Дисертації з теми "Diocese of South Dakota"

This quantitative research study investigates South Dakota middle school (grades 5-8) mathematics teachers’ perceptions of teaching competencies including general pedagogical knowledge (GPK) and mathematical pedagogical content knowledge (MPCK). The study also considered how teacher characteristics relate to teacher competencies. The study examined middle school teacher perceptions because of the importance of the mathematics concepts being taught. Teacher participants completed a voluntary 50 question electronic survey within a three-week time period. Data analysis findings include descriptive and inferential statistics on GPK, MPCK, professional development, and teacher characteristics. Respondents perceived maintaining a safe and respectful classroom to be the most important item for GPK. Respondents perceived having an adequate knowledge of mathematics to be the most important item for MPCK. Overall, GPK was perceived as more important than MPCK regardless of teacher characteristics studied. Respondents perceived professional development in the area of mathematics and mathematics education to be most important to middle school mathematics teachers. However, respondents reported that professional development was rarely provided to teachers with the exception of self-directed learning. The aim of this study was to provide current and future middle school mathematics teachers and their evaluators with a summary of how the importance of pedagogical knowledge can inform mathematics teacher practice, evaluation, and professional development.

Palmer amaranth is a growing concern in the United States. Previously thought to only be able to occupy the southern United States, this plant can now be found throughout the northern states as well. Infestations of Palmer amaranth can now be found in South Dakota and is raising many concerns. Palmer amaranth is characterized by large growth and can be highly competitive with many important crops. Soybean is an important crop in South Dakota, as well as the rest of the world, and has not escaped the detrimental aspects of an infestation of Palmer amaranth. The objectives of this study were to determine the possible impacts Palmer amaranth South Dakota.

Surveys were given to applicators and producers from many counties in South Dakota to gauge public awareness of Palmer amaranth and determine other possible infestations of Palmer amaranth. These surveys were made available at commercial applicator recertification classes throughout South Dakota and the Soy 100 meeting in Brookings, SD.

Growth rates and plant volume and biomass of Palmer amaranth from several seed source locations and local ascensions of common waterhemp and redroot pigweed were examined and compared in eastern South Dakota. Growth studies were conducted near Aurora, SD over two years using three planting dates from mid-May to late-June. Plant volume was measured every 10 to 20 days until harvest beginning in late-July. At harvest, plants were oven-dried and biomass was recorded.

Efficacy of several herbicide treatments were recorded on Palmer amaranth seedlings. Pre- and post-emergence treatments were conducted on Palmer amaranth planted in either sand or potting mix. Post-emergence treatments were applied at the three- to four-leaf stage. Visual ratings of plants were conducted 21 days after treatment.

Soybean yield loss due to Palmer amaranth was determined near Corsica, SD. Palmer amaranth in square meter plots were counted and harvested for biomass when soybeans reached R7 to R8. Plots containing two rows of soybeans were harvested several weeks later and yield loss was determined.

Survey results indicated that more needs to be done to provide information to the public based on respondents’ ability to correctly identify Palmer amaranth, common waterhemp, and redroot pigweed seedlings and mature plants. Several respondents also indicated possible infestations of Palmer amaranth. Not all counties in South Dakota were represented by the study.

Palmer amaranth had greater growth and biomass than either common waterhemp or redroot pigweed. Final volume of Palmer amaranth was greater at lower densities. Growth rates between sampling dates varied among planting dates, which resulted in similarities in final volume among planting dates. Common waterhemp and redroot pigweed shared similar plant volumes and biomass, however, plants in 2015 were larger, possibly due to climatic differences between years.

Herbicides tested that offered the best control of Palmer amaranth was a pre-emergence application of S-metolachlor and a post-emergence application of either dicamba or glufosinate. Glyphosate only provided partial control and mesotrione provided variable control. Atrazine had the little control as a pre- or post-emergence treatment. Thifensulfuron had no control of Palmer amaranth.

Soybean yield loss in 2016 determined an incremental loss of 9% at one Palmer amaranth m^–2. Maximum yield loss of 45% was seen at 15 plants m^–2, however, yield losses at densities slightly lower and higher caused a 35% maximum yield loss prediction. Yield loss in 2017 was variable due to outside factors and a relationship between yield loss and Palmer amaranth density or biomass could not be determined.

The utilization of cover crops and no-till practices are important for the conservation of both soil and moisture in South Dakota. However, it is unknown if these practices impact the efficacy of insecticide seed treatments. In soybean, insecticide seed treatments are used prophylactically to prevent potential crop losses from early season insect pests. The prophylactic use of any management strategy increases the likelihood for selection pressure and also represents unnecessary input costs. The purpose of the research conducted for Chapter 2 was to determine the impact that tillage systems, cover crops and planting populations have on the efficacy of insecticide seed treatments. Two years of field data was collected from established long-term tillage and cover crop rotation plots at the South Dakota State University Southeast Research Farm. During each year, four factors were evaluated for their impact on yield (i.e., tillage, cover crop, seeding rate and seed treatment). Stand counts, soil samples and yield data were taken from each plot. In Chapter 3, we evaluated pyrethroid resistance in soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae) populations in South Dakota. In 2015, the University of Minnesota discovered populations of the soybean aphid that were partially resistant to pyrethroid insecticides. Due to the soybean aphid’s capacity for rapid reproduction and its ability to travel long distances in its alate (i.e., winged) form, it was determined that South Dakota may have resistant populations present. In 2017 and 2018, an efficacy study was deployed at three locations, over two years throughout Eastern South Dakota. A total of eight foliar insecticides were used in 2017 and 10 foliar insecticides in 2018. The results from chapter 2 indicate that seed treatment and cover crops have no significant impact on soybean yield. The results from chapter 3 determined that pyrethroid resistant soybean aphids are present in South Dakota.

