PHD, Kent State University, 2023, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History

Based on a critical reading of colonial archives and extensive use of oral sources, this dissertation argues that indigenous custodians of the landscape in semi-arid regions of the Zimbabwean Lowveld have a longstanding experience of harnessing their environmental literacy and detailed knowledge of nature to combat climate change. Starting with colonial encounters and contested boundaries of knowledge in Southern Rhodesia (present day Zimbabwe) since the early twentieth century, I demonstrate that oral traditions survived the onslaught of colonialism and offered new generations ways of responding to climate change. I use empirical examples to demonstrate that indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) have been obscured under the veneer of colonial historiography, hence, the importance of recovering African cultural achievements and indigenous agency to the historical record. This dissertation examines the adoption of various coping strategies and sustainable agricultural practices initiated by indigenous people to promote climate smart agriculture and identifies the factors that influence adoption of certain adaptive practices. Water has been a central and defining factor of Africa's development trajectory. A growing body of literature has demonstrated that agricultural yields have been declining in developing countries, including Zimbabwe, due to the impacts of climate change. Indigenous experiences, conceptions and perceptions have played a vital role in the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices. Indigenous farmers are at peace with modernity and modernization, but in the absence of modern technologies and state support, they have been going back to traditional forms of development. The interrelated objectives of climate change mitigation, adaptation and food security were simultaneously sustained through the hybrid integration of indigenous and modern farming practices in agricultural production and sustainable development planning. Indigenous knowledge sys (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, EDU Teaching and Learning

The prevalence and effects of lagging or delayed early literacy and motor skill development in children of low-SES backgrounds is a significant issue that can have adverse developmental consequences and affect children's ability to succeed in school (Evans, 2004; NELP, 2008; Stodden et al., 2008). This study examined the impact of the Reading and Motor Program for Preschoolers (RaMPP) on the letter knowledge, initial sound awareness, and fundamental motor skills of Head Start preschool children. RaMPP is an integrated curricula model designed to improve child outcomes in early literacy and fundamental motor skill development. The current study had two primary aims: (a) to determine the extent to which the RaMPP intervention was implemented as designed, and (b) to determine the extent to which the RaMPP intervention impacted the alphabet knowledge, initial sound awareness, and fundamental motor skill development of Head Start preschool children relative to Head Start business-as-usual instruction. The study used a two-group pre-posttest experimental design with three Head Start preschool centers and a total of 10 classrooms and 102 students. Classrooms (and children within classrooms) were randomly assigned to the RaMPP intervention condition (5 classrooms; n = 51) and or business-as-usual control condition (5 classrooms; n = 51). Overall fidelity of the RaMPP intervention was 85.41% and it was also determined that there were sufficient distinguishing features of the RaMPP intervention differentiating it from the business-as-usual instruction of the control condition. The results indicated that the RaMPP intervention was significant for lowercase letters (p = .008) and initial sounds (p = .012) outcomes when controlling for age at pretest with medium effect sizes. Results also revealed that there were significant differences between groups on posttest scores for locomotor (p = .001) and object control skills (p = <.001) with large effect sizes.

Master of Science, University of Toledo, 2008, Biology (Cell-Molecular Biology)

Professional development programs are important in helping teachers to obtain the knowledge and skills that are necessary to overcome students lack of achievement in science. Effective measures of teachers science knowledge are essential for successfully evaluating the programs impact on teachers knowledge. This study explores the development of science knowledge instruments for elementary and middle school teachers participating in the second cohort of a professional development program called NWO-TEAMS (Teachers Enhancing Achievement in Mathematics and Science). The instruments that were used for cohort one of the program were found to be too easy and thus not able to assess the effectiveness of the program. New instruments were created to be more difficult by using Blooms taxonomy and increasing the effectiveness of the items distracters. The second year instruments included more items with effective distracters and more items that measured higher order cognitive abilities. As a result, the second year instruments were better able to separate teachers based on their science knowledge and every grade level in the second cohort demonstrated significant increases in science knowledge on the posttests. The development of the instruments in this study is presented as a model for the evaluation of professional development programs which seek to improve teachers science knowledge.

