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Dark Phoenix: The Representation Of Black Woman In Je Suis Martiniquais By Mayotte Capecia And Mon Examen De Blanc By Jacqueline Manicom, Sybil Shevron Jackson

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Black women writers in the French West Indies were conspicuously absent from the literary canon during the negritude movement in the 1940's. Mayotte Capecia was one of the few who managed to write during this time. Capecia was criticized severely for her novel Je suis Martiniquais by Frantz Fanon and accused of betraying her race because of the inter-racial love affair between her heroine and a French soldier. Jacqueline Manicom, her literary descendant who wrote Mon Examen de Blanc in 1972, was ostracized from the medical profession for her political beliefs concerning women's rights.

This dissertation examines images and representation …

Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict, Situational Formality, And Personality As Causes Of Interpersonal Equivocation., Richard Steven Bello

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study explores the causes of a widespread and important communication phenomenon, interpersonal equivocation. Literature is reviewed which shows clearly that a sufficient cause of interpersonal equivocation is situational avoidance-avoidance conflict, but also which suggests the possibility of additional situational (formality of social setting) and trait (self-monitoring) precursors of equivocation. Using a questionnaire technique, participants were asked to imagine themselves in three different interpersonal situations, which were manipulated to vary the level of situational formality. In addition, in each situation, they were asked to respond to a question from their hypothetical conversational partner. These questions were designed to manipulate the …

Women's Voices In Education: Two Jamaican Life Histories., Ethel L. King-Mckenzie

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The main purpose of this study is to recover the marginalized voices of women educators in Jamaica by turning their oral life histories into text. It was not possible to interview all women educators in Jamaica so I have used the life histories of two women who were the 'first' women to take positions in educational leadership in two spheres that were once male dominated. Both women have made it to the zenith of the education profession. These women relate their life experiences and the meanings they give to their work as educators. Women have always played important roles in …

The Role Of Financial Aid Counseling In Students' Understanding Of Student Loan Management., Julia Young Porter

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This exploratory research study examined public university students' perceptions about their own loan debt management knowledge and about the counseling practices used to prepare them for their loan responsibilities. From the target population of all students enrolled at Louisiana State University during the Spring 1999 Semester, a systematic random sample was selected. Of the 1,204 students who participated in the study, 433 had loans. The 34-question survey instrument included 11 demographic characteristic questions and 1 open-ended question asked of all respondents. Two additional demographic questions and 20 perception statements about the loan process were asked of loan recipients. This study …

Epidemiology Of Anthrax In The Kruger National Park, South Africa: Genetic Diversity And Environment., Kimothy Lyn Smith

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The Kruger National Park, (KNP), in the Republic of South Africa, provides a unique opportunity to investigate interesting and unresolved aspects of the epidemiology of the disease anthrax. Anthrax is a disease of primarily mammals caused by the Gram-positive, rod-shaped, spore-forming bacteria Bacillus anthracis. Beyond it's great historical significance anthrax is clearly important in the world today. From a rich legacy of empirical investigations and observations in the form of ecological and epidemiological studies conducted around the world this work endeavors to distill and extract the essence of what biotic and abiotic factors of environment might be causally associated with …

Discriminative Validity Of The Wide-Range Assessment Of Memory And Learning (Wraml) With Children With And Without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd)., Heather Brewis Scheffler

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The present study examined the discriminative validity of the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML), using the individual subscales, original indexes, and a factor structure proposed by Burton, Donders, and Mittenberg (1996) that includes an Attention factor. The sample consisted of 57 non-learning disordered children who were enrolled in the first through the seventh grade and met criteria for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and 62 Control children. The groups were matched by age, race, SES, and estimated intellectual ability. Group comparisons by MANCOVA revealed that, after controlling for the effects of math and reading achievement, differences between the groups …

Powerless Speech: The Effects Of Gender, Gendered Intensifiers, And Attitudes Toward Women On Speaker Credibility., Frances E. Brandau-Brown

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine powerful and powerless speech styles in relation to sex of speaker, sex of respondent, and attitudes toward women. Based on research by Bradac, Mulac, and Thompson (1995) it was proposed that the powerless speech style variable, intensifiers, could be divided into separate masculine and feminine domains. The Attitude Toward Women scale was used to classify respondents as either liberal or traditional. From this classification predictions were made using Expectancy Violation Theory to formulate a priori hypotheses about respondent perceptions of speaker competence, trustworthiness, and masculinity. Multivariate, univariate and post-hoc tests revealed that …

The Role Of Trait And State Anxiety In Semantic Network Organization Of Information Related To Current Concerns., Gretchen Joan Diefenbach

