Digital Commons Network^™

Public Policy Response To The Demand For Boradband Deployment, Robert Kweit

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Measurement Of Job Satisfaction Indicators Of North Dakota Long Term Health Care Givers, Deborah Moreno

Theses and Dissertations

Long term care facilities in North Dakota and across the nation are experiencing a shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), and Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs). This shortage is significant as it directly affects the quality of care provided to long term care residents. As long term care is labor intensive, recruitment and retention efforts are critical to these facilities. In a highly competitive labor market, although recruitment is important, retention of current employees is crucial. An integration retention strategy is necessary for the retention of employees. Numerous studies have suggested that job satisfaction is directly related to …

Between Fiction And Documentary: Dangerous Liaisons And The Self-Reflexive Film, Jennifer J. Bottinelli

Theses and Dissertations

As the two primary modes of filmic representation, fiction and documentary have long been separated by their distinct associations with subjectivity and objectivity respectively. Documentary film, with its ties to lived reality, has been especially hampered by a too direct connection with objectivity. Regarding the documentary film's representation of actuality, there is a tendency for the authority behind the construction of the documentary image to go unexplored and unquestioned when the documentary subject is thought to be objectively represented. Neither fiction nor documentary image are likely to be destabilized when each mode neglects to recognize its connection to an alternative …

The Antecedents And Consequences Of Body Image Dissatisfaction: A Structural Modeling Analysis And A Controlled Laboratory Task, Dana M. Borowiak

Theses and Dissertations

Recent covariance structural equation modeling investigations have begun to examine factors thought to play a role in body image dissatisfaction and eating disturbance (Thompson et al., 1999). The current investigation extended this line of research using structural equation modeling to examine a tripartite model of body image dissatisfaction. Female participants (N = 200) completed an informed consent, the Survey of Background Information, the Body Comparison Scale, the Restraint Scale, the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire, the Body Esteem Scale-Revised, the Inventory of Peer Influence on Eating Concerns, the Perception of Teasing Scale, the Eating Disorders Inventory, the Parent Involvement Scale, the …

Personality Factors Associated With Success Or Failure On The United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 (Usmle Step 1), Carole Jean Sherva

Theses and Dissertations

Failure of medical students to pass Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE Step 1) can create psychological, academic and financial crises for the students, educational institutions and, ultimately, the public by negatively influencing the cost of health care.

Medical students from the University of Kansas School of Medicine (n = 377) and from varying United States of America medical schools enrolled at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, Institute for Professional Preparation (n = 109) had participated voluntarily in ongoing research data gathering. Results from this voluntary testing with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Adult …

Perception Of Gtas About Their Graduate Teaching Experiences: The Effects Of Pedagogical Support/Mentoring, Bruce Henry Emmel

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to describe the outcome of a semester long course of study presented to graduate teaching assistants in several disciplines. This study was important because many departments offer little or no specific training for their GTAs and, as a result, many of them find themselves confused and frustrated in their duties.

For this research, an experienced professor of long tenure offered a sixteen-week course in “College Teaching” designed specifically for graduate teaching assistants from a variety of disciplines. All of these GTAs volunteered to participate and were offered one graduate credit for their participation.

The research question I …

Experiences Of Older Women Following The 1997 Flood In Grand Forks, North Dakota, Mary Jean Formati

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the effect of a natural disaster on women 65 years and older. It was a qualitative, open-ended, non-emergent, exploratory study designed to understand the issues faced and the continued responses of older women to natural disaster. Data consisted of individual written narratives and individual interviews. The constant comparison method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Lincoln & Guba, 1985) was used to explore emerging themes and sub-themes. The purpose was to discover what difficulties older women experienced, how or if their lives changed, and how or if they continue to be impacted by disaster. Four main themes emerged from …

Valence Change And Oroko Verb Morphology (Mbonge Dialect), Lisa Friesen

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the valence changing processes that are indicated by Mbonge verbal morphology. Mbonge (Mbóñgá) is a dialect of Oroko (Orókó), an agglutinative Bantu A language of Cameroon with very rich morphology. After a brief overview of the structure of Mbonge verbs, attention is concentrated on the verbal suffixes which affect valence. Five suffixes—passive, stative, reflexive, reciprocal, and anticausative—are used to decrease valence. Five other suffixes—causative, indirect agent causative, indirect effector causative, applicative, and instrumental—are used to increase valence, as is the syntactic combination of bola 'do/make' plus another verb.