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Studies and Public Affairs, Cleveland State University, 2015, Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs

A region's workforce has been described as its greatest asset. Guided by human capital theory and new growth theory, regions have pursued economic development policies to increase the number of college-educated workers and expand the pool of STEM -- science, technology, engineering, and math -- talent. Academic literature and policy interventions have focused on a region's human capital in terms of educational attainment instead of a more fine-grained definition of human capital based on skills and competencies. This dissertation integrates economic and business theory and combines three federal databases to explore regional human capital assets. Findings suggest that policymakers may be overestimating the importance of STEM knowledge requiring a bachelor's degree or higher and undervaluing the importance of soft skills such as communication and critical-thinking. Moreover, results indicate that regions may be best served by crafting distinct human capital interventions that reflect the particular needs of their mix of industry.

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2009, Arts and Sciences : Psychology

Knowledge acquisition and change has long been argued to progress through sequential, qualitatively different developmental stages. Mounting evidence, in the form of performance variability on tasks in the balancing micro-domain, suggests that this explanation is not sufficient. This study employed two experiments using a balance beam task that examined three disparate manipulations: feedback, symmetry, and the frequency and variety of beams. Experiment I looked specifically at how performance varies as a function of whether feedback was allowed or visual symmetry cues were present. Findings in this experiment indicate that access to visual symmetry cues plays a role in performance. Experiment II considered the impact of frequency distribution and beam-variety. The findings of this experiment were inconclusive, as both the range and types of beams used varied between the groups. Nevertheless, results showed that specific experience during training sessions resulted in better performance with that same beam type in a subsequent test session.

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

The Education Center serves many adult learners that have the goal of receiving their high school equivalency. Adult learners face many barriers when pursuing this goal. The research in adult education focuses on the barriers that learners face and what drives them to succeed. There is limited research on what learners' perception of knowledge is. This study was conducted utilizing five case studies to explore learners' lived experiences and how those experiences affected their perceptions of knowledge. Findings showed that the barriers and motivations that they experienced affected how they perceived what success was and that the organization and its instructors need to take into consideration all individual learners experiences, barriers, and motivations to create individualized learning plans. An action plan was created to guide the organization towards creating an equitable learning environment and to improve success rates for all learners.

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

The lived experiences of both students and teachers impact the classroom environment and there is undoubtedly a cultural influence on these experiences. As role models and leaders of the classroom, teachers have a duty to increase awareness of their own cultures as well as the cultures of their students. This study focuses on teacher perceptions of cultural competence and the impact on student relationships, classroom practices, and the school environment. Focus groups and a phenomenological approach were utilized to gather qualitative data from educators across the United States. A desire to develop cultural competency, a want for curricular integration of such, and a need for enhanced training through system wide initiatives to promote development of cultural competence emerged as themes.

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2022, Psychology-Industrial/Organizational

This dissertation studies the emergence of Transactive Memory Systems (TMS), specifically the shared knowledge structure component of TMS. To this end, the first part of the project provides in-depth discussions around the theoretical and methodological integration of the TMS and broader teams literatures, the alignment of theoretical and empirical TMS definitions, and the need to study communication in depth as the mechanism through which TMS develops. In the second part of the dissertation, the principles of these discussions were applied to build a computational model of TMS shared knowledge structure emergence in R. Each simulation ran for 100 iterations to study whether communication between agents regarding their areas of expertise resulted in the emergence of the TMS shared knowledge structure. Decision-making and deep learning theories were drawn on to predict that when agents did not have overlap in areas of expertise (had some overlap in areas of expertise), selecting to communicate with the team member thought most likely to be an expert in an information area led to more favorable (less favorable) outcomes than selecting which team member to communicate with randomly. The simulation was repeated for seven learning rates representing how readily agents changed their perceptions about their team members. Results indicated that query and response regarding expertise areas of agents consistently led to the emergence of a TMS shared knowledge structure across conditions. In most instances the pattern of emergence was marked by an initial period of rapid emergence followed by a decrease in the emergence rate. The results supported the hypotheses that when there is no expertise overlap, selecting maximally would lead to a more emerged shared knowledge structure than searching randomly, while the opposite would be the found when there was some expertise overlap. The latter finding challenges the assumption present in the TMS literature that searching for inf (open full item for complete abstract)

