Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Of Nebraska Superitendents' Opinions Toward School Restructuring, Allan J. Inzerello

Student Work

Public school superintendents from Nebraska were asked to indicate their priorities toward school restructuring in five areas identified by the researcher. The areas of inquiry included school goals, school curriculum, instruction or methodology, evaluation and school organization. Current literature in each of the areas of school reform was investigated in order to devise survey statements that all public school superintendents could rank order as to their highest priorities toward school restructuring. Of the 311 surveys mailed to superintendents, a total of 191 were returned. The responses represented 61.4% of Nebraska public school superintendents. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the …

United States-Afghanistan Diplomatic Relations, September-December 1979: Hafizullah Amin's Struggle For Survival, Shaista Wahab

Student Work

During the 19th and early 20th centuries Afghanistan remained a buffer zone between Czarist Russia and British India. The struggle between these two powers to control the region or at least to deny such a control to their rival was called "The Great Game." When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan on December 27, 1979, the U.S. Charge d'Affaires in Kabul wrote in a telegram addressed to Washington "...the Great Game is over." The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was the most recent Russian ambitious act to extend their control beyond their southern border. The Soviet control over Afghanistan lasted for more than …

Media Relations Practitioner's Attitudes Toward The Effectiveness Of Their Undergraduate Public Relations Education, Mary Kenny

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to investigate public relations practitioners' attitudes toward their educational background as it relates to media relations practice. A systematic, stratified sample of media relations practitioners was selected from the membership lists of Public Relations Society of America and the International Association of Business Communicators. A mailed survey was used to gather response data addressing the following research questions: 1. Do media relations practitioners express satisfaction with the undergraduate public relations education they completed? 2. Do media relations practitioners believe the undergraduate public relations education they completed prepared them for their roles as media relations …

Sectional Voting Cleavages In Nebraska Presidential Elections, 1892-1992, Robert H. Watrel

Student Work

This thesis examines the spatial and the temporal aspects of presidential sectionalism in Nebraska between 1892-1992. The Democratic percentages of the total vote for president are computed in each county in each election between 1892 and 1992. These data are then subjected to T-mode and S-mode factor analysis. The T-mode factor analysis is used to identify electoral epochs, which helps to explain the changing geographical pattern of support for presidential elections in Nebraska. The S-mode factor analysis is used to identify electoral regions, which helps locate sectional partisan support. The result of the T-mode factor analysis revealed four "factors" or …

The Last Dress Rehearsal: A Critical Study Of The Production And Censorship Of The Federal Theatre Project's, Ethiopia (1936), Michael Joseph Mccandless

Student Work

In January, 1936, Ethiopia, a play which is dramatized by the events leading up to the Italo-Ethiopian War, was scheduled to open in New York. It was to be the first in a series of “living newspaper” plays funded by the Federal Government under the auspices of the Federal Theater Project, a preforming arts branch of President Franklin Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration. The opening night, however, never came as the production was canceled by Administration officials who publicly stated that foreign heads of state could not be depicted on stage in federally-funded production. This thesis attempts to determine the reasons …

Dendrogeomorphologic Analysis Of The Meadville Slope Failure., Susan Kim Smulling

Student Work

The Meadville slope failure, 24 km north of Ainsworth, on the north facing cut bank of the Niobrara River, is the largest such feature in Nebraska. Tertiary sands, gravels and siltstones, overly the unstable Cretaceous Pierre Shale which lies beneath the slope failure. The slope failure in this area has caused damage to roads, power lines and a bridge and has the potential to damage several buildings. Numerous slump and glide blocks, ground cracks, flow lobes and shear zones, have effected tree species including Pinus ponderosa (Ponderosa pine), Juiperus virginiana (red cedar), Quercus macrocarpa (bur oak), Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash), …

The Mode Of Action Of Intersex In Terminal Sexual Differentiation In Drosophila., Robert Russel Risley

Student Work

The intersex gene (2-60.5) lies at the terminus of the regulatory pathway that determines sex-type in Drosophila. Its product functions with the female-specific product of doublesex, another gene in the self-determination regulatory pathway, to regulate female-specific differentiation. However, the mechanism of this regulation has not been clearly demonstrated. Using a temperature-sensitive allele at intersex to eliminate its function at time points both during development and in the adult stage, the mode by which intersex regulates female determination was addressed. When chromosomal females bearing a temperature-sensitive intersex allele are raised at a permissive temperature, they develop as phenotypic females. Animals raised …

Searching For Birth Parents: Motive And Experiences Of A Selected Sample Of Adult Adoptees, Susan A. Jacoby

