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Differences In Quality Of Care By Insurance Plan: A Fee-For-Service Vs. Health Maintenance Organization Comparison, Pamela Driggers Silcox

Doctoral Dissertations

The history of health insurance in the United States has perpetuated and enabled a health care industry that has been rewarded for increased spending rather than cost control. With the original plan setting no spending limit on health care providers, fee-for service reimbursement provided greater incentive to spend than to contain costs. Attempts to control the soaring costs of health care services have given rise to managed care insurance plans that base reimbursement on health outcome data. Given that the birth of managed care includes stringent reimbursement guidelines and ensuing controversy over services provided or not provided, this study sought …

Butterflies, Boundaries, And Breadfruit: The Shared Story Of A Service Learning Experience In Jamaica, Adam Renner

Doctoral Dissertations

This study documents the problematization of service learning, the activation of a practice for cultural studies, and the use of a particular framework and theory called critical service learning. The framework centers around praxis and is comprised of four-stages—pre-action reflection, theory, action, and reflection—which articulates Freirean, critical, and engaged pedagogies with cultural studies theory in the reflective and theory stages and targets social difference and resultant injustices in the action stage. The theory articulates the feminist ethic of care and social justice theory within a frame of the generalized and concrete other, and promotes caring solidarity as the ultimate ameliorative …

Effect Of Directed Online Pre-Instruction Module On Teacher Preparedness For Face-To-Face Instruction, Donna Lynne Henson-Boyers

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the effects of a supplemental online discussion module prior to face-to-face training. Specifically, it investigated the impact on teacher preparedness, discussion and collaboration in the face-to-face training, and the amount of knowledge gained from the subsequent training.

Two groups of special education teachers received twenty hours of face-to-face training in the use of assistive technology. For four weeks prior to then training, both groups had access to online simulations, resources and materials.

The Treatment Group participated in a four-week supplemental online module. Weekly topics focused on a specific disability, and included online simulations, resources and assistive technology …

Student Use Of Rankings In National Magazines In The College Decision-Making Process, Michele Mcmanus Howard

Doctoral Dissertations

College rankings are widely depicted as vital tools for making informed decisions about the college selection process. Based on sales volume and the diversity of ratings currently in existence, there is little doubt that rankings are big business and are undeniably here to stay. On the other hand, very little factual information is available about students’ actual use of rankings in the college decision-making process.

It is clear that rankings such as those published by US News & World Report are now part of the landscape in our system of higher education. However, the problem is to establish the extent …

Factors That Enhance Consumer Trust In Human-Computer Interaction: An Examination Of Interface Factors And Moderating Influences, Eun-Ju Lee

Doctoral Dissertations

The Internet coupled with agent technology presents a unique setting to examine consumer trust. Since the Internet is a relatively new, technically complex environment where human-computer interaction (HCI) is the basic communication modality, there is greater perception of risk facing consumers and hence a greater need for trust. In this dissertation, the notion of consumer trust was revisited and conceptually redefined adopting an integrative perspective. A critical test of trust theory revealed its cognitive (i.e., competence, information credibility), affective (i.e., benevolence), and intentional (i.e., trusting intention) constructs. The theoretical relationships among these trust constructs were confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis …

Eeg Patterns Of Tbi Patients With Attention Deficits During Cognitive Tasks And Second Resting Baseline, Stamatina Stathopoulou

Doctoral Dissertations

According to previous research, different regions of the brain are activated when a person is required to use different types of attention like selective, alternating, focused, sustained and divided attention. The frontal, prefrontal and parietal areas especially in the right hemisphere, seem to be the most frequently activated areas. Little research has addressed differences in the electroencephalogram (EEG) between traumatic brain injured (TBI) patients, with different types of attentional deficits because of their injury, and normal population. This study focuses on differences in magnitude in five brain regions between TBI patients and normal population, during recording of one cognitive task …

