Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Adolescent Pregnancy Attitudinal Survey, Amy Katherine Wolfe

Theses and Dissertations

A census of 53 adolescent females was conducted over a period of time beginning July 15, 2001 and ending March 5, 2002. Each subject was surveyed by using an interview with 66 items. The resources examined in this census were means of transportation and the social support structure before the female became an adolescent. The census found that 72 percent (N=53) of the adolescent females interviewed do not have a car, and 79 percent do not use public transportation. The census also found that 77 percent of the adolescent females interviewed do depend on their family/friends for transportation, and eighty-five …

Environmental Factors That Predict Adolescent Smoking Behavior: The Influence Of Parent, Peer, And Sibling Smoking, Christopher J. Hogan

Theses and Dissertations

The majority of adult smoking begins during adolescence, and in order for prevention programs to be optimally effective it is critical to understand the influences of smoking initiation during this developmental period. However, little research has focused on how environmental factors, such as parent and peer smoking. influence smoking initiation exclusively within a rural population. The current study surveyed students from 23 middle schools in rural Virginia and New York State at the end of the sixth grade and then one-year later at the end of the seventh grade. Logistic regressions were used to predict changes in levels of adolescent …

An Examination Of The Government Relations Profession From The Perspective Of Contract Lobbyists, Owners Of Lobbying Firms And Principal Corporate Lobbyists: A Comparison Of Female And Male Lobbyists, Kathy H. Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

In the past decade, some women lobbyists have progressed from representing compassion issues such as healthcare, children and education that were traditionally associated with women to representing concerns such as finance and engineering that are nontraditional for women and of vital importance to major corporations in the United States. Women have become contract lobbyists with major law firms, women have started their own firms. In addition, women have become the principal corporate lobbyists for major American companies.

The study was conducted with a mail survey sent to women lobbyists in the three classifications and to male lobbyists who served as …

The Effects Of Administrative Factors On Police Officer Job Performance, Irick Anthony Geary Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The topic of police management and its effect on officer arrest rates is an important issue that has not received the level of attention it deserves. There is an abundance of available training and a push for better trained police executives. In the present study the relationship between police administrative factors and officer arrest rates are addressed using data from a national probability sample of police departments.

The study uses ordinary least squares regression to analyze the independent relationship between police administrative factors, as measured by the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, and officer arrest rates, as measured by …

Book Of Mormon Stories Diglot Reader On Computer, Neal S. Harmon

Theses and Dissertations

This report describes the design, development, and evaluation of a computer-based diglot reader of the Book of Mormon Stories of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Di means two and glot means language, thus a diglot reader combines two languages into one reader in order to teach a person to read in a new language. The program, which runs on both Macintosh and Windows computer platforms, contains fifteen chapters of the Book of Mormon Stories and introduces about four hundred Spanish words. This report includes a literature review on the diglot method and related materials, a description of …

The Effects Of Computer-Based Metacognitive Strategy Training For Adult Second Language Learners, Heidi D. Hyte

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a metacognitive language learning strategy training program that was implemented into computer-assisted language learning (CALL) software on second language learners' independent use of metacognition and language learning strategies (LLS). Questions under investigation included what effect this metacognitive training had on learners' independent use of metacognition, the differences in use of metacognitive strategies between fast and slow language learners, and the effect of learners' perceptions of metacognition on their use of LLS and specific metacognitive strategies.

The subjects included 239 missionaries learning Spanish as a second language at the Missionary …

Time As Motivation: Selected Theories As Compared To Modern Revelation, Jill Judkins

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis proposes that human beings by virtue of living in each new present moment are motivated to develop strategies to secure the best possible outcome in their lived experience. A personal account of the phenomenological experience of time is presented and a brief history is given. The implications associated with being thrown into the present moment make apparent the weaknesses of the current assumptions that the slices of the present moment form a continuity of past and future and create a coherent synthesis of life. The assumption that human beings are intentional, goal-directed, and prone to seek meaning in …

Creation Of Three Nutritional Mixes Based On Amaranth (Amaranthus Caudatus) And Other Andean Crops For School-Aged Children (Cochabamba-Bolivia), Sandra Carola Delgadillo Barriga

Theses and Dissertations

In Bolivia we have three very valuable Andean grains: amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus), quinoa (Chenopodium quinua), and canihua (Chenopodium pallidicaule), which combined with cereals and legumes can become a complete and balanced food in order to combat the malnutrition that is so widespread in our region. In this study, various nutritional mixes were formulated, based on amaranth and other Andean crops, and the three best were chosen according to nutrition, palatability, and cost. They were: Andean Baby Food, Mixicereal, and Amaranth Cookie, which have an amino acid complement between 79% and 100% and give satisfactory amounts of protein, energy, and minerals …

