Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Rebel With A Cause: Student Political Activism In Catholic Higher Education Institutions, Ya Ko Wang

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Valuing A Culturally Diverse Work Force: An Examination Of Intended Changes And Successes As Perceived By Upper And Middle Management, Supervisors, And Line Staff In A Health Care Organization, Cynthia L. Camberg Edd

Dissertations

The growing diversity of the work force is having and will continue to have a significant impact on organizations. The diversity of cultures, lifestyles, and household compositions compels managers and organizational leaders to make a variety of organizational changes. Additionally, the globalization of business, the integration of the world economy, and the rapid changes in corporate life require a reexamination of how organizations are thought of, and how employees are managed (Copeland, 1988; Betters-Reed & Moore, 1988-89; Goldstein, 1988). Since in the past organizations have been based on white male European traditions, a revolutionary response is needed from organizational leaders …

Entrepreneurial Leadership: A Delphi Study Of New Venture Success Factors, Alan J. Grant Edd

Dissertations

Over a million new U.S. enterprises are formed each year. Virtually all the country's net new jobs come from these and other new ventures. Yet 60% of new ventures still fail within two years. The purpose of this study was to isolate the most dominant leadership success characteristics of a typical early stage, high-growth potential venture. Thus discovered, these factors could properly focus the enterprise's tactics on improving its probability of fulfilling its original success related objectives as well as enhancing new job creation and in turn, economic wealth. A Delphi Technique research methodology was employed. The advice and counsel …

Principals In Saskatchewan Rural Schools: Their Leadership Behaviors And School Effectiveness, Ronald W. Brice Edd

Dissertations

Recognizing the important role of the principal in Saskatchewan Rural school effectiveness, the study addressed the following four questions: 1. Are there significant differences in the behaviors of principals in schools that have been identified as effective compared to those principals in schools that have been identified as noneffective? 2. Are the leadership behaviors as identified by the Leadership Practices Inventory Self and Other (LPI-self and LPI-other) found in a set of Saskatchewan schools? 3. Are there differences in the principals' perceptions of their leadership behaviors as identified by the LPI-self and those perceptions of other staff members as indicated …

A Survey Of Teaching Strategies Used In California Community College Nursing Programs To Foster Critical Thinking, Nicki Harrington Edd

Dissertations

This study explicated critical thinking teaching strategies being utilized by California Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) faculty, and their perceived effectiveness, to serve as a model for faculties in nursing and other disciplines. Questions addressed by the study included not only teaching strategies in use and their perceived effectiveness, but also exploration of common threads among nursing educators in their definitions of critical thinking, and common themes of "especially effective" techniques. The study involved a pilot of the survey instrument, utilizing one sample school's nursing faculty, with subsequent distribution to all 69 other ADN program senior nursing course lead faculty. The …

The Impact Of The Accountability Movement On Principals In A Large Southern California School District, Dianette T. Mitchell Edd

Dissertations

Organizations achieve uniqueness in their functions despite similarities in their structure. This uniqueness is true of school districts as well. Though there are specific similarities which have been found in effective schools and districts who have joined the accountability movement, each has its own systematic method of modifying and controlling desired behavior and possible achievement. This research focuses on one unique group of people, the site administrators in a large school district, and seeks to ascertain the effects of the effective schools' accountability movement as seen from the perspective of school principals. The three major objectives of this study were …

Constructing And Testing Practical Procedures For Describing A Corporate Culture: The Electric Troublemen, Timothy S. Vonder Edd

Dissertations

During the 1980s much attention was focused on trying to understand and apply the concept of corporate culture. Scholars and practitioners worked on clarifying the definition of culture as it applies to workplace settings. Scholars adapted the anthropological concepts of culture to fit within the framework of a business organization. Both scholars and practitioners attempted to investigate the cultures of many organizations throughout the business world. Scholars conducted lengthy case studies and used a mixture of qualitative and quantitative techniques. Business world practitioners conducted short studies and used mostly quantitative survey techniques. What was found was that the scholarly approach …

An Evaluation Of Student Perceptions Of Academic Advising In A Rn/Bsn Distance Educational Nursing Program, Barbara A. Trent Edd

Dissertations

Over the past decade, RN/BSN programs have gained popularity across the nation with an emphasis upon structural flexibility and/or adult student learning principles. Research has shown a positive association between advisement and decreased attrition rates for this unique student body. The purpose of this research was to determine from the perception of students enrolled in a RN/BSN educational program, the importance of advisement in relation to three elements: functions, outcomes and advisor style. It was also the purpose to determine if these three elements had either been provided, achieved or employed, respectively, by their advisors. An evaluative design was used …

