Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Sosad (Save Our Son And Daughters) A Preliminary Study Of A Unique Self-Help Group And Grass-Roots Movement, Dronamraju Rani Sailaja

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is an ethnographic study of SOSAD (Save Our Sons And Daughters), which is a Detroit-based, self-help organization of parents and relatives whose children have been killed by other children. This organization formed through the collective effort of a group of parents led by Ms. Clementine Barfield whose son was killed in Detroit. The organization has the following objectives: a) Providing a support group for the parents whose children are killed. b) Actions to increase awareness of the problem and to create programmes aimed toward prevention of crime and the protection of the community. c) Lobbying for legislation to prevent …

Perceived Social Adjustment And Social Support Among Heads= Injured Adults In Windsor/Essex County, Sabine Huege

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory-descriptive study investigated the perceived social supports and social adjustments of head injured adults in Windsor/Essex County. In a face-to-face interview, questionnaires were administered to twenty head injured adults (n = 20). The sample responded to questions in the areas of socio-demographics, rehabilitation social and involvement, recreational and informal major activities, social life life peers). A separate supports scale adjustments, satisfaction, self-esteem, (i.e., family, friends and indicating the severity of disability of each respondent was also completed by the interviewer.

Major findings revealed: 1) that the socio-demographic profile of the sample was similar to those in other studies reported …

Looking Glass Self In Eating Disorders: Breakdown Of Self In Women, Marion E. Keith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are studied from the perspective of symbolic interactionist "self" theory, and a model is developed suggesting components in the process of the breakdown of the looking glass self. The process is based in characteristic views toward the self and others. These views include the primacy of appearance in self-appraisal, coupled with low self-esteem and negative views of the subject's body; conformist (oversocialized) attitudes toward achievement, roles, social groups, gender relations, families; and, a high degree of importance in the perceived negative judgements of others.

Significant objects in the individuals' lives hold negative meanings related to body …

The Relationship Between Age-And Sex-Specific Death Rates And Quality Of Life Factors In The South Dakota Population 65 Years Of Age And Older In 1960, 1970 And 1980, Joyce I. Nelson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated age- and sex-specific death rates in South Dakota Counties among the population 65 and over in 1960, 1970 and 1980. Census Bureau and Vital Statistic data were employed to answer the basic question of how death rates and quality of life factors were related. Quality of life factors included; economics, urbanization, health technology, and education, which were operationalized at the county level. A description of county quality of life factors and age- and sex-specific death rates for males and females was presented. County death rates for the older population were regressed with county quality of life factors …

The Social Role Of The Church : Alienation Or Mediation?, John O. Umoh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research has a three-fold purpose: first, to assess the presence, or lack thereof, of alienation in a sample from the rural Farm population; second, to assess the role of the church in helping reduce feelings of alienation; and third, to determine the extent to which church membership and participation enhances personal empowerment and transformative action. The following questions are addressed in the study: 1. Is there evidence of alienation in this rural farm population? 2. If so, who are alienated? 3. Is alienation associated with church membership? 4. Is church membership associated with transformative action? 5. How are alienation …

An Analysis Of The Exchange Relationships In A Voluntary Organization Network Undergoing Structural Change, Gary A. Goreham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using Richard Emerson's exchange network analysis, exchange relations in the South Dakota 4-H program were examined. South Dakota 4-H is comprised of both paid staff and volunteer leaders. It is currently undergoing structural change through the implementation of the Key Leader System. The Key Leader System involves appointing county level Key Leaders and club level Project Leaders to disseminate information to 4-H members and to assist them with their projects. Survey data, interviews, and State Fair results were collected to test hypotheses generated by exchange network analysis. Both clubs and counties varied in the degree to which they had implemented …

The Relationship Between Selected Demographic, Socioeconomic And Geo-Ecological Factors And Age-Specific Net Migration In South Dakota For 1950-60, 1960-70 And 1970-1980, John W. Meyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between various demographic, socioeconomic and geo-ecological factors and the process of age-specific net migration in South Dakota for the decades of 1950-60, 1960-70 and 1970-80. Census Bureau, Department of Education, Soil Conservation Service and vital statistics data were employed to answer the basic question of how demographic, socioeconomic and geo-ecological characteristics of counties of South Dakota were related to the patterns of age-specific net migration. For this study, four descriptive activities were completed. More specifically, mid-decade survival rates were calculated, age-specific net migration rates were determined, patterns of age-specific net migration for the past three …