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In the first study of this report empirically-derived cognitive networks were established for high trait test anxious participants ( n = 28) and low trait test anxious participants (n = 25) during periods of both high and low exam stress. Cognitive networks were created using the Pathfinder algorithm, which transforms pair-wise word similarity ratings into an associative network. Information included in the networks pertained to the following word categories: testing situations, positive performance evaluation, and negative performance evaluation. Contrary to predictions, there was no effect of either trait or state test anxiety on semantic network organization. These findings fail to …

Performing Dracula: A Critical Examination Of A Popular Text In Three Sites Of Performance., Jonathan Matthew Gray

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Dracula is a significant example of a popular phenomenon with a long and ongoing history of productive circulation in Anglo-American culture. While theorists of popular culture often use the term "performance" in their explanations of the popularity and meaningful operations of such phenomena in a culture, they do not always provide concrete definitions of what they mean by performance. This study provides an analysis of the roles performance plays in a specific popular culture phenomenon. Identifying Bram Stoker's Dracula as a nexus for a broader cultural activity, this study examines articulations of Dracula in performances and texts that both precede …

Gaps In College Biology Students' Understanding Of Photosynthesis: Implications For Human Constructivist Learning Theory And College Classroom Practice., Phyllis Baudoin Griffard

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The main research question of this study was: What gaps in biochemical understanding are revealed by a range of university introductory biology students as they work through a critically acclaimed multimedia program on photosynthesis, and what are the corresponding implications for elaboration of the Ausubel-Novak-Gowin Learning Theory (ANG, now Human Constructivism)? Twelve students, mixed for ability, gender and ethnicity, were recruited from two sections of "Bio 101." Before and after instruction in photosynthesis, in-depth clinical interviews were conducted during which participants completed a range of cognitive tasks such as sorting, concept mapping, explaining and predicting. Some tasks involved interacting with …

The Perceptions Of Members Of Boards Of Directors For State Associations Serving Community-Based Development Organizations Regarding *Policy And Governance., Ernie Troy Hughes

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of members of boards of directors for state associations serving CBDOs regarding policy and governance, procedures and how they are achieving organizational goals and objectives. The target population for the study was defined as members of boards of directors of state associations serving CBDOs. The instrument used in this study was a researcher designed questionnaire. It was comprised of two sections---demographics and perceptions of the roles, responsibilities, and accomplishments of the organization. As the literature review established, boards of directors play an important role in the life of associations …

The Influence Of Interpersonal Communication Variables On Group Attraction And Group Communication Satisfaction., Michelle Diane Kirtley

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This investigation explored the effects of the interpersonal communication concepts of willingness to communicate, self-monitoring, and loneliness on the group outcomes of group attraction and group communication satisfaction. Using the Willingness to Communicate Scale (McCroskey, & Richmond, 1990), Lennox and Wolfe's (1984) Revised Self-monitoring Scale, the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell, Peplau, & Cutrona, 1980), an adaptation of Byrne's (1969) original Interpersonal Judgment Scale, and an adaptation of Hecht's (1978) Communication Satisfaction Inventory, communication dispositions were analyzed in relationship to group attraction and group communication satisfaction. Consistent with expectations, the results show that loneliness mediated reported group communication satisfaction. Individuals …

College Choice: Psychological Factors Influencing *Postsecondary Aspirations And Expectations Of Ninth-Grade Students., Stuart Earle Johnson

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore relationships between several variables which help to explain the process by which adolescents decide to pursue a college education. Previous models were enhanced by including important theoretical constructs well documented in social cognitive and attributional theories as elements of human agency. The psychological constructs, self-efficacy and locus of control were the primary focus of attention as independent variables and for their significance as mediating variables affecting the relationship between previously identified factors attributed to students' postsecondary attendance decisions, and students' college aspirations and expectations. Particular attention was given to the college choice …

Curriculum And The Holocaust: Competing Sites Of Memory And *Representation., Marla Beth Morris

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Curriculum theory is a call to understanding. My call as a curriculum theorist is to attempt to understand work around the Holocaust. This study examines the ways in which the Holocaust gets represented in texts written by historians as well as texts written by novelists. I argue that memory is the larger category under which history is subsumed; history is the systematization of memory. Although historians draw on archives and are constrained by their discipline, nevertheless they operate out of their own memories. Psychological transference, repression, denial, projection and reversal shape historians' memories and therefore determine, to a certain extent, …

Addressing The Problems Of Beginning Teachers: An Evaluation Of Teacher Induction Programs., Daphene O. Singleton

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to identify the characteristics of effective teacher induction programs, (2) to determine the relationship between teacher induction and retention in a northeastern Louisiana school district, and (3) determine if teacher induction practices in that district are useful to new/beginning teachers. A pilot study was conducted, and a validity panel of experts validated the content and face validity of the survey and interview instruments developed for the various participants. The participants included the superintendent Central Office staff persons, selected principals, and new/beginning teachers. There was some discrepancy between the responses of the teachers …

