Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Comparison Of The Academic And Behavioral Characteristics Of Children With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury And Children With Learning Disabilities, Leah R. Pace

Masters Theses

This study investigated the differences of academic and behavioral characteristics of children with a suggested history of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) and children with learning disabilities (LD). Parents were given a survey which asked about their child's history of any blow or hit to the head. Teachers were also given a survey which included a rating scale for specific academic and behavioral characteristics. Results indicated that the MTBI group was not different from the LD group. However, there was a significant difference between those children who had a blow or hit to the head that resulted in a loss …

Multimedia Presentations In Nutrition: College Students' Attitudes And Perceptions, Lisa Brooks

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Look At Profitability And Quality Of For-Profit Day Care Centers, Brenda G. Gray

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Relations Of Burnout To Elementary School Teachers, Special Education Beliefs, And Referral Expectations, Nichole A. Ledermann

Masters Theses

The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI; Maslach, Jackson, & Schwab, 1996), a teacher survey of expectations and preferences concerning case study evaluation referral, and demographic questions were completed by regular education elementary school teachers (n=88) in a midwestern city suburb. Results suggested that symptoms of burnout were not evident among this sample of professionals according to Maslach et al. (1996) criteria. Spearman Rho correlations between the MBI subscales and expectations or preferences to have students referred, tested and placed into special education services were not significant. Significant correlations were replicated among the subscales of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Results suggested that …

Co-Opertition: Competitive Communication Behavior During A Cooperative Task, Daniel M. Hlavac

Masters Theses

A combined effort of two classes at separate universities was examined. Each class boasted six groups which were paired with another group at the other university. These teams used computer mediated communication to engage in a cooperative task. The communications between groups were analyzed using conversational analytic techniques to reveal a competitive communication pattern. The results show that a lack of communication can produce competitive behaviors even in situations intended to nurture cooperation. Future concerns should focus on teaching groups to use computer mediated communication (CMC) to its fullest potential by recognizing and accounting for the critical differences between CMC …

Impact Of Amateur Educational Video Viewing On Language Acquisition Of Preschool Children, Jennifer L. Radcliffe

Masters Theses

Child language-learning is a complex process that varies for each individual child. Researchers have found that children learn from viewing professional television programs specifically designed for children, such as Sesame Street. Professional television programming principles can be adopted to produce amateur educational videos. Video may also be a viable option to provide repetitive models to improve vocabulary acquisition within speech-language pathology. The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of direct stimulation with amateur educational videos on a child's general and specific vocabulary acquisition.

A six-week experiment included an initial two-week control period, a two-week experimental period …

Young Children's Talk At Play: Orientation To Self And Orientation To The Joint Exigencies Of Conversation, Paige K. Parker

Masters Theses

This study employed a conversation analytic approach to determine how children in naturally constructed play episodes use language as an object of play and how children in their naturally occurring talk display orientation to their own individual activities and others' social actions. The participants were thirty-nine kindergarten and first grade students at South Elementary School in Marshall, Illinois. The study is based upon fifteen hours of conversation collected during recess periods. Relevant segments from the corpus were transcribed according to an adapted version of Jefferson's Transcript Notation System (1984). The findings suggested that (1) the groups of children used language …

Bosnian Civilian Survivors Of War In Exile And In Bosnia: A Comparative Study, Ines Lajla Matijas

Masters Theses

This study describes the psychological consequences of war for 111 female Bosnian civilians, 59 of whom are survivors in exile and 52 of whom are living in Bosnia. These participants, ages 18-23, completed anonymous self-report questionnaires which provided information about the prevalence of traumatic stress symptoms and the relationship between traumatic events experienced during the war and current symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Contrary to expectations, no significant differences were found in PTSD diagnosis and PTSD severity between survivors in exile and survivors in Bosnia. No significant differences were found between groups in the frequency of reexperiencing, avoidance and …

Perceptions Of Family Functioning And Suicide Attitudes, Stephanie Lynch

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the general functioning of a family is related to attitudes regarding suicide. Past research has examined the impact of family functioning on suicide attitudes and found that the relationship between families and children are different in families of suicidal children than in families who have nonsuicidal children. This study combined three variables of suicide acceptance, suicide normality, and perceptions of family functioning in the hopes of gaining more information to assess risk of harm to self in adolescents. The participants were 94 students from Introductory Psychology classes at Eastern Illinois University. …

An Exploratory Study Of High School And College Students Attitudes Toward Suicide, Kathy Jo Carroccio

Masters Theses

The present study examined whether demographics such as education level, age, gender, religious background, and experience with suicide affected individuals attitudes toward suicide with 93 college students. The Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ) was used to assess attitudes including: acceptability-normality; mental & moral illness; suicide as semi-serious; religion; risk; and normality. The Suicide Attitude Vignette Experience (SAVE) was used to measure attitudes toward a number of different problem areas. Church attendance was the best predictor of an individual's attitude toward suicide. Females scored higher, but not significantly so, on the sympathy, empathy, and agree scales of the SAVE. College students viewed …

A Comparison Between Afro-American And White College Student's Attitudes Toward Suicide, Christina M. Mentes