A Comparison Of Personality Types Between Deans/Directors Of Continuing Education And Chief Academic Officers In Selected Post-Secondary Institutions In North Carolina, Mary F. Joseph

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem was to determine whether significant relationships existed between the personality types of deans/directors of continuing education and chief academic officers in institutions of higher education in North Carolina. Literature was reviewed in order to determine the research that had been completed using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) with administrators in post-secondary institutions. A demographic questionnaire was developed to ascertain information about the type and size of the institutions, as well as data about the respondent. All post-secondary institutions, excluding business and trade schools, in North Carolina were included in the study. The dean/director of continuing education and chief …

Pattern And Variation In Prehistoric Lithic Resource Exploitation In The Passamaquoddy Bay Region, Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Anita L. Crotts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines some factors that affected choice and use of lithic resources among prehistoric peoples living within a restricted geographical area during a period of 2500 years. The raw materials of chipped stone tools from six shell middens, habitation sites in the Passamaquoddy Bay region of southwestern New Brunswick, are identified. These include rocks that are atypical of the regional geology. Source areas of indigenous materials are located. Canoe transport made the native resources accessible to the inhabitants of the sites under study, and probably facilitated acquisition of non-native rocks.

The effect that distance had on lithic resource exploitation …

The Identification And Degree Of Implementation Of Multiethnic/Multicultural Education Programs In Selected School Districts, Elizabeth A. Saunders

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was: (1) to identify and report the state departments of education in the United States implementing multiethnic/multicultural education programs; (2) to identify and report school districts, identified by their respective state departments of education, implementing multiethnic/multicultural education programs; (3) to determine the types of multiethnic/multicultural education programs, the thrust of the programs, and how the programs were initiated in the school districts; and (4) to determine the degree of implementation of the Curriculum Guidelines for Multiethnic Education, published by the National Council for the Social Studies, in the selected school districts. A total of thirty-two …

H. L. Loucks And The Dakota Ruralist: Voices Of Reform, Thom Guarnieri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From Ch. 1:
It is the purpose of this paper, then, to study the impact that H. L. Loucks may have had on three major issues of South Dakota populism already stated: the populist position in the state, the formation of a third party and fusion with the Democrats. Neither major state historian of the period--George Kingsbury nor Doane Robinson--has been kind in his assessment of Loucks and the state's populists. Kingsbury, according to Yale historian Howard R. Lamar, hinted they were "a combination of cranks and demagogues." Robinson has even admitted insinuating that Loucks was a crook--a mistake he …

Of Another World: The Jehovah's Witnesses, William Wesley Zellner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Of Another World is an account of how the Jehovah's Witnesses recruit new members and retain these converts in the face of a skeptical world. The study also attempts to advance a theoretical model toward a generic and generalized account for conversion to a group with a devalued religious perspective. The model, developed by John Lofland in his study of the members of the Unification Church, appears with some modification, to be generalizable to the Jehovah's Witnesses. After modification, the model is still applicable to members of the Unification Church. It is argued that the social characteristics of a group …

Alienation Of Rural Youth In South Dakota, Mohammad S. Zakikhani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are two purposes of this research. The first purpose is to assess the presence of alienation in a sample of rural youth. The second purpose is to assess the relationship between the occurrence of alienation among rural youth and their plans for out- migration. The problem of concern in this project is addressed in terms of three questions. First, are rural youth alienated? Second, if alienation exists among rural youth, who is alienated? Third, if alienation exists among rural youth, does this experience relate to migration plans? Seeman's conceptualization of alienation as powerlessness, normlessness and isolation is applied in …

Outer Space Law: A Novel Experiment In The Making Of International Law, Michele Daphne Mccarthy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The general purpose of this paper is to discuss how outer space and the exigencies that it has placed upon the international law-making system have been dealt with in the formulation of outer space law. Outer space law was drafted in a manner parallel to that of international law with the same sources and the same drawbacks. This paper will outline how international law has been modified to form outer space law by attempting to apply Earth-bound standards and relevant traditionaJ sources of international law. -

