Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Aid Effectiveness, Policies And Reform, Elias Kedir Shukralla

Dissertations

Resource equalization represents the historical and theoretical basis for American school finance and its ideals continue to dominate discussion and practice. During the last decade and a half, the national aspiration for equitable distribution of school finance resources has started a transformation into a derivative notion of adequacy. This equity policy derivative embraces the idea of sufficiency, which in turn implies a standard. The concept of educational adequacy has grown to mean the achievement of high absolute standards. Equity (equalization) theorists measure resource level on a relative basis; each student relative to all others. Adequacy adherents measure student achievement against …

The Role Of Embeddedness Factors In Predicting The Paths Of The Unfolding Model Of Voluntary Turnover, Lynn R. Kalnbach

Dissertations

A great deal of research has been conducted to determine the relationship between the job satisfaction of employees and the likelihood of their leaving or intending to leave an organization. However, research addressing other reasons why employees may leave their organizations has been lacking. Lee and Mitchell (1994) created the unfolding model of turnover to better define and classify the process employees go through in making decisions to leave their organizations. This model suggests that many people decide to leave their jobs/organizations for reasons other than job dissatisfaction.

In a separate stream of research, Lee and Mitchell and their colleagues …

The Effects Of Dextromethorphan On Response Acquisition With Delayed Reinforcement, Thomas B. Morgan

Dissertations

The current study examined in 2-h sessions the effects of intraperitoneal injections of dextromethorphan (DM) (0.0, 40.0, 60.0, and 80.0 mg/kg) on the acquisition of lever-press responding in rats that were exposed to a two-lever procedure in which responses on the reinforcement lever (RL) were reinforced with food after a 15-s resetting delay and responses on the cancellation lever cancelled a scheduled reinforcer. Response acquisition was observed at all drug doses. A decrease in RL responses, food deliveries, and the number of subjects that acquired responding was observed at the highest dose of DM. All doses of DM increased latency …

Development Of An Analogue Of A Response-Class Hierarchy, Daniel B. Shabani

Dissertations

Within the operant conditioning literature, there exists the concept of the functional response class. A functional response class is defined as a collection of responses that all produce the same outcome. If the members of a response class occur in a predictable order, a response-class hierarchy is said to exist. A hierarchy refers to a specific type of response class in which each member of the response class may be temporally determined along various dimensions (e.g., response effort, immediacy of reinforcement, magnitude of reinforcer). The response-class hierarchy has received relatively little conceptual attention over the years and, not surprisingly, there …

A Leadership Model For Roman Catholic Social Service Agencies, Richard A. Ketrow

Dissertations

U.S. federal and state governments involve faith-based agencies in public administration by contracting with them to implement social service programs. How can Catholic social service agencies effectively compete in procuring these social service contracts and securing the program funds? To answer this question,a leadership model applicable to Catholic social service agencies was proposed. Four strategy constructs, evolving from the literature review, comprised theleadership model. The constructs providing a framework for the study were: performing service process reviews, utilizing a commitment to religious faith, entering valuable collaborations, and adhering to a consistent mission. Data were collected using a mail survey to …

The Relationship Of Race And Ethnic Identity To Perceptions Of Multicultural Counseling Competencies, Tonita C. Baines

Dissertations

Multicultural counseling competencies refer to the awareness, knowledge, and skills that are considered important for counselors to possess when working with culturally diverse clients (Constantine, 2002; Constantine & Ladany, 2001). Relatively few studies have looked at factors that may impact a client'sperception of a counselor's multicultural competence. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between a person's race, ethnic identity, and his/her ratings of the importance of 31 multicultural counseling competencies. A total of 304 undergraduate students (152 African-American and 152 White) from a large Midwestern university were surveyed to determine if there was a relationship …

Therapist Stress, Career Sustaining Behavior, Coping And The Working Alliance, Denise Broholm Briggs

Dissertations

Psychotherapists face many challenges in their work and are prone to experiencing stress. Their ability to cope and manage their stress may have the potential to affect their work with clients. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between therapist stress, coping styles, career sustaining behaviors, and therapist perceived working alliance. A sample of 160 psychologists, social workers, therapists, and counselors primarily from the Midwest participated in this study. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, which included a rating of the stress they experienced in their work as a psychotherapist, the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, Kamarck, & Mermelstein, …

A Behavioral Model For The Assessment And Management Of Dehydration In Older Adults, Leilani Feliciano

