Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Brigham Young University

2008

Discipline
Keyword
Publication
Publication Type

Articles 1 - 30 of 192

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

The Relationship Between Nonword Repetition Performance And Social Behaviors In 7- To 11-Year-Old Children With Language Impairment, Bethany Lynne Hillary Dec 2008

The Relationship Between Nonword Repetition Performance And Social Behaviors In 7- To 11-Year-Old Children With Language Impairment, Bethany Lynne Hillary

Theses and Dissertations

Recent literature has suggested a link between verbal working memory and language impairment (LI) in children. There is limited research, however, about the link between verbal working memory and social behaviors in children with LI. This study was designed to explore the relationship between social behaviors (measured by the Teacher Behavior Rating Scale; Hart & Robinson, 1996) and verbal working memory abilities (measured by a 3-, 4-, and 5-syllable nonword repetition task) in children with LI. Thirty-six children (18 with LI and 18 typically developing) aged 7 to 11 years participated in the study. Children with LI were rated by …


Client Change In Multi-Model Treatment: A Comparison Of Change Trajectories In Group, Individual, And Conjoint Formats In A Counseling Center, Bryan K. Mickelson Dec 2008

Client Change In Multi-Model Treatment: A Comparison Of Change Trajectories In Group, Individual, And Conjoint Formats In A Counseling Center, Bryan K. Mickelson

Theses and Dissertations

Providing clinicians with a clearer understanding of how clients' recover over the entire course of therapy has important implications for referral and treatment strategies. The present study compares rates of change in 160 clients in group therapy with 6632 clients in individual therapy and 864 clients receiving both individual therapy and group therapy. Therapeutic outcomes were measured using the Outcome Questionnaire-45. Data was analyzed using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM), also called Multi-Level Modeling (MLM), to produce recovery curves for clients in each group. Recovery curves showed that most change occurred in the early part of group therapy and slowed near …


Menstrual Cycle And Visual Information Processing, Michelle Nash Dec 2008

Menstrual Cycle And Visual Information Processing, Michelle Nash

Theses and Dissertations

This project examined the effects menstruation may have on visual attention in women. A recent study examined electroencephalographic (EEG) gender differences using a visual object recognition task. Results indicated certain EEG amplitudes (specifically, P300 and N400) are greater in women than men. This study extended the previous findings to determine if these increased EEG amplitudes vary across menstrual phases. Eighteen female participants participated in a series of 3 EEG recording sessions using the same visual object recognition task from the previous study; 18 male participants completed this task once. Analyses from 15 of the 18 female and 16 of the …


Action Research As Professional Development: A Study Of Two Teachers, Wade R. Glathar Dec 2008

Action Research As Professional Development: A Study Of Two Teachers, Wade R. Glathar

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the experiences of two teachers in a public charter school who implement action research in their classrooms. The study explored the key elements of professional development as well as action research and makes the case as to why action research is an effective tool for teacher development. Participants were selected based on having little teaching experience and familiarity with action research. The study examined the experiences of teachers who have had limited professional development as they use action research in their practices. Data for the study were drawn from interviews as well as researcher and participant journals.


The Gendered Meanings Of Assets For Divorce, Jeffrey P. Dew Dec 2008

The Gendered Meanings Of Assets For Divorce, Jeffrey P. Dew

Faculty Publications

Scholars identified a negative relationship between assets and divorce decades ago, but the mechanisms behind this relationship remain unknown. Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households (N = 4,721 couples), this study compared three mechanisms that might link assets and divorce. Non-proportional Cox hazard models indicated that two of the three mechanisms explained the relationship between assets and divorce. Wives’ marital satisfaction and their perceptions of their hypothetical post-divorce standard of living completely mediated the relationship between assets and divorce. The relationship between assets and divorce was not related to husbands’ characteristics.