Expecting Women: Constructing The Pregnant Woman In Twentieth Century United States And British Dramatic Representation., Amelia Lynn Cuomo

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Pregnancy and issues surrounding pregnancy such as paternity and legitimacy have been presented in Western Drama since its inception. Pregnancy in the modern era, however, has become a complex issue. Abortion, birth control, and the advent of new reproductive technologies (such as in vitro fertilization) alter understandings of reproduction. This study explores twentieth century British and U.S. dramatic representations of the pregnant woman and analyzes how pregnant women are constructed in drama. The dissertation is divided into five chapters. Chapter One explores four plays by male playwrights: Harley Granville Barker's Waste, Eugene O'Neill's "Abortion," and Sidney Kingsley's Men in White …

The Values-Ethical Dimension: Do Bsw Students In State-Supported And Religiously Affiliated Programs Differ?, Wade Milton Tyler

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Although an important aspect of any baccalaureate social work program is the inculcation of social work values, there has not been an abundance of studies in this area. Many of those that exist have been criticized for their methodology in measuring values. It is appropriate to examine that which has been termed the "fulcrum" of social work practice relative to the educational processes which purport to put that fulcrum in place. The purpose of this study was to compare BSW students in religiously-affiliated institutions of higher education with those in state-supported institutions on three dimensions: adherence to social work values, …

Design Of Work-Rest Schedules For Vdt Operators., Rana Balci

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The number of musculoskeletal and psychological discomforts is increasing as a result of continuing growth of VDT work. Although ergonomic improvements in workstation design can be applied, an effective work-rest schedule is an economical way to reduce these problems. The objective of this research was to determine an effective work-rest schedule for VDT operators. In addition to a discomfort questionnaire, performance and electromyography measurements from trapezius and flexor carpi radialis were used. Three different work-rest schedules were applied: 60-minute work/10-minute rest, 30-minute work/5-minute rest, and for the third schedule, the subjects received four breaks from VDT work each hour additional …

A Critical Analysis Of Gender And The Role Of The Research Assistantship In Development Of Higher Education Faculty., Stephen Charles Scott

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This research is a mixed model study that explores the relationship between the research assistantship and development as a researcher for individuals serving as professors of higher education in Research I institutions. Also of interest in this research are the ways that research assistantship experiences vary based on gender and other identity characteristics such as rank, age, and race. Critical inquiry is used as the theoretical framework for this study given that it incorporates the use of both quantitative and qualitative means of data collection. A major quantitative finding from this study demonstrates that there were significant differences in the …

An Examination Of The Spaced-Retrieval Technique: A Method To Improve Memory In Older Adults With Probable Alzheimer's Disease., Shannon S. Simmons-D'Gerolamo

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In this study, we used the spaced-retrieval technique as a mnemonic device for those persons with cognitive deficits such as probable Alzheimer's Disease. Three main goals of this research were to gain insight into the long-term effectiveness of the spaced-retrieval technique, examine ways to enhance the overall effectiveness of the spaced-retrieval technique, and adapt spaced-retrieval for applied use in real-world settings. Results indicated that participants did not show savings-in-relearning over a two year follow-up span, but did show it over a one year and six month span. Results provided modest evidence of the effects of exposure to the target-item orientation …

Molecular Genetics And Functions Of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (Hsv-1) Glycoprotein K (Gk) In The Morphogenesis Of Infectious Virion Particles., Timothy Paul Foster

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) specifies at least 11 glycoproteins that are expressed in infected cells and in virions. HSV-1 enters into cells via fusion of the viral envelope with cellular membranes and can spread to adjacent cells via fusion of cellular membranes. Glycoproteins gB, gD, gH, and gL are known to be essential for virus entry, virus spread, and virus induced cell-to-cell fusion. The majority of spontaneous single amino acid changes that cause extensive cell fusion map within the UL53 gene encoding glycoprotein K (gK); however, the role of gK in virus entry and virus egress had not …

Input Manipulations, Working Memory, And Word Learning Abilities Of Children., Janice Elisabeth Horohov

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A storybook task was used to examine the word learning abilities of children with and without specific language impairment (SLI). Speech rate, sentence complexity and word type were manipulated within the narrative. A nonword repetition task also was used to examine the relation between working memory and word learning. Fifty-four children participated; a third were classified as SLI and the others served as either age-matched or language-matched controls. For comprehension, a significant main effect for word type was observed with verb scores higher than noun scores. Main effects for group, race, and rate also were observed and these were qualified …

You Can't Imagine This Life. Diaries And Letters Of A Southern-Jewish Grande Dame, Josephine Joel Heyman, 1901-1993., Cynthia Betty Levy

