Digital Commons Network^™

Superintendent Selection In North Dakota: Practices And Criteria, O. Kent Hjelmstad

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to learn how North Dakota school board members who had recendy participated in the selection of a school superintendent perceived the relative importance of (a) hiring practices, (b) administrative skills, and (c) superintendent attributes. Analyses of individual items and clusters of items were conducted. In addition to the general purpose, analyses were conducted by gender, by duration of board incumbency, and by school enrollment size.

Data for the study consisted of responses from 124 school board members from 39 school districts. (The universe of districts which had hired a superintendent during the 1990-1993 time …

Who's Speaking Whose Language? A Study Of Contact Signing Between Deaf And Hearing Co-Workers, Marilyn K. Plumlee

Theses and Dissertations

This study documents signed communication between a deaf woman and five hearing co-workers who have worked together for periods ranging from two and a half to twenty-three years.

The study has two primary foci:

(1) to describe the linguistic features observed during contact signing between deaf and hearing interlocutors, all fluent in English, who communicate in a manual, visual channel, and

(2) to identify the dynamics affecting the linguistic choices made by both the hearing and deaf signers during contact signing.

The primary data base for this study were videotaped recordings of conversational dyads consisting of the deaf woman and …

Selection Of Secondary School Teachers: Perceptions Of School Adminstrators Concerning Criteria, Procedures, And Problems, James Paul Haussler

Theses and Dissertations

Tills study of secondary teacher selection ascertained which selection criteria administrators regarded as important and which criteria were used, ascertained which procedures administrators regarded as important and which procedures were used, and ascertained which problems administrators encountered in selecting secondary teachers. An Analysis of Variance procedure was conducted to ascertain whether differences existed in administrators' perceptions related to the size of school, to the location of the school, and to administrative role.

Data were collected by securing responses to a questionnaire mailed to a stratified (by enrollment size) random sample of 768 public school administrators in North Dakota, South Dakota, …

Perceptions About Ethical Decision-Making Among North Dakota Elementary Principals, Isabel Patricia Hovel

Theses and Dissertations

The perceptions of North Dakota elementary principals about ethics and ethical decisions in the workplace were examined in the light of a similar national study. The purpose of the study was to analyze the perceptions of elementary principals of North Dakota to develop a clearer view of what would be considered ethical behaviors and ethical concerns among North Dakota elementary principals. The cumulative perceptions helped clarify the general consensus regarding ethical standards for principals in North Dakota schools. A secondary purpose was to disseminate the results of this analysis in order to help elementary principals in North Dakota in their …

The Constituency's Role In Congressional Decision Making: A Case Study Of Constituent Correspondence And Its Effect On Roll Call Voting, Sarah Ann Carlson

Theses and Dissertations

There has been a recent explosion in the volume of communication between constituents and their representatives in Congress. There is an intradisciplinary disagreement about what—if any—role this communication plays in the federal legislative decision making process. David Mayhew makes a persuasive argument based on reelection realities that this input from constituents affects the legislative decisions made by members of Congress. However, others, such as Robert Bernstein, maintain there is no causal relationship between constituent input and the decisions made by members of Congress.

In order to ascertain the degree to which this causal relationship exists—if it exists at all—comparative content …

Morphological Evidence Of Apoptosis During Early Structural Luteolysis In The Golden Hamster, Matthew G. Friederichs

Theses and Dissertations

Structural luteolysis (SL) in the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) is a remarkable event. The corpus luteum (CL) virtually disappears during a time span of 42 hours. SL begins around 0600 hours on day three of the cycle and is essentially complete by 2400 hours on day four of the cycle.

The purpose of this study was to determine when SL in the golden hamster actually begins and secondly to determine the way in which the three cell types involved in SL are depleted. The three cell types in question include luteal cells, endothelial cells, and neutrophils.

This study employed two …

Smoltification And Imprinting In Introduced, Land-Locked Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha), Timothy L. Hoffnagle

Theses and Dissertations

The period of smoltification is crucial to the maintenance of a self-supporting salmon population. This study addresses the physiological and behavioral changes that occur during smoltification and the environmental cues which induce this metamorphosis in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). The timing of imprinting in this species is also investigated.