Faith And News: A Quantitative Study Of The Relationship Between Religiosity And Tv News Exposure, Raquel Marvez Dec 2008

Faith And News: A Quantitative Study Of The Relationship Between Religiosity And Tv News Exposure, Raquel Marvez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between religiosity and broadcast news usage. This study examines the level of religiosity of individuals and its correlation to broadcast news exposure. The correlation between religiosity and perceptions of violence on broadcast news was also measured. Two theories were applied in this study. Uses and Gratifications asserts the active character of the audience to choose what they watch, how often, etc., and Selective Exposure defends the ability of the individual to select media that coincides with personal value systems. These two theories complement each other and provide support in the …


The Ability Of Children With Language Impairment To Understand Emotion Conveyed By Prosody In A Narrative Passage, Chelsea Celeste Voorhees Dec 2008

The Ability Of Children With Language Impairment To Understand Emotion Conveyed By Prosody In A Narrative Passage, Chelsea Celeste Voorhees

Theses and Dissertations

Several recent studies indicate that children with Language Impairment (LI) have difficulty recognizing and inferring meaning from emotional prosody. The present study is a replication investigating the ability of children with LI to recognize emotion conveyed by prosody in an orally presented narrative passage. Twenty-two children with LI and twenty-two age matched peers ranging from age 7;0 to 10;11 (M= 9.11, SD= 2.54) were selected to participate. Participants listened to recordings of a seven sentence passage read by actors to express happiness, anger, sadness, and fear. The children's task was to identify which emotion the speaker portrayed. Scores obtained from …


A Correlational Study: The Relationship Between Physical Activity Levels, Physical Self-Worth, And Global Self-Worth In High School Physical Education Students, Ashley Danelle Eyre Dec 2008

A Correlational Study: The Relationship Between Physical Activity Levels, Physical Self-Worth, And Global Self-Worth In High School Physical Education Students, Ashley Danelle Eyre

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between physical activity levels, physical self-worth, and its sub-domains; (a) skill, (b) body attractiveness, (c) fitness and conditioning, and (d) strength, and overall global self-worth in high school students. One-Hundred and sixty-seven students (male = 66;female = 101) from the western United States, ages 13-18, participated in this study. Each participant completed a minimum of four days of physical activity (PA) data collection and completed the self-worth questionnaire. Pedometers were used to collect PA levels, calculating mean step counts, and the Children and Youth Physical Self-Perception Profile (CY-PSPP) was used …


The Effects Of Excess Corticosterone On Lkb1 And Ampk Signaling In Skeletal Muscle Of Rats, Gary N. Nakken Dec 2008

The Effects Of Excess Corticosterone On Lkb1 And Ampk Signaling In Skeletal Muscle Of Rats, Gary N. Nakken

Theses and Dissertations

Cushing's syndrome and glucocorticoid therapy lead to central obesity, insulin resistance, and symptoms of altered energy regulation similar to those observed in the metabolic syndrome. We hypothesized that excess glucocorticoids alter energy sensing/signaling in skeletal muscle through mediation of the LKB1/AMPK signaling pathway. To test this hypothesis, three 100 mg pellets of corticosterone were implanted subcutaneously in each of nine rats for two weeks. Responses were compared with sham operated controls fed ad libitum or food restricted to produce the body weights similar to the treatment group rats. After the treatment period, animals were anesthetized and the right gastrocnemius-plantaris and …


Marital Problems And Marital Satisfaction: An Examination Of A Brazilian Sample, Nalu De Araujo Nunes Dec 2008

Marital Problems And Marital Satisfaction: An Examination Of A Brazilian Sample, Nalu De Araujo Nunes

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study is to examine the types of problems faced by Brazilian couples in the sample, the gender differences in the perception of marital problems, and the associations between marital problems and marital satisfaction. The sample used in this study was part of the third wave of data collection of a longitudinal study of 126 families living in Porto Alegre, a city in southern Brazil. The RDAS was the instrument used to assess marital satisfaction. Marital problems were identified by asking participants to check the problems they perceive in their marriage from a list of common marital …


