Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Bias In Severe Thunderstorm And Tornado Warnings Issued By The National Weather Service In The Doppler Radar Era: A Spatial-Temporal Evaluation, Gary S. Votaw

Theses and Dissertations

A climatology of severe thunderstorm (damaging wind and/or hail) and tornadoes in the United States has established the location of the areas of highest frequency of occurrence. This climatology was attained through analysis of a basic data source, that of observed events, which carries many associated biases. Among these biases is the requirement that someone be on hand to witness the event no matter what time of the day or night, the assumption that the observer had sufficient visibility to see the event clearly, and whether there was something available on location to damage. In this study I use an …

A Survey Of The Availability Of School Library Media Center Catalogs On The Web, Matthew James Dibella Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

An important tool of a school library media center is the automation system. The media specialist uses this tool to manage the media center's collection and ensure that students have access to the best and most up to date accurate information. The purpose of having an automation system was to improve student access to the media center collection. The advancement in technology in the past three decades has expanded the role of school media specialists.

This survey of the number of school media centers that have their catalog available on the Web was analytical. It was conducted with the use …

Cultivating A Donor Base: How Colleges And Universities Use Public Relations Techniques To Influence Undergraduate Students To Become Donors, Heather Ann Sheridan

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines effective public relations techniques used by higher education fund raising professionals in cultivating an alumni donor base. The researcher surveyed fund raising professionals in the nation's top private and public colleges and universities. The researcher also conducted a personal interview with a top fund-raiser in the field of higher education.

Survey participants rated donor bases, identified when they begin to cultivate relationships for lifetime giving and the effectiveness of strategies to obtain alumni support. The researcher surveyed key fund-raisers from 124 of the nation's top colleges and universities. This study examined what strategies fund-raisers deemed effective in …

Does Working Together Work? A Study Of Collaboration Between Classroom Teachers And School Library Media Specialists, Carol Elizabeth Miller

Theses and Dissertations

The current research examined the practices of collaboration between teachers and school library media specialists. It also examined what levels of collaboration occurred between the two groups and what factors influenced their decisions regarding use of collaborative activities. Two electronic surveys were designed to give the researcher an idea of teachers' and library media specialists' use or non-use of collaboration and to determine what factors influenced the use or non-use of collaboration. Invitations to participate in the library media specialists' survey were posted using two online forums whose members are media specialists. The participating media specialists were invited to recruit …

The Reading Habits Of Elementary Students And The Potential Role Of The School Library Media Specialist, Elizabeth Reilly-Stern

Theses and Dissertations

A review of current and related literature showed girls were outscoring boys on reading tests in New Jersey, in the nation and in other countries as well. Students see reading as a feminine activity. Understanding the reading habits of students, particularly male students who read less, is crucial to help students become lifelong learners. By studying reading preferences it may be possible to influence students to read more. This study was designed to determine if girls in fact circulate more books than boys, and if girls specifically circulate more fiction books. Through surveying the school library media specialists and examining …

Public Library Services To Senior Patrons, Paul J. Brunner

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to determine the attitudes of senior patrons, those age 55 and older, about computer technology at the Cape May County Public Library. It was hoped that this information would provide insight into older adults' usage of OPACs, computers, and the Internet, suggesting areas for further research and leading to improved services to these patrons. Additionally, the following research questions were addressed: What computer resources do senior patrons use most frequently? For those senior patrons who do use the OPACs, computer, or the Internet, what is their level of competence or confidence with such …

The Extent To Which New Jersey Public Librarians Promote Early Literacy Skills, Kathleen M. Kelley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine, through the use of a questionnaire, the extent to which New Jersey public librarians were providing and promoting early literacy skills in their weekly preschool storytimes; the use by these librarians of the Every Child Ready to Read early literacy initiative, as well as the ways in which these librarians were accomplishing these tasks. This study also compared preschool storytimes offered by selected public librarians to Head Start programs and local nursery schools for children from birth to age five.