The Christmas Dilemma For Public Elementary School Leaders, David Ross Berry

Doctoral Dissertations

Elementary school principals and teachers are often unaware of the level of pressure and turmoil that can erupt from state and church issues related to the role of Christmas in public elementary schools. This qualitative research describes interviews with administrators, teachers and parents at four public elementary schools, religious leaders and church/state scholars. Educators can be faced without much warning with a paralyzing effect on their educational environment. This study can serve in some ways as a warning to educators to become more sensitive and knowledgeable on their own school's religious diversity. The knowledge of possible reactions by various religious …

The Predictors Of Turnover Intentions : An Investigation Of Front-Line Employees In The Retail Industry, Hester Alicia Daves

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate turnover intentions among front-line retail employees. The independent variables examined were work-family conflict, family-work conflict, pay satisfaction, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Relationships among the independent variables were also examined. Data were collected from four mass-merchandise retailers in the southeast. The final sample consisted of 282 front-line employees, which was a 30.6 percent response rate. The survey included 45 items that measured the variables along with demographic questions and an area for additional comments. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate ten hypotheses. The overall fit of the turnover intention structural equation …

Conceptualizations Of Lesbians And Lesbian Relationships, Christina A. Demuth

Doctoral Dissertations

There have been many studies that examine the attitudes of heterosexuals towards lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (Herek & Capitanio, 1999 & 1996; Engstrom & Sedlacek, 1997; Kite & Whitley, 1996; Whitley & Kite, 1995; Pratte, 1993; and Kite, 1984). Currently, there is no qualitative research that focuses on a particular population's conceptualizations of lesbians. The need for this study lies in the abundance of stereotypes surrounding both lesbians and heterosexual men's view of lesbians as well as the lack of research. For these reasons, the purpose of the study is to examine the conceptualization of lesbians and lesbian relationships …

Psychometric Determination Of Job Stress In Health Occupations, Daniel L. Gilbert

Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to measure stress in health occupations. The effects of job stress on productivity, health insurance utilization, workers' compensation claims, and turnover cost organizations billions of dollars annually. Given that health occupations are subject to high levels of stress and that the workforce is experiencing labor shortages, healthcare organizations are especially interested in human resource development programs that deal with identifying, acknowledging, and managing occupational stress. Development of the instrument was accomplished by an extensive review of related literature, feedback from subject matter experts using the Delphi technique, pilot testing …

Concurrent And Predictive Validity Of The Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test And The Leiter International Performance Scale - Revised, V. Scott Hooper

Doctoral Dissertations

The relationship between two tests of cognitive ability measured nonverbally and the relative capability of intellectual constructs measured by those tests to predict academic achievement (operationalized by end of the year group achievement tests) was examined. One hundred elementary and middle school students were administered the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT) and the Leiter International Performance Scale - Revised in counter-balanced order; reading, math, and language scores from Terra Nova were matched with 37 cases in the sample. Correlation coefficients describing the relationship among global scores within the IT and between the UNIT and the Leiter-R were statistically significant (p < .001) and ranged from .33 for the. UNIT Memory Quotient/Leiter-R Fluid Reasoning scores t .90 for the UNIT Full Scale IQ/UNIT Reasoning Quotient and UNIT Nonsymbolic Quotient/UNIT Reasoning Quotient. The coefficient between the UNIT and Leiter-R Full Scale IQ scores was .72 (Q < .001). Mean differences between the UNIT and Leiter-R Full Scale were significant with the UNIT Full Scale IQ score being approximately five points higher than the Leiter-R, t. = 4.73, )2. < .001. Effect size for the t-test was modest, .35. Based on stepwise multiple regression analyses, the UNIT Full Scale IQ predicted all three areas of academic achievement significantly better than the Leiter-R Full Scale IQ score, with the variance accounted for by the UNIT Full Scale IQ score ranging from 39 percent to 55 percent (p. < .01). The Leiter-R contributed an additional 2 percent of variance. In addition, a number of the UNIT and Leiter-R global scores were statistically significant predictors of achievement (e.g., UNIT Reasoning Quotient, Memory Quotient, Leiter-R Reasoning). Results are consistent with prior research that has found the UNIT and Leiter-R to provide comparable measures of general intelligence. However, this is the first study to suggest that the UNIT may be superior to the Leiter-R in its relative capability to predict academic achievement. School psychologists and administrators will find these results useful in choosing assessment instruments to evaluate the increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse population of students.