Balance And Conflict: Variation In Attaining Work-Family Fit Among A Homogeneous Population, Laura C. Koch

Theses and Dissertations

The concept of work-family fit has recently emerged in the work and family literature, comparable to work-family balance in that it represents interactions between work and family, and yet distinct from balance in its sense of universal ownership and responsibility. Using Barnett's (1998) model of the work-social system interface as a framework, this study explores the relationship between and predictive factors of work-family fit and work-family balance. Data are from a survey of Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Management (MSM) graduate school alumni (n = 273). Findings indicate that fit and balance are indeed two separate constructs, with fit …

Making Friends To Last A Lifetime: An Ethnographic Study Of Parasocial Relationships And Soap Opera Characters, Emmalee Elizabeth Haight Pryor

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to build theory about parasocial relationships and to examine what affect, if any, religion had on parasocial relationships. Using qualitative methods, the researcher watched the show three times with five women followed by an in-depth interview. The women chosen were LDS stay-at-home moms who had watched a soap opera for at least a year.
From this data came several surprising findings about religion and soap opera viewing. The women said they did not feel guilty about the content of the shows, rather the time required to watch. This guilt was alleviated by structuring their …

Motivations And Gratifications For Selecting A Niche Television Channel: Byu Television, Diena L. Simmons

Theses and Dissertations

The growth of direct broadcast satellite television distribution to the home as a viable competitor to cable and terrestrial broadcast has fostered the availability of special interest or niche channels and therefore provided greater choice to the viewer. This study, based on uses and gratifications theory, examined the relationships among ritual and instrumental viewing motivations and satisfactions, viewer religiosity, and viewing attentiveness as they related to the selection of a niche television channel, Brigham Young University Television.
The uses and gratification approach provides an appropriate framework for studying "media consumption, the interrelated nature of television user motives, and the relationships …

The Effect Of Cultural Affiliations On Attitudes, Beliefs, And Reactions To The Fighting Sioux Nickname Issue Between Northern Plains American Indian And Majority Culture College Students, Angela Larocque

Theses and Dissertations

The main puqjo.sc of this study was to compare the effect of cultural affiliation on altitudes, beliefs, and reactions to the Fighting Sioux Nickname and logo issue for 60 Nonhem Plains American Indian college students and 61 non-Indian college students at the University of North Dakota. Subjects completed a demographic questionnaire and the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux Nickname Attitudes, Beliefs, and Reactions (UNDFSNABR) survey. In addition, American Indian subjects completed the Nonhem Plains Bicuhuralism Inventory (NPBI), Using the Northern Plains Biculluralisin Inventory (NPBI) to identify cultural identification among American Indian participants, the hypotheses of the current study were;: …

A Study Of Native American Ged Graduates At Four Tribal Community Colleges In North Dakota, Karen Starr Gillis

Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on the General Educational Development (GED) graduates of four tribal colleges in North Dakota. The purpose was to provide answers to five research questions and to determine baseline data on Indian education in an area not fully studied. The study will assist in closing the gap between research already conducted with Hispanics and African American populations.

The study accumulated data on participants in GED programs at the four adult education and/or testing centers at the tribal colleges in North Dakota for the years 1990–1999. The participants were analyzed using a set of variables that was specific to …

The Analysis Of Selective Information Processing And Neuropsychological Functioning In Individuals At-Risk For Eating Disorders: The Use Of A Pictorial Adaptation To The Stroop Paradigm, Using Print Media Advertisements, Kristine L. Lokken

Theses and Dissertations

There is evidence that women with bulimic symptoms are characteristically impulsive and have difficulty inhibiting various behaviors. Neuropsychological profiles of women with bulimic symptoms show patterns of impulsivity, inefficient problem solving ability, and an inability to inhibit irrelevant information. Women with bulimic symptoms also express substantially greater acceptance and internalization of sociocultural mores of thinness, and are more vulnerable to negative influence from laboratory exposure to stimuli representing “thin ideal” stereotypes. The present study examined a possible common link between the characterological and neuropsychological features of women with bulimic symptoms and their susceptibility to negative influence from mass media representations …

A Role And Reference Account Of Information Structure In Somali, Jennifer Girard

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a study of focus structure in Somali within the framework of Role and Reference Grammar (RRG). Focus is an important phenomenon in Somali, and this thesis investigates the different types of focus which occur in Somali, the effects of the focus markers on other features in the language, and the interaction between syntax and focus structure. Data on Somali focus structure was collected in consultation with three native speakers of Somali, and also gathered from previous research on the Somali Language. Although word order in Somali is relatively free, focus structure is correspondingly rigid, a finding which …

