Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Intergenerational Relations In The Workplace : Older Women And Their Younger Women Co-Workers, Julie Suzanne Reynolds

Dissertations and Theses

Women aged 55 and older have been participating actively in the American work force and recently have been drawing increased attention from researchers in the social sciences (Ashbaugh & Fay, 1987) . This study examines the nature of service work performed by older part-time women workers and their younger women co-workers, and the relationship between the two generations in the workplace.

The following research questions guided this exploratory study: Do the older women workers and their younger women co-workers report that there have been changes in the co-workers' work since the older women began working at the job site? What …

Terrain Disturbances By Winter Roads In The Lower And Central Mackenzie River Valley, N.W.T., Canada, Christoph Gnieser

Dissertations and Theses

Winter roads, built from compacted snow and I or ice, are common throughout the circumpolar North. They are considered effective and economical means of providing seasonal access into permafrost terrain while minimizing the potential for environmental damage.

The purpose of this study is an appraisal of long-term environmental impacts of winter roads by comparative assessment of terrain morphology, microclimate, permafrost, soils, and vegetation, on winter road right-of-ways and in adjacent undisturbed control areas.

Employment Decline In The Douglas-Fir Region's Lumber And Plywood Industries: An Analysis Of Structural And Cyclical Factors, Majid Rasoolzadeh

Dissertations and Theses

Over the years a significant decline in employment had occurred in the Douglas-fir region’s lumber and wood products industry. High levels of unemployment can lead to undesirable economic and social effects. An understanding of the nature of unemployment can facilitate future planning as well as mitigating current problems. This study has attempted to examine the underlying causes of employment decline in the region’s softwood lumber and plywood industries, specifically over the period 1979-86. This time span is of particular importance since there was a rapid decline in employment levels after 1979. There has been much controversy over the causes of …

The Relationship Between A Private Voluntary Organization And The Government Of A Developing Country In The Delivery Of Public Education: A Case Study In Rural Guatemala, Timothy John Peterson

Dissertations and Theses

As government agencies face a complexity of economic and political issues the availability and utilization of resources through private voluntary organizations (PVOs) have become increasingly important. A review of the literature covering the role of PVOs in developing countries indicates the significant contribution these agencies can have in the development process. There are only a handful of situations where small organizations are working directly with a government agency in the provision of a public service. Theoretically, PVOs are adaptable to a variety of settings, are effective conduits for delivering aid to the grassroots level, and are able to initiate long …

Pragmatic Conversational Skills Of Children Identified As Emotionally Disturbed, Deidre Winder

Dissertations and Theses

Communication refers to the conveyance of intended messages so that the listeners' attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors are changed. Communication through a language system may be thought of as the integration of the three components of content (semantics), form (syntax), and use (language in context or pragmatics). The corning together of content, form, and use in signs, words, phrases, and discourse is the essence of language development. The synergism of content/form/use makes up language competence, or knowledge. When children speak and understand a message, they have a plan that is knowledge of language and they use that plan for the behavior …

The Relationship Between School Integration And Student Attitude Toward Residential Racial Integration, David Allen Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined factors related to the teaching effectiveness of adjunct faculty in higher education. Specifically, it explored the relationship between personality, as defined by the Five-Factor Model, occupation, and student ratings of teaching effectiveness. Results indicate that personality is correlated to an instructor's classroom behavior and education goals, which in turn are related to teaching effectiveness. In addition, instructors with occupations in social services and education had significantly higher mean teaching effectiveness scores than those from other occupations. Finally, there was an inverse relationship between age and teaching effectiveness in this study, and a positive relationship between teaching experience …

Study Of Referential And Display Questions And Their Responses In Adult Esl Reading Classes, Susan Lindenmeyer

Dissertations and Theses

The technique of asking questions in the classroom has prevailed in first language classes for many years. This teaching technique has also been widely used in ESL reading classes. Though there has been extensive research about teachers' questions and students' responses in first language classrooms, there is a paucity of studies in second language classrooms.