Suffixes which do not affect valence are also briefly …

Synthetic And Computational Studies On Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Derivatives, Nucleoside Analogs And Peptides, Felix Nyuangem Ngassa

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the understanding of the structure and functions of biological macromolecules has advanced rapidly, the result of which is a better mechanistic understanding of many biological processes. As an outgrowth of this understanding, organic molecules that react with biological macromolecules (DNA) or adopt conformations responsible for specific functions in biological macromolecules (peptides and proteins) have been synthesized and computational modeling studies performed. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and β-peptides are among synthetic organic compounds known to interact with natural biological macromolecules. This interaction may affect the specific biological functions of the biomacromolecules. A variety of synthetic methodologies have been …

Time Matters: Temporally Enacted Frame-Works In Narrative Accounts Of Mediation, Erling O. Jorgensen

Theses and Dissertations

Bateson's (1979) method of double description is utilized to examine narrative accounts of participants' mediation experiences, as a way to investigate significant change events. Comparing what changes to what remains more stable suggests that temporal differences are an indicator of contextualization, providing a framework for how meaning is made meaningful. Case studies of two of these structured interview transcripts are intensively analyzed, with triangulating measures of different logical type. Specifically, these include narrative analysis of key story points, temporal analysis of the frequency and distribution of in vivo codes to yield repetitive themes, and a modified lag analysis of codes …

Wisc-Iii Performance Patterning Differences Between Native American And Caucasian Children, Teton W. Ducheneaux

Theses and Dissertations

Native American children are sometimes inappropriately assessed, diagnosed, and labeled using Western European standardized intelligence measurements. The use of these measures with Native American children leads to questions regarding appropriate placement issues. Many clinicians are unfamiliar with these unique cultural differences. Some studies suggest the possibility of a “Native American Pattern” on the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (McShane & Plas, 1982). Mishra (1982) also found cultural bias with Information, Similarities, and Vocabulary subtests on the WISC-R when comparing Anglo and Navajo children with matching Full Scale IQ's. The present study investigated the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III; Wechsler, …

Longitudinal Predictors Of Weight Fluctuation In Men And Women, Kelly L. Bishop

Theses and Dissertations

Previous literature has indicated that weight loss maintenance represents a major challenge in the management of obesity (Brownell, 1995; Stunkard, 1985). The vast majority of individuals who diet lose and regain weight many times, a pattern often referred to as weight cycling.

The present study was a prospective attempt to understand weight maintenance and fluctuation in a general/normal sample of individuals (n = 315) and in a select group of weight loss maintainers (n = 19). Participants were assessed twice, six months apart, and weight change over this period was correlated with several predictors assessed at Time 1. These predictors …

Transfer Trauma Following A Community Evacuation Of The Institutionalized Elderly, Marlys J. Bratteli

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impact of evacuation on the institutionalized elderly following the 1996–97 Greater Grand Forks flood. Older adults, living in two long-term care facilities, were evacuated to temporary shelters. Later moved to other long-term care facilities or to the homes of family members, they experienced multiple moves. In order to learn what impact the evacuation had on the institutionalized elderly, two major questions were studied. These were: (1) What were the experiences of the institutionalized elderly during the evacuation? (2) What were the coping strategies used by the institutionalized elderly?

Data were gathered using triangulation: interviews, observation and …

Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting: Behaviors, Attitudes And Beliefs Among Psychologists Regarding Current And Proposed Statutes, Angela Marie Cavett

Theses and Dissertations

Child abuse is a serious societal problem that has occurred throughout history. However, only recently has society begun to formally confront child maltreatment by requiring professionals, including psychologists, to identify children who are being abused or neglected, through formal, mandated reporting. Child abuse reports are general addressed by social workers from Social Service Departments. However, this system is not always effective. Despite the mandates to report, psychologists have chosen to not report some cases, especially cases of mild physical abuse.

Psychologists make decisions regarding whether or not to report. This study elaborates on and extends what is known about psychologists' …

The Effects Of Class Size On Student Performance In Reading In The Primary Grades, Dotti S. Dixon

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of class size on reading achievement of primary grade students in the Bismarck (North Dakota) Public Schools. Data for the study included using scores from the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test (Fourth Edition). The results on the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test were analyzed according to grade, gender, socioeconomic status, race, and class size. Students in the study were identified as having been in either small classes (17 or less) or large classes (22 or more). Three years of data (1999–2002) were analyzed as part of the small class study. A second source of …

The Value Of Transcultural Nursing Education: Perceptions Of Nursing Graduates, Jane E. Bergland