Modeling And Analysis Of Social Networks, Robert S. Renfro Ii

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation develops new methods for the modeling and analysis of social networks. Social networks describe the complex relationships of individuals and groups in multiple overlapping contexts. Influence in a social network impacts behavior and decision making in every setting in which individuals participate. This study defines a methodology for modeling and analyzing this complex behavior using a Flow-Model representation. Multiple objectives in an influencing effort targeted at a social network are modeled using Goal Programming. Value Focused Thinking is applied to model influence and predict decisions based on the reaction of the psychological state of individuals to environmental stimuli. …

A Comparison Of Intellectual Test Performance Across Native American And European American Children, Austin P. Keith

Theses and Dissertations

Differential scoring across Native American and European .American groups on the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children - Third Edition (WISC-IIi) was examined while controlling for Full Scale IQ and age. Comparisons were made across the groups on Verbal IQ and Performance IQ, individual subtests, individual subtest items and two composite index scores. Results indicated no significant scorino differences between the two groups on Performance IQ or, on the Perceptual Organization Index, Significant scoring differences were also not evident on the Coding, Picture Arrangement, Arithmetic, Block Design, Vocabulary-, Object Assembly and Comprehension subtests. Significant scoring differences were found across the groups …

Hindi-Urdu: Stress Accent Or Non-Stress Accent?, Lars O. Dyrud

Theses and Dissertations

The Hindi-Urdu stress system has been a problematic topic for over a century. Hayes (1995) says, '... this topic has its empirically dismaying aspects: the published descriptions almost all disagree with one another, and seldom mention the disagreement.'

The literature today divides languages between 'stress accent' languages and 'non-stress accent' languages. According to Beckman (1986), 'stress accent' languages are those that use phonetic attributes other than pitch to indicate a prominent syllable, while 'non-stress accent' languages are those that use only pitch to mark a prominent syllable.

In the past, several quantitative studies of phonetic correlates of stress in Hindi-Urdu …

Word Order And Information Structure In Russian Syntax, Elena V. Rodionova

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis attempts to explain variability of word order in Russian declarative sentences. I argued that Russian word order is not "free" but encodes different types of focus: predicate, sentence, and narrow. Chapter 1 of this thesis critiques several theories of grammar that attribute alternative word orders in Russian primarily to differences in style. Chapter 2 discusses the advantages of Lambrecht's information structure theory and Role and Reference Grammar as a theoretical framework for my research. Chapter 3 presents the empirical core of the paper, a detailed revision of Krylova and Khavronina's (1986) classification of Russian word order types into …

Two Studies Of Mixtec Languages, Inga Mckendry

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis consists of two independent papers and a text. One paper is centered on Mixtec languages as a whole, the other paper and the text present the variety of Mixtec spoken in the southeastern portion of the district of Nochixtlán, Oaxaca, Mexico.

The first paper builds on work published by Stephen A. Marlett in which it is posited that nasalization is a feature of the morpheme rather than the syllable. Data not included in Marlett's study, which corroborates his findings, are presented. Also in the light of these data, modifications to his analysis are suggested. This paper also presents …

User Satisfaction With The Interlibrary Loan System At Camden County Library: A Case Study, Jennifer L. Pierce

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine patron satisfaction with the interlibrary loan system at Camden County Library in New Jersey. The researcher experienced the interlibrary loan process fist-hand at the main library in Voorhees. Protecting patron confidentiality and anonymity, a four-page questionnaire survey was included with 150 interlibrary loan items that were picked up by patrons between March 9, 2000 and June 6, 2000. Of the 79 surveys returned, 76 were usable for this study. The overall conclusion is that respondents were satisfied: 96.05% were satisfied with staff helpfulness, 82.89% were satisfied with the time it took to …

Socially Defined "Pms", Lora J. Bertelsen

Theses and Dissertations

No agreed upon definition for “PMS” exists. This study was designed to explore the conceptualizations of the expression “PMS” held by college students. It was hoped that results would inform not only assessment and treatment of premenstrual disorders, but also the debate regarding inclusion in future diagnostic and statistical manuals of the American Psychiatric Association.

Participants included 47 college students recruited from Freshman English classes at a small university in the Midwestern United States. Thirty female and 17 male participants were primarily Caucasian (43), single (36), and heterosexual (45). Each participant completed an in-class essay, an adjective checklist, and a …

Kinetic Modeling Of A Transport Coal Gasifier, Ryan Zebadiah Knutson

Theses and Dissertations

The Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) in Grand Fork:, Morth Dakota is administering the research on the Transport Reactor Development Unit (TRDU) optimization project. This endeavor is sponsored by the Department of Energy, and it has an ultimate goal to justify the transition to a scaled-up version of the TRDU.