Responses to the questionnaire showed that all the participating public librarians used …

Library Access To Hispanic Books In Bridgeton, New Jersey, Donna Pettit

Theses and Dissertations

The Hispanic population is rapidly growing in Bridgeton, New Jersey. As the needs of the patrons change, hopefully the libraries are meeting those needs. The purpose of this study was to examine nine public libraries and public school libraries in Bridgeton, New Jersey to determine if they provided access to both Spanish-language and English books in their collections, books that reflect ethnic identities, backgrounds, history, and the culture of the Hispanic and specifically Mexican American population. The study surveyed nine libraries in Bridgeton using a combined bibliography of 78 award winning fiction Hispanic books. The researcher visited and checked each …

Parental Death And Its Impact On The Marital Satisfaction Of The Surviving Adult Child, Ryan Glenn Henry

Theses and Dissertations

Previous literature has identified parental death as having a negative impact on the physical and mental health of the surviving adult child. In addition, research suggests that the marital satisfaction of a male or female adult child is negatively impacted after either a father or mother has died. The purpose of this research is to further study this topic by examining longitudinal dyadic data to determine how the death of a parent or death of an in-law impacts marital interaction when certain mediating variables are taken into account. Some of the mediating variables included quality of the parent-child relationship, caregiving, …

Linkages Between Family Cohesion And Sibling Relationships In Families Raising A Child With A Disability, Mary L. Jefferson

Theses and Dissertations

Family researchers have often reported that siblings of children with disabilities have mixed outcomes, some harmful, and some beneficial, but have neglected to investigate how the sibling relationship might be correlated with other factors, such as family cohesion. Therefore, 72 mothers and fathers raising a child with a disability and a child without a disability completed the Family Cohesion subscale of Bloom's family functioning measure and the Sibling Inventory of Behavior to determine interactions between parents' perceptions of family cohesion and sibling relationships. Results indicated that mothers and fathers' perceptions of cohesion and sibling relationships were not significantly different. Mothers' …

The Chipped Stone Tool Industries Of Blackman Eddy, Belize, Matthew Patrick Yacubic

Theses and Dissertations

One of the most significant finds at the site of Blackman Eddy, Belize, is a series of superimposed structures that date between 1200 B.C.-A.D. 600 (calibrated). Because it was continuously occupied for over 1800 years, this site provides a unique opportunity to examine long-term socio-economic changes in the eastern Maya lowlands. This thesis is a diachronic study of the chipped stone tool artifacts of Blackman Eddy using technological, attribute, and use-wear analysis. The data collected for this study were examined to see what types of raw materials were used in tool production, what types of tools were produced, how they …

Bibliotherapy: School Psychologists' Report Of Use And Efficacy, Marci A. Olsen

Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on the use of bibliotherapy by school psychologists. A survey was created and distributed to 119 registered and licensed school psychologists in Utah to obtain information on this topic. Forty-one percent returned a completed survey. Results indicated that bibliotherapy is used by 82% of the participants in the study, and 31 of 34 (91%) use bibliotherapy with children grades K-6. Topics most used with bibliotherapy included self-esteem, bullying, divorce, anxiety, and grief. Efficacy varied depending on the topic of bibliotherapy. However, school psychologists regarded bibliotherapy across all topics to be very effective to effective.

A Grammatical Description Of The Early Classic Maya Hieroglyphic Inscriptions, Daniel A. Law

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to describe the grammatical system of Classical Ch'olti', the language of the Classic Maya hieroglyphic inscriptions, as attested in inscriptions of the Early Classic (approximately AD 200-600). Around 300 Lowland Maya Hieroglyphic inscriptions have been dated to the Early Classic or before, nearly one third of these remain unpublished. Previous work on the monumental inscriptions of the Early Classic (Mathews 1985; Proskouriakoff 1950) has examined Early Classic monuments primarily as works of art. Mora-Marin (2001) examined the language of inscriptions found on early portable texts, a small subset of the corpus here examined. In …

Quantifying Chlorophyll A Content Through Remote Sensing: A Pilot Study Of Utah Lake, Tiana Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Utah Lake is a really large but shallow lake located in the arid environment of the Western United States. Due to a variety of factors it is listed by the Environmental Protection Agency as an "impaired water body" and must be closely monitored. Because of its large extent and shallow depth the water quality is heterogeneous and can change rapidly. This means that traditional water quality monitoring methods, which require large investments in field personnel, equipment, and water sample analysis, cannot produce a model that is truly representative of the entire water body. This thesis examines the feasibility of using …

Evaluating Alternatives For Drinking Water At Deployed Locations, Brian S. Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

Because of potential improvements to water security and cost savings, military decision makers may want to consider new means of providing potable water to Airmen in deployed locations. Drilling for water and field bottling show great potential because of the increased security and lower per unit cost when compared to bottled water from approved sources. However, the selection of the best means to supply water is a hard decision which must balance multiple objectives (e.g., security, palatability, and convenience) against limited resources (e.g., cost, airlift, trucks, and personnel). A multi-objective decision analysis model quantifies a decision-maker's values regarding the many …