Internationalization in higher education is an issue of growing importance as the forces of globalism continue to push both social and economic connections from local to global. While this topic is becoming increasingly vital to the health and influence of educational institutions, many, including those within South Dakota, are unaware of the foreign language capabilities or international experiences and attitudes toward internationalization of their full-time faculty members.

This study investigated the attitudes of, experiences in, and exposure toward internationalization by faculty members across the six public universities within the South Dakota Board of Regents system. Faculty members’ foreign language background and ability, as well as both their perceptions on the value of internationalization of higher education and their perceptions on institutional receptivity toward internationalization were also examined. Data collected from SD faculty members (n=479) were then compared by demographic factors including gender, age, academic travel, and home institution to discover any trends or connections within these subgroups.

The findings of this study suggest that South Dakota faculty members not only have a vast and varied background in internationally related experience, but they also overwhelmingly express a desire to further their academic–k international connections through teaching, research, and service. Results also showed significant differences among faculty perceptions among the six state institutions and between groups of faculty who have traveled for academic purposes and those who have not.

Along with the findings and discussion of the results of this study, recommendations for improving practice are provided, as are suggestions for future research.

Karst carbonate aquifers are traditionally difficult to model due to extreme permeability heterogeneities and non-Darcian flow. New modeling techniques and test applications are needed to improve simulation capabilities for these complex groundwater systems. This study evaluates the coupled continuum pipe-flow framework for modeling groundwater flow in the Madison aquifer near Rapid City, South Dakota. The Madison carbonate formation is an important source of groundwater underlying Rapid City. An existing equivalent porous medium (EPM) groundwater model of the Madison aquifer was modified to include pipe networks representing conduits. In the EPM model, karstified portions of the aquifer are modeled using high hydraulic conductivity zones. This study hypothesized that the inclusion of conduits would allow for a simpler hydraulic conductivity distribution and would improve modeled fits to available data from a 10-year monitoring period. Conduit networks were iteratively fit into the model based upon available environmental and dye tracer test data that approximated major karst pathways. Transient simulation results were evaluated using observation well hydraulic heads and estimated springflow data. In a comparison to the EPM model, the new modeling results show an improved fit to the majority of observation well targets, and negligible impact to springflow data. The flow dynamics of the aquifer model were significantly altered, with the conduit networks acting as gaining or losing subsurface features, behaving as regional sinks during dry periods and flowpath heterogeneities during wet periods. The results of this study demonstrate that the coupled continuum pipe-flow modeling method is viable for use within large regional aquifer models.

School district calendars built around a four-day week have been in existence for decades. Early research cited savings in energy and transportation costs prompting the increase in schools adopting the four-day week. In recent years, studies have focused on the instructional benefits of making the switch from a five-day to four-day school week. Effective use of time as an instructional resource plays a meaningful role in educational leadership activities of school district superintendents.

This multisite case study sought to describe the perceptions of 10 South Dakota superintendents employed in school districts using a four-day calendar regarding the quality of their professional development programs. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview based on the McREL Professional Development Audit. Additional data gathered by the researcher included school district demographics, professional development planning documents, school calendars, and district websites.

Superintendents believed the four-day school week calendar provided the time to make a positive impact on the vision and goals, planning, design, resources, and evaluation components of a high quality professional development program. The study supported current research that district planners should provide professional development time that is organized, structured, and purposefully driven. Common themes among respondents included (a) articulate and set as a strategic goal during the calendar adoption process the importance of implementing a high quality professional development program for teachers and set specific dates within the calendar assigned for professional development (b) incorporate student remedial activities into the calendar (c) provide fiscal resources to support the professional development program, and (d) demonstrate effective administrative leadership to ensure fidelity in the design and implementation of the district's professional development program.

Data from recent national studies indicate teacher job satisfaction is decreasing. Currently, accountability-propelled media coverage is overwhelmingly critical of the educational system, in which teachers feel less appreciated, less motivated, and less satisfied. Principals can positively influence teachers’ job satisfaction when they promote growth and autonomy through increased empowerment in educational settings. As principals work with teachers in their schools, they must understand how their own leadership style impacts their teachers’ job satisfaction. This study examined the extent to which teachers’ perceptions of their principals’ servant leadership behaviors correlate with teacher job satisfaction. The population included all high school teachers in the state’s 144 public and 18 private high schools. The final sample size consisted of 76 teachers.

The study utilized two separate survey instruments to collect perceptions of principal servant leadership characteristics and of job satisfaction data. Servant leadership characteristics included accountability, authenticity, courage, empowerment, forgiveness, humility, standing back, and stewardship. Questions investigating teacher job satisfaction were broken into two categories: intrinsic and extrinsic.

Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were used to analyze the relationship between principal servant leadership behaviors and job satisfaction of teachers. Data from the surveys were evaluated for statistical significance at the .01 level. Results indicated a statistically significant relationship between South Dakota principals’ perceived overall servant leadership behavior and overall teacher job satisfaction. Data also show statistically significant relationships between each of the eight servant leadership characteristics and overall teacher job satisfaction. Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) items that focused on extrinsic job satisfaction indicated statistically significant relationships with overall servant leadership and each of the eight servant leadership characteristics. MSQ items that focused on intrinsic job satisfaction also indicated statistically significant relationships with overall servant leadership.

However, only seven of the eight dimensions of servant leadership indicated statistically significant relationships with MSQ items that focused on intrinsic job satisfaction. Finally, none of the demographic factors of teacher gender, years in education, years working with same principal, highest degree held, or school size suggested statistically significant relationships with teacher job satisfaction.