Student Work

This study documented the experiences adoptees encounter while searching for their birth parents, and how they were effected by searching. The study also assessed the adoptees support for reviewing laws governing adoption records. Twenty-six adult adoptees were interviewed, their responses recorded and analyzed. Adoptees reported learning of their adoption at an early age. Overall adoptees did not have negative feelings about being adopted and reported positive relationships with their adoptive parents. Adoptees reported a variety of reasons for searching for their birth parents and experienced a number of difficulties while searching. Some of the difficulties were: long distances, legal boundaries, …

The Effects Of Community College Information Subsidies On Iowa Legislators, Margaret A. Eyerly

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to investigate the communication process between the Iowa legislature and Iowa's community college system. The primary theoretical issue which was studied involved information subsidies. Information subsidies, a subcategory of agenda-setting theory, suggests that an information subsidy is an attempt to produce influence over actions of others by controlling their access to and use of information relevant to those actions. It is referred to as a subsidy because the source of that information makes it available at something less than the cost (or effort) a user would face in the absence of the subsidy (Gandy, …

Problem-Solving Versus Traditional Approaches To Assessment And Intervention, Julie K. Hass

Student Work

Trends in both regular and special education are moving towards changing current referral, test, and placement into special education practices. The changes are focused on implementing procedures that will decrease the number of students inappropriately placed in special education settings. The results and outcomes of implementing new progressive changes in referral, test, and placement practices are not fully known. The purpose of this research is to compare two approaches of service delivery utilized at Northern Trails Area Education Agency (NTAEA) located in north central Iowa. The two approaches being compared are the traditional approach used in NTAEA in 1990-1992, and …

The Impact Of The Global Economy: An Analysis Of Foreign Language Study In The United States., Kazumi Kimura

Student Work

An examination of global forces helps us to understand how school curricula in a nation are shaped. This emphasis on global forces is important especially when we deal with foreign languages as a school subject, because the study of foreign languages, unlike other school subjects, is more likely to be influenced by world political and economic situations. This study is designed to examine what impact the emergence of the new economic order, or global economy, has brought on language study in the United States. The impact of economic transformation will be measured by analyzing language enrollments at various educational levels, …

School Teachers, False Arrest And Media Coverage Of Sex Crimes: A Three-State Ethics Probe., Joan L. Lukas

Student Work

In the past few years, sexual abuse has become the most talked about form of child abuse, according to the National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse in Chicago. While several abuse charges made by children often prove true, across the United States a growing number of such accusations against teachers, clergymen and daycare workers have been found to be false. For example, former Manhattan Beach, Calif. nursery school teacher Raymond Buckey was the focus of one of the largest, longest and costliest criminal cases in U.S. history. Buckey was accused of allegedly molesting students at Manhattan Beach's McMartin …

Rogues, Rakes, And Lovers: A Comparative Study Of Thomas Killigrew's Thomas; Or, The Wanderer; Aphra Behn's The Rover; Or, The Banish't Cavaliers; And John Philip Kemble's Love In Many Masks, Margaret L. Whedon

Student Work

This study centers upon a dramatic analysis of three different English dramatic periods, playwrights and their inter-linked plays. The works are: Thomas Killgrew’s Thomaso, or The Wanderer (1656); Aphra Behn’s The Rover, or The Banish’t Cavaliers (1677); and John Philip Kemble’s Love in Many Masks (1790). Of the tree works, Behn’s play received the most recognition; nonetheless, different critics and scholars have accused her of plagiarizing Killgrew’s closet drama. Throughout the course of this thesis an evaluation will be constructed to disprove the validity of that charge by observing specific scenes, the tone of mood, and the characters with particular …

The Perceptual Weighting Of Speech-Related Acoustic Cues For 3 & 1/2-Year-Old Children Differs From That Of Adults: Results Using Natural And Synthetic Stimuli, Carol J. Manning

Student Work

Previous studies have found that children’s judgments of syllable-initial /s/ and / ∫ / are more related to the vocalic F2 transition and less related to the fricative-noise spectrum than are adults’ judgments [Nittrouer & Studdert- Kennedy, JSHR, 30 (1987); Nittrouer, J. Phon., 20 1992]. These results have been taken as evidence that young children organize linguistic input in units more closely approximating syllable size than phoneme size. Furthermore, such results have led to a model of speech development proposing that children’s weighting of the acoustic cues for phonemic categories changes as they gain linguistic experience, with a general shift …

The Relationship Of Locus Of Control, Self-Esteem, And Level Of Social Play, Patricia A. Knudsen