The effects of novel water chemistry, increased stream flow rate, photoperiod and age and size on plasma levels of thyroxine, triiodothyronine and cortisol, hematocrit, condition factor and hepatosomatic index were examined. Exposure to a novel water source was found to induce smoltification while doubling the stream flow rate had no effect. …

The Lived Experience Of Caring And Knowing In Senior Nursing Students, Sherry Neil-Urban

Theses and Dissertations

Caring is identified as a central and defining feature of professional nursing. Yet, there is little explicit emphasis on the philosophy and substance of caring in the traditional nursing program. Rather, caring is subsumed by the pressing need to stay current with expanding definitions of nursing competence and increased knowledge required by licensing boards. The purpose of this phenomenological investigation was to better understand the lived experiences of caring and knowing as expressed by senior nursing students near completion of the nursing program. Eighteen sen ior nursing students, within one month of graduation, participated in this interview study in which …

The Relationship Of Parental Conflict And Parent-Child Relationship To The Sense Of Coherence Of Young Adult Children Of Divorce, Bruce K. Retterath

Theses and Dissertations

Early investigations of children and adolescents of divorce focused on the short-term negative influence of divorce on children and adolescents from "broken homes." Divorce is still seen as an important mediator in children's development, but other variables dealing with the family dynamics have been shown to be significant factors in the response of children to parental divorce. Few studies have considered the long-term influences of parental conflict and the parent-child relationship on young adults, and no studies have examined their relationship with the development of sense of coherence (SOC).

This study investigated the long-term relationship of parents' marital status, parental …

Relative Clauses In Southern Uzbek, Benjamin Unseth

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the structure of both finite and nonfinite relative clauses in Southern Uzbek. As such, it represents the first linguistic analysis of a topic in Southern Uzbek published in English. English research on Standard Uzbek establishes the existence of nonfinite relative clauses but does not examine them thoroughly, nor does it even sketch Standard Uzbek's uncommon finite relative clauses. In Southern Uzbek, finite relative clauses are more common than in Standard Uzbek. This research is based on texts collected from three men from Andkhuy, Afghanistan, and on elicited sentences.

A few characteristics of Southern Uzbek's relative clauses emerge …

Student And Faculty Perceptions Of Cooperative Learaning In Higher Education: A Case Study Of A Small University, Barbara Belle Pery Cichy

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past two decades researchers have stressed the need for the use of collaborative instructional methods in undergraduate education. Collaboration and cooperation are becoming important strategies as undergraduate instructional practices evolve from competitive, teacher-centered models to collaborative, student-centered models. Cooperative learning focuses on student-student interdependence, stresses individual accountability, employs 18 distinct steps of implementation, and fosters she features. Research has shown that cooperative learning increases student critical thinking, content learning, and positive attitudes toward seif.

This study assessed the perceptions of faculty and students about the implementation of cooperative learning in the second year of a curriculum program at …

Differences In The Development And Expression Of A Sense Of Coherence Between Euro-Americans And Native Americans, Barbara J. Bowman

Theses and Dissertations

This study addressed the development and expression of Antonovsky's (1987) Sense of Coherence (SOC) in individual lives in a cross-cultural context. Two groups of subjects were examined using a survey format. One group was from the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana and the other from UND. The psychological and physical health of these subjects, their family interaction patterns, and the coping strategies they use were examined to assist in increasing our understanding about how people from different cultures manage stress and stay healthy.

Both groups appear equally healthy, both mentally and physically, and scored equally well on measures of SOC. …

Stress And Its Correlates: An Empirical Investigation Among North Dakota Peace Officers, Eric Mark Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

The mission of the present investigation was to expand the limited body of knowledge regarding stress among rural peace officers. While a number of studies have focused on large, easily sampled departments, the empirical literature evidences neglect toward officers serving rural populations. The present study seeks to ascertain how North Dakota officers compare with other, more urban populations, and what differences may exist between a stratified sample of North Dakota police, sheriffs and Highway Patrol officers.

A randomized sample of 311 North Dakota officers were selected to receive a 300 question anonymous survey questionnaire which assessed personal demographic information in …

Self-Reported Risk Behaviors And Sexual Behaviors In North Dakota High School Juniors And Seniors, Vicki Wessman Downey

Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents engage in many risk-taking behaviors, and these behaviors have significant potential for adverse medical and social outcomes. Risk taking among adolescents may or may not be deliberate. One theory of problem behavior suggests that alcohol use, drug use, delinquency, and sexual intercourse constitute a syndrome of deviate behaviors preceded by a psychosocial pattern of conventional attitudes. Because adolescence is a period of life characterized by constant change, rapid physical growth, emotional turmoil, and parental conflict, there are tendencies to experiment, seek independence, and indulge in adult privileges without the responsibilities.

