Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Self-Concept In Home-Schooling Children, John Wesley Taylor V

Dissertations

The home school appears to be in a renaissance. This national study sought to provide an empirical base upon which to formulate viable decisions regarding homeschooling children. The study considered homeschoolers in grades four through twelve. The randomized sample yielded 224 qualified participants.

Conclusions include the following:

1. The self-concept of the homeschoolers was significantly higher (p<.001) than that of the conventionally schooled population on all scales of the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale. Half of the homeschoolers scored at or above the 91st percentile on the global scale.

2. Insofar as self-concept is a reflector of socialization, it appears that few homeschoolers are socially deprived.

3. The self-concept of the homeschoolers decreases significantly (p<.01) as age and grade level rise.

4. The factors of gender, number of siblings, locale of residence, prior conventional schooling, number of years …

The Clinical Appraisal Method Of Evaluating Candidates For Management Positions: A Construct Validity Study, Loretta Postillion Van Der Plas

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Descriptive Correlational Study Of The Decision-Making Patterns Of Nurse Practitioners In Primary Care, Rosemary Goodyear Edd

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the decision-making patterns of nurse practitioners and the relationship between this cognitive process and their personal characteristics and dimensions of employment. Since nurse practitioners are a major group of providers of primary care, they are faced with increasingly complex patient care decisions regarding the health management of these patients. The premise that the decision-making process is influenced by factors within the individual and the work environment formed the basis for this investigation. The determination of the significant relationships among these variables was pursued for the expansion of knowledge and the practical applications …

The Use Of Computer-Assisted Instruction In A Biblical Studies Course: A Case Study, Joseph P. Gallen Edd

Dissertations

One purpose of this case study was to determine the effect of the introduction of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) materials upon students' learning ability in a college Biblical studies course. Another purpose was to gather information from students with regard to their attitudes toward CAI and its effectiveness in learning the course material. A third purpose of the study was the design of CAI materials using a general application software package. The data base and word processing functions of a general application software package were adapted for CAI in the Biblical studies course. The CAI components employed in the Biblical studies …

The Involvement Of Parents Of Educable Mentally Retarded In Their Children's Educational Programs In Saudi Arabia, Ebrahim A. Fouzan Edd

Dissertations

The major purposes of this study were to identify the involvement level of parents in their EMR children's education in Saudi Arabia, and to investigate the effect of selected demographic variables on the parents' level of involvement. Subjects were (N=338) male parents of EMR boys and (N=252) female parents of EMR girls enrolled in EMR schools in Saudi Arabia. The study design was based on a questionnaire developed to identify the level of involvement of parents at school, with other parents, at home, and in the community, and to investigate the effect of selected demographic variables on parental involvement. The …

The Female Adolescent Incest Victim : Personality, Self-Esteem, And Family Orientation, Don-Nee E. German

Dissertations

Problem. There is a current need to understand and help the female adolescent victim of intrafamilial sexual abuse. The purpose of the study was to identify her personality profile, gain information about her self-esteem, and discover her view of self within her family.

Method. The High School Personality Questionnaire, the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, and the Kinetic Family Drawing were administered to 40 female adolescent incest victims from Michigan to identify a personality profile, level, and factors of self-esteem, and a description of the self within the family. The data were analyzed by univariate, multivariate, and discriminant analysis.

Results. (1) …

The Psychosocial Variables In Accidents: A Process Model, Denise Diazadji Guastello

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Arabs In Israel: A National Minority And Cheap Labor Force, A Split Labor Market Analysis, Samir M. Miari

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Interdisciplinary Research Methodology For Secondary Level Social Studies: A Teaching Unit Concerning The Holy Shroud Of Turin, Melinda K. Blade Edd

Dissertations

In the past decade, numerous educational leaders have been critical of the quality of achievement of the educational system of the United States. Declining scores on standardized tests and the Scholastic Aptitude Test, illiteracy and the inequality of educational opportunities for America's youth were a few of the concerns documented by educational leaders. In an effort to correct some of the existing problems, reform measures have been delineated by various commissions and educational authorities. The use of interdisciplinary curriculum, particularly in Social Studies, was among the suggestions for improving the quality of education. The purpose of this study was to …