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2021, Arts and Sciences: Psychology

Children are exposed to many novel situations, challenges, and problems in everyday life as they learn to navigate the world. One of these problems is learning to read a word. Fluid reasoning (Gf) and crystallized knowledge (Gc) are potential factors underlying reading development. Gf is applied under novel or unfamiliar situations, whereas Gc is acquired from experience, education, and/or acculturation (Floyd et al., 2007). On the basis of Cattell's Investment Theory (1987), Uta Frith's Stage Model (1985), and Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (1992), the present study sought to determine whether the role of Gf in reading shifts among children in grades 1-7. Within this objective, the study had two main aims: (1) examine direct and indirect effects (through Gc) of Gf on Word Decoding, and (2) examine direct and indirect effects (through Gc and Word Decoding) of Gf on Word Recognition. The guiding hypothesis was that Gf will exert a direct effect on Word Recognition in early grades, but will shift to exerting an indirect role (through Gc and Word Decoding) in later grades. Method: This archival research used data obtained from a broader experimental study conducted at a large Midwestern Children's hospital with children in 1st through 7th grades (n = 147). Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro for SPSS, which tests for the direct effect of Gf on Word Decoding and Word Recognition while also analyzing the indirect effect of Gf on Word Decoding and Word Recognition through Gc. Additionally, these methods tested the moderating effects of grade level, Family Income, and Parental Education. Results: Results indicated that Gf exerted a direct effect on Word Decoding in early grades (grades 1-2) but not in later grades (grades 3-7). Gf also exerted an indirect effect onto Word Recognition through Word Decoding in grades 1-4, but not in grades 5-7. Moreover, Gf exerted an indirect effect on Word Decoding through Gc in l (open full item for complete abstract)

PHD, Kent State University, 2019, College of Communication and Information

The study explores the personal knowledge networks of professional librarians to understand how current career stage and individual career motivations may influence characteristics of personal knowledge networks. any observed differences. Various social network attributes including size, direction of contact, and boundary spanning relationships were explored to understand: (1) how social networks differ based on early, mid, and late career stages; (2) how differing career motivations impact the growth and development of social networks, and (3) whether gender plays a significant role in how social networks develop. Data about the social networks that support librarians in performing their work were collected from a sample of 280 librarians employed in different types of libraries within the U.S. Additionally, the short form Career Orientation Inventory (COI) developed by Igbaria and Baroudi (1993) based on the earlier work of Schein and DeLong was employed to measure career motivations. Multiple quantitative tests were run on the data, including non-parametric, ANOVA-equivalent tests and simultaneous linear regressions. Results demonstrate a tentative link between career stage and the network attributes direction of contact, as well as certain boundary spanning relationships. Social network analysis (SNA) shows promise as an untapped methodology for exploring career development within librarianship and knowledge network assessment via SNA was demonstrated to provide valuable insight to practicing librarians.

PHD, Kent State University, 2019, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

When shown a familiar and a novel object and asked to pick the referent of a novel label, even one-year-olds tend to favor the novel object (Halberda, 2003; Mervis & Bertrand, 1994). However, this so-called disambiguation effect becomes stronger as children develop through preschool age (Lewis & Frank, 2015). Advances in metacognition may play a role in this developmental trend. Preschoolers' awareness of their own lexical knowledge is associated with the strength of the disambiguation effect (Merriman & Schuster, 1991; Merriman & Bowman, 1989; Wall, Merriman, & Scofield, 2015). It is also associated with whether children can solve purely metacognitive forms of the disambiguation problem (Slocum & Merriman, 2018; Henning & Merriman, 2019). The current experiments tested the hypothesis that as the number of choices in a disambiguation problem increases, the frequency of correct response declines more sharply for children who lack awareness of lexical knowledge than for children who possessed it. The results of the first two experiments supported the main hypothesis. Two experiments also showed that awareness of lexical knowledge was associated with a more gradual increase in latency of correct solutions as number of choices increased. In Experiment 3, children's eye movements were recorded as they attempted to solve 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-choice problems. Various aspects of children's eye movements were analyzed, including the number of familiar object foils checked, the number of revisits to the target, and the proportion of looking time spent on the target object. The current experiments advance our insight into why the “awareness-of-knowledge advantage” in solving disambiguation problems tends to increase as number of choices increases.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2019, Leadership Studies