The Relationship Of Self Esteem And Personal Problems To The Academic Success Of Adult Juniors And Seniors At And Upper Division, Commuter University, Peggy G. Woodard

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Sequences Of Fixed-Ratio Schedules Of Reinforcement: The Effect Of Ratio Size In The Second And Third Fixed-Ratio On Pigeons' Choice, Susan Goeters

Dissertations

The present study used a discrete-trials procedure to examine choice in pigeons presented with various three-component sequences of fixed-ratio schedules of reinforcement. An experimenter-controlled stimulus was correlated with each sequence and pigeons were presented with a specified number of forced-exposure and choice trials. Three phases were implemented in an effort to investigate the conditions under which fixed-ratios other than the first in a sequence of three affect choice. In Phase 1, pigeons were given a choice between a fixed-ratio X fixed-ratio 1 fixed-ratio 25 and a fixed-ratio X fixed-ratio 25 fixed-ratio 1 sequence of food delivery. Across conditions, X was …

The Effects Of Individual Feedback And Group Feedback On The Nominal Group Technique, Monica Porter

Dissertations

The nominal group technique (NGT) was modified and implemented in an educational setting. Procedures included (a) targeting and voting on the most important issue, (b) generating a list of possible solutions and providing rationales, and (c) completing a final report as a group consensus.

The effects of individual feedback and group feedback on the NGT were examined. Group 1 received individual feedback followed by group feedback, and Group 2 received group feedback followed by individual feedback.

Twenty undergraduates served as subjects and participated in problem solving tasks in which individual feedback and group feedback were provided on the subjects' written …

An Evaluation Of A Method Of Suicide Assessment Training, Gerald A. Juhnke

Dissertations

This quasi-experimental study used a Randomized Groups, Posttest-only Design, to determine if significant differences between three groups existed in their: (a) ability to accurately assess high- and low-risk clients, (b) ability to accurately assign clinical actions, and (c) self-reported confidence to accurately assess suicide risk and assign clinical actions. The 59 volunteer subjects who participated in the study were master’s level counselors-in-training enrolled in a counseling prepractica training course within a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited counselor education and counseling psychology department of a large Midwestern university. Two of the three groups were experimental …

Organizational Development Through The Implementation Of Strategic Plans, Susan M. Eickhoff

Dissertations

Organizations today need effective and efficient total organizational change strategies in order to ensure both short- and long-term organizational health. As a result of an organization being a multi-dimensional entity, the ingredients for its change strategy must necessarily be representative of all its dimensions such as business management, information system, behavior analysis, behavioral systems analysis, total quality management and statistical process control techniques. Those ingredients of a comprehensive change strategy exist but have not been put together into a totally integrated package so far. In the present study, a fully-integrated organizational change strategy was systematically employed with the goal of …

“The Mirror Crack'd": Women As Mothers And Wives In Paternally Incestuous Families, Mary Deyoung

Dissertations

Women often are blamed for paternal incest. Although the notion of women's culpability is repeated so often in the literature that it has all the tranquility of an axiom, few studies have even used these women as subjects. This study sought to remedy that flaw by using as its subjects 20 women from paternally incestuous families. Each participated in an in-depth interview comprised of life history questions, and in a shorter follow-up interview.

The women reported a moderate degree of conflict between their roles as mother and wife. Their strategies for coping with that conflict were categorized according to the …

The Effects Of Relaxation Plus Imaginal Flooding Versus Relaxation Only On Panic Attacks In Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Jan E . Bachman

Dissertations

Many Vietnam veterans experience intrusive recollections of combat-related events in the form of nightmares and flashbacks, a primary symptom of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Imaginai flooding has shown some promise in reducing the frequency and intensity of these. Cognitive- behavioral therapies have also been used, but their effectiveness has not been studied. Experiment 1 attempted to determine whether a self-imposed version of imaginai flooding (called Self-Imaginai Flooding) could be used rather than the usual therapist-led procedure, and whether treatment effects could generalize from the treated to untreated intrusive memories. In a between groups design, with six Vietnam veteran subjects in …

The Criminal Justice System: The Impact Of Legal And Extra-Legal Variables, Sanderson Charles Jeter

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the effect of legal and extra-legal variables on the processing and sentencing outcomes of defendants. The data for this study were extracted from the case files of Kalamazoo (Michigan) County Circuit Court. The sample population is comprised of criminal defendants randomly selected and who were processed in the circuit court from May, 1987 through May, 1988. The statistical procedure applied was cross - tabulation, utilizing a chi-square measure of association. Legal and extra-legal variables independently and collectively have different effects on the processing and sentencing outcomes of defendants. Results indicate that legal variables (e.g., type of crime …

Level Of Ego Development And Degree Of Distress Experienced During Marital Separation, Richard A. Strait

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether reactions to marital separation and divorce could be differentiated on the basis of level of ego development. A sample of 72 divorcing persons was drawn at random from court records, divided into groups on the basis of sex and level of ego development (using Loevinger's [1970, 1989] Sentence Completion Test [SCT]), and compared on three measures of emotional adjustment (attachment distress, general distress, and social adjustment).