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine the value of transcultural nursing education as perceived by eight graduates from Minnesota State University Moorhead's baccalaureate nursing program. Perceptions of nurses' care provision and what influenced those care provision choices where obtained during first interviews when they reflected upon a culturally sensitive fictitious scenario. Second interviews were conducted with each interviewee in which they were given the opportunity to expand on their perceptions and verify conclusions being drawn. Reliability was established when half of the interview transcripts were analyzed by a nursing professor with experience in qualitative research. The study …

Ossetian: Revisiting Inflectional Morphology, Bela G. Hettich

Theses and Dissertations

Ossetian, a language of the Northeastern group of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European stock of languages, has not received as much linguistic attention as it deserves. A few major studies on Ossetian were written in the 19th and 20th centuries, most of them in Russian. While these works are a solid foundation in the study of Ossetian, its description is not complete.

The present work, written in English, offers Ossetian to a wider international audience. Relying on new developments in linguistic theory, it reexamines phenomena in the inflectional morphology of Ossetian.

The preliminary chapter on phonology provides an overview …

Social Capital And Adolescent Student At-Risk Behaviors, Jeffrey M. Schatz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between six at-risk behaviors of adolescent students in relation to levels of social capital of 9–12 grade students. Data were gathered from the Youth Risk and Protective Factors Survey (YRPFS), administered to ninth through twelfth grade students in a school district located in a medium size midwest city. Factor analysis reduced the 114 questions on Survey A and B to two independent factors. Independent Factor I, Family Social Capital, was the sum of issues pertaining to the parents' educational background, rules at home, and educational expectations for their children. Independent …

Family Functioning, Parenting Practices, And Psychological Outcomes In Children With Diabetes As Compared To Children Without Diabetes, Lisa Leadbetter

Theses and Dissertations

The aims of this study were to identify what family environment and parenting practices are related to diabetic adherence and healthy psychological adjustment in children with diabetes as compared to children without diabetes. Participants included 60 families, including 30 families with children with diabetes and 30 age- and gender-matched controls without diabetes. Questionnaires were administered to the target child (the child with diabetes or the control child without) that assessed symptoms of depression, anxiety, self-concept and coping strategies. Additionally, one parent from each family completed questionnaires measuring family environment, parental stress, and parenting practices, as well as symptoms of his …

Depression And Help-Seeking Behavior Of North Dakota Farmers: The Impact Of The Farm Crisis, Wanda J. Mcsparron

Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about the psychological impact of the current farm crisis. This study examined the incidence of depression and the help-seeking behavior among North Dakota farmers. A secondary purpose was to determine the relationship of economic stress, as well as demographic variables, with levels of depression and help-seeking behavior.

A sample of 500 North Dakota farm operators was randomly selected from Prairie Grains Magazine mailing list and asked to participate in a mail survey. 199 farm operators and 120 spouses/partners responded to the survey. Each participant was asked to anonymously complete and return the Personal Data Questionnaire, Financial Stress …

The Effects Of Disclosing Childhood Sexual Abuse On An Adult Survivors' Sense Of Self-Esteem, Personal Trauma, And Interpersonal Capabilities, Susan E. Rudolph

Theses and Dissertations

Nineteen survivors of childhood sexual abuse who are receiving services from supportive agencies participated in this study. Counselors from crisis centers and university counseling centers distributed questionnaires to possible participants who disclosed childhood sexual abuse. Perceptions of the first experience of disclosure from the participants were examined, along with the duration of abuse, to find a possible correlation between these variables, current self-esteem levels, levels of trauma, and interpersonal capabilities. Instruments used included the Disclosure of Abuse Scale, Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale, Trauma Symptom Checklist - 40, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. The hypotheses of the study included 1) perception of …

The Relationship Between Career Paths, Institutional Types, Demogrophics And The Operational Frameworks Of College And University Presidents, Mark M. Magnuson

Theses and Dissertations

Leadership is an elusive quality sought by many individuals and organizations. As organizations become more complex, the search for effective leadership intensifies. Presidents of universities and colleges were, historically, identified as the key leaders on campuses, in their own states, and nationally, able to raise institutions to greatness or drag them into mediocrity through the sheer force of their personality and efforts. More recent research suggests that college and university presidents have far less to do with the success of an institution than previously thought. Some presidents are somewhat successful by adapting their leadership frames through understanding the environment and …

Oroko Orthography Development: Linguistic And Sociolinguistic Factors, Dan T. Friesen