This is a descriptive study of six experienced college level English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers and their discussions of the same reading selection with ninety-eight non-native speakers in each of their classes. Teacher-led discussions were audiotaped and twenty minutes of each class were …

Students' Orientations Toward Dreams And The Development Of Scales For Their Measurement, John Philip Governale

Dissertations and Theses

The present study explores the knowledge, attitudes, and opinions about dreams held by 394 high school, community college, and university students, and examines the interrelations among these students' responses to questions concerning such knowledge, attitudes, and opinions. A modified and extended form of George Domino's Questionnaire About Dreams (QAD) was used for obtaining a descriptive account of students' orientations toward dreams. Scales were developed for summarizing respondents' orientations toward dreams, and the reliability and validity of these scales was investigated. The reliability of scales for assessing respondents' attitudes, psychodynamic orientation, and to a lesser degree paranormal orientation was demonstrated. A …

A Study In The Language Acquisition Styles Of Language Delayed Toddlers, Shelly Saunders

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the present study was to determine if language delayed toddlers, 18 to 30 months of age, were at one end of the referential/expressive continuum. It was this researcher's hypothesis that due to the restricted vocabulary of children who use an expressive language style, that the delayed toddlers would tend to be more expressive speakers.

When Older Mothers Work : Adult Children's Perceptions Of Maternal Employment Effects Christine B. Nelson, Christine B. Nelson

Dissertations and Theses

The effects of maternal employment on the young child have been examined for over 50 years. This research focuses on perceived maternal employment effects at a later point in the family life cycle: when mother is older and children are grown. Thirty-two poverty level women aged 56-83 (M=66.4 years) and their adult sons (n=l 6) and daughters (n= 16) were independently interviewed. All of the older women were paid workers or "stipended volunteers" who were employed part time (20 hours a week) in child care, clerical, or other service jobs. They had a variety of work histories; all were widowed …

Spatial Manipulation As A Covariant Of Mental Practice, Vincent James Wolff

Dissertations and Theses

This experiment examined the relationship between a subject's ability to manipulate spatial relationships and utilize mental practice in the mirror drawing ability of 45 naive volunteer college students, using a six-pointed star track. The spatial manipulation abilities of all subjects were assessed with the Minnesota Paper Form Board Test, after which the subjects were divided into three treatment groups (no practice, mental practice, and physical practice) of 15 subjects using a blocked random design based upon their MPFBT scores. All three groups were trained in the mirror drawing task and given three physical practice pre-trials for familiarization. The physical practice …

The Least Preferred Co-Worker Scale As A Predictor Of Leadership Behavior In Work Settings, Jenell Arlene Streeter

Dissertations and Theses

This study evaluates the construct validity of the Least Preferred Co-worker (LPC) Scale by testing the predictions made by the motivational hierarchy hypothesis. The respondents were one hundred fifty-nine supervisors and managers. The LPC determined leadership style as either relationship-oriented or task-oriented. Situational control was measured by the Leader-Member Relations scale, Task Structure scale, and Position Power scale. Consideration behavior, measured by the adapted LBDQ, reflected a need for interpersonal success. Initiation of structure behaviors, measured by the adapted LBDQ, reflected a need for task success. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) High LPC leaders in high control situations engage in …

Phrasal Verbs In Academic Lectures, Robert D. Pierce

Dissertations and Theses

Phrasal verbs are a pervasive and distinctly Germanic part of the spoken English language that has been alive for centuries. They have preceded American history, and yet considered to be "the most active and creative pattern and word formation in the American language" (Meyer, 1975). Distinctly colloquial, idiomatic and varying in shades of literalness and figurativity, phrasal verbs are largely dominant in casual usage, such as conversation, while the Latinate verbs of English are dominant in formal usage, such as in making reports (McArthur 1989). While foreign educators and their students, such as from Chinese countries, are found to emphasize …

Intercultural Adjustment Problems Of Costa Rican Students In The United States, Patricia Gonzalez

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the adjustment problems Costa Ricans face while living and studying in the United States. The main concern of this thesis is to identify the intercultural communication problems that arise fundamentally from differences in value systems.

Cultural Value Differences In Arguments Between Presidents Ronald Reagan And Oscar Arias, Juan Carlos Flores

Dissertations and Theses

Costa Rica embodies many of the characteristics which the United States would like to foster in Central America and elsewhere. In recent years, however, misunderstandings have often been present in the development of relations between both nations, and leaders. These differences have been particularly visible between Presidents Reagan and Arias when carrying out their foreign policies towards Central America.