Factors Influencing Manufacturing Development In South Dakota, Wayne R. Goeken

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The general objectives of this study are two-fold: (1) To explore how the extent and type of rural industrialization being experienced in South · Dakota differs among types of communities and local labor sheds. (2) To draw policy and planning conclusions that can be used. by rural industrial development entities at the community, district, and state levels in South Dakota. To achieve these two general objectives, the following specific study objectives will be pursued: (1) To determine relationships between the magnitude of manufacturing employment growth and various community and 'local labor shed characteristics. (2) To determine relationships between the type …

A Study Of The Elderly's Anticipated Participation In Educational Activities, Roger Reed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the extent to which persons who are fifty through sixty- nine years of age anticipate participating in educational activities; (2) to determine how the conditions under which educational activities are offered would effect [sic] the anticipated participation of the elderly, and (3) to ascertain what factors explain anticipated participation in educational activities of the elderly. The units of analysis were individuals who were at least fifty years of age but no more than seventy years of age on t heir last birthday and who had permanent residence within thirty-five miles …

The Effect Of Source-Message-Variants On Racial Attitude Change Among College Freshmen, Winfrey M. Ruffin, Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to determine how the racial attitudes of freshman students were reinforced or altered by variant stereotypic messages received from differing classroom instructors. A theoretical model and an associated set of propositions and hypotheses were formulated based on symbolic interactionism, consistency and dissonance theory, and information relating processes. The following research hypothesis was generated: Groups receiving variant messages, both as to source and content, will differ in the extent of change in the attitudes of their members toward persons of the opposite race. Twenty-six null hypotheses were formulated, covering different sourse [sic]-message variation as applied …

A Comparative Perspective On The Status Attainment Process Of White And Native American Youth, Leonard R. Decker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Status attainment, as commonly indicated by levels of educational and occupational achievement, is a complicated process. A variety of variables have been found to be quite influential in the determination of one's eventual position in the social hierarchy of American society. Research done jointly by William H. Sewell and Robert M. Hauser (1972, 1975) regarding the status attainment process has resulted in a Wisconsin model of Adolescent Achievement in which the authors have identified a number of experiences that have significant import for young people's post-high school educational and occupational attainments. The Sewell and Hauser model links socioeconomic origins and …

A Computerized Planning Model For Small Farms In Southeastern South Dakota, Rodney Gene De Smet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Structural changes in agriculture resulting in fewer and larger farms carries strong implications for smaller farms. Included in the small farm group are small, low-resource, and part-time farmers, some of which are unable to generate an adequate income due to limited resources. This research study has developed a managerial tool for assisting low-resource farmers in developing optimal farm plans. The planning model is an interaction of familiar components (budgets) with a complex mathematical model (linear progra111T1ing) to provide an efficient analytical tool for use by farmers to aid in their managerial process. This study has placed emphasis upon the development …

A Profile Of Women In Broadcasting In South Dakota, Kathy Mitchell Austad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to develop a profile of South Dakota's typical women broadcasters. The profile will report how long they have worked in broadcasting, what their age was when they started in the industry, how many stations they have worked for, if their previous job was in broadcasting, if they were living in the present town before they took their current job, how they first heard about the opening for their position, and why they entered the broadcasting profession. The study is also an attempt to find out the attitudes of women in broadcasting toward job performance, …

Aubrey Sherwood Of The De Smet News, Dale Blegen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The author has selected two major contributions by Sherwood for the focus of this paper--Sherwood 's roles in developing the Dunn interests and the Wilder interests. In order to put those efforts into perspective, the author will review the history of The News and provide a brief biography of Aubrey Sherwood, emphasizing the kind of editor and businessman he was. This will set the stage for the exploring of the relationship between Sherwood and Harvey Dunn and the years Sherwood spent promoting the works of Dunn. The paper also will record the manner in which Sherwood used The News to …

A Trade Area Study Of Kadoka, South Dakota, Loren G. Hill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The picturesque beauty of a small Midwestern town sitting amid the farmlands or ranchlands is a common image conjured up by many Americans thinking about life in rural

America. It inspires a familiar scene. A grain elevator usually breaks the skyline and is situated on the ever present railroad line. A water tower stands against the blue sky. One particular street, usually named Main, is lined on both sides with businesses and shops. This is the heart of a small town, surrounded by a body of homes, churches, a school, and a gas station or two. From the hinterland around …

The Magnitude And Timing Of Rail Abandonment Impacts On Selected Economic Variables For Rural South Dakota Communities, J. Michael Alley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the economic impacts of past branchline abandonments on rural South Dakota communities. In this chapter the factors and conditions leading to the abandonment of the branchlines are examined first. Then a section discussing the perspectives of the people and entities involved in the abandonment is presented. This is followed by the reasons for undertaking the study and the study objectives. Finally an overview of the remaining chapters is presented.

