Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item Investigation of Elementary Teacher Capacity to Implement Environmental Literacy Requirements(2017) Parker, Melanie Denise; McLaughlin, Margaret; Norris, John; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)To uphold Maryland’s environmental literacy high school graduation requirement and curricular standards, local school districts must develop programs that graduate environmentally literate students and provide effective teacher professional development. This study focused on assessing the confidence and ability of elementary teachers in a Maryland school district to implement these requirements. It also sought to determine if there is an association between teachers’ environmental training and their own confidence teaching environmental literacy. This study is a quantitative descriptive and exploratory study that utilized an online survey. Descriptive analysis and tests of significance were used to examine how teachers’ experience, training and environmental knowledge relate to their awareness of state and district policy and curriculum, teaching about the environment, teaching outdoors, and overall confidence in teaching environmental concepts. The study found that elementary teachers in this school district have high awareness and confidence regarding teaching in and about the environment. They are also highly knowledgeable about environmental topics. These teachers demonstrated that focused training and experience significantly impacts confidence in environmental and outdoor teaching. These findings provide compelling evidence of the need to incorporate direct experiences and practice when shaping environmental literacy teacher professional development. Despite the overall confidence in teaching in and about the environment, a little over half of the teachers reported that they took students outside for instruction. Challenges noted are similar to those reported in other studies and include safety, time, resources, appropriate spaces, permission, appropriateness, and student management. Overcoming these challenges does not lie solely with teachers and their confidence but also will require input and support from the administration, facilities, and curriculum developers. Focused professional development on the pedagogy and management strategies for instruction in the outdoors is needed for both teachers and administrators. The opportunity of utilizing school grounds as its own classroom needs to be pursued as a cultural and systemic shift in our understanding of the modern classroom. The integration of environmental topics and outdoor instruction into content areas beyond science will build both the understanding and capacity of teachers and benefit student engagement and environmental literacy.Item A Narrative Analysis of the Process of Self-Authorship for Student Affairs Graduate Students(2011) Schoper, Sarah E.; Komives, Susan R; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Research on preparation programs for student affairs professionals has focused primarily on identifying competencies. Limited attention has been paid to the process of how meaning is made of preparation program experiences. Of the scholarship conducted, minimal consideration has been paid to the relationship between development and the environment. The purpose of this study was to explore the process of self-authorship for graduate students within a student affairs preparation program, and the environmental conditions that promoted that process. Utilizing narrative inquiry methodology (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Lieblich, Tuval-Mashiach, & Zilber, 1998; Marshall & Rossman, 1999; Shank, 2002), data was collected through in-depth interviews of six graduates of a student affairs preparation program meeting the standards set by the Council for the Advancement of Standards (2009), and analyzed using the constant comparative method (Lieblich et al., 1998). The preparation program studied was located at a public research university in the Midwest. The results were considered in relation to constructive-developmental theory (Boes, Baxter Magolda, & Buckley, 2010), self-authorship theory (Baxter Magolda, 2001; Kegan, 1982, 1994), the environment of reference model (Conyne & Clack, 1981), the learning partnerships model (Baxter Magolda, 2004), and transition theory (Schlossberg, Waters, & Goodman, 1995). Results indicated that although movement toward self-authorship was achieved those who graduated had not fully reached self-authorship. The conditions identified that promoted the process of self-authorship included self-reflection and experiencing different perspectives. For example, participation in self-reflection helped participants separate their own meaning from that of others, as well as determine the value of the meaning made. The results also indicated that the participants sought out support within the environment as they experienced transition. Finally, the findings included a description of conditions within the environment that aided the participants in deciding to select the specific preparation program studied. Although the interaction between the environmental conditions and the participants' meaning making systems varied, the findings can be transferred to student affairs preparation program environments, as well as practitioner environments.Item CHARACTERIZING THE USE OF BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND MEASUREMENTS OF PASTURE AND SOIL QUALITY ON MARYLAND HORSE FARMS(2010) Fiorellino, Nicole; Burk, Amy O.; Animal Sciences; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Agricultural operations, including horse farms, have the potential to negatively affect the environment when managed improperly. The use of best management practices (BMPs) by horse farm operators are important for reducing their farms' environmental impact. Through the use of a mailed survey and field assessment, the use of BMPs on Maryland horse farms was characterized. In general, some BMPs were being used, especially restricting horses from surface water and maintaining vegetative cover. However, BMPs such as correct manure storage and rotational grazing had low adoption rates. A major