal quality and success, universities should implement editing services according to faculty demand and needs. Careful implementation can ensure that editing services fully support faculty while making a meaningful impact on a university's research development strategies and goals.
ContributorsTrompeter, Colleen (Author) / Brumberger, Eva (Thesis advisor) / D'Angelo, Barbara (Committee member) / Lauer, Claire (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
Increasing numbers of biomedical products have become eligible for over-the-counter sale in contemporary American consumer culture. What was once the realm of the clinical has moved into the realm of the domestic, with the consumer as the interpreter of health issues and communication. This dissertation examines the user experience with the marketing and design of packaging of home pregnancy tests. Studies indicate that more than one-third of women of reproductive age in the U.S. have used a home pregnancy test, yet the test is marketed to a specific demographic of user: one who is white, affluent, and married. How are users’ experiences affected, and how do different methodological frameworks yield results for the study of these user experiences?
In this project, I conduct a series of methodological case studies to show how each reveal various aspects of the user experience of home pregnancy testing. I begin with a case study of three brands of home pregnancy tests, using visual-material rhetorical analysis to uncover the cultural values implicit in packaging. I then move to two case studies involving the results of a National Institutes of Health survey of pregnancy test users. I employ a thematic analysis framework to analyze demographic information about users and to contextualize their narratives. I also conduct corpus linguistics and semantic network analysis with the same data set to model patterns in language. From these varying approaches, each with different underlying assumptions, nuanced aspects of the user experience with the product and its communication emerge. For example, the user’s life circumstances change from initial to subsequent pregnancy test purchase and use so as to suggest more desire for a positive result with subsequent testing, yet many users across these categories express some degree of discomfort when purchasing this product.
I conclude with suggestions based on this research for more ethically informed pregnancy test marketing, and outline avenues for future research for evaluation of home pregnancy test user experience. I finally discuss the implications of multiple methodological approaches for transdisciplinary humanities project design, implementation, and evaluation, with emphasis on the digital and medical humanities.
In this project, I conduct a series of methodological case studies to show how each reveal various aspects of the user experience of home pregnancy testing. I begin with a case study of three brands of home pregnancy tests, using visual-material rhetorical analysis to uncover the cultural values implicit in packaging. I then move to two case studies involving the results of a National Institutes of Health survey of pregnancy test users. I employ a thematic analysis framework to analyze demographic information about users and to contextualize their narratives. I also conduct corpus linguistics and semantic network analysis with the same data set to model patterns in language. From these varying approaches, each with different underlying assumptions, nuanced aspects of the user experience with the product and its communication emerge. For example, the user’s life circumstances change from initial to subsequent pregnancy test purchase and use so as to suggest more desire for a positive result with subsequent testing, yet many users across these categories express some degree of discomfort when purchasing this product.
I conclude with suggestions based on this research for more ethically informed pregnancy test marketing, and outline avenues for future research for evaluation of home pregnancy test user experience. I finally discuss the implications of multiple methodological approaches for transdisciplinary humanities project design, implementation, and evaluation, with emphasis on the digital and medical humanities.
ContributorsOpel, Dawn S (Author) / Goggin, Maureen Daly (Thesis advisor) / Daer, Alice R (Committee member) / Wernimont, Jacqueline (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
In this dissertation, I study large-scale civic conversations where technology extends the range of “discourse visibility” beyond what human eyes and ears can meaningfully process without technical assistance. Analyzing government documents on digital innovation in government, emerging data activism practices, and large-scale civic conversations on social media, I advance a rhetoric for productively listening to democratic discourse as it is practiced in 2016. I propose practical strategies for how various governments—from the local to the United Nations international climate talks—might appropriately use technical interventions to assist civic dialogues and make civic decisions. Acknowledging that we must not lose the value that comes from face-to-face civic deliberation, I suggest practical pathways for how and when to use technology to increase democratic engagement from all stakeholders.
ContributorsSutherland, Alison (Author) / Adamson, Joni (Thesis advisor) / Long, Elenore (Committee member) / Simeone, Michael (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016