Dissertations

Dehydration is a serious health concern in the elderly, constituting 1 of the 10 most common causes for hospitalization in this population (Sanservo, 1997). Previous research on dehydration has typically been conducted within nursing home settings (Chidester & Spangler, 1997; Holbren, Hassell, Williams, & Helle, 1999; Spangler, Risley, & Bilyew, 1984) without specific attention to the variables maintaining dehydration for any given individual. A functional behavioral approach to assessment and prevention or intervention for dehydration would involve identifying maintaining variables in the environment that can be altered to produce effective, non-intrusive interventions to increase healthy fluid consumption. The current project …

Essential Features Of Cultural Proficiency In American International Schools In Latin America: A Delphi Study, Rebecca Mcbride Bustamante Edd

Dissertations

American international schools in Latin America can play a vital role in preparing future leaders to effectively interact with people of diverse cultures. These schools provide ideal settings for exploring how policies, programs, and practices that reflect diverse perspectives and encourage intercultural learning might enhance global leadership development. Multidisciplinary reviews of the literature reveal a dearth of studies examining culture and leadership development in American international schools in Latin America. The model of cultural proficiency provides a comprehensive framework for exploring how these schools might proactively and effectively respond to diversity in a cross-cultural environment and develop globally competent leaders. …

The Effects Of Individual Monetary Incentives With Individual Feedback And Group Monetary Incentives With Group Feedback On High Performance, Kathryn M. Culig

Dissertations

The current study examined how individual monetary incentives with individual feedback and group monetary incentives with group feedback affected the performance of high performers across multiple sessions using 10-person simulated groups. The primary objectives of the study were to examine the effects of individual and group monetary incentives on the performance and satisfaction of high performers. Participants consisted of 11 keyboard proficient college students who performed a computerized data entry task modeled after the job of a bank proof operator. A within-subject ABCB reversal design was used. Each participant was exposed to the following pay and feedback conditions: hourly pay …

The One-Stop Permit And Plan Review Center: Three Case Studies, Kenneth John Schilling

Dissertations

This study provides a detailed description of the one-stop permit and plan review center, an organizational innovation that is being introduced in numerous U.S. cities to improve governmental performance. The change represents a streamlining of local development review and code compliance functions.

Utilizing a qualitative methodology, the research records this one-stop application's diversity of form, contrasts it with the system it replaces, explores therationale and process that led to its adoption, and enumerates its useful features. The research is based on case studies of three Midwestern cities of comparable size: Grand Rapids, Michigan; Dayton, Ohio; and Des Moines, Iowa.

On …

A Structural Analysis Of Law Enforcement Officer Deaths; 1995-1999, Kasey A. Tucker

Dissertations

Every year several officers die while serving the general public, protecting society from chaos and disorder of crime. Much conjecture surrounds the discussionof why law enforcement officers die in the line of duty and several different studies gave been conducted looking at the different aspects of law enforcement officer death, but limited literature exists exploring law enforcement officer death from a structural perspective.

This study examines in a preliminarily nature, the structural factors that precipitate law enforcement officer deaths between the years of 1995 and 1999 in the United States. In this analysis a theoretical framework reflective of the conflict …

High School Principals' Values And Their Symbolic And Cultural Leadership Approaches To Character Education In China, T.C. Kao Edd

Dissertations

Relatively little is known about the symbolic and cultural leadership practices and approaches used to imbed character education in high schools in China. In addition, there is a lack of published studies and reports investigating the revival between character and moral education in the Chinese school system. Without additional information, it is impossible to understand and develop effective leadership approaches that will shape and mold school cultures to effectively support both character and moral education. The literature reviewed in this study revealed little information about if, and in what form, there is a return to moral education focusing on traditional …

Confronting The Intra-Racial Gender Gap: A Quantitative Study Of The Impact Of Gender On African American Students' Perceptions Of Campus Climate At A Predominantly White Institution, Tiffany N. Carpenter Edd

Dissertations

For the last decade, the attainment gap in college graduation rates between Black males and females has continued to grow, despite the best efforts of researchers interested in identifying both its causes and suggesting possible policy remedies. Although much of the work has focused on the search for cognitive differences between African American males and females, there has been little, if any, research on the different ways that Black males and females may perceive their campus climate. In an attempt to broaden the literature in this area, this study examined the perceptions of 366 undergraduate African American students at a …

Culture And Motivation In Online Learning Environments, Frances A. Clem Edd

Dissertations

In the past, instructional design of online learning has largely ignored culture in the creation of online learning environments. Because research in the interaction of culture and online learning is very sparse, an exploratory, blended study was conducted to assess whether there is evidence that one measurable aspect of learners’ culture interacts with the online learning environment in ways that can be observed and identified, and whether this interaction impacts learners’ motivation and behavior in those environments. “Culture” is a complex concept consisting of many interrelated behaviors and values. For this reason, the study focused on one single aspect of …

