Education Commons^™

Superintendents' And Legislators' Perceptions Of Effective Lobbying Practices In California, Carol L. Mcelroy

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Purposes: The purposes of this investigation were to identify the use of paid lobbyists within California school districts, to describe the legislative lobbying activities of superintendents, and to compare the perceptions of superintendents and legislators to determine effective lobbying practices.

An Investigation Of Priorities Ascribed To The Mission And Goals Function Statements Of The Board Of Governors In California Community Colleges, Phillip Neil Laughlin

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This study investigated the priorities of twelve commnunity college constituent groups in order to determine if their priorities were consistent with function statements established by the California Ccmnunity College Board of Governors in 1983. The mission function statenents were: Associate Degrees, Certificate Programs, Conmunity Services, Continuing and Corrmunity Education, General Education, Joint Programs, Remediation and Basic Skills Education, Student Services, and Transfer Education. It was hypothesized that the twelve groups would respond differently based upon the conditions under which they were ranking the function statements, that there would be differences among the districts depending upon the size of the …

Peak Isokinetic Torque Of Knee Flexors And Extensor Muscles Of College Football Players, David L. Boerem

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The problem of the study addressed knee injuries in college football. Imbalance of the musculature surrounding the knee would predispose the athlete to knee injury. Recognition of those who have muscular deficiencies would be a primary way of preventing knee injuries. The focus of the study was to determine if there was a significant difference in peak isokinetic torque of knee flexor and extensor muscles across speeds (60 degrees/second, 180 degrees/ second and 300 degrees/second) of a college football team subsequent to participation in a spring football season.

Perceived Job Functions, Satisfaction, And Training Needs Of Human Service Workers, Sarah Pender

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to obtain information about human service workers: who they are, (demographics), how satisfied they are (job satisfaction), and what they do (job functions). This information is intended to assist educators in improving paraprofessional training programs. The Human Service Worker Inventory was developed and disseminated to the experimentally accessible population, human service workers from all appropriate human services agencies (N = 13) in the Placerville area of ElDorado County, California. Research questions focused on the demographics, job satisfaction, and job functions of paraprofessional workers within these agencies. Data from the 136 returned Inventories were analyzed, …

Twelve Mexican-Americans In Higher Education: Their Mobility Process, Karen Carlquist-Hernandez

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the career paths of upwardly mobile Hispanic educators to isolate those factors which were important in the mobility process. The goal of this study was to discover what factors account for mobility and what kinds of experiences hinder upward movement of minority individuals. Twelve Hispanic educators from central and northern California were interviewed using an open-ended, retrospective interview format. The data were analyzed to determine the common patterns in social mobility among the 12 participants from impoverished, minority backgrounds. The study identified ways in which social class impacted negotiating strategies, including situational …

Factors Contributing To Self-Esteem Structure In Males And Females, Jerry Steve Harris

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this study was to test certain gender-related hypotheses regarding the relationships among personality traits as identified on the Personality Research Form (PRF) and self-esteem as measured by the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS). The subjects who voluntarily participated in this research were 29 male and 96 female college students. The subjects were students in an Introductory Psychology course at a local community college and state university. A packet containing a short biographical questionnaire, the TSCS, the PRF, and an introductory letter was administered to and completed by each subject. A stastistical analysis of the data was accomplished with …

The Effects Of Peer Administered Methods For Increasing Social Interaction Between Young Handicapped And Nonhandicapped Children, Marilyn Kathleen Errett

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to compare the use of peer administered contingent reinforcement for social interaction with the use of play materials that facilitate interaction. The subsequent effects on the social interaction of mainstreamed preschool handicapped children with their nonhandicapped peers was examined. Three nonhandicapped kindergarten children were paired with three moderately mentally handicapped preschool children and trained to initiate play. A single-subject, alternating treatment design with a withdrawal phase was used to compare the effects of the two treatments. Generalization immediately following each treatment was also examined as was maintenance over time. Observers used an interval recording …

Catholic Education For Ministry Among Hispanics, Carmen Maria Cervantes

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

PROBLEM: Programs to educate Hispanics for ministry require special training , knowledge of students' needs, appropriate curriculum, teaching methodology, and educational materials.

PURPOSE: To identify the teachers' background and preparation, the students' general characteristics, and the characteristics and problems of the educational process. To draw recommendations for improving teacher training, curriculum planning, teaching methodology, and educational materials.

PROCEDURE: Questionnaires were distributed among all teachers in Catholic Education for Ministry Among Hispanics (CEMH) in California. This study is based on 54 questionnaires that represent 67% of the population estimated.

