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This thesis presents a quantitative research that was conducted as a minor field studywith a comparison of Swedish and Indonesian undergraduates. The purpose of this study wasto compare cultural disparities concerning health, stress and coping strategies between the two countries. A questionnaire was carried out, both online and by paper in Sweden, and by paper in Indonesia. 156 Swedish and 172 Indonesian students participated. The survey consisted offive different instrument scales of time perspective, satisfaction with life, perceived stress, coping, and individualism versus collectivism. Swedish students reported higher levels of health, life satisfaction and stress than Indonesian students. It was also found that Swedishstudents were more future oriented while Indonesian students were more present hedonistic. Swedish students used less active coping than Indonesian students and male students used more active coping than female students. It was also found that Indonesian students did not ask others for help as much as Swedish students. Finally, it was also shown that health predicted satisfaction with life. Program: Organisations- och personalutvecklare i samhället

There are growing concerns among leading national and local organizations about American scientific literacy, fundamental understanding of science, and the value of scientific research. These organizations, including the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, have been at the forefront to change this trend. In an effort to improve scientific literacy, research conducted by Sam Droege, amongst others, suggested using citizen science and public participation as one instrumental method to engage the public. Urban Tree Phenology (UTP), a project of Project BudBurst and the USDA Forest Service, is one such citizen science program that sought to educe the public, including the professionals and the amateurs among them, in collecting urban tree phenophase data. UTP participants monitored and reported the stages of phenological events, such as First Leaf and Leaf Fall, of twenty-four native and cultivated urban tree species. Data collected will support the long-term research of plant ecology, climate change, public health, urban heat islands on tree physiology, and urban tree management. UTP, using the architectures of online learning, has developed two instructional tutorials to assist data collection (Phase 1). The instructional tutorials were published online, in print and PowerPoint formats, at www.UrbanTreePhenology.com. By completing these tutorials, participants will gain the skills necessary to provide urban tree phenological data to national research databases via the Internet. Phase 2 will test and review the instructional materials developed, and in Phase 3, the administrators of UTP will distribute promotional materials, to national research organizations, and to participants of the Project BudBurst national citizen science campaign.

VCU Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, academic bridge programs have received favorable attention as they support and guide targeted populations toward specified educational goals. However, critical, in-depth studies of such programs are lacking. This paper describes the techniques used to better understand one such bridge program: ‘Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science(SOARS).’ The goal of SOARS is to increase the number of people of underrepresented populations in graduate programs of atmospheric and related sciences. Specifically, this paper will address how qualitative methods were used to establish the best practices of SOARS. Best practices are the characteristics that appear to help the program to reach its goals and objectives. The decision of what qualitative techniques to use was determined by reviewing the qualitative literature and considering the setting, the subjects, and the longitudinal nature of the SOARS program. Data collection involved participant observation, interviews and field notes. In addition, various written materials such as the subject’s research papers and electronic mail communications were also used as data. Using these methods allowed for triangulation and comparison of subject responses. From this research, it is apparent that qualitative research, as an approach for gathering and interpreting data that emphasizes description and the study of peoples’ understanding, is an effective way to analyze the best practices of the academic bridge program SOARS.