Highly effective teachers have a positive impact on their students and their performance. Therefore, in-service teachers must continue to grow and develop their craft (Marzano, 2003). Research has shown factors influencing teacher effectiveness include their content knowledge, their self-efficacy, and their outcome expectancy (Bandura, 1977; Ohle, Boone, & Fischer, 2014; Sargent, Ferrell, Smith, & Scroggins, 2018; Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001). Teachers who spend almost all of their class time teaching content and not working on improving student understanding have lower self-efficacy and outcome expectancy and struggle to improve their student's academic success (Petty, 2009). According to research, professional development should focus on pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) to have a more significant impact on student achievement (Kleickmann, Richter, Kunter, Elsner, Besser, Krauss, & Baumert, 2013; Shulman, 1986). Modeling Instruction is a type of professional development focused on the improvement of science teaching pedagogy. There is significant research on the impact of Modeling Instruction (MI) on students. However, little research on the effects of MI on teachers exists (Brewe, 2008). The purpose of this research was to examine how Modeling Instruction professional development impacts teachers. Examining a t-test of dependent samples using a pretest-posttest design will help to determine if MI professional development for in-service science teachers in an appropriate means for improving teacher content knowledge, self-efficacy, and outcome expectancy. The sample for this study included 567 participants in physical science Modeling Instruction professional development workshops from 21 different states in the United States. The researcher utilized a quasi-experimental research design utilizing surveys disseminated through voluntary participation in the Modeling Instruction professional development from 2016 to 2018 to ascertain the level of content knowled (open full item for complete abstract)

PHD, Kent State University, 2019, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore nursing faculty's understanding of higher order thinking test questions and practices with test preparation for undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students. Data were collected from eight full time classroom, undergraduate nursing faculty participants. The main findings from this study include higher order thinking uses critical thinking with foundational knowledge, application and analysis principles; faculty need continuing education and peer collaboration with testing preparation; and the use of a clinical care, reality focus is necessary with higher order testing. These findings are significant due to the increasing demand for complex thinking required of nurses now and in the future. Additionally, as the nursing faculty shortage continues, teachers often come into education with inadequate training to prepare higher order thinking test questions. Implications for nursing education include preparing undergraduate nursing faculty with continuing educational programs for testing practices, recognizing and creating opportunities for faculty collaboration with testing, reviewing foundational knowledge expectations of student entering nursing programs and enriching student's transition to practice using reality, clinical based NCLEX style test questions.

MA, Kent State University, 2019, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

The period of adolescence is when the differences between undocumented and American born youth may come to light and, therefore, is a time when undocumented students may benefit most from their educators' guidance and support. This study provides empirical evidence of secondary school teachers' knowledge, attitudes, and preparation as they relate to immigration policy and undocumented youth. Two hundred seventy-five teachers from 38 states participated in an online survey. Grounded in the Positive Youth Developmental Model and completed during a time when the social climate was less than ideal for immigrants residing in the US, this study illustrated that although the teachers reported receiving little training on undocumented youth, they were generally knowledgeable about immigration policy relevant to these students and had positive attitudes towards them. They also expressed a willingness to be a supportive ally, which has been found to be a developmental asset to vulnerable youth.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2018, Curriculum and Instruction Mathematics Education (Education)