Identifying Predictors From The Georgia Kindergarten Assessment Program-Revised To Determine First Graders At-Risk Of Academic Failure, Rebecca C. Howard

Doctoral Dissertations

Georgia kindergarten teachers are required to assess students using the Georgia Kindergarten Assessment Program — Revised (GKAP-R). The 2000 GKAP-R identified only 6% of the state’s kindergarten students as needing assistance in first grade. However, more than 16% of the students in grades K-3 actually received assistance in the state’s program designed to give extra help to struggling students. In this study, kindergarten and first grade scores for 461 Catoosa County students were analyzed to determine the relationship between student scores on the GKAP-R and first grade achievement as measured by the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. The results indicate …

Tennessee Healthcare Provider Childhood Lead Poisoning Attitude, Belief, And Practice Survey, Karen Adele Rasnake Lowry

Doctoral Dissertations

Childhood lead poisoning is a serious but preventable condition. It has been estimated by the Tennessee Department of Health that as many as one in eleven children in the state may be affected in some manner by lead poisoning. Lead poisoning can result in lifelong learning and neurological problems for a child. For these reasons it is imperative the healthcare provider be able to recognize risk factors associated with lead poisoning in the child’s environment. Recognition of these risk factors is done through asking a series of screening questions designed to assess areas of risk. Follow up blood testing to …

Core Competencies Of Professional Service Providers In Federally Funded Education Programs, Dora H. Marmon

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this national study was to identify core competencies for administrators and other professional service providers in selected federally funded education programs. The population was administrators of Talent Search, Upward Bound, and Student Support Services projects. A proportional stratified random sample of 579 administrators received the survey; 354 responded. The usable response was 346 (59.8%). A researcher-developed instrument was revised according to advice of a national panel of experts. The instrument was piloted and again revised prior to the national survey. The overall Cronbach's alpha for the instrument was .97. The 100-item questionnaire was divided into 18 core …

"Prudence Even Beyond Other Women" : The Rhetorical Maneuvers Of Elizabeth I, Samantha A. Morgan-Curtis

Doctoral Dissertations

Elizabeth Tudor (1533-1603) did not set out to better the status of women; as queen, she wanted to neither overturn nor disrupt the very system that authorized her position. Though later generations have anachronistically read her as a type of protofeminist, she saw herself as trying, within necessary constraints, to fulfill simultaneously her roles as both woman and ruler, which meant fitting into the expectations of her society in order to rule and function. However, her society found the very nature of female rule problematic and contradictory to its vision of the "natural order." To accomplish this task, Elizabeth used …

Exclusion Decisions Of Middle School Principals, Karen H. Loy

Doctoral Dissertations

The decision by a principal to exclude a student from school is a serious one that costs the student gravely. The intent of this study was to understand the phenomenon of how principals make the decisions to exclude students from school. Twelve middle school principals from a single school district were the participants of this study. A focused interview was conducted and the responses analyzed for patterns and themes using the ethic of care and the ethic of justice as a theoretical template. Other data reviewed included: the school improvement plans; and the schools’ majority/minority rate, free and reduced lunch …

A Look At Personality Change Among Conduct Disordered Adolescents In Residential Treatment, Robert J. Riethmiller

Doctoral Dissertations

The current study examines the personality structure of conduct disordered adolescents who are being treated via residential care. Personality is assessed using the Rorschach, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Adolescent Form, and the Child Behavior Checklist Parent form and Youth Self Report. Findings from these instruments are used to evaluate personality attributes discussed in the conduct disorder research such as impulsivity, egocentricity, low ego strength, oppositionality, emotional detachment, and failed identification. Changes on these instruments from admission to discharge are then examined to evaluate any personality changes that may be the result of the residential treatment interventions. The results …

