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Climate scientists agree that (a) human activity is a significant driver of recent climate change, and (b) climate change is a danger to humanity. However, the general public accepts the former point, but rejects the latter. Thus, climate experts and the general public diverge in their understanding of the relationship between humans and climate change. My dissertation examines the role of intuitive patterns of thinking in public perceptions of climate change. Of specific interest is construal-based thinking: intuitive frameworks that are generally useful in the context of everyday reasoning, but can engender systematic misconceptions in other scientific domains (e.g., biology). Results revealed that one such construal--anthropic thinking--is recruited when thinking about climate change and impacts global climate change understanding and engagement. Anthropic thinking is a set of intuitive frameworks that are united in their distortion of the relationship between humans and the natural world. Among these frameworks are "exceptionalist thinking" (i.e., thinking that humans are exceptional to, and unique from other species) and "anthropomorphic thinking" (i.e., the attribution of human properties to non-human organisms). I conducted four studies to examine whether undergraduates recruit anthropic thinking in the context of global climate change, and the consequences of reliance on such patterns of thinking. Study One examined construal-based thinking about global climate change using an in-lab battery designed for this purpose. I modified sets of pre-existing measures of construal-based thinking to inquire about climate change. Of the investigated construals, participants only consistently engaged in exceptionalist thinking about climate change which tended to involve the correct belief that humans are uniquely contributing to climate change and the incorrect belief that humans are uniquely impervious to the effects of climate change. Moreover, participants performed similarly on measures of exceptionalist thinking about climate change and biology--a domain that is understood to be susceptible to such patterns of thinking. Study Two tested whether individuals spontaneously engage in construal-based thinking about climate change by investigating patterns of language used during semi-structured interviews about climate change. Of the investigated construals, participants most commonly used anthropic patterns of language to describe climate change. Anthropomorphic language was particularly common, revealing that individuals attributed human qualities (e.g., emotions, goals) to non-human organisms (e.g., the Earth, plants and animals) when discussing climate change. Interestingly, the use of such language during these interviews predicted increased understanding of climate change, suggesting that use of anthropomorphic analogies might aid understandings. Further, participants used exceptionalist language when describing both causes and effects of climate change, corroborating findings from the first study. Study Three investigated the predictive role of anthropic thinking in understanding and concern surrounding global climate change. Using a time-pressured manipulation, I encouraged individuals to either respond quickly (preventing them from using more deliberate reasoning strategies) or slowly (allowing deliberate strategies) to a set of true/false questions about climate change. Surprisingly, exceptionalist and anthropomorphic thinking only predicted climate change understanding in the time delay condition, suggesting that anthropic thinking is not readily available to influence knowledge when individuals must make responses quickly, but rather, may represent a more deliberative reasoning heuristic. Furthermore, anthropomorphic thinking was positively associated with concern about global climate change across conditions. Combined with findings from Study Two, these demonstrate that anthropic thinking could have a role in both aiding and hindering understanding and engagement with climate change. Finally, Study Four investigated whether exceptionalist thinking about climate change could be reduced by increasing the salience of conceptual connections between humans and global climate change. To do so, I used a concept-mapping task wherein individuals drew connections between human-related concepts (e.g., burning fossil fuels) and global climate change. Participants who completed concepts maps at the beginning of the battery showed decreased exceptionalist thinking about climate change causes and effects compared to those who completed concept maps at the end of the battery, suggesting that exceptionalist thinking about climate change may rest on decreased salience that humans both (a) play a role in causing climate change and (b) will be affected by climate change. Exceptionalist thinking also predicted decreased attribution of damage due to recent environmental disasters (e.g., hurricanes Florence and Michael) to global climate change. This demonstrates a way in which exceptionalist thinking might act as a cognitive barrier to understanding how climate change can impact humans. This body of research extends previous investigations of intuitive thinking and scientific understandings to a novel and timely domain: global climate change. Notably, these findings demonstrate that people recruit exceptionalism and anthropomorphism when thinking about climate change, and that these patterns of thinking influence their understanding and engagement with the issue. I discuss the implications of these results for education, and their potential utility in the development of interventions to improve public perceptions of climate change as well as science more broadly. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This mixed method study investigated the impact of various levels of professional development (PD) on middle school educators' knowledge of second language acquisition (SLA) and the needs of English Language Learners (ELLs). This study also investigated participants' reasons for choosing their selected level of participation and their feelings about their abilities to implement what they had learned into practice. All study participants (n = 23) attended face-to-face traditional training. After the traditional training, participants could choose from the following options during the next twelve weeks: (a) no additional training, (b) virtual training, or (c) virtual training and use of application materials. Before any training began, all participants completed a pretest. At the conclusion of the twelve-week period, all participants completed a posttest. Following the posttest, volunteer participants were interviewed about their reasons for their selection of training levels and about their experiences with ELL/SLA PD. A statistically significant increase in knowledge was observed across all participants. The largest changes were observed for the material addressed within the traditional training. Similarly, most participants in this study reported a preference for in-person PD. Finally, despite increases in their knowledge about the needs of ELLs and SLA, participants reported they felt that barriers existed to changing practices. Recommendations for future research and implications for practice are discussed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This qualitative, narrative inquiry, case study explored the philosophy of servant leadership through the lens of a new high school principal and its impact on the culture of a suburban high school in New Jersey. This case study examined the impact the philosophy of servant leadership had on the school's culture by examining to what extent a) the formal study of servant leadership affected the leadership practices of a high school principal; b) the principal's leadership style influenced the culture of the school community; and c) how servant leadership impacted feelings of staff empowerment. Narrative Inquiry method is a process of gathering information for the purpose of research through storytelling. The field text sources for this qualitative