When students engage in mathematical modeling, they use mathematics to solve open-ended, real- world problems. This process helps students to make connections and fosters their learning of mathematics itself. Engaging students in mathematical modeling, however, is not an easy task for teachers due to their lack of experience in such teaching. Hence, professional development is needed to advance mathematics teachers' capacity to enact mathematical modeling. This study examined the Mathematical Modeling and Spatial Reasoning (Modspar) professional development program, designed for high school mathematics teachers in Ohio. Two research questions were asked: (a) What is the nature of the professional development program? and (b) What did the participants learn as a result of participating in the program, and how did the program affect their teaching of modeling? To provide data sources for the research questions, (a) I interviewed each of 5 of the 28 participating teachers three times (once before the summer 2016 Modspar program and twice during the 2016–2017 school year), (b) I observed all of the activities enacted during the summer program and collected daily reflections from the 5 selected participants, and (c) I observed 4 of these participants enacting modeling in their classrooms twice during the 2016–2017 school year. For the first question, I examined the level of engagement and the type of modeling enacted during the summer program as all of the participating teachers completed the 20 institute activities: 8 involving modeling with algebra and 12 related to modeling with geometry. For the second question, I examined how the Modspar program advanced the 5 selected participants' knowledge and instruction of modeling. I coded the data thematically and constructed case reports. Results for the first question suggest that the algebra activities focused on mathematical modeling (i.e., using mathematics to solve real-world problems); whereas, the geometry a (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2018, Curriculum and Instruction Mathematics Education (Education)

Teaching is a complex process. A powerful tool for improving this process and for improving teacher's knowledge for teaching and their practice is classroom inquiry, which is a structured form of teacher research and reflection. Professional development programs can serve as catalysts for classroom inquiry. In this dissertation, I analyzed the inquiries and associated classroom-embedded projects of 4 female teachers: 3 of mathematics and 1 of science in Grades 4–6 who participated in a K–8 professional development program focused on classroom inquiry and action research in mathematics and science. The professional development program (a) introduced participating teachers to classroom inquiry and action research; (b) supported them as they created and then implemented their individual projects; and (c) provided opportunities to share project challenges, results, and what they learned from implementation. I used a qualitative multiple case study to understand (a) each participant's classroom inquiry project, (b) each participant's project enactment, and (c) what each participant learned as a result of her project. Over a period of 5 months, each participant was interviewed a total of six times. Three of these six interviews occurred soon after a classroom observation that focused on the participant's project enactment. In addition, each participant received 11 emailed prompts, responded to these prompts, and submitted material related to her classroom inquiry project material. Material from the associated professional development program was collected to support this study and to triangulate data. The data were coded thematically and case reports constructed. Even though none of the 4 study participants engaged in bonafide action research, al engaged in classroom inquiry. As a result of their classroom inquiry projects, they reported changes in their (a) knowledge of student learning, (b) knowledge of inquiry, (c) pedagogy, and (d) plans for the subsequent scho (open full item for complete abstract)

PHD, Kent State University, 2017, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies

The purpose of this study was to examine the influences of various facets of middle school mathematics teachers' practical rationality on their instructional decision making as they plan to enact the Common Core State Standards for Mathematical Practice, CCSS-MP1 (perseverance in problem solving) and CCSS-MP3 (communicating and critiquing). The study expands and confronts some of the literature that lacks specifics to instructional decisions made by middle school mathematics teachers, particularly with regards to their disposition, the operationalization of their MKT, and the connection to the institutional obligations affecting their practical rationality. This study provides insight into three facets impacting middle school mathematics teachers' instructional decision making with regards to CCSS-MP1 and CCSS-MP3. First with regards to teacher disposition, a facilitative role using a problem solving approach is preferred. Secondly, curricular choices are made directly tied to the teachers' MKT. Finally, although the teachers recognized that they had certain obligations to the institution, they also held the belief that the institution was obligated to them as well. The two main obligations required from the institution were the need for professional development provided by the district and appropriate resources that promote problem solving and communication. These results suggest the need for professional development for in-service and preservice teachers in the facilitative approach to mathematics instructions, more time for teachers to work collaboratively in professional learning communities (PLCs), professional development for district administrators, board members and parents with regards to a more rigorous and investigative approach to mathematics instruction.