Leader Communication And Organizational Culture: A Field Study, Shay Sayre Edd

Dissertations

Corporate culture, the object of considerable media attention since 1980, has been identified as an important consideration for improving performance. While the literature points to vision as a key element for building a productive culture, it does not sufficiently address the communication process used by leaders to transmit their vision. This research looks at the leadership and communication aspects of culture, exploring the extent to which the leader's ideology influences the behaviors of organization members. Conducted in a $30 million Southern California company of 225 employees, the study focuses on a female general manager who, in the founder's absence, has …

An Analysis Of Perceptual Differences And Congruities Between California Community College Chancellors And Presidents In Multi-College Districts Regarding The Decision-Making Role Of The Presidents, Jeanne Davis Atherton Edd

Dissertations

Purpose This study was designed to provide foundational information concerning the perceptions of California community college chancellors and presidents in multi-college districts, regarding the presidents' decision-making role, at both the college and districtwide levels. Factors pertaining to the chancellors and presidents' professional background, and to district characteristics were reviewed for possible relationships to perceptual congruities and differences. Methodology Survey research methodology provided the basis for the design of the study. Eleven district chancellors and 28 presidents responded to a 24 item, two level Likert-type instrument and a professional background questionnaire. Demographic information on each of the participating districts was obtained …

A Comparative Study Of The Attitude And Knowledge Of Suicide Between High School Students And High School Teachers, Karen Lee Clark Edd

Dissertations

The researcher in this study sought to examine the comparison of the attitude and knowledge of suicide of high school students with the attitude and knowledge of suicide of high school teachers. The investigation will yield results which will be utilized for the purpose of developing a greater understanding of the attitude of both populations. The results will be analyzed with the prospects of utilizing this information for the preparation and formulation of effective suicide prevention and intervention programs at high school campuses. This study, which extended from November, 1985 through March, 1986, was conducted in four high schools in …

A History Of Catholic School Education In San Diego County, California, From 1850 To 1936, Teresa Baksh Mcneil Edd

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to research, present, and thus to preserve, information concerning Catholic school education in San Diego County from 1850 to 1936. The historical method of research was the research methodology utilized in the study, in which the author primarily investigated original documents stored in religious archives. The author details the thirteen Catholic schools that came into existence during the time period; describes the background and arrival in San Diego County of the seven religious communities that conducted the various schools; and portrays the early leaders responsible for the growth and development of Catholic education in …

Adolescents With Learning And Behavioral Handicaps As Behavior Modifiers, Suzanne Fitch Edd

Dissertations

Groups have been taught to use behavior modification procedures to train individuals with mental handicaps, including individuals who themselves have mental handicaps. This study extended the previous work in this area in three ways: (a) a new group, namely adolescents with learning and behavioral handicaps, was taught to use behavior modification skills; (b) these adolescents were trained to perform a more extensive role as behavior modifiers than has previously been demonstrated for mentally handicapped individuals; and (c) generalization of the behavior modification skills was examined across tasks and individuals. Assessment was made of the effectiveness of the adolescents' training as …

Understanding Individual Political Behaviors In Organizations: Instrument Development And Validation, Gloria E. Bader Edd

Dissertations

Organizational politics impacts decision making, leadership, policy implementation, change, and individual effectiveness. Although generally acknowledged as a reality of organizational life, political behavior is misunderstood, certainly a highly sensitive topic and furthermore, scholarly literature decries the paucity of empirical research on the topic. Consequently, the purpose of this research was to design and validate an instrument, in the in-basket simulation format, that measures an individual's political effectiveness. The instrument's proposed purpose was the exploration of an individual's political behavior for two reasons: (1) as a new research tool to facilitate quantitative and qualitative research; and (2) as a developmental activity …

Factors Associated With Success Of Resource Development Programs At California Community Colleges, Paula Jane Jenner Edd

Dissertations

This study was designed to provide information concerning the extent to which California community colleges have incorporated a resource development function and which programs have been most successful in generating external voluntary support. Program features were examined to identify factors associated with success. A survey research methodology was utilized to determine the extent to which resource development programs operate in all 70 community college districts in the state. There were 68 resource development programs reported from the survey. Of the respondent programs, 13 were identified as successful as judged by the success criteria of (a) the ratio of a three …