finding was that soil erosion was a serious problem for most farms and topography, use of compacted materials, and maintenance of vegetative cover can predict occurrence of soil erosion. Results from these studies can aid in the development of future educational events designed to educate horse farm operators about adopting BMPs and preventing pollution of surface water.Item Sustainable Heritage: Retrofitting Historic Buildings for Improved Environmental Performance(2009) Langmead, Sara Goldfarb; Simon, Madlen; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Building materials outlive people. What we build is left for the next generation as a resource and as an artifact of our own time. This thesis explores how we can alter our existing building stock to become more environmentally sustainable. By examining the common ground between the conservation of the built world and the conservation of the natural world, we can redefine stewardship for the present age. Let our built legacy express that we value history, culture, and consideration for the prosperity of future generations. As a case study, the practice of sustainable retrofitting will be implemented at an abandoned building campus in Silver Spring, Maryland. Designed in 1927 for the National Association of Dyers and Cleaners, these buildings retain their dignity despite years of poor stewardship. The site has the potential to exemplify how historic buildings can become a sustainable resource for the future of an expanding, diverse community.Item inForm: Didactic Eco-Conscious Architecture(2008) Claudio, Angelo; Williams, Isaac; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Architecture has the potential to reflect the cultural values of a society. Conversely, an expressive and didactic architecture can affect cultural value systems. At the most fundamental level, sustainability is about being aware of our place in a larger whole and respecting the interconnectivity all life shares on this planet. Without a cultural value system that supports this worldview, sustainable architecture will eventually reduce into a style or application. This thesis explores the didactic potential of architecture in regards to sustainability. It focuses on the recognition of unique characteristics in the built and natural environment of a place; the building's response to these environmental factors; and how an expressive architecture may teach the inhabitants of the building and local residents of the surrounding neighborhood about their environment. A secondary school in downtown San Francisco is an opportune typology for this exploration. Form may follow function, but can form inform?Item For the End is a Limit: The Question Concerning the Environment(2007-06-04) Orhan, Ozguc; Conca, Ken; Butterworth, Charles E.; Government and Politics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation argues that Aristotle's philosophy of praxis (i.e., ethics and politics) can contribute to our understanding of the contemporary question concerning the environment. Thinking seriously about the environment today calls for resisting the temptation to jump to conclusions about Aristotle's irrelevance to the environment on historicist grounds of incommensurability or the fact that Aristotle did not write specifically on environmental issues as we know them. It is true that environmental problems are basically twentieth-century phenomena, but the larger normative discourses in which the terms "environmental" and "ecological" and their cognates are situated should be approached philosophically, namely, as cross-cultural and trans-historical phenomena that touch human experience at a deeper level. The philosophical perspective exploring the discursive meaning behind contemporary environmental praxis can reveal to us that certain aspects of Aristotle's thought are relevant, or can be adapted, to the ends of environmentalists concerned with developmental problems. I argue that Aristotle's views are already accepted and adopted in political theory and the praxis of the environment in many respects. In the first half of the dissertation, I explore the common ground between contemporary theorizing on the ethical and political aspects of environmental issues and Aristotelian ethics and politics. The second half of the dissertation locates the contemporary relevance of Aristotle in the recently emerging studies of "environmental virtue ethics" as well as "environmental citizenship" and "conservative environmentalism."Item Lively Streets: Exploring the relationship between built environment and social behavior(2006-11-27) Mehta, Vikas; Brower, Sidney N; Urban and Regional Planning and Design; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Streets constitute a significant part of open public space and are the most important symbols of the public realm. Streets that cater to the functional, social, and leisure needs of people have been positively associated with economic growth, physical health of people, and a sense of community. Increasingly, scholars suggest thinking of the street as a social space rather than just a channel for movement. Despite such suggestions, few studies have addressed the relationships between social behavior and the environmental quality of the street. Moreover, the studies that have, tend to separate the study of physical features from land uses, and hence do not deal with the interrelationships between behavioral patterns and the physical features of the street, and its sociability. This dissertation was an empirical examination of behavioral responses, perceptions, and attitudes of people to the physical characteristics, use, and management of the neighborhood commercial street in two cities and one town in the Boston metropolitan area. It used methods based in environment-behavior sciences involving extensive observations of these streets over eight months, and interviews with people using these streets to understand their behaviors and perceptions. The biggest competitive advantage of neighborhood commercial streets is their ability to support social interaction. The findings reveal that people were equally concerned with the social and physical dimensions of the street. The presence of community places and