Research suggests a direc relationship between risktaking and sexual …

Parents' Reactions To The Sexual Abuse Of Their Children, Donna Greifer

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined 100 parents' predictions of their reactions to child sexual abuse. Subjects consisted of two groups, parents with a self-reported history of sexual abuse and parents with no reported history of sexual abuse. They were assigned to one of three experimental conditions to consider a case where their own child is abused (hypothetically) by: 1) an adult relative 2) an adult non- relative 3) a spouse or partner (i.e., a case of incest). Thus, the present study examined parents' reactions, how the reactions of parents' relationship to reported perpetrator affects these reactions, and how parents' prior history …

The Effect Of An Anaerobic Training Program Utilizing A Skating Treadmill On Anaerobic Performance, Lactate, And Other Metabolic Parameters, Trini T. Vargas

Theses and Dissertations

The adaptive physiological responses resulting from exercise training appear to be influenced by the specific character of the training program, type of exercise, and protocol employed to evaluate change. The effect of a unique six week anaerobic training program utilizing a skating treadmill was investigated. The anaerobic training program involved intermittent high intensity exercise bouts, each 4-90 seconds in duration at various treadmill speeds and elevations. The skating treadmill was designed specifically to enhance anaerobic metabolic pathways and anaerobic performance of hockey players by allowing the athlete to skate indoors on a rotating polyurethane surface that has the same friction …

Factors That Influence The Professional Updating Of Teachers, Paul Kasper Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, the Expectancy Theory of Motivation was applied to the updating behavior of experienced elementary teachers in North Dakota. The purpose of the study was to examine the perceptions of experienced elementary teachers at certain career levels, ages, experience levels, grade levels, and district sizes regarding the relationships between participating in various professional development activities and remaining professionally up-to-date (expectancy beliefs) as well as attaining desired outcomes and rewards (instrumentality and valence beliefs). A secondary purpose of the study was to investigate the applicability of the expectancy model for predicting past and future participation in updating activities by …

Changes In Nursing Students' Knowledge Of Bloodborne Pathogens And Perception Of Safety In Practice From Sophomore To Senior Years In School, Ellen J. O'Connor

Theses and Dissertations

Bloodborne pathogens have received increasing attention since Acguired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) became known in the United States. Until that time, antibiotics, immunizations, and increasingly sophisticated infection control practices had markedly decreased health care workers' occupational risk for contraction of bloodborne and other infectious diseases. From a nursing education perspective, it was important to ascertain knowledge deficits students have related to caring for clients infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV).

Therefore, the purposes of this study were to compare sophomore and senior nursing students relative to: a) their knowledge of bloodborne pathogens (particularly HIV …

Response To The Loss Of A Romantic Relationship: Differences By Time Since The Loss, Gender, And Attachment Style, Charles J. Dahlstrom

Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 25% of college students experience the loss of a romantic relationship each year. It has been proposed that such a loss results in a grief reaction similar to that experienced after a death. Theory also suggests that such major life events are an opportunity for growth. But very little research has been conducted to date to test these propositions. The review of the literature also suggested that gender and interpersonal attachment style are related to differential responses to romantic loss. This study tested Schneider’s (1984) mode! of response to loss, which predicts that the degree of involvement in three …

Attributions In The Adult Mother-Daughter Relationship, Angela R. Cheney

Theses and Dissertations

The study explored mother-daughter relationships within the attributional relationship paradigm. Literature on mother-daughter relationships has been contradictory in characterizing the relationship as either mutually satisfying and fulfilling or as a source of considerable turmoil.

The study addressed: would the relationships between satisfaction and attributions found in other close relationships also be obtained in adult mother-daughter relationships; do mothers and daughters differ in level of satisfaction with the relationship or in the nature of the attributions made; is age related to satisfaction or attributions?

Women were asked to describe positive and negative interactions under real and hypothetical conditions, with their mothers …

A Case Study Of Interactions With Multicultural Literature In A College Freshman English Classroom, Joan Whitchurch Kopperud

Theses and Dissertations

This paper considers the perceptions and interactions of a teacher and students in a college freshman English course. The researcher examined how multicultural literature was incorporated into that course and how students responded to the selections and classroom activities.

The study followed an inductive methodology; that is, abstractions were based upon observations and experiences from the participants rather than deduced from prior theories. Classroom observations, in-depth interviews, and course written documents provided data for analysis.

Based on this study’s data collection and analysis, three themes emerged: First, the teacher’s authenticity as a person and teacher contributed to a meaningful learning …

The Effects Of College Student Use Of Graphics Calculators Of The Learning Of Algabraic Concepts, Cheryl K. Pankow

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of student use of graphics calculators in college algebra classes on the learning of algebraic concepts and especially on those involving graphing skills.