The Profitability Of Alternative Marketing Strategies, Freddie Joe Baatz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The general objective of this study is to evaluate alternative marketing strategies to determine the net return of each under varying conditions. Specific objectives were: 1. Identify marketing strategies which might be used by South Dakota corn and soybean growers to cope with changing market conditions.

2. Determine marketing strategies which maximized net return for corn and soybean growers’ for the crop years from 1972 through 1977.

3. Analyze the use of basis as a marketing strategy.

4. Estimate the cost of new on-farm storage facilities.

The Coteau Des Prairies: An Area Study, Orville E. Gab

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a systematic geographical analysis of the Coteau des Prairies of eastern South Dakota. The Coteau is a flatironed-shaped plateau about 200 miles in length pointing in a northerly direction (Fig.1). The northern tip of the flatiron-shaped Coteau ends at Sargents Point, North Dakota, about 15 miles north of Marshall County, South Dakota. The heel of the flatiron or the southern edge of the Coteau des Prairies would just about follow the border between Minnehaha and Lincoln Counties of South Dakota. The eastern edge of the Coteau's extent in South Dakota parallels the Minnesota border. In Deuel County, …

An Econometric Analysis Of The Cash Receipts From Crops In South Dakota, Dennis James Senger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is the intent of this research effort to fill a void left in the previous research efforts. This study will not be concerned with how farmers adjust production in response to price or government policies. The attempt will be made to adept single equation regression models to the examination of how the level of prices and supplies affect a major portion of the income farming sector receives, specifically the cash crop receipts. The specific objectives of this study are as follows: 1. To construct an economet5ric model of South Dakota crop receipts. 2. To demonstrate the model’s use as …

A Polyperiod Analysis Of Profit Maximizing Strategies With Beef Cow Herds Under Variable Weather Conditions In North Central South Dakota, David H. Jibben

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study used three polyperiod linear programming models to analyze the effects of several management strategies on the organization of a hypothetical 2,560 acre ranch in North Central South Dakota. Two models including three-year drought periods and one model with no drought were constructed. In building the two drought models, several assumptions concerning drought assistance to cattle producers were made and incorporated into the models. The major findings of the study were as follows: 1. A land use program using 620 acres of cropland and 1,800 acres of pasture land resulted in greater total profit than a land use program …

The Cost Of Transporting Grain By Truck In South Dakota With Special Reference To Proposed Rail Line Abandonment, Kenneth W. Keehn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of this thesis are: 1. Estimate the cost equations of transporting grain by farm truck and semi-trailer truck in South Dakota, 2. Estimate the cost of transporting grain by farm truck in the Watertown to Doland and Watertown to Stratford branch line market areas, and 3. Use the results of objectives 1 and 2 to evaluate various alternatives if branch line abandonment occurs in the above market areas. The alternatives to be studied are: a. Trucking grain to the nearest elevator without rail service and receiving less for grain, b. Trucking grain to the nearest elevator with rail …

Midwestern Mosaic: A Study Of The Homogeneity Of Ethnic Populations In Omaha, Nebraska, 1880, Kathleen Louise Fimple

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study is to delimit neighborhoods in an urban setting using the ethnic homogeneity of the population as the major criteria. The study will seek to compile data at a very large scale--i.e., city blocks or streets--and present cartographically an accurate delimitation of community and neighborhood. In addition, some analysis of the ethnic homogeneity of such areas will be carried out in order to assess the selective inclination of certain national groups to concentrate spatially. The specific study area is Omaha, Nebraska, in the year, 1880.

Factors Affecting South Dakota Guidance Counselors' Perceptions Of The Career Opportunities Of Native American Students, Janet A. Gullickson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of this study are as follows: 1. The identification of guidance counselors' perceptions of occupational opportunities existent for their Native American clients. 2. The determination of the extent to which the factors of race, sex and school location are associated with guidance counselors' perceptions of Native American students' occupational opportunities. 3. The development of a model to describe and predict differences in guidance counselors' perceptions of Native American students’ occupational opportunities. The objectives of this study coincide in part with the objectives of a larger research project ongoing in the Rural Sociology Department at South Dakota State University. …