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Josephine "Jo" Joel Heyman (1901--1993) provides an intimate and touching record of twentieth century upper-middle-class Atlanta-Jewish life through her teenage and young adult diaries and letters. Through her autobiographical writings, this twentieth century Southern-Jewish woman's regional, ethnic, and gender identities are revealed. Mrs. Heyman, an influential civic leader in Atlanta, Georgia, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Smith College. She began writing diaries as a child to express her private feelings and thoughts, and as a young adult she wrote letters from college to her future fiance. The backdrop of her personal story is the story of the Southern-Jewish community, which …

High School Biology Students' Participation In A Year-Long Sequence Of Analogical Activities: The Relationship Of Development Of Analogical Thought To Student Learning And Classroom Interactions., Marcella Wichser Hackney

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This research explored development of analogical thought through high school biology students' participation in a year-long sequence of analogical activities. Analogizing involves: selecting a familiar analog; mapping similarities and differences between the analog and less familiar target; making inferences from the analogy; evaluating validity of the inferences; and ultimately, understanding the biological target (Holyoak & Thagard, 1995). This investigation considered: student development of independence in learning through analogical thought, student learning of biology, the relationship between development of students' analogical thinking and students' learning of biology, and the quality of student interactions in the classroom. This researcher, as teacher participant, …

On Biodata Construct Validity, Criterion-Related Validity, And Adverse Impact., Michelle Ann Dean

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the personnel selection technique of biographical information (biodata) in terms of theory, criterion-related validity, and adverse impact. First, the construct validity of biodata was examined to determine if biodata theory was useful in explaining biodata's strong criterion validity. Items from an existing biodata inventory were mapped onto construct domains drawn from Mumford, Stokes, and Owens' (1990) ecology model. Relationships between subjects' biodata responses and training performance was examined for consistency with the model's predictions in an organizational sample. The ecology model did not fit the data well. Follow up exploratory analyses did yield good fit when the …

Life Events, Social Support, And Blood Pressure Control In Low -Income Hypertensive Patients., Steven Christopher Ames

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study examined whether minor, chronic, and major stressors predicted poor blood pressure control in low-income hypertensives, and whether social support served as a moderator of this relation. Additionally, whether the construct of social support served as an independent predictor of poor blood pressure control was also examined. Participants included 231 patients randomly recruited from primary care medicine clinics at a public medical center. The sample included in this study was selected from an existing data set. The existing data set consisted of 432 patients randomly chosen on consecutive days from a family practice and an internal medicine medical clinic …

Analysis Of Self -Directed Learning In Secondary Business Educators., James Ernest Bartlett Ii

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study (1) described secondary business educators on demographic variables; (2) described the self-directed learning level of business educators according to the OCLI and Bartlett-Kotrlik Inventory of Self-Learning; (3) determined if relationships existed between learning levels and selected variables; (4) developed a graphic model to explain the relationships of self-directed learning level; (5) determined if demographic variables can be used to explain variance in self-directed learning level; (6) determined if demographic variables can be used to explain variance in self-directed learning level; and (7) determined if the perceived importance of learning resources can be used to explain variance in self-directed …

Apples And Regional Change: Life And Economy In Tsugaru, Japan., Ann D. Brucklacher

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In this dissertation, I examine aspects of Japan's rural and agricultural restructuring using Aomori Prefecture's apple industry as a focal point. Though using multiple spatial scales, I concentrate most on changes in agriculture and economy in the Tsugaru region, Aomori's main apple-growing region. A historical overview of Tsugaru and its apple industry provides the background necessary for understanding today's circumstances. Archival and ethnographic methods examine modern-day changes and document the views of individual farmers and their families. Located at the northwestern-most tip of Japan's main island, the Tsugaru region was historically one of Japan's most remote and impoverished regions. The …

Crossing Over: An Oral History Of The Desegregation Experience Of Public School Personnel In East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana., Douglas Raymond Davis

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The Fall of 1970 marked an important change in the East Baton Rouge Parish Public School System. In the previous 1969--70 school year, only three thousand out of twenty-three thousand African American children in the district attended school with White children. In 1970, the number rose to nearly nineteen thousand. In addition, for the first time, school personnel, busses, and extra curricular activities were desegregated. Over six-hundred teachers began the 1970 school year teaching in schools that were previously and predominantly another race. This event, known as the "cross-over," is the subject of this dissertation. The historical study of the …

Mechanisms Of First Language Forgetting., Ludmila Isurin

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The present research explored the processes and mechanisms of first language forgetting from linguistic and psychological perspectives. Two studies, one---a case study, another---a controlled experimental study, yielded evidence on L1 loss. The case study involved a 9 year old Russian girl who was adopted by an American family, brought to the US and completely taken out of a Russian-speaking environment. Over the course of one year, changes in L1 morphology, syntax, and vocabulary were investigated using various tasks, e.g. picture description, picture naming, story telling. Data on L1 retention, L2 acquisition, and reaction time were gathered. The results of the …