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a relationship among children's internal or external locus of control, self-esteem, and level of social play. The study, conducted early in the year to minimize the effect of the classroom environment on test results, included 39 children enrolled in either the morning or afternoon sections of the author's kindergarten class. Eight days after the start of school the following instruments were administered individually to each child by trained volunteers: the Preschool and Primary Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Control Scale (PPNS-IE) by Stephen Nowicki, Jr., and Marshall P. Duke to assess locus …

Acceptability Of Refusal Skills Training Modalities: A Comparison Of Adolescents' Vs. Professionals' Perceptions, Mary M. Poler

Student Work

Fifty-three sexually active adolescents between 14 and 19 years of age were surveyed to identify general interest in refusal skills training for avoiding unwanted sexual activity. Subjects furnished information regarding preferences for three treatment modalities (pamphlet, behavioral rehearsal, and video modeling) used to deliver refusal skills training. Forty-one health care and school professionals (doctors, nurses, physician assistants, social workers, med tech/health educators, counselors, and psychologists) responded to a similar general interest survey and assessment of treatment modality preferences for provision of refusal skills training. Both adolescents and professionals demonstrated high general interest in refusal skills training as a viable and …

The Relationship Between The Construction Of Multidimensional Self-Concept In Second Grade Children And The Level Of Teacher Endorsement Of Developmentally Appropriate Practice, Laura Croom

Student Work

The relationship between level of endorsement of developmentally appropriate practice of 14 second grade teachers and the construction of self-concept of children in their classrooms was examined. Teachers were given The Primary Teacher Questionnaire, a beliefs scale that assesses level of endorsement of developmentally appropriate practice, and classified as having a higher or lower endorsement of developmentally appropriate practice. Four children, two boys and two girls, were randomly selected from each of the 14 classrooms and were given The Self Description Questionnaire I, a multidimensional measure of self-concept of children ages 5-8 years of age, in November and again in …

A Study Of René Clausen's "A New Creation": A Biography And Brief Analysis, W. Jerald Brabec

Student Work

The body of A Study of René Clausen's a new Creation: A Biography and Brief Analysis is divided into two parts. In the first part an overview of Clausen's life is presented since biographical information about this composer has not been previously published. The second part consists of a brief analysis of Clausen's major choral work a new Creation. Since Clausen's works have not been the subject of previous writings, the resource material for this document is the personal interview, conducted by the author. Interviews were held not only with René Clausen, but also with several of his colleagues. After …

Sandhill Wetlands Change Detection Based On Landsat Imagery., Andrew P. Dinville

Student Work

The purpose of this thesis was to determine if there had been significant changes in sandhill wetlands between the years 1972 and 1989, as determined by Landsat satellite imagery. Seven satellite images were classified and analyzed to identify wetlands in the study area and described their characteristics. Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) imagery and Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery were used as primary source data for the project. U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFW) National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) map data and existing color infrared photography (CIR) were used to help identify wetland types from the satellite imagery. The image analysis focused on attempting …

The Historical Transformation Of Swimming Into A Modern Leisure Activity, Stephanie J. Hass

Student Work

The purpose of this study is to trace the transformation of simming from its earliest appearance in the literature to its contemporary form as a modern leisure activity. The processes of rationalization, legitimation and democratization are examined in pre-industrial, industrial and post-industrial societies.

The Effect Of Different Monetary Regimes On Cointegration Of The Term Structure: Evidence For Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, And The United Kingdom, Kevin J. Burns

Student Work

This thesis examines monthly eurodeposit rates for the short-end of term structure as a cointegrated system of the term structure of interest rates, for Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kindom during the period 1975-1990. The countries monetary regimes are examined in order to find sample periods that reflect changes in policies, in order to determine if the policies affect the cointegration results. The cointegration testing procedure of Johansen and Juselius is employed. The results found support for the expectation theory of the term structure when the countries focus on exchange rate or interest rates, and rejects the expectation …

A Comparison Study Of The Needs Of Parents With Mentally Retarded Children In China And In United States, Keli Mu

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to investigate the needs of parents of mentally retarded children in both China and America and to determine whether a significant difference exists between the needs of the two groups. It was hoped that the study would also help American readers understand more about the needs of Chinese parents. Participants in this study were 72 parents of mentally retarded children. They were composed of 45 Chinese parents from six provinces across China and 28 American parents from Nebraska. The parents responded to a questionnaire on which they rated their needs in the areas of …

Attitudes Of Language Arts Teachers In The Metropolitan Omaha Area Public High Schools Toward Writing Portfolios, Kara L. Bacon

