Digital Commons Network^™

Job Satisfaction Differences Between Generation X Workers And Older Workers, Stephanie M. Efird

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate job satisfaction of credit union employees at all organizational levels. Due to the rapidly changing work environment, understanding work attitudes of all employees has become important. This researcher designed this study to gain a better understanding of the differences in the level of job satisfaction of Generation X workers and older workers.

Work Ethic And Job Satisfaction Among Emergency Medical Services Personnel, Marilyn Fisher Hutton

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not there was a relationship between work ethic and job satisfaction among full-time, volunteer emergency fire-rescue personnel. In addition, this study sought to determine whether or not participants' demographics had any impact on work ethic and job satisfaction.

Surveys were administered to gather data from the entire population (N=300) of full-time volunteer emergency fire-rescue personnel from nine rescue squads located in Calvert County, Maryland. A total of 173 responses yielded an overall response rate of 58% on the two surveys and demographics section. Part I of the survey determined participants' …

The Unbidden Gaze: Imagery And Its Relation To Hypnosis, Mark Moore

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between subjects' mental imaging ability, as assessed by self-report and computer measures, and hypnotic susceptibility 108 undergraduate students completed the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (Marks, 1973), and a modified form of the computerized Harvard Imagery Battery (Berardi et al, 1998). A subsequent 86 of these students had their hypnotic susceptibility assessed using the Waterloo-Stanford Group C measure of hypnotizability (Bowers, 1993). A correlation matrix of subjects' Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire scores. Harvard Imagery Battery error rates, response times, responses times adjusted for simple reaction times and Waterloo-Stanford Group …

Apparel Online Shopping : Perceived Risk And Risk Relievers, Siriporn Sangratwatchara

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine whether product characteristics can alleviate some of the perceived risks in consumers' minds when they are involved in online apparel shopping. And if it could, to what degree Extrinsic product characteristics will be mostly used in this study. This is because the lack of touching and inspection of the product directly for online shopping makes the extrinsic characteristics dominate over the intrinsic characteristics, and consumers usually rely on the intrinsic factors when they shop in a traditional mode (Levy, 1999). The two most important extrinsic factors' once and brand name, which were …

Ostensible Abductions, Real Anthropology, Timothy F. Mccauley

Masters Theses

A gap has developed in the research agenda of contemporary anthropology with regard to a phenomenon which has received notable attention from research professionals in other fields, such as history and psychiatry. What has been called the "alien abduction phenomenon" has had considerable impact, not only on those who sincerely believe these events are an everyday part of human experience (called "abductees") but also on the changing tapestry of American culture. Alien abduction accounts are closely related to the Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) phenomenon, a theme which has shaped American culture since the tum of the century. This thesis represents …

Vicarious Traumatization: An Examination Of The Effects Of Exposure To Traumatic Material In Child Abuse Counselors, Stacey A. Waller

Masters Theses

Counselors who deliver services to children who have suffered maltreatment confront on a daily basis horrific examples of human suffering inflicted on society's most vulnerable members. Such repeated exposure may put these professionals at risk for adverse psychological consequences, including vicarious traumatization (VT), which can include symptoms similar to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present study examined the unique effects of providing trauma services to children on 34 counselors who work primarily with child survivors of maltreatment. While the prevalence of PTSD symptoms in this sample was low, respondents reported higher levels of depression and emotional exhaustion than found in …

Professional Expertise Of Community-Based Occupational Therapists, Lori Ann Madaus Lemorie

Masters Theses

Occupational therapists are increasingly practicing in community-based settings. Due to changes in the health care system, the need for defining roles, and explaining what a profession can contribute to health care has been highlighted. The major goal of this study was to identify job roles, job skills, and professional expertise of community-based therapists. The Community Practice Project survey was mailed to 200 AOTA registered community-based therapists. A response rate of 42% was achieved. The results provided a profile of the typical community-based therapist. Principal roles, job skills, and areas of professional expertise were also identified. The adequacy of educational preparation …

The Utilization Of Spirituality In Occupational Therapy: Beliefs, Practices, And Barriers, Jennifer S. Collins

Masters Theses

Spirituality has become an increasingly important topic in healthcare and specifically in occupational therapy. Previous studies of spirituality in occupational therapy indicated that while therapists believed spirituality was important to health and rehabilitation potential, few therapists reported incorporating spirituality into treatment (Engquist, Short-DeGraff, Gliner, & Oltjenbruns, 1997; Howe, 1996; Rose, 1999). This study utilized a survey design to examine occupational therapists' current beliefs and practices regarding spirituality, as well as asking therapists to identify barriers to the use of spirituality in treatment.

