Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Labyrinth Of Challenge To Change: An Analysis Of Community College Leaders' Thinking Styles And Behavioral Practices In The Current Environment, Mary Elizabeth Scott Edd

Dissertations

The present research addressed a concern of both urgent and profound dimensions in the modern world: the current and compelling need for a radically different kind of leadership to meet the challenge of turbulent change. This need has been crystallized by a new and emerging paradigm shift which at once reflects, confronts and shapes the realities experienced today. This study sought to set in relief the current thinking styles of nominated California community college leaders and to see if and how these correlated with their leadership behavioral practices. The Human Information Processing Survey (HIPS) and the Leadership Practices Inventory-Self (LPI-S) …

Leadership And Culture, Richard L. Henrickson Edd

Dissertations

This study is about the phenomenon of leadership. Existing studies of leadership have failed to address the complex, multidisciplinary, processual, and collective nature of leadership. Attempts to appear scientific have focused on the forms of leadership rather than its universal processes. Following an analysis of existing theories of leadership viewed from disciplinary frames, the purpose of this study is to propose a new theory of leadership constructed within a cultural frame. The nature of leadership can be understood best when it is defined as a cultural expression containing complex sets of interdependent variables. Insofar as the study presents a cultural …

An Analysis Of The Special Education Services For Children And Youth In Costa Rica, Beatriz Villarreal Edd

Dissertations

An analysis of Costa Rica special education services was developed with the objective of analyzing its school programs, its university teacher training programs and the quality overall of services provided in the country. Program indicators of quality special education services were delineated with the purpose of comparing the degree to which these indicators were present in the special education programs of Costa Rica. Questionnaires, interviews, observations, and a review of literature were used to obtain a comprehensive description of special education services in Costa Rica. A quality special education school was subsequently designed based on the quality educational programs indicators …

The Relationship Between Moral Judgment, Selected Personality Factors, And Marital Satisfaction, Thomas C. Wallace

Dissertations

Problem. The purpose of this study was to observe relationships between moral judgment, personality, and marital satisfaction.

Method. The population included all white, American, married couples whose religious orientation was Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Seventh-day Adventists, or United Methodists. A total of 264 subjects (132 married couples) completed a demographic questionnaire, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), the Defining Issues Test (DIT), and the California Psychological Inventory (CPI). Data were analyzed using multiple-regression analysis and analysis of variance. The influence of stage of family life cycle, educational achievement level, and religion were controlled.

Results. Means and …

A Developmental Study On The Kinetic Family Drawing For A Nonclinic, Black-Child Population In The Midwestern Region Of The United States, Jannette Shaw

Dissertations

Problem. Valid psychological instruments for use with Black children are scarce. This study sought to validate the Kinetic Family Drawing (KFD) as a useful tool for gathering information about Black children and their families, and to obtain normative and developmental data for this population.

Method. A correlational research design was used to ascertain the validity of the KFD by comparing results on 40 variables (Burns, 1982; Cho, 1987) with the criterion measure, Semantic Differential Family Scale (SDFS), including family concepts: "Me," "Mother and Me," "Father and M e ” and "My Whole Family." The study utilized a stratified random sample …

From Parent To Child: The Effects Of A Home Learning Program On Attitudes And Achievements, Linda Linstrom Baker Edd

Dissertations

Literacy is shared value in our culture, yet many adults are unable or unwilling to read. Research indicates that the beginnings of literacy occur long before formal education. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the Preschool Reading Experience Program on the attitudes and pre-reading skills of four- and five-year-old children. The subjects were 96 children enrolled in four San Diego preschools, and their parents. The methodology was quasi-experimental with a treatment and a control group. Interactions of sex, age, and type of preschool were also considered. Results of the quantitative data indicated that children who …

The Effect Of Art Education On Self-Concept Of Disabled Adult Students In A Community College Setting, James Joseph Harrington Edd

Dissertations

This study examined the effect of art education on self-concept of disabled adult students in a community college setting. An experimental, pretest-posttest, control group design was utilized to carry out the study. The treatment provided was a college art class involving painting, clay sculpturing, and drawing. The null hypothesis tested was that art education has no effect on self-concept in disabled adult students. The alternative hypothesis was that art education improves self-concept in disabled adult students. A non-replacement random sample of 30 participants from a population of 250 disabled adult volunteers was selected and divided into an experimental and a …

Organizational Change In Action: A Qualitative Case Study Of Usair's Acquisition Of Pacific Southwest Airlines, Joan A. Miszak Edd

Dissertations

Five dominant theories of organizational change have emerged from the literature. Each of these models expressly expand on a singular and specific paradigm of how change can be viewed within organizations. The models of change are the micro-personal-therapeutic, meso-rational-managerial, meso-systems-organic, macro-cultural-symbolic and macro-political-economic. While the contemporary literature on organizational change has done much to further our understanding about the future of organizational change, very few works provide us with case study examples of organizational change in action. Missing is an understanding of what facilitators of change actually do in the process of change. The present study sought to provide a …

The Schools Of The Future Commission Of San Diego City Schools: An Ethnographic Study, Bertha Ousley Pendleton Edd

Dissertations

Ethnographic research methods were used to analyze the culture of a large city commission appointed to make recommendations for the future of the school district. The study focused on the year-long deliberations of a panel of 17 community leaders. The objectives of the study were to (1) describe the culture of the Commission, (2) analyze the action of Commission members, and (3) develop guidelines for conducting successful commission studies. Major research questions that were the focus of the study were inquiries about (a) the social and cultural organization of the Commission, (b) how the Commission developed and proceeded to do …

Variables Which Discriminate Successful Versus Unsuccessful Placement Of Adolescents In An Open Residential Treatment Program, Teresa Gayle Turner

Dissertations

Problem. Little information exists that clarifies what type of adolescent in need of out-of-home care is appropriate for open residential treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify variables that discriminate between those adolescents who complete and those who fail to complete an open residential treatment program.

Method. Information on 208 adolescents placed at the Family and Children's Center Residential Treatment Program was obtained on 36 independent variables. The variables covered demographic and family characteristics, behavior problems prior to placement, and academic/intellectual functioning. Descriptive statistics were cited; five groups of variables (models) were analyzed by discriminant analysis.

Results. …