Student Work

The basic concern of this study was an analysis of the attitudes and a measurement of any change in attitudes that the Metropolitan Omaha area language art teachers in the senior high schools have towards the use of writing portfolios in the classroom. In this study, the subjects consisted of 134 public high school language art teachers in the Metropolitan Omaha area. A survey written by Johns and VanLeirsburg in 1991 was adapted for this study. The questionnaire focused on three areas: knowledge of portfolios, contents of portfolios, and practical problems of portfolios. The questionnaires were hand-delivered to the subjects …

A Historical Review Of The University Of Nebraska At Omaha Phi Delta Kappa Chapter, Dee W. Rosekrans

Student Work

"History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illuminates reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life, and brings us tidings of antiquity" (Marcus Tillius Cicero, 106-43 B.C.). Historical research reconstructs the past, objectively, accurately, and systematically by collecting, evaluating, verifying, and synthesizing evidence to establish facts and reach defensible conclusions.

The Historical Transformation Of Swimming Into A Modern Leisure Activity, Stephanie J. Haas

Student Work

The purpose of this study is to trace the transformation of swimming from its earliest appearance in the literature to its contemporary form as a modern leisure activity. The processes of rationalization, legitimation and democratization are examined in pre-industrial, industrial, and post-industrial societies.

An investigation of the available literature disclosed negative attitudes toward swimming during the Middle Ages which caused a decrease in expressive uses of swimming. After this period, swimming's acceptance as a legitimate leisure activity continued to increase through the industrial and post-industrial eras. The democratization of swimming seemed limited to societies on the coasts of large bodies …

Runaways - Then And Now: A Comparison Of The 1978 Original New York Production And The 1992 University Of Nebraska At Omaha Production, Dan Patrick Hays

Student Work

This thesis is concerned with Elizabeth Swados’s musical, Runaways. The original production was preformed in New York City in 1978 after a ten-month long workshop where actual runaways were interviewed and their stories recorded for later use in production. The musical was a surprise hit, even though the reviews were mixed. It was successful, at least in part, because of its departure from what is normally expected of a musical. Following the influences of such musicals as A Chorus Line and Hair, Runaways was one of the original “concept musicals” which began to flourish in the 1970s. This musical was …

Mothers' And Fathers' Perceptions Of Parenting One-Month Old Infants With Respiratory Distress Syndrome Or Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, Nancy Marron

Student Work

Recent significant advances in the field of neonatology have resulted in increased rates of survival of infants who are born prematurely (Avery & Taeusch, 1984). Although mortality rates have decreased, many of these children and their families may be faced with complications related to prematurity, extended hospitalization, numerous lifesaving medical procedures, and a lengthy recovery.

The Law, Imagery And Televised Campaign Advertising: A Legal Analysis Of The Constitutionality Of Restricting External Imagery In Televised Campaign Advertising For Federal Office, Les J. Gwartney

Student Work

The possible effects of external imagery in televised political campaign advertising upon our electoral system, coupled with the current public interest in this area, could lead to a call for legislation restricting televised political advertisements to a "talking head" format. This study found that a statute regulating televised political campaign advertisements in this manner would violate the first amendment to the United States Constitution. The regulation of external imagery would not be a valid time, place and manner restriction because external imagery is compatible with messages on the television medium and the regulation of external imagery would not be content-neutral. …

The Influence On Gender And The Interaction Of Gender And Race On Juvenile Justice Decision-Making In Three Counties In Iowa, Molly Ann Cargin

Student Work

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of gender and the interaction of gender and race on juvenile court processing. Specifically, this thesis examined whether males and females received differential treatment within the juvenile justice system in three counties in Iowa. Moreover, the current study addresses the possibility that gender differences in case outcome may be confounded by the race of the juvenile. The five stages of the juvenile justice system included in the study were: intake, petition, initial appearance, adjudication, and judicial disposition. While the outcomes available to decision-makers vary by stage, the most severe …

Background And Performance Considerations Of Iannis Xenakis' "Psappha", For Percussion Solo, John Ronald Johnson

Student Work

The works of Iannis Xenakis combine the influences of mathematics, architecture and music. Xenakis views these not as three separate worlds, but one entity resulting from logical thought. Through his work with stochasticism and other compositional techniques, Xenakis has broken new ground in twentieth-century music. In 1976, Xenakis was commissioned to write Psappha, for Percussion Solo, a work for membranophones, metallophones and wooden idiophones. This paper examines the characteristics of the work, the required instruments and their positioning, and the technical demands presented.