Masters Theses

The rate of suicide in the United States has increased considerably in recent years making research of suicidal behaviors an important avenue of study. Yet the rate of increase has been inconsistent across demographic variables such as gender, age, and ethnicity, making it difficult to determine risk factors and predictors of suicidal behavior. Previous studies have conflicting results as to whether or not it is possible to determine risk factors by measuring attitudes towards suicide, and whether or not certain demographic variables correlate with attitudes toward suicidal behavior. This study investigates attitudes toward suicidal behavior and demographic variables in order …

The Effects Of Timing And Type Of Judge's Instructions And Jurors' Beliefs On Verdicts And Sentence In A Child Sexual Assault Trial, Dawn R. (Campbell) Goldstein

Masters Theses

In order to investigate the effect of judge's instructions and juror beliefs, eighty-three undergraduate males enrolled in psychology classes at Eastern Illinois University participated in a simulated sexual abuse trial. Participants either heard standard instructions in which the judge instructed jurors to decide guilt or innocence based on evidence alone or standard instructions plus information regarding children's limitations as witnesses. Instructions occurred either after testimony or before and after testimony. Certainty of guilt was unrelated to either the timing or type of instructions. However with regard to sentence, there was a significant interaction between timing of instructions and type of …

Referral Biases In The Schools, Camela P. Hayes

Masters Theses

Biases influencing teachers' referral decisions for special education services were examined. Specific biases identified and addressed pertained to students' type of problem behavior, gender and socio-economic status (SES). Subjects included 120 regular elementary school teachers from the western Chicagoland area. A total of 8 vignettes describing a child with varying behavior difficulties, gender and SES, along with 2 questionnaires were utilized. An Analysis of Variance revealed that teachers are less tolerant of students who are disruptive and are more apt to refer them than students with emotional difficulties less overt in their manifestation. The effects of SES on referral decisions …

Growth And Development Of Street Gangs, Audrey D. Guymon

Masters Theses

This field study of the growth and development of street gangs was conducted in the spring of 1996 at a medium security prison utilizing a semi-structured interview with 69 inmates who were known present or former gang members. Since the sample was taken from a population of convicted felons, the results reflect the environment of the participants and may not be representative of gang members as a whole.

The field study determined that the majority of the participants came from two parent homes, had joined the gang between the ages of 9 and 15, lacked positive male role models, and …

Acculturation And College Attendance In Hispanic Students, Alma D. Najera

Masters Theses

This study investigated the relationship between acculturation and college attendance of Hispanic high school students. Acculturation is mainly associated with the degree to which one experiences cultural change toward the majority culture. It was theorized that acculturation would have a postive association with college attendance. Acculturation level, socioeconomic status and college attendance were the varibles utilized. The students filled out a questionnaire that was composed of 12 questions and five-self report questions. The Twelve qestions were taken from the Short Acculturation Scale, two questions regarding socioeconomic status were taken from the Hollingshead Scocioecomic Scale, with the remaining questions inquiring about …

Closing The Door: A Roll Call Analysis Of Immigration Voting In The 99th And 104th Congresses, Murray Stewart Leith

Masters Theses

The research focus of this study is the voting behavior of the elected members of the United States House of Representatives on the issue of national immigration. This work specifically focuses on selected immigration roll call votes taken during the 99th and 104th Congresses. An examination of the voting behavior of the 435 elected representatives from each year will be examined by considering eight hypotheses that question the immigration voting behavior of various sub groups within congress.

During the 1980s and 1990s Congress took several major legislative actions in regards to the issue of national immigration. It was hypothesized that …

What Can China Learn From East Asia's Economic Success?, Fang Xie

Masters Theses

East Asia has a remarkable record of high and sustained economic growth. From 1965 to 1990 the twenty-three economies of East Asia grew faster than all other regions of the world (World Bank 1993). Most of this achievement is attributable to seemingly miraculous growth in just eight economies: Japan; the "Four Tigers"--Hong Kong, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan; and the three newly industrializing economies (NIEs) of Southeast Asia--Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The success of these eight high performing Asian economies (HPAEs) in achieving rapid and equitable growth broadens our understanding of the range of policies that are consistent …

Father's Parenting Style And Childhood Mealtime Experiences: Predictors Of Bulimia, Marci C. Smith

Masters Theses

Although many factors may contribute to the etiology of bulimia (Killian, 1994; Root et al., 1986; Striegel-Moore et al., 1986; Weiss et al., 1994), only a few factors differentiate between individuals who will or will not develop bulimia nervosa. There is a need to further explore and narrow the determinants of bulimia nervosa in order to develop a universal model to understand and treat the disorder. This study investigates the extent that childhood mealtime experiences and father's parenting style contribute to the manifestation of bulimic symptoms. The Bulimia Test-Revised (Thelen & Farmer, 1991) is used to classify 146 college-age females …

The Relationship Among Family Environment Attributes, Personological Factors, Low Self-Esteem And Late Adolescent Problem Drinking, Kenneth L. Dalla Costa

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Birth Order And The Separation-Individuation Of Late Adolescents, Amy Loren Maddrey

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Computer Use, Exposure And Experience And Gender Issues Among Preschool Children, Michelle L. Meadows

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Empowering Parents In Their Child Care Decisions, Donna J. Coonce

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Conflict And Balance Among Asean Countries: Geopolitics And Security Issues, Akihito Yonekura

Masters Theses

This paper examines the changing geopolitical scene in Southeast Asia and regional security issues managed by the states belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). A crucial research question is "How has the end of the Cold War influenced the security perspectives of these nations?"