The results of this study indicate that beliefs and practices regarding spirituality in occupational therapy may be changing. …

Forgiveness As A Coping Strategy, Karen Elizabeth Friedman

Masters Theses

The process of forgiveness is receiving increased research attention as both a state and a trait. Some observers have noted the conceptual similarity between forgiveness and some strategies of coping. The purpose of this research was to determine the degree of convergence between measures of forgiveness and measures of coping and,in particular, to determine if state or trait forgiveness are more closely linked with either problem-focused or emotion-focused coping or their components. College students (n = 241) completed surveys containing measures of both state and trait coping and state and trait forgiveness in counterbalanced order. Results indicated that although forgiveness …

Death Penalty Information : The Effects Of Increased Knowledge On Selection Of Punishment In Capital Cases, Patrice A. Carroll

Masters Theses

This study investigates the effects of increased knowledge about the death penalty on subjects' choice of punishment in capital cases. Although public opinion polls consistently demonstrate that Amencans strongly support the death penalty in the abstract, support drops drastically as situations become more concrete as well as when suitable alternative punishments are offered. A group of 54 undergraduates (10 men, 44 women) were given a short lecture about the death penalty and then read three cases in which the defendant was found guilty of capital murder. Subjects decided whether the defendant in each case should be sentenced to death or …

Determinants Of Health Promoting Behaviors In Older Adults, Kay Wallace

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between Health Locus of Control, selected demographic variables, and the Health Promoting Behaviors of Physical Activity and Nutrition in older persons. Pender’s (1996) Health Promotion Model (HPM) was used as the conceptual framework to guide this study.

The sample consisted of 48 subjects, aged 65 years and older, who resided in senior living centers. The subjects were predominantly Caucasian (94%) and female (81%). Research instruments were self-administered questionnaires that consisted of demographic data, the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II, and the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale.

No significant relationships between …

Reading Between The Lines: The Business Discourse Of Globalization, Using Amway As A Local Example, Darlene Bos

Masters Theses

Corporate globalization has become an increasingly discussed topic. The impacts of corporate globalization have been studied on many fronts. This thesis seeks to examine how these worldwide impacts are tied to the individuals in the U.S. that consent to and comply with corporate globalization. This thesis is specifically concerned with the impacts of corporate globalization on workers in the U.S. and around the world. Discourse is the way in which information and ideas are expressed and shared. Discourse is the key to understanding the ideology behind corporate globalization. This thesis looks at the discourse about globalization within one company, Amway. …

Job Satisfaction And Burnout In Clerical Workers At An Institution Of Higher Education, Barbara Elaine Bright

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to assess the levels of job satisfaction and burnout in different categories of clerical employees at an institution of higher education and to identify the impact of marital status and total remuneration of female clerical employees. Employees included were slotted into one of four groups based on demographic factors. These demographic factors included socioeconomic status and benefits used by the employees. The study was designed to give insight as to why current employees continue their employment with an organization. Using various statistical methods such as multivariate analyses, this study looked for any significant relationships …

Viennese Mélange: One Part Coffee, One Part Nationhood, Daniel Camden Hubbard

Masters Theses

Many years prior to beginning at the graduate level, the author of this work traveled to numerous coffeehouses in many different countries. It was here that he first began to understand the role that coffeehouses played in Europe. The investigation described in the pages that follow has allowed the author, finally, the opportunity to explore what is the Vienna fin-de-siècle coffeehouse's function and role in Austria's national identity.

Chapter One provides and introduction to why the coffeehouse at the end of the nineteenth century is so critical to Austria's contemporary national identity.

Chapter Two provides a historical overview of the …

Gender Bias In The Juvenile System, Tedra Elise Jamison

Masters Theses

In this study a survey for assessing gender bias in the juvenile correctional system is developed. Previous efforts examined the juvenile correctional system and found it to be gender biased. This new survey provides an updated view of the system and measures current perceptions of juvenile corrections from those within and outside of the system. Perceptions are investigated among court officers within the juvenile correctional systems of Knoxville, Nashville, and Memphis, Tennessee and undergraduate students of the University of Tennessee. Through analysis, crimes are split into four categories of violent, lawbreaking, sex, and drugs. It is found that most crimes …

Changing Students' Perceptions About Research : Can Thirty Minutes Make A Difference?, Jacqueline Lou Kracker