Behavioral Toxicology Of A Glucocorticoid: Analysis Of Selected Behavioral And Physiological Effects Of Repeated Prednisolone Treatment, Robert G. Sewell

Dissertations

Glucocorticoids are used medicinally for numerous chronic ailments. While dramatically effective, glucocorticoid treatment is replete with psychiatric complications. The behavioral toxicology of glucocorticoids, however, remains relatively unexplored. Therefore, 13 laboratory studies were performed to analyze the influence of prednisolone, a representative glucocorticoid, upon varied behavioral and physiological endpoints in rats. Experiments 1-3 showed prednisolone to produce marked hypodipsia, body weight loss, selective adrenal gland atrophy, hyperactivity, hyperalgesia, altered grasping responses, hyperglycemia, enhanced predation, and conditioned taste aversion. Most of these findings were directly dependent upon dose, and where explored, number of treatments. The remaining ten studies examined both acute and …

Reinforcement Increases The Strength Of An Elicited Response, Michael D. Peters

Dissertations

A response initially produced by noncontigent fixed-time delivery of brief electric shock was strengthened by reinforcement. Following the fixed-time shock baseline condition, response contingent shock absence (avoidance) was programmed for the lower probability of two response options for one group of squirrel monkeys. For the other group the interposed history was variable-interval food reinforcement. When responding was reliably maintained reinforcement was discontinued and a return made to fixed-time shock conditions as programmed prior to reinforcement. Upon a return to original conditions, rates were substantially elevated over baseline with the elevation sustained for many sessions. The avoidance group showed the most …

The Intuitive Dimension Of The Therapist's Consciousness: A New Paradigm, Bonnie Marie Truax

Dissertations

The major purpose of this study was the examination of the incidence and nature of the intuitions of therapists. A secondary purpose was to create and evaluate an alternative approach to the study of human subjective experience. The research was completed in three phases.

Phase 1 involved creating a paradigm about intuition based on historical perspectives and viewpoints. Sixteen basic theoretical constructs about intuition were developed following an extensive synthesis and integration of philosophic and psychological literature.

In Phase 2, the paradigm was evaluated using the constant comparative method of qualitative analysis, which allows for the continual emergence of new …

The Effect Of Task Responsibilities On Assistant Principals' Roles, Sandra B. Sirotti

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect that increased responsibilities had on the assistant principal's role. Because of increased responsibilities, it was believed that the assistant principals had been forced to become more task and less person oriented as a result of inadequate time to deal with both tasks and people. The study was designed to ascertain whether there had been growth in task responsibilities and, if so, whether the growth had caused the role to become more task than person oriented.

The sample consisted of 400 Michigan assistant principals. From this sample, 67% of the administrators …

Predicting Agency Survival As A Function Of Constituency Support In The Michigan Mental Health System, R. Dee L. Woell

Dissertations

Two public facilities for the mentally ill, Michigan Institute for Mental Health and Lafayette Clinic were examined, using a framework provided by Douglas R. Boulter (1983). The basic research question was, why did Lafayette Clinic survive while Michigan Institute did not?

The following research propositions were explored: (1) Organizations that receive strong constituency and media support are more likely to survive than those which do not; (2) Program success or failure is dependent on the decision-maker's perception of the sum of public support; (3) The media serves both as a carrier of opinion and as an influential actor in its …

The Implementation Of Deterrence: A Multi-Approach Assessment Of The Impact Of Recent Changes In Anti-Drunk Driving Legislation On Reducing Alcohol-Involved Fatalities, Josef R. Soper

Dissertations

The objective of this study is to determine if anti-drunk driving legislation, enacted between January 1979 and December 1983, has significantly reduced the number of alcohol-involved traffic fatalities.

At the macro-level, 60 consecutive months of alcohol-involved fatality data were requested from the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Sixteen states supplied the requested data. The Box-Jenkins technique for interrupted time-series analysis was used to determine if a change in the state's drunk driving law impacted the frequency of alcohol-involved fatalities in that state. Results are discussed in relation to the statewide impact of anti-drunk driver legislation.

At the micro-level, …

Beyond Contingency Theory: Environment, Structure, And Administrator's Coping Ability In The Public Sector, Shyu-Tu Lee

Dissertations

In the last two decades, organizational-environment contingency theory has attracted much attention. A great deal of research has been done on investigating the impact of environment on organizations, suggesting the appropriate design of organizational structure. In recent years, organizational theorists have moved to investigate proactive approaches to organizational environments.