The Courage To Change: Striving For Magnet Hospital Recognition, Janet M. Jones Edd

Dissertations

In the ever-changing environment of health care, good leaders are of utmost importance to the effective functioning of the hospital. Leadership in the hospital setting requires innovativeness and courage. This means the passion to discover, create and experience the unknown. Until recently why some hospitals attract and retain good nurses while others do not was unknown. The magnet hospital concept identified attributes that supported the professional practice of nursing which, in turn increased nurse recruitment and retention. The objective of this study was to compare Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) perceptions of their innovativeness and leadership …

How School Counselors Gain Support To Implement Comprehensive Guidance And Counseling Programs, Jo Ann Grant Edd

Dissertations

The school counseling field is evolving from a focus on ancillary activities to a commitment to comprehensive guidance and counseling programs. Understanding strategies school counselors have used in gaining support from key stakeholders to implement comprehensive guidance and counseling programs can be a valuable addition to the literature of school counseling. The present study investigated how elementary and secondary school counselors gained support when implementing comprehensive guidance and counseling programs based on the National Standards for School Counseling Programs. A qualitative methodology was used in the study. The findings revealed that: (a) counselors studied believed their role in gaining support …

An Examination Of The Media's Framing Of The Illegal Street Racing Issue, Kevin Andrew Igasaki Edd

Dissertations

For the last sixty years, the legal community and public policymakers have assumed that illegal street racing has appealed to a single portion of the driving population—young adults driving modified vehicles. However, this assumption has been based solely on anecdotal information and has never been empirically investigated in the literature. To remedy this situation, this mixed methodology study examined whether this narrow framing of the illegal street racing issue was present in two southern California newspapers and two nationally circulated magazines over a three-year time period. Specifically, this study examined the way in which this issue was framed in daily …

Facing The Leadership Challenges On Decommissioning United States Navy Ships, Darren J. Mcglynn Edd

Dissertations

Since the late 1980s, hundreds of U.S. Navy ships have been decommissioned. Although ship decommissionings were postponed immediately after the September 11th attack, today the Navy is again engaged in “rightsizing” its force. Depending on the type of ship and its age, a ship faces different fates after the decommissioning process has been completed. Except on the rare occasion when a ship is turned into a museum, most decommissioned ships are disposed of in one of three ways. Some ships are sold to foreign navies to recoup some costs. Other ships are reassigned to the Military Sealift Command (MSC) to …

How Leaders Use The Construct Of Culture To Influence Change Resistance: A Study Of A Planned Change Initiative In A Combined Government And Military Organization, Derek R. Noether Edd

Dissertations

The construct of organizational culture has been used to interpret various aspects of organizational life, including organizational leadership and organizational change. The literature indicates that leaders can influence organizational change by attending to and modifying an organization's cultural dimensions. Much of this literature, however, is theoretical and speculative, and the empirical work that does exist has focused mostly on business. The purpose of this case study was to develop an understanding of how leaders in a combined government and military organization used the notion of culture during a two-and-a-half year planned change initiative. The study explored the strategies and mental …

Global Citizenship As A Function Of Higher Education: The Demographic And Institutional Determinants In A Graduate Student Population, Jade G. Winn Edd

Dissertations

Over the last twenty years, the explosive growth in information technologies, combined with the globalization and easy access to other cultures, has allowed people to think of themselves more as citizens of the world than of a particular nation. Although the notion of “global citizenship” is often discussed in the popular press, little scholarly attention has been devoted to its measurement. Less attention has been paid to the role higher education plays in creating global citizens. To address these problems, a survey instrument was created to measure three facets of global citizenship: environmentalism, social justice, and civic responsibility, and was …

The Role Of The Chief Instructional Officer Within The California Community Colleges, Patrick M. Schwerdtfeger Edd

Dissertations

California community colleges enroll one out of ten public college students in the United States. The Chief Instructional Officer (CIO) serves as leader within each college. Research examining CIOs in California is limited. This study investigates work performed by CIOs and the organizational factors which support or impede that work. Four questions guided this study. What is the role of the CIO—what do they do? What are the organizational factors which support or impede CIO effectiveness? How do the CIOs influence the enhancement of learning and instruction? What changes would CIOs suggest to become more effective leaders? This study relied …

Omesubel A Ureor: Workforce Development In Palau From Pre-Contact To 1999, Patrick Ubal Tellei Edd