Masters Theses

The ability to gather data and synthesize information is a valuable skill for students, an important life skill, and for many, an important job skill. Yet, confusion, fear, anxiety, and doubt are often associated with research assignments; these feelings can interfere with learning. Carol Kuhlthau showed that these emotions are a normal part of the research process for novice researchers and give way, in time, to increased interest and confidence as the work progresses. She demonstrated that awareness of the Information Search Process (ISP) model improves student's ability to tolerate the uncertainty inherent in the early stages of the process …

Comparison Of Body Fat Measurement Techniques In Females, Colleen Grace Mcmahon

Masters Theses

The main objective of this study was to assess the accuracy of the Tanita-TBF 305 foot-to-foot bioelectrical impedance analyzer for the estimation of body composition as compared to hydrostatic weighing. The secondary objective of this investigation was to access the impact of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) on the estimation of body composition by the Tanita foot-to-foot analyzer. Participants were 40 pre-menopausal, obese females (39.7 ± 7.8 yrs; 46.5 ± 1.0% BF). In addition, the subjects were sub-divided based on WHR: 1) ≤ 0.75 lower body obesity (LBO); 2) ≥ 0.85 upper body obesity (UBO); 3) between 0.75 and 0.85 overall obese …

The Validity Of Eliciting And Coding Personal Narratives: Understanding The Properties Of Coherence And Richness, Daniel Thomas Rogers

Masters Theses

The current study examined the reliability and discriminant validity of a technique for eliciting and assessing individuals' personal narratives. Previous research has indicated the value of assessing personal narrative in order to better understand how individuals perceive self and other and develop internal models of their relationships with the world around them. Forty participants completed two personal narrative interviews, approximately two weeks apart, which varied in level of provided structure. Participants also completed a test of verbal ability and a questionnaire pertaining to psychopathy. The coherence and richness of narrative responses to more structured interviews demonstrated considerable temporal stability. Results …

Free Time Activities Of Gifted Adolescents At A Residential High School, Elizabeth Kathleen Staron

Masters Theses

This study investigated the free time use of gifted juniors and seniors at a two-year residential public high school. This study was descriptive in nature and designed to explain life in this environment. The purpose of the study was to learn how students spent their free time and whether or not gender and grade affected activity preference. The sample included 181 students at the Greenhouse Institute. Eighty-two boys and 99 girls participated. Each of the participants completed a self-report survey about their use of free time. The students completed items that related to five different activity areas "How Often", "Before …

Boy's Schools: Communicating The Message, William R. Steverson

Masters Theses

A window has opened for boys’ schools. Over the past couple of generations. these schools have had been regarded as anachronistic and misogynistic. That viewpoint has now begun to change. The newest research into how boys learn, as well as public and academic attention to how America is raising its boys, has begun to renew interest in the concept of all-boys’ secondary education. Therefore, over the next five to ten years, advocates of boys’ schools will have a window of opportunity to present their message to opinion shapers as well as the general public. To do so, they must develop …

Comparing Japanese And American Themes In Cartoons: A Content Analysis Of "Pokemon" And "Men In Black", Fang-Yi Wei

Masters Theses

The Japanese animated series, "Pokemon" (short for "Pocket Monster"), was a popular TV cartoon introduced in Japan in 1997. Since Warner Brothers began airing "Pokemon" in the U.S. in September 1998, "Pokemon" has strongly attracted U.S. children aged 2 to 11. What does "Pokemon" present to American children on TV? Pokemon's cross-cultural appeal may stem from its cultural themes. The goal of this study is to compare the English-language edition of "Pokemon" to the American-produced cartoons, "Men in Black" for the cross-cultural themes of "individualism versus collectivism," the associated communication approaches of "disruption versus cooperation," and the consequences of "winning …

Accuracy Of The Polar M52 Heart Rate Monitor For Estimating Energy Expenditure, Substrate Utilization, And Maximal Oxygen Uptake, Cory Matthew Alwardt

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to test the accuracy of the Polar M52 heart rate monitor.

Toward A Provident Working Class: French And English Social Reform Rhetoric, 1880-1914, James R. Gavan

Masters Theses

This research examines the rhetoric of belle epoque English and French middle class social observers. Addressing the "social question," they engaged in a debate on how best to appease an impoverished, alienated, and increasingly militant working class. Historians cite this discourse, and the meager legislation it fostered, as a transition from the unbridled nineteenth century laissez-faire to the welfare democracy characteristic of the twentieth century.