The Acropolis At Kaminaljuyu: A Study Of Late Classic Occupation, Kelleigh Waimarie Cole

Theses and Dissertations

The Late Classic Period at Kaminaljuyú is one of the most poorly understood periods of occupation, possibly because the artifacts and architecture lack the ornate decoration found in earlier periods. One of the largest and best preserved areas of the site is located in the Parque Arqueológico de Kaminaljuyú in Zone 7 of Guatemala City. A major focal point of architecture atKaminaljuyú is the Acropolis, which has been the focus of various excavations, particularly the work of Gustavo Espinoza from 1958 to 1962. Despite this research, much of the important documentation and artifacts recovered from these excavations have been lost. …

The Impact Of Economic Factors And Acquisition Reforms On The Cost Of Defense Weapon Systems, James P. Smirnoff

Theses and Dissertations

Cost overruns in weapon system purchases have plagued the Department of Defense (DoD) throughout its history and have resulted in schedule delays and potentially reduced combat capability. This thesis created an empirical model that begins to explain those cost overruns. The model describes how changes in defense budgets, consolidation of the defense industry, acquisition reform, war, and cost estimating error are related to cost overruns. The cost performance of 186 major weapon system programs managed by the Air Force, Army, and Navy from 1970 to 2002 was described using a panel regression model. This research found that funding instability resulting …

The Mediating Influence Of Homophobia On Male Rape Victims, Sandra Shardlow White

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were threefold: 1.) to duplicate previous studies by demonstrating differences in victim blame attribution, minimization of rape, and degree of excusing the perpetrator between homosexual and heterosexual victims; 2.) determine if similar patterns will be shown with male victims as with female victims in the demonstration of rape myths when the victim and perpetrator are acquainted or strangers; and 3.) test the mediation effect of homophobia on perceptions of male rape victims. 119 university students participated. Participants read a scenario in which a homosexual or heterosexual was raped by a male stranger or acquaintance. Participants …

Coalition Modeling In Humanitarian Assistance Operations, Sung Wan Bang

Theses and Dissertations

Multinational operations are carried out to achieve military and diplomatic objectives in various regions. Such operations derive a great deal of benefits from sharing budgets, political legitimacy, sharing each national experience and technological resources, and so forth. However, a coalition, one structure of multinational operations, often involves serious challenges in such areas as command and control, logistic support, communication and language, training, and intelligence and information due to its ad hoc characteristics. This research reviews general problems in a coalition operation, and develops the Coalition Operation Planning Model to assist coalition commanders or staff in producing an efficient operational plan. …

A Computer-Based Course To Teach Speech Acts: Prototype For The Technology Assisted Language Learning Program, Laura Morales Dorlando

Theses and Dissertations

The following report discusses the design and formative evaluation of a prototype for a computer-based course to teach speech acts as part of the Technology Assisted Language Learning (TALL) program. The report includes a literature review on speech acts and current methods and strategies for language teaching and instructional design. Next, there is a description of the lessons and the design process, as well as a summary of the formative evaluation. Following is the prototype of the lesson on apologies. The report concludes with a discussion of the project's limitations and suggestions for future research.

Two-Year-Olds' Discrimination Of Gender-Stereotyped Activities, Sara Elizabeth Hill

Theses and Dissertations

Two-year-olds' knowledge of gender-stereotyped tasks was assessed in an experiment that utilized the preferential looking paradigm. The looking times of toddlers' (N = 18) gazes towards gender-consistent and gender-inconsistent activities were measured and assessed. In the procedure, toddlers viewed either a male or female actor on two displays performing a masculine stereotyped activity (shaving, putting on a tie) on one screen and a feminine stereotyped activity (putting on lipstick, putting on nail-polish) on the other screen. Infants also viewed male and female actors performing gender-neutral activities (eating, drinking water) side by side in control trials. Consistent with our predictions and …

The Impact Of The Defense Industry Consolidation On The Aerospace Industry, Judy B. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of the defense industry consolidation on the aerospace industry. The defense industry is comprised of twelve sectors that impact different industries. This research focused on the formal aspects of the aerospace industry which supports six of the twelve defense sectors. The aerospace industry is identified by six North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) or Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes. Using the structure-conduct- performance paradigm, a method in industrial organization, this thesis focused on how the defense consolidation affected the structure and behavior of the aerospace industry. For structure, this study …