Recent developments in warfare, social and political unrest and economic crises in the region added to the emergence of a Central American political leadership--independent of U.S. decision making-have increased international misunderstandings between both political speakers. These misunderstandings are shown by Reagan …

The Effect Of Media On The Listening Comprehension Scores Of Intermediate Esl Students, Marian Tyson

Dissertations and Theses

The use of videotapes has become widespread in ESL classes in recent years. The decline in cost of tapes and VCR equipment has assisted in the spread of this technology. These tapes are often used in listening comprehension classes and may replace or supplement the use of audiotapes. However, research has not established that the addition of the visual element, especially in the movie or TV type context of many videos, is an advantage to the language learner.

A total of seventy-six students participated in a listening comprehension recall exercise. Thirty-nine students viewed a videotape segment, and the remaining thirty-seven …

An Analysis Of Us/Soviet Arms Control: Adding A Subsystem Perspective, Peter Millard Olson

Dissertations and Theses

Analyses of US/Soviet arms control have usually focused on domestic variables to explain US/Soviet arms control behavior. Partly because the number of negotiating parties is only two, there is a propensity to focus on the bilateral relationship of the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective domestic political situations. Only superficial attention has usually been given to international systems variables that may well influence the domestic political situation and arms control policy.

This thesis broadens the explanatory scope of US/Soviet arms control by showing how the political environment of a trilateral relationship (a subsystem that includes the West …

A Correlational Study Of Cognitive Style Measured By The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator And The Witkin Group Embedded Figure, Leith Wood Muessle

Dissertations and Theses

A review of the literature suggests a coincidence of personality characteristics among the cognitive styles defined by Field Dependence-Independence and the Myers-Briggs type preferences. This thesis proposed these independent measures of cognitive style tap common cognitive processes and hypothesized the Myers-Briggs dimensions of Extraversion-Introversion (EI), Sensing-Intuition (SN), and Judgement-Perception (JP) would correlate positively and Thinking-Feeling (TF) would correlate negatively with the dimension Field Dependence-Independence (FD-FI) as measured by the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT). The relationships of gender, age, and intelligence to the prediction of field-dependence-independence were also tested.

Blockmodeling Network Data From Six Small Towns: An Assessment Of Organizational Typologies, Peter J. Collier

Dissertations and Theses

A major question in the study of complex organizations is whether it is possible to develop a useful taxonomy which identifies the crucial aspects of organizations and classifies them in a significant manner. One group of typologies of complex organizations focuses on the relationship between the organization and its environment. The purpose of this thesis is to test the validity of three existing typologies of complex organizations, each of which focuses on one aspect of the relationship between organizations and their environment. The major innovation in this research is the use of block modeling, a form of network methodology, to …

The Degree Of Assimilation Of The Second And Third Generation Of Japanese Americans In The Portland Area, Hisako Matsuo

Dissertations and Theses

Japanese Americans have been identified as one of the most successful minority groups in the United States of America because of their achievement of high socioeconomic status. This study focuses on the degree and process of assimilation of Japanese Americans in this country in order to reconsider multiple assimilation theories of minority groups. Three questions were raised: 1) the extent to which both the second and third generation of Japanese Americans are assimilated into American society; 2) how far the third generation is assimilated compared to the second generation; and 3) what the identity of the second and third generation …

Communication And Socialization Skills Of Three Year Olds With A History Of Language Delay, Pamela Susan Dahm

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare receptive language, expressive language, and socialization skills of preschool children who have a history of expressive language delay (ELD) with age mates who have a history of normal language development.

Chinese Voices: Towards An Ethnography Of English As A Second Language, Diane Niblack Fox

Dissertations and Theses

This study draws on ethnographic methods to provide background information for the English as a Second Language teacher who looks out at the classroom and asks, "Who are these Chinese students?" The goal is to let Chinese students describe for themselves their experiences learning English, both in China and in the United States.

Awareness Of Biculturalism In Families Of Intercultural Marriage, Eleesabeth Carol-Therese Vieira

Dissertations and Theses

The overall purpose of this preliminary study is to generate more information in the area of intercultural marriage. The specific objectives of the study are to explore the extent to which families of intercultural marriage are aware of the issues of biculturalism that are discussed as significant in the literature; the extent to which partners of intercultural marriage discuss these issues with one another or with their children; the extent to which the family members' subjective reports of "awareness" are consistent.