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the variety of linguistic and sociolinguistic factors that need to be considered in order to develop a good Oroko orthography. Oroko is a Bantu A language of the Southwest Province of Cameroon, Africa. The thesis starts with an overview of the Oroko's location, population, classification, and language development status. The linguistic factors discussed are based largely on analyses of two lists: a 118-word list of nine Oroko dialects and an 821-word list of four Oroko dialects (included in the appendix). Consistent phonetic and phonemic alternations are examined in detail. The next chapter discusses the sociolinguistic issues that …

The Awara Verbal System, Susan R. Quigley

Theses and Dissertations

Awara is a language in the Wantoat family spoken by the Awara people of Papua New Guinea. Though it has been mentioned in papers written about the Finisterre-Huon languages and about the Wantoat language (another language in the Wantoat family), it has not been described in depth.

This paper presents a description of the verbal system of the Awara language. The major grammatical constructions described are 1) the verbal morphology, 2) serial-verb constructions, 3) clause chaining, and 4) subordination.

Interesting aspects of the language shown here are 1) the variety of clause types based on the type of subject-indexing suffix, …

Gender Equity: Is There A Glass Ceiling In The State Governments Of North Dakota, Minnesota, And Montana, Ellen Paul

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Psychotherapy Integration: Examination Of Clinical Utilization, Gregory T. Tierney

Theses and Dissertations

Psychotherapy integration has been consistently found to be the modal or bimodal primary theoretical orientation explicitly reported by psychologists. Considering influences on the field of psychology, psychotherapy integration will likely remain a significant approach to psychotherapy for the foreseeable future. However, not much is known about the clinical application of psychotherapy integration. It is questionable whether current classifications of psychotherapy integration, including theoretical integration, eclecticism, and common factors, can adequately describe clinical approaches. The assessment of latent theoretical orientation, as a means of assessing primary theoretical orientation, is a promising way to examine the clinical use of psychotherapy integration. My …

Distribution, Relative Abundance, And Reproductive Seasonality Of Larval Fish In The Red River, Timothy James Resseguie

Theses and Dissertations

Spawning habitat availability and reproductive timing are crucial factors that affect survival of larval fish. To understand temporal and spatial variation in larval fishes in the Red River, samples were collected from the Red River and North Dakota tributaries using ichthyoplankton nets. Collections were made during the spring and summer of 1999, 2000, and 2001. Spatial patterns were examined to uncover any variation in a cross section of the river. Common carp Cypritr j carpio, cyprinid spp. and white bass Morone crysops were more abundant near the surface than at mid-depth. Channel catfish Ictalurus pimctatus were more abundant at mid-depth …

Career Paths And Mobility Issues Of Women Administrators In North Dakota Public Schools, Debra K. Schroeder Syvertson

Theses and Dissertations

The higher one looks in the administrative hierarchy, the fewer women one observes. In North Dakota, men filled 98% of the public school superintendencies in 1994. Sixty percent of the school districts had both a male secondary principal and a male elementary principal. Despite these low proportions, various authors have demonstrated that women's typical leadership styles are superior to those of men and are better suited to running effective schools. If women administrators have such natural leadership skills, why are there not more of them in schools? The purpose of this study was to determine the career paths and mobility …

The Relationship Between Self-Reports Of Delinquent Behaviors And Adolescents' Perceptions Of Parental Care And Protectiveness, Jacqueline A. Bleess

Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined adolescents’ perceptions, in regards to parent levels of Caring and Overprotection, as correlates of self-reported delinquent behaviors in 135 males and female adolescents. As hypothesized, the results showed correlations between perceived Parental Care and self-reported levels of delinquent behaviors in both males and females. This study has shown that more males than females report participation in delinquent behaviors. As hypothesized, low levels of perceived Parental Care correlated to both male and female adolescents’ self-reports of delinquent behaviors, but overprotection (high overprotection) did not. The strongest predictor of adolescent participation in delinquent activities is the adolescents’ perception …

Factors Associated With Parenting Stress And Self-Competence In Parents Of Preschool-Aged Children, Erin Tentis

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the differences between mothers and fathers in parenting stress and parental self-competence. Forty-six married couples with children aged 3 -5 years participated in this study. Each parent completed a packet of eight questionnaires: a demographics form, the Parenting Stress Index - Short Form, the Competence subscale of the Parenting Stress Index - Long Form, the Parenting Sense of Competence scale, the Daily Hassles subscale of the Hassles and Uplifts Scale, the Division of Labor scale, the Social Provisions Scale, and the Colorado Child Temperament Inventory. Results indicated that mothers and fathers do not differ in reported levels …