Sacred Culture : Religion And Aesthetics In Barbauld, Blake, And The Shelleys, Daniel D. Schierenbeck

Doctoral Dissertations

This project examines the role of religion in the cultural politics of the Romantic era. Though previous studies have explored the influence of radical, plebeian religion on Barbauld, Blake, and the Shelleys, they have not situated these Romantic writers' discourse within the broader field of cultural production that includes conservative religious discourse. By doing so, I unfold the pervasive connections between culture, religion, and aesthetics in the Romantic era. I demonstrate how conservative religious discourse of this era aesthet~cizes social power through an emphasis on manners and taste. Such religious discourse thus works to internalize dominant social values more effectively …

Causes, Cures, And Compliance : Bible Believers' Causal Attributions And Preferred Treatments For Mental Disorders, Todd S. Stanfield

Doctoral Dissertations

The importance of providing culturally-competent treatment is increasingly being emphasized in the mental health literature. However, the effect of religion as a cultural determinant of treatment utilization is largely understudied. Previous studies suggest that religious fundamentalists are more likely to endorse spiritual and demonic explanations for mental illness and are less willing to seek help from secular mental health professionals. However, these studies are based on small, regional, non-probability samples and have failed to adequately control for the effects of other sociodemographic variables such as education. This study utilized data from two nationally representative surveys, the 1996 and 1998 General …

In Pursuit Of Purpose : An Exploration Of The Purpose Of Education, Laura J. Hopfer

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of school administrators and teachers regarding the purposes of education and to compare it with the perceptions of policy-makers as expressed in mandated accountability efforts. Through the use of a researcher-designed questionnaire, a random sample of K-6 elementary school principals and classroom teachers in public schools in one state were asked to share their perceptions of 12 identified educational purposes by rating and ranking those purposes. Questionnaires were returned by 612 (77.1%) educators; 323 school administrators, 288 classroom teachers and 1 respondent whose job position was not indicated. Data were …

The Effect Of Personality On The Spiral Of Silence Process, Kyoungtae Nam

Doctoral Dissertations

The study examines the effect of personality on the spiral of silence process. Despite the social-psychological nature of the spiral of silence theory, there has been little investigation on the relationship between personality and the spiral of silence process. In the current study, two personality constructs, independent/interdependent self-construal and right wing authoritarian personality, are examined to see how they affect a person’s willingness to speak out. In March through April 2002, 714 college students were surveyed. Three topics that were identified as highly controversial in the preliminary study were used in the final survey: abortion (n=238), affirmative action (n=234), and …

Personality Characteristics Of Responsive Parents: The Relationship To Symptomatology In Children, Brian John Adams

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to further define the relationship between parental responsiveness and symptomatology in children and to help elucidate qualities that might lead a parent to behave in a responsive manner toward their child. Of particular interest was the parental personality characteristic conscientiousness. The 28 Participant families were from two samples, a clinical sample taken from the University of Tennessee Psychological Clinic and a non-clinical sample taken from a local elementary school. Parents completed an assessment measure of their child's symptomatology and questionnaires designed to measure conscientiousness. Families were then observed interacting for one hour to assess …

A World-Systems Perspective On The Role Of Telecommunications In Global Development, Kendra S. Albright

Doctoral Dissertations

Until recently, an economic perspective has dominated studies of the effect of telecommunications on social and economic development. There are reasons to believe, however, that this perspective unnecessarily limits our understanding of the problems of development. Theories of development and world structure converge in world-systems theory. This world-systems perspective combined with information society theory provides a theoretical basis for understanding the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in globalization, not only for developing countries, but for the worldsystem as a whole. This research is premised on the view that the world operates as an interconnected network with increasingly interdependent …

Women Of Asian Descent And Their Self Identification And Involvement In Sport And Physical Activity, Catherine C.W. English

Doctoral Dissertations

Much of the literature regarding women of Asian descent in the United States goes back to the 1800s; this is around the same time documentation of Asian immigrants began to be recorded. Since this time, it has been historically noted that women of Asian descent and Asian American women have been marginalized and overlooked with regard to issues of mainstream American culture and research, especially in areas such as politics, economics, race, class, gender, health, sports, and, of course, the media. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to reveal how a selection of women of Asian descent self-identify racially …