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2017, Management

This dissertation explains leader effectiveness in the context of the senior information technology (IT) leader who plays a pivotal role in the execution and delivery of corporate IT services. Considered leaders of leaders, senior IT leaders typically report to the Chief Information Officer (CIO). Using a sequential three-phase mixed methods study the thesis makes four contributions; (1) through qualitative inquiry shows that effective senior IT leaders maintain a balance of domain knowledge and emotional and social aptitudes; (2) develops and validates a four-dimensional scale to measure the level of IT leader domain knowledge; (3) demonstrates nomological and predictive validity of the scale and evaluates the impact of IT leader domain knowledge in solving managerial problems and brokering knowledge to others; (4) the studies combine to a build cohesive argument that leadership credibility wherein technical domain knowledge forms the other component is a critical antecedent for leadership effectiveness. The validation is founded on a sample of 104 senior IT leaders and 490 IT leader subordinates within a global IT service firm. Overall, our findings suggest that the so far neglected effect of IT domain knowledge forms not only an important but vital component influencing overall senior IT leader effectiveness. This has consequences for both established theories of leader credibility and leader effectiveness in highly specialized technical domains. Practically the study underscores the importance of hiring and maintaining senior IT leaders with strong technical credentials.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2017, Counselor Education (Education)

The number of Americans who belong to ethnic and racial minority groups in the United States has grown tremendously during the last decade. According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, in the year 2000 there were approximately 36.4 million African Americans, 35.3 million Hispanic Americans, and 11.9 million Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, making up approximately 31% of the total U.S. population (U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 2000). These statistics are expected to continue to rapidly increase and experts project that by the year 2050, Americans of ethnic racial minority groups will comprise approximately 54% of the U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008). Research shows that there is a lack of multi-culturally competent mental health professionals currently practicing across the U.S. despite the need (Atkinson, Morten & Sue 1989). The shortage of adequate culturally-competent counselors and other mental health professionals has resulted in serious problems that could affect the overall economic and social well-being of the entire U.S population (Leong & Less 2006; West-Olatunji, Goodman, Mehta & Templeton 2011; Fouad & Arredondo 2007; Zhon, Siu & Xin 2009). For this reason, the mental health profession has called for a major education reform for counselors-in-training, and graduate counseling programs are now feeling the pressure to prepare their students to work in a culturally diverse world (Brown & Minor 1990; Goodman & West-Olatunji, 2009). While most graduate programs offer at least one multicultural counseling course (often in order to meet professional accreditation and ethical standards), there remains no research-supported consensus as to how best train counselors for work in multicultural practice (Buckley & Foldy, 2010; Ponterotta, 1996). Furthermore, graduate programs have been considered “marginal at best” for delivering what might be considered an effective training program (Ponterotto, Alexander & Greiger, 1995). The (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2016, Curriculum and Instruction (Education)

In a time where healthcare professionals are required to use evidence to support their clinical practices, there is a lack of information on what sources music therapists actually do use and whether they are using current evidence in their clinical practices. The purpose of this study was to provide a breadth of information regarding how often music therapists use various Sources of Knowledge when deciding on music-based interventions in their clinical practice and to pilot a researcher-created questionnaire on Sources of Knowledge in Music Therapy. The questionnaire was subjected to pilot testing procedures and reliability tests during the study. It was distributed to a random sample of board-certified music therapists from the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) list. Results indicated that currently practicing music therapists' clinical experiences and academic and clinical training experiences, primarily internship, are the sources used most often when deciding what music intervention to use in a music therapy session. Current theory and research readings (TRR) in music therapy and non-music therapy readings are not used as often, in fact rank lower than other sources, including academic and clinical training, clinical practices, supervision, and professional development. TRR items ranked higher than non-theory and non-research readings and most social situations items. Results also indicate that there were no significant differences in select demographic groups who chose theory and research readings. Recommendations for academic program planning to include more evidence-based knowledge and creating a research domain for continuing music therapy education credits through CBMT are discussed. Scale development results including item analysis and factor analysis of the items revealed that theory and research reading items were reliable and generally worked well together as a scale. Groupings of other Sources of Knowledge items such as conference (open full item for complete abstract)