CONCLUSIONS: Most of the teachers were bilingual lay women born in Latin …

The Effects Of The Thunderstick Batting Device On Hitting Efficiency, Bruce Anderson

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the decades, both professional and amateur athletes has been trying to enhance their performance with regard to hitting a baseball. Even through the methods for attaining this goal have changed many times since the early beginnings of the sport, there remain differing opinions as to the best method of acquiring a high level of hitting efficiency. For the purpose of this study, hitting efficiency will be defined as the degree of solid contact made by the performer when attempting to hit a baseball.

It was the intention of Coach Al Endriss (1986) to invent a hitting aid that would …

Academic Survival Skills For The Young Child At-Risk For School Failure, Barbara Foulks

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to identify social competence and academic survival skills necessary for success in kindergarten. The study was designed to indicate similarities and differences among early childhood educators in (a) academic survival skills considered necessary for success in kindergarten, and (b) behaviors considered inappropriate for kindergarten. A review of the literature revealed minimal research related to academic survival skills and social competence in kindergarten.

In order to ascertain which skills early childhood educators consider crucial for the child's successful survival in kindergarten, the Social Behavior Skills Inventory (Walker & Rankin, 1980) was utilized as a …

The Development Of Rhythm In Young Children Aged One To Four Years, Davidah Koseff

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to assess how young children between the ages of one and four years develop rhythm skills. The project was a pilot study conducted at 11 preschools and day care centers in Stockton, California, and included 60 children. Thirty behaviors comprised the test of various aspects of rhythmic performance. The children were video-taped and the tapes were then analyzed. By examining how many children in a particular age group could perform a particular task, a sequence became apparent. This body of research can now be used as a basis for further studies with the aim …

A Content Analysis Of The Developmental Bibliotherapeutic Implications Of The Books Nominated For The California Young Reader Medal (1975--1986), Armin Richard Schulz

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate the developmental bibliotherapeutic implications of the California Young Reader Medal nominated books from 1975-1986 in six different selected categories of thematic content. Emotional Health, Self-Awareness, and Identity Needs; Cultural Differences; Family Relationships and Dynamics; Peer Relationships and Dynamics; Physical Limitations and Handicaps; and Economic Situations and Factors. Findings. Primary Category books, largely modern fanciful fiction, demonstrated limited developmental bibliotherapeutic potential. However, story illustrations affected the over-all impact of the story. Intermediate Category books had greater levels of potential, especially stories dealing with family, peers, and emotional health. The greatest levels of …

Effects Of A Home-Based Contingency Program On Improving Academic Performance Of Disadvantaged Middle School Youths, Lupo A. Quitoriano

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Research has demonstrated various ways of improving academic performance of students in public-school classrooms (e.g., Barrish, Saunders, & Wolf, 1969), some of which may be clinically effective but not practical within present school systems. A more practical method is the use of a program involving home-based contingencies. Home-based contingencies simply means that: When children are reinforced by their parents for their appropriate behavior and performance at school, school behavior and performance will improve (Broughton, Barton, & Owen;. 1981). The current study employed a program including home-based contingencies modeled after one created by Shumaker, Hovell, and Sherman (1977), and tested the …

The Effect Of Conversational Skills And Self-Monitoring Training On The Acquisition, Generalization And Maintenance Of Conversational Behaviors Of Elementary Students With Learning-Disabilities, Gail Peterson Craig

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of a conversational skills training package (i.e., instruction, modeling, behavior rehearsal and feedback) with elementary students with learning disabilities. Self-monitoring techniques were incorporated into the training program in an attempt to actively program for generalization and maintenance. It was hypothesized that training in self-monitoring techniques would enhance the transfer of the behaviors to the natural environment and increase their durability. Question-asking, information-adding, and use of minimal encouragers were chosen as the conversational skills to be trained as they had been shown to be important for performing successfully within a conversation. A multiple …

An Exploratory Study Of Divorced Fathers' Perceptions Of Relationships With Their Absent Children, Dorothy Vignolo Isaak

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Purpose : This study investigated how divorced fathers perceived their relationships to their children and met their parenting roles. It also sought information on new parenting techniques generated by these fathers. The study compared fathers' perceptions of their parenting roles to ideal father role behaviors. Other areas investigated were the process o f divorce and factors impacting on fathers' roles after divorce.

Procedures: The approach was an exploratory one. Subjects in the study were six divorced fathers in San Joaquin County . Twelve fathering role categories were identified from the literature review. An interview schedule was developed from these· categories, …