The results indicated that level of ego development did not differentiate short-term reactions to separation (8.7 months) on the three dependent measures, although ego level …

The Effects Of Television Viewing On The Academic Performance Of Elementary School Children With Attention Deficit Disorder, Wayne G. Schaefer

Dissertations

Research suggests that increased hours of television (more than 20-30 hours a week) viewing has a negative impact on the academic performance (as measured by grade point average (GPA)) of elementary aged school children (Fetler, 1984; Winn, 1985). With the reported increased hours of TV viewing time over the past three decades (Ploughoft & Anderson, 1981; Winn, 1985) and the increased proliferation of cable TV and video cassette recorders, it has been projected that the average elementary school aged child will spend more than one-third of his or her waking hours watching television (Winn, 1985).

Although research (Mendelson, cited in …

The Development Of An Instrument For Multicultural Counseling Effectiveness, Michael J. Laird

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and administer an instrument designed to measure the participants' ability to identify cultural variables affecting the therapeutic process with individuals with and without training in multicultural counseling. The study also examined four areas of difference among trainees to determine their influence on the ability to identify cultural variables affecting therapeutic process: gender, age, undergraduate curriculum, and socioeconomic status of the biological family.

The sample consisted of 60 subjects between the ages of 21 and 52. All subjects were graduate students in the Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology Department at Western Michigan University, …

Acquisition Of Conflict Management Skills With High School Adolescent Females, Leslie Skinner-Hughes

Dissertations

This study examined the effects of a conflict management training program on the performance levels of high school adolescent females. Twenty female adolescent students were randomly assigned in equal numbers to either an experimental or control group. The students in the experimental group participated in a one school-day training program in conflict management skills. The students in the control group participated in two hours of discussion on handling conflicts. Pre- and post-training performance was measured by videotape recordings, classroom behavior ratings, behavior checklist, and student records of referrals for discipline.

The results showed the following: (1) The videotapes revealed a …

Biblical Self-Esteem And Psychopathology: A Psychological/ Theological Integration, Allan Warren Crummett

Dissertations

With the plethora of definitions for and the vague and confused understanding of self-esteem/worth/image/love/value, the mental health professional is hard-pressed to define it accurately. To the Christian therapist, an area of concern is a Christian versus secular definition.

This study explored this issue in two ways. First, it addressed two hypotheses: (1) Is there a Biblical definition of self-esteem/worth?; (2) Does the Shepherd Scale (Bassett, 1981), an established measure of levels of Christianity, adequately assess self-esteem and Biblical self-esteem? These hypotheses are answered through a search of current literature and correlational analysis.

The second part of the study tested two …

The Relationships Between Marital Adjustment, Family Functioning, Task Management And Family Relationship Concerns In Couples Incorporating A Second Child, Amy Diguiseppe Bade

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among variables identified as potentially significant during the transition to second time parenthood. The theoretical framework for this study was based on the Circumplex Model of family systems (Olson, Sprenkle & Russell, 1979; Olson, Russell & Sprenkle, 1983), and a five domain structural model of marital and family adaptation (Cowan & Cowan, 1988).

The convenience sample consisted of 49 Caucasian middle class couples all expecting their second child. This was a one group pretest-posttest design with the birth of the second child functioning as the independent variable. The dependent variables …

The Effects Of Methylphenidate On The Repeated Acquisition Performance Of Children With Attention Deficit Disorder, Christopher P. Giuliano

Dissertations

The effects of methylphenidate on the repeated acquisition performance of three children between the ages of 9 and 13 were examined. The repeated acquisition task was programmed on a micro computer and daily doses of 0.6 mg/kg and 1.0 mg/kg of methylphenidate were compared with an active placebo (caffeine). There was no discernible effect for two of the subjects. One subject showed only a very slight facilitative effect at the 1.0 mg/kg dose, using trials-to-criterion as the dependent measure. Methylphenidate had no effect on errors or rate of responding for any of the subjects. Teacher ratings of behavior indicated improvement …

Effects Of Differential Force Requirements On Choice Behavior Under Concurrent-Chain Schedules, Randal D. Reynolds

Dissertations

Concurrent-chain research shows that choice behavior is sensitive to differential delays to reinforcement but apparently insensitive to differential response-requirement factors. To date, however, no studies have directly investigated the effects of differential force requirements on choice behavior under concurrent-chain schedules. This relationship will be the focus of the present study.