Central to the "social question" was the issue of improving social relations without altering existing class hierarchies (which favored the middle classes). Many social commentators shunned the passage of legislative safety nets in favor of …

The Role Of Nf-Кb Activation In Breast Carcinoma And Glioblastoma Cell Lines, Kelly T. Murphy

Masters Theses

The nuclear factor-КB (NF-КB)/Rel family of inducible dimeric transcription factors regulates numerous genes associated with the immune, mitogenic, and apoptotic responses. Investigations were made into the role of NF-КB in breast carcinoma (MCF-7, T47D, MDA-MB-231) and glioblastoma (U87MG, U373MG, Ul 18MG) cell lines. NF-КB binding to DNA was quantified using both gel mobility shift assays and transient transfections of a vector containing a luciferase gene under the control of 4 tandem copies of the NF-КB binding sequence. To determine the correlation between NF-КB activation, cellular proliferation, and foci formation, the tumor cells were cultured and analyzed in the presence of …

Job Satisfaction And Job Burnout Of Certified Employee Assistance Professionals, Suzanne Epperson Young

Masters Theses

In this study, future trends, worker demographies, and organizational changes affecting the American workplace for the 21^st century were examined. The evolution of a global economy and advances in technology will continue to create change and generate stress and anxiety in the workplace. Corporate change efforts such as downsizing, mergers, and acquisitions and the constant source of internal business change increases demands and stresses on the ability of the workforce to consistently meet rising performance standards. Corporations, managers, and employees have turned to Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) to facilitate workforce assimilation of stress and change. This study described the …

Femininity On The Web : An Analysis Of Ideology, Images, And Gendered Personality Traits In Women's Online Magazines, Jennifer Ann Sparger

Masters Theses

The nonfiction content, excluding advertisements, of a purposive sample of five women's electronic magazines - Commitment (www.committment.com), European Woman (www.europeanwoman.net), Jun (www.junmagazine.com), WomenCentral (www.womencentral.msn.com), and iVillage (www ivillage com) - was analyzed to measure three things whether the e-zine represented traditional or feminist ideology, the stereotypic femininity or masculinity of female characters in the articles, and the portrayal of women in images contained in the e-zine These e-zines were studied primarily to determine if their overall portrayal of women was stereotypical as are traditional women's magazines' portrayal of women. According to previous studies of traditional women's magazines, this particular medium …

A Picture Of Strength: Life Stories Of Four Grandmothers, Jennifer Griffith Langham

Masters Theses

This creative nonfiction thesis explores how four grandmothers, those of the author and of the author's husband, define strength. The thesis uses information gleaned through interviews with the four women to tell their life stories. The conclusion examines how these stories have been shaped by factors such as race, class, gender, age, and religious beliefs. The author finds that the women demonstrate strength both through life choices they have made and through the repetition of certain stones which define strength for each individual woman.

Counting Published Public Library Research: An Exploratory Study Using Content Analysis, Margaret Grant Goodbody

Masters Theses

Studies published in a selected set of 20 scholarly library and information science journals were examined to determine the amount of research conducted about or in public libraries compared with academic, school, and special libraries Only refereed journals published in the U S and targeted for a general audience of librarians were included in the set Of the 241 articles included, 77% were about academic libraries and 23% were about public libraries (30 of the articles (12%) considered more than one library type) Academic librarians published 51% and academic researchers published 38% of the studies Authorship, author occupation, and subjects …

Pledges Of Abstinence: An Analysis Of Pledge Keepers And Pledge Breakers, Catherine M. Grello

Masters Theses

Millions of US tax dollars are spent annually to fund abstinence only sexual education programs. These programs must adhere to strict federal guidelines to qualify for this funding. As part of some abstinence until marriage programs, adolescents may be requested to make a public pledge of sexual abstinence. This study exams the intra-individual characteristics and social contexts of adolescents who make public pledges of sexual abstinence and keep their pledge ("pledge keeper") and those who break them ("pledge breakers"). To examine the influence of the pledge the intra-individual and social contexts of "pledge keepers" were contrasted with non-pledging virgin cohorts …

On The Hallowed Hill: An Analysis Of The Historic Cemeteries Within The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Jacqueline Lott

Masters Theses

Though a number of authors have stressed the importance of using cemetery data to study culture change through time, most of the available studies in this regard have been general in nature and completed without statistical analysis. Few studies have concentrated specifically on small, rural cemeteries, and fewer still have concentrated on regions outside of New England. The southern Appalachian Mountains are but one of the many regions that has yet to be studied in-depth. This thesis is an attempt to bridge some of the aforementioned gaps. Historic cemetery data collected in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be …