Dissertations

After being a ward of many nations for over 250 years, the Republic of Palau gained its independence on October 1, 1994. One of the many challenges facing this young nation is the workforce preparation of its people to engage in nation building. After many years of being subjugated by foreign governments, the people have developed a taste of material consumerism. This has driven people away from their subsistence way of life in favor of a market driven economy which calls for infrastructure development that cannot be accomplished if there is a nonexistent skilled workforce to undertake this challenge. To …

To Be Or Not To Be: Status Of Guam's Middle Schools, Judith T. Won Pat Edd

Dissertations

In an effort to help middle school programs respond to the unique developmental needs of their students, in 1995 the National Middle School Association issued their influential list of twelve essential characteristics for a developmentally sound middle school. Although this paper spawned a significant amount of research regarding the importance of these essential characteristics, there has been little, if any, research in the last decade describing the extent to which these characteristics have been implemented in middle schools outside of the continental United States. To remedy this situation, this study surveyed all 471 middle school teachers on Guam as well …

Asian American Females In Educational Leadership In K-12 Public Schools, Dina Castillo Pacis Edd

Dissertations

The research on educational leadership has largely excluded the perspectives of women and minorities. As school age populations become increasingly diverse, the need for principals from diverse backgrounds also increases. However, the research data shows that females and ethnic minorities are underrepresented in educational leadership positions. In an effort to address the lack of minority females in educational leadership, particularly Asian American females, more research needs to be conducted on their perceived barriers to upward mobility, as well as their perceptions of educational leadership. Only when the voices of Asian American female minority administrators are heard, will they be better …

Linking Succession Planning To Employee Training: A Study Of Federal Employees, Douglas E. Fenner Edd

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine whether differences emerged in federal male and female middle managers and supervisors' perceptions concerning organizational career development culture, succession planning components used for linking employee-training activities, reasons for succession planning and barriers impacting succession planning within their organization. Quantitative methodology supported this research study. A test-retest of the eighty-two-statement survey instrument was conducted for reliability among 40 participants (20 male and 20 female). The survey was then administered to 300 federal middle managers and supervisors (150 male and 150 female). Participants' grade level ranged from general schedule (GS) GS-12 to GS-15. Of …

The Interactive Roles Of Gender And Ethnicity In African-American Women's Mental Health, Dianna Nadine Moses-Nunley

Dissertations

Abstract For African-American women, female gender and African-American (AA) ethnicity combine to create experiences of discrimination, discrimination related stress, and mental health issues that are not encountered by individuals who occupy only one of these status variables. Gender and ethnicity also influence socioeconomic status, an additional variable affecting the experiences and issues that AA women uniquely encounter. The first goal of this study was to examine the ways in which the combined social statuses of gender and ethnicity influence the discriminatory experiences and mental health of AA women. The second goal was to determine the ways in which AA women¿s …

Factors Affecting Treatment Program Development In A Mental Health Facility Serving Prisoners, Ruby Miranda Meriweather

Dissertations

There is a paucity of literature on how treatment programs for mentally ill prisoners are developed. Federal mandates require that services to mentally ill prisoners be comparable to what is offered in the community. Planners, therefore, must find ways to provide treatment programs that produce that outcome.

This research identified the most important factors that affect treatment program development and implementation to aid planners in designing treatment programs for mentally ill prisoners. This qualitative study, based on grounded theory, used a structured interview with 61 mental health staff (psychiatrists, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and activity therapists) across three categories (Administrative, …

Collaboration Through Partnerships: A Review Of Six Michigan Communities, Cheryl Kay Sibilsky-Soule

Dissertations

The federal government supports the use of collaborative service planning for many federally funded programs. While there are anecdotal studies supporting community collaboration, its use has not been adequately evaluated. This study provides exploratory information regarding the relationship between successful collaboration and outcomes for children and families.

Data were collected from six Michigan communities using a survey tool sent to all members of the six community Family Coordinating Councils. The tool was designed to measure eight factors seen in successful collaboration. The respondents evaluated their own collaborative council on these eight factors.

Three of the communities were thought to be …

The Three-Contingency Model Of Self-Management, Holly C. Harrison

Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation is to evaluate people's needs for self-management and the effectiveness of their use of the three-contingency model of self-management. This model prescribes a set of self-management procedures that can be applied to self-manage virtually any behavior. College students used these procedures to manage their own behavior as part of an extended psychology-course assignment.

This evaluation began with the Procrastination Survey, the results of which assessed the frequency of the students' self-management problems. The self-management interventions of up to 168 students were then evaluated using their self-reported performance data and an anonymous survey. The performance data …