Designing An Instructor's Manual For Introducing Cultural Concepts In The Medical School Curriculum, Barbara C. Nicodemus

Dissertations and Theses

Medical educators recognize the need for including cultural insights into the training of future physicians. This instructor's manual suggests selected journal articles and guidelines for their use in each of the clinical courses to illustrate the relevance of culture, inter- and intraethnic differences, an attitude of cultural relativity, and the importance of language use and communications skills for medical practice. The articles are found in journals typically available to medical students. This manual provides a baseline integrative approach applicable to other specialized training programs. A recommendation is made for evaluation and revision of history-taking interview forms to elicit additional culture-specific …

An Estimation Of Relatedness Within Two Oregon Populations Using Isonymy Analysis, Maria Michalczyk

Dissertations and Theses

The study of human relatedness has long interested the population geneticist. One technique for the estimation of population relatedness is the use of isonymy analysis. The isonymy inbreeding coefficient is analogous to Wright's inbreeding coefficient F. Isonomy analysis can yield comparable results to population studies done by other means such as pedigree analysis, serological studies, and anthropometric analysis.

The data used for this study was obtained from marriage records and telephone directories. Same last name marriages were observed for legitimacy and recorded when verified. A pool of last names were drawn from the marriage records. This list was used to …

Development Of Morphological Forms In Four-Year-Old Children, Catherine Anderson Thompson

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate morphological development in 4-year-old children. Two tests were utilized and compared to see if there was a significant difference between the expression of meaningful and nonmeaningful words. The first test, a modified version of the Test for Examining Expressive Morphology (TEEM), used meaningful words to assess allomorphic variations of six bound morphemes. The second test, a modified version of Berko's Test of English Morphology (BTEM), assessed the same allomorphic variations, but it used nonmeaningful words.

Exploratory Study: Preparation By Japanese Parents In The U.S. For Their Children's Reentry To Japan From An Intercultural Communication Perspective, Noriko Nakagawa

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to discover whether or not the Japanese parents who are temporarily staying in the U.S. with their children are anticipating the possibility of psychological and communicative problems their children may face as returnees, and to what extent the Japanese parents discuss these potential problems with their husbands and/or with their children. The question also asked whether or not the Japanese parents are doing anything to prepare themselves and/or their children to cope with the potential problems which their children may face as returnees.

Attitudes Of Control And Weight Management, Carolyn Lee Edwards Wright

Dissertations and Theses

Applications of locus of control theory to weight loss programs have yielded inconsistent results. This study attempts to clarify "control" by looking at two different factors. Maximum control is the degree of perceived control inherent in the event itself, and personal control is the degree to which the event is perceived controllable by the individual. These two factors were also examined in two types of situations to determine whether individuals have one global outlook on control, or if they make a distinction between control in some situations as opposed to control in other situations. Seventy-four female subjects completed a 16 …

Goals Of International Exchange: An Exploratory Study Of Why American Host Families Participate In International Exchange Programs, Deborah L. Fisher-Moore

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis presents the findings of a descriptive study of goals of international exchange and how they are perceived in terms of relevance by host family participants in homestay exchange programs.

The literature of international exchange was examined to identify goals as established and defined by researchers in the field. Experienced exchange coordinators, host families and others were interviewed for their suggestions of additional goals not discussed in the literature. A survey questionnaire was developed and administered to 69 host family members from Tillamook County, Oregon. They were asked to evaluate the importance and achievement of 14 literature-based and 22 …

Correlation Of Preschoolers' Performance On Three Language Comprehension Tests, Alissa Clare Nordlund

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, (PPVT-R) and receptive subtest of the Preschool Language Scale (PLS), and between the PPVT-R and the Test of Auditory Comprehension of Language-Revised (TACL-R), as well as determine how the tests compare in identifying children in need of further evaluation in the area of receptive language. The reasoning behind the goal of this study was to determine that if the three tests showed a strong, positive correlation and identified the same children as needing further assessment, then perhaps the test which was easier and …