Altered States Of Style: The Drug-Induced Development Of Jack Kerouac's Spontaneous Prose, Eric M. Izant Dec 2008

Altered States Of Style: The Drug-Induced Development Of Jack Kerouac's Spontaneous Prose, Eric M. Izant

Theses and Dissertations

Jack Kerouac's spontaneous prose method was inspired in part by his use of drugs while writing. While there is abundant biographical evidence that Kerouac used drugs frequently, little attention has been paid to their effects on the development of his style. This thesis attempts to demonstrate that the altered states of consciousness produced by Kerouac's drug use should be considered in conjunction with historical, cultural, and biographical forces in tracing the evolution of Kerouac's creative growth. As a member of the Beat Generation, Kerouac used drugs both as a social statement of rebellion and for artistic insight. In fact, he …


Manager Tools Podcast: A Study Of Podcasting's Effectiveness With Profit Potential, Quincy Frodesen Beal Dec 2008

Manager Tools Podcast: A Study Of Podcasting's Effectiveness With Profit Potential, Quincy Frodesen Beal

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to understand further the effectiveness and profit potential of podcasting. The study combines the theories of uses and gratifications and subjective theory of value to create a model for podcasting's value. The model is put to the test using the Manager Tools podcast as the subject. Data suggest the three main drivers behind perceived podcast effectiveness are pleasure, habit, and information gathering. Relaxation proved to have a negative influence on perceived effectiveness. The audience's willingness to pay was determined by perceived effectiveness, scarcity, and habit. Though not a generalizable study, the conclusion discusses the findings' implications on …


The Relationship Among Emotion Understanding, Language, And Social Behavior In Children With Language Impairment, Lara Lynn Goldie Dec 2008

The Relationship Among Emotion Understanding, Language, And Social Behavior In Children With Language Impairment, Lara Lynn Goldie

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the influence of emotion understanding, language, and working memory on reticence and prosocial behavior in children with language impairment (LI). The Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language (CASL; Carrow-Woolfolk, 1999) and The Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT; Bracken & McCallum, 2003) were administered to 39 children with LI and 39 typical age-matched peers. A nonword repetition task and two tasks measuring emotion understanding were also administered. Each of the participant's classroom teachers completed The Teacher Behavioral Rating Scale (TBRS; Hart & Robinson, 1996). Structural equation modeling was used to estimate models of the data using a maximum likelihood …


A Quantitative Study Of The Effectiveness Of Positive Behavior Support In Secondary Schools, Rebecca Lynn Raftery Dec 2008

A Quantitative Study Of The Effectiveness Of Positive Behavior Support In Secondary Schools, Rebecca Lynn Raftery

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of a second tier intervention on at risk students' behaviors and academic success. The study included 113 middle school and junior high students identified as being at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders using the Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD). The participants were assigned to a control group (no treatment), one, two, or three semesters of the intervention. The intervention integrated components of social skills instruction, self-management techniques, and social and emotional awareness. Students' behaviors and academic success were measured using school data (i.e. GPA, Office Discipline Referrals, attendance, and …


Using Pedometers As A Valid Method Of Determining Physical Activity Intensity Level, Alan M. Groves Dec 2008

Using Pedometers As A Valid Method Of Determining Physical Activity Intensity Level, Alan M. Groves

Theses and Dissertations

As researchers explore the benefits of using pedometers to assess physical activity they are discovering that intensity of physical activity may be estimated from steps per minute (SPM). The purpose of this study was to determine the SPM and kilocalories (kcals) expended associated with moderate physical activity in middle school students (12 - 14 years old). Methods: Ninety-three (49 boys, 44 girls) middle school youth between the ages of 12 and 14, walked on a treadmill at four different speeds (4.0, 4.8, 5.64, and 6.4 km/h) for three minutes at each speed. Each participant wore a pedometer in order to …