the street's landuse and physical character determined the use of the street. People preferred settings that had stores that were community-gathering places, which held special collective meanings for the people of the neighborhood and were thus destinations to meet friends and to see other people and activities; that had a variety of stores on the block, particularly those that served daily shopping needs; that had unique independently operated stores with friendly service, a distinctive character and ambience, and personalized shop-windows and entrances; that were pedestrian-friendly with ample sidewalk space with seating and other street furniture, and shade and shelter; and that had buildings with permeable and articulated street facades providing sheltered small-scale spaces.Item Corporate Citizenship, Sanctions, and Environmental Crime(2006-08-10) Gibbs, Carole; Simpson, Sally S; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This work integrates three bodies of literature, namely that on corporate crime, environmental performance, and corporate citizenship. Traditionally, corporate crime researchers have failed to (1) measure environmental crime with self-reports and (2) integrate theoretical explanations of compliance and overcompliance. At the same time, the environmental performance literature has not fully explored the relevance of the parent company. This investigation addresses this intersection by studying firm-level environmental performance. In particular, it adds corporate citizenship--the degree to which firm culture promotes or inhibits a moral commitment to society that is broader than "mere compliance"--as a new explanation for environmental behavior. The results vary according to the measure of citizenship, but generally suggest that citizenship adds little to our understanding of environmental performance. The discussion section considers the limitations of these data, as well as the theoretical and policy implications of the findings.Item A Least-Cost Mechanism to Achieve Agricultural Income and Conservation Targets under Asymmetric Information(2004-11-23) Sheriff, Glenn David; Chambers, Robert G; Agricultural and Resource Economics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Two policy goals dominate United States' agricultural programs: voluntary land retirement for environmental purposes and countercyclical income support. Traditionally, these goals have been pursued with separate policies. This policy separation is efficient with perfect information regarding farm productivity. A more realistic assumption, however, is that farmers have better information regarding their own productivity than the government. The focus of the dissertation is to analyze least cost agricultural policy with this type of asymmetric information. I first use a mechanism design framework to show that it is optimal to have a combined income support-land retirement program rather than separate programs. For land retirement, farmers have an incentive to overstate productivity in order to receive a higher rental payment. For income support, farmers have an incentive to understate productivity to receive a higher income support payment. With high output prices, the first effect dominates. With low prices, the second dominates. Farmers' ability to use private information to their advantage increases the cost to the government of reaching its targets. If contract commitment takes place when output prices are uncertain, the two incentives can countervail each other, reducing the cost of the policy to the government. In the second part of the dissertation, I extend the literature by showing how one can implement the policy using actual data. I conduct a numerical simulation to determine the exact payment and land set aside for each farmer. To calibrate the simulation, I apply stochastic frontier analysis to a data set of US farmers. I thus obtain consistent estimates of the key determinants of the contracts: the farm profit function and the probability distribution of profitability levels across the sector. Simulation results show that unlike current programs, the least cost contract is likely to involve pooling. Farmers with different profitability levels receive identical expected payments for idling identical acreage. The countervailing incentives created by the least-cost policy almost eliminate the information advantage of farmers, significantly reducing cost relative to current programs.Item Rhetorical Analysis of Arguments Made in the Climate Change Debate: Argument Families and Social Network LInks as Potential Bases for Agreement(2004-11-11) Malone, Elizabeth L.; Kestnbaum, Meyer; Sociology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The issue of climate change brings together some of the most important sociological issues of the age, including global governance, the role of industrialization and capitalism in degrading the environment, the relationship between humans and non-human nature, and the inequality of nations. However, it is an open question whether societies and countries of the world can come to agreement about the meaning of climate change and actions (or no action) that should be taken to address it. To avoid privileging one or another of the issue's aspects, this study used a discursive and rhetorical approach to include all the arguments made in the debate on an equal footing. First, 100 documents that make arguments about climate change were analyzed to characterize the arguments made and to distinguish four rhetorical elements: the personal and organizational sources of authority for the rhetor, the type(s) of evidence used for the claims made, the worldview(s) expressed, and the actions proposed. This analysis provided the basis for categorizing the documents into "families," coherent arguments made about the climate change issue; and performing a social network analysis to discern linkages formed by the argument families and rhetorical elements that might be the basis for coming to agreement about climate change issues. The study found coherence within families as well as multiple links across families, indicating that rhetors in the climate change debate form a dense network of ties that could be used to build agreement.