case study included the use of autobiography, journals and field notes, archival data and focus group interviews. The findings of the qualitative data presented a comprehensive picture of the principal's implementation of leadership practices that mirror servant leadership hallmarks. Secondly, the findings unveil a story of fostering an educational landscape at Mount Pleasant High School that centered on promoting a) building a consistent shared purpose among staff; b) a norm that staff reinforces the commitment of continuous school improvements and staff learning; c) creating staff ownership for student learning via building action plans and interim assessments; d) building a collaborative and collegial relationship through sharing and problem solving; e) implementation of technology professional development; and f) a commitment to professional development through staff and sharing of professional development practices. Other significant conclusions on servant leadership practices and their impact on teacher empowerment collected through focus group interviews included behaviors and practices aligned to the framework of Laub's (1998) six categories of a leadership in an organization. The research concluded with further implications of educational practice that mirror servant leadership. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The decreasing number of women who are graduating in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields continues to be a major concern. Despite national support in the form of grants provided by National Science Foundation, National Center for Information and Technology and legislation passed such as the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 that encourages women to enter the STEM fields, the number of women actually graduating in these fields is surprisingly low. This research study focuses on a robotics competition and its ability to engage female adolescents in STEM curricula. Data have been collected to help explain why young women are reticent to take technology or engineering type courses in high school and college. Factors that have been described include attitudes, parental support, social aspects, peer pressure, and lack of role models. Often these courses were thought to have masculine and "nerdy" overtones. The courses were usually majority male enrollments and appeared to be very competitive. With more female adolescents engaging in this type of competitive atmosphere, this study gathered information to discover what about the competition appealed to these young women. Focus groups were used to gather information from adolescent females who were participating in the First Lego League (FLL) and CEENBoT competitions. What enticed them to participate in a curriculum that data demonstrated many of their peers avoided? FLL and CEENBoT are robotics programs based on curricula that are taught in afterschool programs in non-formal environments. These programs culminate in a very large robotics competition. My research questions included: What are the factors that encouraged participants to participate in the robotics competition? What was the original enticement to the FLL and CEENBoT programs? What will make participants want to come back and what are the participants' plans for the future? My research mirrored data of previous findings such as lack of role models, the need for parental support, social stigmatisms and peer pressure are still major factors that determine whether adolescent females seek out STEM activities. An interesting finding, which was an exception to previous findings, was these female adolescents enjoyed the challenge of the competition. The informal learning environments encouraged an atmosphere of social engagement and cooperative learning. Many volunteers that led the afterschool programs were women (role models) and a majority of parents showed support by accommodating an afterschool situation. The young women that were engaged in the competition noted it was a friendly competition, but they were all there to win. All who participated in the competition had a similar learning environment: competitive but cooperative. Further research is needed to determine if it is the learning environment that lures adolescent females to the program and entices them to continue in the STEM fields or if it is the competitive aspect of the culminating activity. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The population of rural America has faced changes as the manufacturing industries that once assured jobs for those living in rural areas have moved or closed. Small towns have become smaller as younger residents move away for employment or educational opportunities. As these changes take place rural citizens face increased challenges in the wake of a weak local and regional economic base. These challenges ripple through rural communities in the form of under-funded schools, lack of available healthcare, illiteracy, lower than average per-capita income, and higher than average school drop-out rates. Rural communities have increasingly looked toward their local community colleges to help meet these challenges. A qualitative study method was used to examine the ways in which rural community colleges interact in mutually dependent ways with their communities as they work together to meet these challenges. Phone and in-person interviews were conducted with 23 individuals in 11 rural community college districts in Illinois. Included in the interviews were presidents, chief academic offices, and other college personnel, as well as leaders of other organizations and institutions in the communities. It was concluded that rural community colleges and their communities work together in mainly symbiotic relationships using a variety of resources to obtain mutual benefits. In these mutually dependent relationships the well-being of the colleges and the communities were inextricably linked. Additionally, it was concluded that the presidents of the colleges maintain a network of ties in their communities which allows them to develop and maintain relationships with other organizations outside the colleges. Relationships that were identified as particularly important to the colleges were those with K-12 institutions and economic development organizations. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

A primary deficit seen in many children with autism, particularly those with limited verbal repertoires, is repetitive and rote verbal behavior. This type of repetitive or rote verbal behavior can be stigmatizing and may severely limit access to primary reinforcers. Therefore, it may be beneficial to attempt to increase response variability in verbal behavior demonstrated by children with autism. Previous researchers have focused their efforts on examining response variability in motor behavior or existing verbal behavior, rather than new or recently taught verbal behavior. A potentially complementary intervention for teaching new verbal interactions is the use of scripts and script fading procedures. However, the effect of scripts and script fading procedures on the response variability of verbal behavior remains unknown. Thus, the present study attempted to answer several research questions. First, we examined the effects on extinction on response variability of mand frames used by young children with autism that exhibit limited manding repertoires. Second, we examined the effects of script training on the variability of mand frames, and finally, the effects of extinction after teaching a variety of mand frames with children with autism. Results demonstrated that (a) extinction prior to any teaching was not successful in increasing response variability, (b) teaching multiple mand frames in a successive pattern did not increase response variability of mand frames for any of the participants, (c) extinction after teaching additional mand frames increased response variability for two of the three participants, and (d) a multiple script presentation intervention increased response variability of mand frames for one participant. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]