The focus of this research was to kinetically model char gasification in the TRDU, which will help define control parameters and optimize production. Kinetic parameters of char were determined with the use of Thermogravimetry (TGA). TGA is a thermal analysis and involves studying the change in the mass of …

Information Structure In Acadian French, Emma Pavey

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines aspects of information structure in Acadian French, focusing on the use of detached (also referred to as 'moved' or 'dislocated') syntactic structures in the spoken language. The data is from interviews with Acadian French speakers and is analyzed using Role and Reference Grammar as a theoretical framework. One section of this paper also reviews existing literature on the subject. This study is innovative empirically in that it studies a Canadian variety of French which has not been significantly discussed previously in the literature on information structure nor within the RRG model. The detached clauses are subdivided into …

A Study Of Directorial Choices In Tennessee Williams' Play Out Cry Focused On Selected Expressionistic Elements, Joyce A. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Tennesse Williams' play, OUT CRY, uses many of the expressionistic and symbolic elements he used successfully throughout his career. The characters of OUT CRY struggle with the fear of isolation, of entrapment and of sexual relationship. The aim of my thesis is to focus on selected expressionistic elements in OUT CRY and to elaborate on the choices I made as a director in using the expressionistic elements to convey the theme of fear inherent in the play.

I have highlighted the methodology of director Harold Clurman in my analysis of the script. Additionally, I adhered to theory of director Francis …

The Negative Halo Effect Of Oppositional Defiant Behaviors On Teacher Ratings Of Adhd: Impact Of Child Gender, David A. Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored one potential reason for differences in diagnostic rates of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) between genders: teacher-based rating bias. Abikoff, Courtney and Pelham (1993) showed elementary teachers two tapes of a male child in a fourth grade classroom, then had the teachers complete ADHD and ODD rating scales. One tape depicted a normal child; another depicted a child exhibiting either ADHD or ODD behaviors. Rating comparisons from the ADHD v. ODD tapes showed biases: the ADHD tape was rated higher than the ODD tape on ADHD rating scales and lower on ODD rating scales; while the ODD tape …

The Design And Analysis Of A Wireless Lan Relayed Frame Protocol Extension, Jody A. Grassel

Theses and Dissertations

Computing stations networked on wireless LANs (wLANs) typically have a limited range of mobility: the station must always be within an access point’s coverage area. If a station moves outside of that area, and if it is unable to locate another base station within its range to perform a handover of communication connectivity responsibility, then it will ex perience a disruption in network services until it migrates into the coverage area of another wLAN. Typical causes for such losses of service include station migration to outside of the wLAN’s coverage area, changing environmental conditions, and “holes” within the cumu lative …

The Effect Of Alcohol Consumption And Alcohol Expectancy On Women's Responses To A Date Rape Analogue, Beth A. Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that two factors, alcohol consumption and having a sexual assault history, increases a woman's risk of being sexually assaulted; however, the mechanism underlying this relationship is not yet fully understood. The majority of studies in this area of research have relied on self-report data or vignettes studies in which the effect of alcohol is examined by manipulating the content of the character's beverage. The purpose of present study was to better understand the effects of alcohol consumption and sexual assault history on perceptions of sexual assault by conducting a laboratory study in which 80 female participants consumed an …

Study Of Small Businesses’ Need For, And Interest In, A Course On How To Produce Effective Publications, Lori Wagoner

Theses and Dissertations

With the advent of PageMaker and other user-friendly publications programs almost anyone can create publications, with or without an understanding of typography or layout and design. These publications represent the organization and affect its image, as well as its bottom line.

These software programs allow an organization to produce its own publications and handle its own publicity. This is a great advantage for small entrepreneurial businesses that may not be able to hire a professional to produce brochures, flyers or newsletters. The problem, however, is that unless the person has an understanding of typography and layout and design, the publication …

An Analysis Of Rowan University Fund Raising And Communication Practices, Karen D. Dunnington

Theses and Dissertations

Public colleges and universities need more income than government can provide. States now typically provide less than half the funding for public universities, like Rowan University. Alumni fund raising and other gifts bridge this gap. This study describes variables that affect donor motivation in other schools, and measures those variables among Rowan University subjects. The author applied a 16-question protocol to a purposive sample of 31. The sample was comprised of key fund raising personnel and target study subjects from students to college presidents in seven groups. Extensive individual commentary supplements the sample's small size. The major findings clearly support …