Buying A Better Air Force, Jenny O. Herald

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to capture the United States Government's revealed preference for air superiority using the hedonic pricing approach (HPA), and (2) to compare the characteristics of U.S. Air Force (USAF) fighter aircraft with those of the former Soviet Union to evaluate the effectiveness of the USAF fleet. The resulting analysis showed that the U.S. Government is paying for physical and performance characteristics such as engine thrust, service ceiling, range, and large-scale integrated circuit technology. However, evidence suggests that the government is not paying to have a relative advantage over the enemy based on the …

The Effect Of Major Organizational Policy On Employee Attitudes Toward Graduate Degrees, Frank R. Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

Leaders initiate policies not only to improve the success of their organizations, but to influence employee performance, whereby employee attitudes toward a policy objective can influence their resulting behaviors. One group of employees, Air Force officers, experienced a policy change in 2005 that discontinued the use of academic degrees as criteria for officer promotions. With this change, there is a concern that the number of Air Force officers with graduate degrees might decrease. In particular, senior leaders in the Civil Engineer (CE) officer career field are concerned that this policy change might reduce the number of officers available to fill …

The Effects Of Ability Homophily On Individual Performance, Michael J. Gray

Theses and Dissertations

Homophily is the sociological term for a principle that is easily observed and understood: similar people tend to associate with one another (or the well-known saying "Birds of a feather flock together"). Homophily creates divides among people with numerous demographic characteristics and causes people to surround themselves with others who are similar to themselves (McPherson et al., 2001). Race and ethnicity have the greatest influence on relationship choices followed by age, religion, education, occupation, and gender (McPherson et al., 2001). While studies of homophily of race and gender are quite common, few studies have examined homophily based on instrumental attributes …

Parowan Pottery And Fremont Complexity: Late Formative Ceramic Production And Exchange, Christopher N. Watkins

Theses and Dissertations

The Fremont, a Formative culture located in the Eastern Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, have been primarily studied from an ecological perspective. This research addresses issues that are not ecological, the organization of production and exchange of ceramic vessels. Following criteria suggested by Brown et al. (1990), I argue that the following need to be addressed prior to a useful discussion of intergroup trade: the source of the raw materials of the exchanged objects, the associated pattern of distribution, the relative value of the objects, and their context of manufacture, use, and consumption. I specifically address three of these issues …

The Personal Impact On Female Therapists From Working With Sexually-Abused Children, Kinsey Drouet Pistorius

Theses and Dissertations

Although previous research has established that therapists who work with sexually-abused children experience symptoms of vicarious trauma, few studies have addressed the process by which the therapist is affected. In order to understand therapists' personal experiences and how working with sexually-abused children impacts them in their personal lives, the researcher interviewed therapists who were currently working with this specific population. Data analysis was completed by using ethnographic research methods and three major themes emerged during the interviews. The first theme included the "job characteristics" inherent in working with sexually-abused children. This theme refers to how the therapists entered the field …

Comparative Analysis Of Biosurveillance Methodologies, David M. Kempisty

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to compare two different biosurveillance methodologies: BioWatch and "A Hot Idea". BioWatch is fielded and operating in major US cities today. Air samples are collected on filter paper and analyzed for the presence of harmful biological agents. "A Hot Idea" is an evolving methodology using the human body's immune response to identify the onset of infection from a harmful pathogen. Detecting a temperature increase, using infrared thermographers, in a statistically significant portion of population would allow earlier identification of a biological release, accelerating initiation of response actions. A selected population including policemen, firemen, and …

An Evaluation Of How Organizational Culture Can Perpetuate A Formal Mentoring Relationship, Daniel J. Rieker

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate how an organization's culture can have an effect on formal mentoring. Specifically, this thesis sought to determine if perceptions among gender, ethnicity, and organizational position differ for mentoring and organizational culture. Additionally, this thesis sought to determine if any correlations may exist between organizational culture and formal mentoring overall.

A Graph Theoretic Analysis Of The Effects Of Organizational Structure On Employee Social Networks, John R. Hutzel

Theses and Dissertations

A simulation technique was used to investigate the impacts of organizational structure on an organization's social network. By simulating personnel in an organization as vertices in a graph and the aging of the corporation as the aging of the same graph, the maturation of an organization was realized. The characteristic path length of the graph was measured after each year returning an optimistic average organizational distance. Results include the finding that, per this model, an organization's characteristic path length can drop over 50% in a 20 year period with consideration of edges of all strengths. Next a series of random …