In Experiment 1 rats responded on conventional concurrent-chain schedules and were given a choice between different terminal-link force requirements. The force requirement on one terminal-link lever was 0.25 N while the force requirement on the other lever was varied from 0.25 N to 1.51 N across conditions. For comparative purposes, …

Effects Of Interactive And Linear Video On Patient Understanding Of Risks In Medical Procedures, Christopher P. Giuliano

Dissertations

Three methods of providing information relevant to informed consent where a vaginal birth after cesarean section was being considered were evaluated; (1) the traditional and common method (physician presentation), (2) Linear Video Tape (LVT), and (3) Interactive Video Disc (IVD). The traditional and common method of presenting information led to only limited acquisition of knowledge resulting in patients making less than fully-informed decisions. Both the linear video tape and the interactive video disc led to significantly greater understanding of the risks and benefits of the procedure than did the physician presentation. The interactive disc and the linear video tape were …

A Validation Of The Family Of Origin Scale Using Alcoholic And Mental Health Patients, Arthur J. Fedor

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to add to the knowledge of family of origin assessment by demonstrating the utility of the Family of Origin Scale (FOS; Hovestadt, Anderson, Piercy, Cochran, & Fine, 1985) as a posttreatment measure of change with clinical samples. In this context, a second feature of the study was a further validation of the FOS.

Eighty-one clinical subjects in inpatient alcoholism treatment centers and outpatient mental health clinics were administered the FOS prior to treatment and again following treatment. Although the pretest-posttest model of the study was a quasi-experimental design, the focus was on the FOS's …

A Parent Training Program For Teaching Preschool Children Independent Self-Care Skills, Dalene Rooks Degraaf

Dissertations

Teaching children to be independent is a challenge for parents. Initially, parents directly prompt and consequate their children’s behavior. Later, the parents fade prompts and delay consequences expecting their children to use self-management skills and environmental cues to complete tasks. The purpose of this study was to observe some of the methods which parents use to teach their 4-year-old children independent self-care skills and test the effects of a parent training program. The program was designed to transfer stimulus control from the parent’s physical or verbal prompts to textual and picture prompts on a poster listing the morning self-care skills …

Psychological Correlates Of Sinus Headache, Stanley R. Carlock

Dissertations

This study comprised a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial for evaluating the pharmacological efficacy of ibuprofen when given in combination with pseudoephedrine on an outpatient basis to 52 patients diagnosed with sinus headache. The patients were administered a psychological test battery consisting of the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) (Gough, 1948), the Millon Behavioral Health Inventory (MBHI) (Millon, Green, & Meagher, 1979), and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire (Nowlis & Green, 1957) to evaluate the possibility that specific psychological and personality characteristics might differentiate these patients from individuals on whom the psychological test instruments were normed. Additionally, the probability …

Ease Of Learning And The Emergence Of Equivalence Class Formation: A Comparison Of Topography-Based And Selection-Based Paradigms, Riad M. Wraikat

Dissertations

Michael (1985) identified two types of verbal behavior, topography-based (i.e., speaking or using sign language) and selection-based (i.e., symbol board). Sundberg & Sundberg (1990) and Wraikat (1991) compared these systems in terms of the ease of learning object naming (tact) and giving the correct sign or pointing to the correct symbol on hearing the object name (intraverbal). Sundberg & Sundberg (1990) also compared them for the spontaneous development of a new relation, identifying the object when hearing its name (stimulus class formation or equivalence). The results of both studies favored the topography-based system, but in each case some subjects were …

The Impact Of An Integrated Study Skills Program On University Of La Verne Adult Undergraduates At Vandenberg Air Force Base And Naval Air Station North Island, Pamela Priest Edd

Dissertations

The Problem: There have been a number of recent attempts to provide unique educational opportunities in learning strategies and study skills for adult students. A difficulty in removing the student from the classroom to provide this specialized training is that many students are unable to transfer the acquired skills back into a variety of different contexts. A second problem is removing faculty from the ongoing class and educating them in workshops that address learning strategies and study skills. Many faculty find it difficult to incorporate these skills while meeting the demands of fulfilling course content objectives. The Research: The purpose …