Historical research of the political cultures and complex ethnicities of the ASEAN countries shows causes of awkward relationships (originating in the colonial era) between them. For managing regional security issues, these countries have established several regional organizations, although most of them have failed. The withdrawal of the British and U.S. forces from Malaysia, …

Game Theory And The Application To Mainland China-Taiwan Relations From 1949-1995, Po-Tung Chang

Masters Theses

This study is dedicated to evaluating the capacity of game-theoretical models in analyzing and explaining international crises like mainland China-Taiwan relations. To highlight and reflect the nature of these complicated long-run relations, the author formulates a dynamic game model based on the combination of three well-known models, Deadlock, Prisoner's Dilemma, and Chicken instead of occupying one dominant model.

The mainland China-Taiwan relations (1949-1995) are divided into three individual phases in accordance with the configuration of game models: (1) the military confrontation phase (1949-78); (2) the peaceful competition phase (1978-86); and (3) the premature cooperation phase (1987-95). By generating and suggesting …

Solitas: An Evaluation Of A Non-Government Organization's Approach To Gender Needs In Latin America, Tara J. Vette

Masters Theses

This study is an evaluation of a project conducted by a non-government organization working with single women in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The focus of the evaluation was how Solitas, a non-government organization project approached gender-specific needs of the women. More specifically this study will ascertain if the skills learned by the women were sustainable, the amount of participation in decision making for the project and if the skills taught by the organization led to the participants organizing independently.

This evaluation was conducted by examining the organization's own reports concerning the progress of the project and the organization's gender policy. In …

The Relationship Of Crime Patterns To Social And Ecological Conditions In Grand Rapids, Michigan: 1980-1990, Christine L. Mcgavin

Masters Theses

The spatial distribution of the relationship between crime rates and urban ecology in Grand Rapids, Michigan over time is the focus of this study. Urban ecology can often be measured by indicators of social disorganization. Five crimes (larceny, burglary, robbery, aggravated assault, and homicide) were regressed with several indicators of social disorganization. The independent variables were poverty, transience, family disorganization, the percentage of youth in the population, race, and household density. Both violent and property crimes were strongly related to race while specific crimes were related to poverty, family disorganization, the percentage of youth in the population, and transience. Property …

Gender Consciousness, Patriarchy And The Indian Women’S Movement, Aparna Thomas

Masters Theses

The women's movement has a long history in India. There exists an active women's movement in India today. Furthermore, there also exists a strong legal environment to protect women's rights. However, the social status of the majority of Indian women remains unchanged. In other words, the women's movement has failed to change the social status of Indian women.

This thesis examines the Indian women's movement historically from the nineteenth century to the present to explain why it has not had a greater impact on changing the social status of Indian women.

I argue that the lack of change in the …

Japan's Oda (Official Development Assistance): Foreign Aid Policy And Practice In Asian Countries, Akiko Nakaya

Masters Theses

Two objectives of this study are (1) to examine the relationship between the Japanese people's perspectives and government policies toward Japan's foreign aid, and (2) to examine Japan's aid administration in Asia. Two significant aid philosophies of Japan are humanitarianism and interdependence among nations. A questionnaire survey was conducted in Japan to examine public attitudes toward Japan's foreign aid. The Japanese people support Japan's ODA. They recognize their duty to the world through its foreign aid. Both the public and the government put a high priority on humanitarianism; however, not many Japanese are aware of the interdependence factor.

Japanese aid …

An Analysis Of Democratic Consolidation In South Korea, Sangmook Lee

Masters Theses

This thesis focuses on the process of democratic consolidation in South Korea. Under the assumption that South Korea's democratic consolidation phase has not been completed, the thesis examines the problems and prospects of South Korean democratic consolidation in terms of its political, economic, and social aspects. In particular, from a comparative perspective on the Third Wave of democratization, the thesis deals with the changes, dynamics, and characteristics of South Korean democratization. Using a maximalist conception of democratic consolidation, the thesis analyzes how South Korean democracy is becoming consolidated in the political and socioeconomic spheres.

South Korea is undergoing a democratic …

Physician’S Willingness To Treat Hiv Positive Patients, Tania Tiara Kazanjian

Masters Theses

Two research questions guided the present study: (1) Are there physicians' traits that influence their willingness to treat HIV positive patients? (2) Are there patients' traits that influence physicians' willingness to treat HIV positive patients? A total of 12 independent variables were selected for this study, five of which were related to the following physicians' traits: age, religion, geography, OSHA training, and the method of health insurance compensation. The other seven related to patients' traits such as race, ethnic background, and the manner in which patients contracted the disease. Three modes of transmission selected for study reflected on patient behaviors …