The study was conducted during the spring semester 1993 in four college algebra sections, each originally consisting of 35 students and taught from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. or from 11:00 a.m. to noon. The students involved in the study were randomly assigned to either a control or treatment section. Two sections of students made up the treatment group, and these students received instruction with and used …

On Meaningful Assessment Of 'Motivation' : Steps Toward More Detailed Causal Modeling And Measurement, William J. Schmelzer

Theses and Dissertations

This study was a continuance of prior research and theory on the nature and assessment of motivation. The focus was on the academic performance situation. Existing empirical and theoretical work was utilized to formulate a complex causal model which identifies constituent elements related to motivation and performance, and which explicates their respective relationships. The theoretical model was employed to create an operational model for measurement and prediction of collegiate grade performance, a cumulative index of performance.

Three main fields of theory and inquiry were incorporated in the model: Attribution theory, self-system theory and metacognition theory. Literature dealing with pertinent knowledge …

Gender Differences In Risk Factors Related To Suicidal Behavior Among Adolescents, Rachel A. Vannatta

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify gender differences in self- reported suicidal beh avior in relation to risk factors among seventh through twelfth grade students (N=3,461). Data were gathered from the Survey Instrument of Attitude/Behavior administered in a school district located in a medium size Midwest city. Factor analyses reduced the 100 item survey to fifteen independent factors: cigarette use, smokeless tobacco use, alcohol use, alcohol behavior, hard drug use, marijuana use, over-the-counter drug use, school misconduct, academic difficulties, home environment, miscommunication with parents, unfair/strict rules of parents, sexual activity, forcible sex, and violence. The dependent variables were …

"The Desire Of The Woman Which Is For The Desire Of The Man" Feminist Readings In Austen And Atwood, Mary M. Pringle

Theses and Dissertations

Three novels by Jane Austen are compared to three novels by Margaret Atwood in the context of reading and writing as feminist activities. Anna G. Jonasdottir's theoretical discussion of male authority supported by women's alienated love elaborates the apparent truth of W.B. Yeats's observation that "the desire of the woman ... is for the desire of the man," the thematic link between the three essays which focus on women's concerns regarding love, maternity, and professionalism. Austen and Atwood are presented as early and late forms of a bright, coherent, middle-class female subjectivity that has remained remarkably coherent over two centuries …

Void Fraction And Pressure Drop In Annular Two-Phase Flow, Danping Si

Theses and Dissertations

Simultaneous flow of gas and liquid, generally termed two-phase flow, is often encountered in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and petroleum industries. Annular flow, in which the gas phase flows through the channel center and the liquid moves up along the wall, is a common flow pattern in two-phase flow and occurs when the gas velocity is very high. The gas phase also carries liquid droplets as an entrained phase.

Estimation of pressure drop across a flow channel is often required for analysis and design of the system. Frictional pressure gradient is the major contributor to total pressure gradient during annular two-phase …

Postmodernism And The Persian Golf Wat, Scot Stradley

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Portrait Of Michael Corleone In The Godfather Trilogy, By Francis Ford Coppola, Jean Mccrowell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to show a correlation between the statements and actions of the character of Michael Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather trilogy and the six phases of the romantic myth, as defined by Northrop Frye. During the evaluation the following premise was developed: Michael Corleone can be considered a hero despite his violent nature.

The procedure of this study was to examine the dialogue and behavior of the character of Michael Corleone in the Godfather trilogy. I have demonstrated that his speech and actions show he is what Frye calls a demonic, romantic hero who …

To Perfect The Peace Establishment: Congressional Attempts To Find The Proper Size For The Regular Army, 1821-1855, Todd R. Laughman

Theses and Dissertations

This study is an attempt to understand better how the Congress of the United States worked to establish the proper size and form of the Peace Establishment of the United States between 1821 and 1855. Central to this study is an attempt to determine if partisan or sectional attitudes were key factors in how Congress viewed the Regular Army.

The research in this study is centered on the primary materials generated by the Congresses under study. The debates and speeches conducted in Congress as found in the contemporary reports of the day, the Journals of the House and Senate, and …

The Evolving Forms Of Humor In The Donald Duck Cartoons, James Earl Smith Iii

Theses and Dissertations

This historically based study involves a variety of critical devices to examine the evolving types of humor in the Donald Duck shorts. This investigation encompasses his first appearance in 1934's The Wise Little Hen to his later appearances in the late fifties and early sixties. Part of this study will focus on discovering just what forms of humor were used and to establish working definitions for exaggeration, understatement, black humor, and reversal and see how they function in the Donald Duck cartoon.

In addition, the character of Donald will be examined to see how he is used as a solitary …