The Impact Of Divorce On Physical, Social, Psychological, And Socioeconomic Well-Being, Robyn J. Barrus Dec 2008

The Impact Of Divorce On Physical, Social, Psychological, And Socioeconomic Well-Being, Robyn J. Barrus

Theses and Dissertations

Divorce brings unprecedented changes. The prevalence of divorce today constitutes a need to thoroughly study the well-being of divorced peoples. This study used a multidimensional definition of well-being to study divorced peoples and other marital statuses. Physical, social, psychological, and socioeconomic well-being were used. This study hypothesized that the married and remarried have higher well-being than the never married who in turn have higher well-being than the divorced or separated. It was also hypothesized that some are pre-disposed to divorce. ANCOVA analysis was used to test these hypotheses in a sample of approximately 9,863 respondents from the NSFH study. Support …


From Suffragettes To Grandmothers: A Qualitative Textual Analysis Of Newspaper Coverage Of Five Female Politicians In Utah's Deseret News And Salt Lake Tribune, Holly M. Cox Dec 2008

From Suffragettes To Grandmothers: A Qualitative Textual Analysis Of Newspaper Coverage Of Five Female Politicians In Utah's Deseret News And Salt Lake Tribune, Holly M. Cox

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines press coverage in the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune of five female politicians in Utah history: Martha Hughes Cannon (1896), Reva Beck Bosone (1948), Karen Shepherd (1992), Enid Greene Waldholtz (1994), and Olene S. Walker (2003). A total of 438 articles were reviewed using qualitative textual analysis. Coverage by candidate varied, though it was not in general overtly biased concerning candidate gender. However, the press did call attention to the gender of candidate and gendered commentary was present. The press also called attention to the rarity of women running for high political office and addressed the …


Film Families: The Portrayal Of The Family In Teen Films From 1980 To 2007, Caroline Clayton Clark Dec 2008

Film Families: The Portrayal Of The Family In Teen Films From 1980 To 2007, Caroline Clayton Clark

Theses and Dissertations

American adolescents watch an average of 3.5 hours of television and movies everyday; many attend more than one movie a month. Adolescents as a group watch more movies than any other group of the population, yet little research has been done on what is shown in teen movies. Adolescence is a time when values, beliefs, and opinions are formed and the media has been found to be a place that adolescents find information that can influence the construction of these identities. While there has been a vast amount of research looking at the family as portrayed on television shows, there …


Acknowledging Morality In Methodology, Rachelle Erika Howard Nov 2008

Acknowledging Morality In Methodology, Rachelle Erika Howard

Theses and Dissertations

Marriage and family research has its foundation in the positivist tradition, which dismisses the relevance of morality to the scientific enterprise. Yet morality is inherent in marriage and family studies—both in the topics studied and in methodology. In this conceptual research, positivist assumptions are explicated to show that positivist methodology relies on a stance of moral neutrality that turns out to be a hidden morality. This hidden morality requires that people be studied as other objects. The need for a methodology that has an explicit moral philosophy and that acknowledges that humans are not “things” is discussed. Levinas' relational philosophy …


An Investigation Of The Technological, Pedagogical And Content Knowledge Framework In Successful Chinese Language Classrooms, Su-Ling Hsueh Nov 2008

An Investigation Of The Technological, Pedagogical And Content Knowledge Framework In Successful Chinese Language Classrooms, Su-Ling Hsueh

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study investigates whether technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPCK) is balanced and integrated in Chinese language classrooms. Three expert Chinese teachers in technology-enhanced classrooms, as well as their students, were observed and studied. Four and a half months of data were collected in the form of classroom observations, interviews, reflective journals, and document analysis. Four basic findings were derived from the study. First, the TPCK framework reflected an observable instructional process for communication between teachers and students. However, teachers did not knowingly integrate technology, pedagogy and content in technology-enhanced classrooms. Second, content was the focal point during …


The Promise Of Academic Learning Time In A Dose-Response Model Of Early Reading Achievement, Benjamin Heuston Nov 2008