Most empirical studies, however, have been conducted in the private sector. In order to transfer the knowledge to the public sector, it is necessary to investigate whether public organizations are also subjected to environmental influence and how public administrators interact with the environment.

This study investigated the following three questions: (1) …

Scientific-Technological Dependency And Uneven Development: The Case Of Iran, Abdullah Mehdipour

Dissertations

With the decline of various forms of military and economic power of the more industrialized countries (MICs) as the primary control structure for maintaining the dominance/dependence relationships with the less industrialized countries (LICs) in the international political and economic system, science and technology has emerged as a significant means for sustaining international status quo.

The problem of the study was stated in two questions. First, why and how Iran (an LIC) became dependent on more industrialized countries' science and technology. Second, what effect(s) did Iran's scientific-technological dependency have on its social structure, and what is the more appropriate strategy for …

The Effects Of Reward And Reinforcement On Intrinsic Interest, Alyce Muzette Dickinson

Dissertations

Under certain circumstances, rewarding individuals for performing a task that they enjoy may decrease their subsequent interest in that activity when rewards are no longer available. Decreased task interest is not, however, an inevitable outcome of reward and the subsequent termination of reward. This study investigated one variable that may influence whether task interest will increase or decrease following reward termination: the degree to which the reward is reinforcing. The study also examined how long post-reward performance changes persisted when they occurred.

A multiple-trial, within-subject comparison design was employed in which three reward phases were alternated with post-reward phases. Two …

The Use Of An Incentive System To Increase Worker Performance In A Financial Setting, Steven S. Armstrong

Dissertations

The use of merchandise as a consequence in a performance based incentive system was assessed in a financial setting. Points were earned by each subject based on individual daily performance. These points were collected by each subject and used toward the purchase of merchandise. A multiple baseline across two groups of bank tellers showed substantial increases in worker behavior after the onset of contingent points. Differences between groups existed and an analysis is provided. Follow-up data revealed sustained performance and a cost-benefit analysis demonstrated substantial savings.

A History Of The “Hattiesburg American”, Patt Foster Roberson

Dissertations

This dissertation did not include an Abstract.

This dissertation is a study of the history of the Hattiesburg American , a local newspaper in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is also a study of the development of local newspapers in the United States.

The Development And Evaluation Of An Educational Therapeutic Group Procedure To Assist Preadolescent Children To Process Parental Divorce, Donna K. Prins

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate an educational therapeutic group procedure to assist preadolescent children to understand and assimilate the process of parental divorce.

The group procedure is a short term therapeutic approach which focused on general problems experienced by children processing parental divorce. A prestructured format was developed, and the entire procedure was designed to occur in a small group setting.

The major goal of the study, developing the group procedure Things Have Changed At My House, was accomplished. The complete text of the procedure is contained in the appendix of the dissertation.

Both process …

Organizational Deviance In The Direct Selling Industry: A Case Study Of The Amway Corporation, Carol Lynn Juth-Gavasso

Dissertations

Drawing upon the literatures of organizational theory, sociology, criminology, and entrepreneurship, the intent of this study was to develop a theoretical model which would explain the creation and maintenance of organizational deviance in a direct selling organization. Based upon the work of Cole, Finney and Lesieur, Hughes, Gross, and Vaughan the utility of the model is illustrated with data gathered on the Amway Corporation, a multilevel direct selling organization. The model takes into consideration (1) the environment of the organization; (2) the goals of the organization; (3) the structure of the organization; and (4) the pressures, constraints, and controls which …

The Effect Of Medicaid Billing On Service To Developmentally Disabled Adults, Kambiz Alavi

Dissertations

This study provides a detailed analysis of the daily service delivery records before and after the introduction of a Medicaid Billing Form at a day-activity center for developmentally disabled adults. The form required therapists to record daily service delivery (in 15-minute units) to Medicaid eligible clients. There were 38 clients, 23 Medicaid and 15 non-Medicaid, and four therapists. The data showed, for three of the four therapists, a clear and large increase in reported service delivery to Medicaid clients and a smaller increase to non-Medicaid clients. Six months after the introduction of the Medicaid Billing Form the therapists were required …