Principals' Perceptions Of An Evaluation System In Tennessee, Janet Dyer Mobley

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe principals' attitudes toward the Tennessee Model for Local Evaluation, the extent to which principals understand the performance standards, how well they perceive the model identifies effective teachers, and problems they have encountered. The researcher surveyed administrators attending Tennessee Academies for School Leaders (TASL) sessions. A questionnaire was utilized to collect data to answer the five research questions guiding the study. Results indicated administrators believed that instructional supervision should be for the purpose of improving instruction rather than the evaluation of teachers. Although administrators felt the principal should have the primary responsibility for …

The Effects Of Dietitian Weight And Self-Disclosure About Weight On Women's Evaluations Of Registered Dietitians, Wendy Elizabeth Bounds

Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of dietitian weight status, dietitian self-disclosure about personal weight issues, and participant weight status on participants' initial perceptions and evaluations of registered dietitians. The research design was a randomized 2x2x2 factorial design consisting of 2 dietitian weight status conditions (normal weight and obese), 2 dietitian self-disclosure conditions (absence or presence of self-disclosure about personal weight issues), and 2 participant weight status conditions (normal weight and obese). A simulated nutrition counseling situation was developed in which participants were shown a photograph of a dietitian and then listened to an audio recording of an overview of nutrition …

Exploring The Nature Of Hurt Feelings, Laura A. Negel

Doctoral Dissertations

Hurt feelings are an inevitable consequence of interpersonal relationships. Hurt can be defined as the responses to trauma, abuse, loss, stress, rejection, insults, and offenses that may occur throughout life. The purpose of the series of studies outlined in this dissertation was two-fold: (1) to develop a reliable and valid personality measure of the bimodal model of hurt reactivity comprising introjective hurt (i.e., internalizing hurt and engaging in self-blame) and retaliatory hurt (i.e., lashing out immediately and aggressively against perpetrators of hurt); and (2) to assess the meaning and implications of hurt from various methodological perspectives, including narrative accounts of …

An Empirical Analysis Of The Effect Of The Need For Closure On Materiality Thresholds Of Auditors, Cynthia M. Daily

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the strengths of a specific motivator for judgment and decision-making, referred to as “need for closure” and determine how the strength of that motivator affects materiality judgments of auditors.

The extent to which auditors seek and process information prior to forming a judgment can have important consequences in the conduct of an audit. In this regard, psychology researchers have identified a personality characteristic—a motive for judgment and decision making—that influences the decision making process. This motive, referred to as the need for closure, pertains to the desire of individuals to clear …

Predictor Variables Of Performance On The Louisiana Educational Assessment Program For The 21st Century, June Adeline Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations

Using the Student Characteristics: Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) composite national percentile scores, repeating fourth grade, spring third grade Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) scores, socioeconomic status, race, gender, and preschool attendance and the School Characteristics: teacher degree level, teacher experience, teacher professional development, and school Title I status, this study employed a stepwise multiple regression analysis to determine the best predictors of fourth grade scores on the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program for the 21st Century (LEAP 21). Students must pass the English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics portions of this test to be promoted to fifth grade. Having previously …

Preventing Driving Under The Influence Through Informal Interventions: An Examination Of The Decision Making Processes Common To Potential Dui Offenders, David John Williams

Doctoral Dissertations

One novel approach to the driving under the influence (DUI) problem is the informal DUI intervention. Informal DUI interventions are any attempts made to prevent an alcohol-impaired individual from driving. The research to date has concentrated on the factors leading individuals to intervene, informally, in a DUI situation. Comparatively little research has investigated the factors leading potential drunk drivers to comply with informal intervention requests.

An interactional arousal/cost-benefit model was used to predict self-reported informal DUI intervention compliance. According to the model, potential DUI offenders' decisions to comply with intervention requests would be influenced by background variables, context variables, intervention …