The Promise Of Academic Learning Time In A Dose-Response Model Of Early Reading Achievement, Benjamin Heuston

Theses and Dissertations

Reading has long been acknowledged to be a critical skill that is best acquired early in life. According to the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports, American public school children continue to struggle to master the basics of reading. Although federal funding in real dollars has increased consistently over time, reading scores have not followed suit, suggesting that fiscal resources have not been applied successfully to the variables that are directly related to reading acquisition and achievement. The current state of affairs therefore suggests the need for identifying a fiscally-targetable, instructionally-relevant variable with a direct, causal relationship …


The State Of Balance Between Procedural Knowledge And Conceptual Understanding In Mathematics Teacher Education, Damon L. Bahr, Michael J. Bossé Nov 2008

The State Of Balance Between Procedural Knowledge And Conceptual Understanding In Mathematics Teacher Education, Damon L. Bahr, Michael J. Bossé

Faculty Publications

The NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics calls for a balance between conceptual understanding and procedural knowledge. This study reports the results of a survey distributed to AMTE members in order to discover the opinions and practices of mathematics teacher educators regarding this balance. The authors conclude that there is wide disparity of views regarding the meaning of the terms "conceptual" and "procedural" as well as the meaning "balance" between the two, in terms of what constitutes mathematics, the learning and teaching of mathematics, and the assessment of mathematical proficiency.


Contribution Of Family Leisure To Family Functioning Among Families With Adolescents In Mental Health Treatment, Jasmine Aileen Nutter Nov 2008

Contribution Of Family Leisure To Family Functioning Among Families With Adolescents In Mental Health Treatment, Jasmine Aileen Nutter

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between family leisure involvement and family functioning among families with an adolescent in mental health treatment. The sample (N=181) was obtained by sampling parents and adolescents enrolled in mental health treatment at Heritage Schools. Of the 181 participants, 52 cases consisted of matched parent and youth responses, 24 cases consisted of just parent responses, and 53 cases consisted of just adolescent responses. It was hypothesized that there would be a relationship between family leisure involvement and family functioning among families with youth in mental health treatment, and that when comparing …


The Influence Of Production Accuracy On Suprasegmental Listening Comprehension, Adriana Romanini Nov 2008

The Influence Of Production Accuracy On Suprasegmental Listening Comprehension, Adriana Romanini

Theses and Dissertations

One of the major questions in second language (L2) phonological learning is whether perception precedes (and therefore guides) production. This question is important for knowing what types of training most benefit L2 learners. While most theories assume that perception always precedes production (e.g., Best, 1995; Flege, 1995), several recent studies have found that production may precede perception (e.g., Baker & Trofimovich, 2006; Beach, Brunham, & Kitamura, 2001; Goto, 1971; Sheldon & Strange, 1982; Underbakke, 1993), demonstrating that this complex relationship may differ depending on how and when the L2 is learned. The current study seeks to further explore this relationship …


An Evaluative Case Study Of A Mathematics Program At A Deaf School In Ghana And An Ecological Explanation For Challenges Preventing Deaf Students Access To Quality Education, Hilary Ann Melander Nov 2008

An Evaluative Case Study Of A Mathematics Program At A Deaf School In Ghana And An Ecological Explanation For Challenges Preventing Deaf Students Access To Quality Education, Hilary Ann Melander

Theses and Dissertations

The two purposes of this study are first, to provide an evaluation of an after-school basic mathematics program at the Demonstration School for the Deaf Junior Secondary School (DemoDeaf) in Mampong-Akuapim, Ghana. Second, it provides an ecological discussion exploring why DemoDeaf students do not have access to quality education. I designed and piloted the math program in 2005 and 2007 as an action researcher and volunteer with the Non-Government Organization (NGO), Signs of Hope International. The program was developed after finding six students in one JSS class could not count to one-hundred and all other students struggled with addition and/or …


Sacrifice In Marriage: Motives, Behaviors, And Outcomes, Kevin Shitamoto Figuerres Nov 2008

Sacrifice In Marriage: Motives, Behaviors, And Outcomes, Kevin Shitamoto Figuerres

Theses and Dissertations

Today's society appears to have become focused on the individual and his/her exclusive needs in relationships. Self-sacrifice has seemingly become a forgotten value and behavior. The motives for sacrificing for another can widely vary for each individual. This study examined the effects of couples' sacrificing behaviors and the motives for sacrificing on the couples' marital quality. In this research, a random sample of 138 couples from Oakland, CA; Phoenix, AZ; Ogden, UT; and Atlanta, GA were assessed on these variables using the Self Perception of Sacrifice, Partner Perception of Sacrifice, Motives for Sacrifice, Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale, and Personal Assessment …


The Effects Of Experience On The Perception Of German Rounded Vowels By Native Speakers Of American English, Bradley J. York Nov 2008

The Effects Of Experience On The Perception Of German Rounded Vowels By Native Speakers Of American English, Bradley J. York

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the effects of experience in German on the categorical perception of German rounded vowels, namely /uː/, /ʊ/, /oː/, /ɔ/, /yː/, /ʏ/, /øː/, and /œ/, by native speakers of American English (AE). Of special interest is whether more experience in German leads to more accurate perception of German front rounded vowels, namely /yː/, /ʏ/, /øː/, and /œ/, which do not have correlates in American English and are well known to cause perceptual problems for native AE speakers (Strange, Bohn, Trent, & Nishi, 2004). Subjects in this study were students at Brigham Young University that were divided into 4 …


Comprehension And Retention: The Effect Of Concrete Details And Causal Structure In Scientific Narrative, Wendi Michelle Wilcken Nov 2008

Comprehension And Retention: The Effect Of Concrete Details And Causal Structure In Scientific Narrative, Wendi Michelle Wilcken

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine two of the salient elements of instructional narratives as a guide to instructional practice. The literature summarized in this report discusses the theoretical basis for narrative impact on comprehension and retention, enumerates and defines possible salient narrative elements from the literature, and examines the instructional impact of two of these elements: concrete details and causal structure. This is intended to help provide guidance to instructional designers and teachers who desire to use narrative in science instruction. Participants included 94 high school physics students. An experimental research design of 2 (Gender) x 2 …


A Transnational Study: Young Adult Literature Exchanged Between The Us And Germany, Kristana Miskin Nov 2008

A Transnational Study: Young Adult Literature Exchanged Between The Us And Germany, Kristana Miskin

Theses and Dissertations

Both young adult literature and transnational literature occupy transitional spaces and defy simple classifications. Their commonalities naturally suit the two sets of literature for concurrent study. However, the field is underdeveloped, particularly in the United States. With a concentration on the exchanges taking place between the U.S. and Germany, this thesis addresses the need to assemble primary materials and pertinent critical commentary into a single place available to educators, scholars, and researchers to acquire background on transnational YAL themes. The thesis delineates methods used in conducting and compiling research on U.S.-German YAL exchange and highlights the translation and publication concerns …


Rethinking The Historical Lens: A Case For Relational Identity In Sandra Cisneros's The House On Mango Street, Annalisa Wiggins Nov 2008

Rethinking The Historical Lens: A Case For Relational Identity In Sandra Cisneros's The House On Mango Street, Annalisa Wiggins

Theses and Dissertations

My thesis proposes a theory of relational identity development in Chicana literature. Gloria Anzaldua's Borderlands/La Frontera offers an interpretation of Chicana identity that is largely based on historical models and mythology, which many scholars have found useful in interpreting Chicana literature. However, I contend that another text, Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street, not only illustrates the need for an alternative paradigm for considering identity development, but in fact offers such an alternative. I argue that Cisneros shows a model for relational identity development, wherein the individual develops in the context of her community and is not determined solely …