Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Exploratory Study Of The Relationship Between Communication Apprehension And Personal Construct Theory In The Context Of A Public Speaking Fundamentals Course, Linda Wilkins

Student Work

Many psychologists, philosophers, and educators agree that individual self-concepts develop, in large part, through perceptions gained from communicative transactions. If the nature of the transaction changes, perceptions can change, and self-concept can be altered. Self-concept combines with many influences including cultural heritage, environment, and past experiences to form the basis of an individual’s unique communicative and behavior patterns.

Caur Review Vol. 01, No. 01, Center For Applied Urban Research (Caur)

Publications

This issue of the Review represents a departure from past issues. Rather than reporting on a single topic, the Review now informs you six times a year about the activities and projects underway at CAUR.

Learning In The Community, John Formy-Duval, Ellen Voland

Service Learning, General

Community educators refer fondly to William Carr's words as "the drawbridge analogy." As community involvement specialists, they are committed to keeping the drawbridge down, so that adults from the mainland can both provide and use resources in the school, and so that young people from the school can go regularly to the mainland, learning to apply and understand-what they have read in their books.

Service: Linking School To Life, Ernest L. Boyer

Service Learning, General

The current folklore has it that teenagers are selfish, lazy, and undisciplined. The image of an apathetic, self-indulgent generation simply does not square with reality. It doe-s, however, mask the real youth problem in this nation. Former U.S. Commissioner of Education Harold Howe II (1981) captured it powerfully when he called American youth

an island in our society. The messsage it receives from the adult world is, "'We have no use in our economic system for you young people between the ages of 12 and 18, and precious little use in our community affairs. So we suggest you sit quietly, …

Devolution Of The Small Cities Cdbg Program In Mississippi, Dale Krane

Public Administration Faculty Publications

In 1982 responsibility for HUD's Small Cities Community Development Block Grant program was transferred to state governments as part of President Reagan's New Federalism initiatives. Devolution was designed to (1) implement a new vision of American federalism, (2) shift control over a significant source of financial resources for nonmetropolitan areas, and (3) end the bypassing of state government officials in community development decisionmaking. This article uses the eleven year (1975–1985) history of Small Cities CDBG awards in Mississippi to assess the consequences of the program's devolution. Changes in the pattern of state CDBG awards indicate that the program's devolution produced …

Arts Education In Nebraska: A Survey Of Schools And Arts Organizations, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

This report presents the results of a statewide mail survey of public school districts, nonpublic schools, and arts organizations. The surveys were conducted to determine the state of arts education in Nebraska's schools, the perceived need for improving arts education, and the actions needed to include arts courses in basic curricula. The data were collected between April 13 and June 3, 1987.

The Use Of Goal Setting By A Mentally Retarded Woman To Increase Productivity And Reduce Errors In A Competitive Job Training Site, Rita J. Yasson

Student Work

What students who have mental retardation do upon graduation has become a major concern of the 80?s. Over fifteen years ago parents of moderately retarded adults expressed concerns about the quality of life their children experienced after graduation (Stanfield, 1973). Data from 120 parent interviews showed that 40% of their children worked in a sheltered work setting, 2% worked for a family business, 11% attended an activity center and a large portion of them, 44% were not employed or were in a habitation program. Over ten years later, another follow-up study indicated unemployment at a rate of 67% in the …

Omaha Public Schools: Opinion Survey Of A Parent And Taxpayer Group, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

As part of a broader marketing effort by the Omaha Public Schools (OPS), Omaha residents were surveyed by telephone during April 30-May 6, (parent) and May 19-27, 1987 (taxpayer). The survey was intended to identify respondents' perceptions about the Omaha public school system. This report presents the results of the survey. The information and analysis provided should prove useful to interested citizens, board members, and district personnel as they plan the future of Omaha's public schools.

The Intergenerational Invisible Hand: A Comment On Sartorius's "Government Regulation And Intergenerational Justice", Arthur M. Diamond Jr.

Economics Faculty Publications

In "Government Regulation and Intergenerational Justice," Rolf Sartorius argues that some government regulation is justified in order to protect the rights of the unborn.' More than half of his paper is a discussion of the theory that views the only justifiable function of government as the "umpirage of the law of nature." In the remainder of his paper, he argues for an extension of the theory in order to justify regulation as well as umpirage. In particular, he argues that protecting the rights of the unborn represents an especially strong case where government regulation is justified.

The Nonreader Problem: A Closer Look At Avoiding The Newspaper, Jeremy Harris Lipschultz

Communication Faculty Publications

Why do some people avoid reading newspapers? Are their reasons different from those of regular readers? Findings from a survey suggest responses to a sample of avoidance statements by readers are more clearly defined than those nonreaders. This study also raises questions about distinguishing between "regular" and "casual" readers, as findings provide only limited support for the use of "casual" readers in future research. Further development of avoidance gratification theory might help newspapers convert nonreaders to future readers.

Women Sociologists In The Midwest: A Status Update, Mary Ann Lamanna, Baila Miller, Helen A. Moore

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

In this article, an earlier study of the status of academic women sociologists in the Midwest that was extended to 1984-1985 is discussed. Type of appointment, rank, and chairpersons, as well as position in a Ph.D. rather than an M.A. program were used in the study as indicators of employment status. Midwest Sociological Society (MSS) leadership positions and participation in the annual MSS meeting served as indicators of professional participation. The results show that gains in employment status for women slowed in the 1980s. Employment of women in sociology department positions, especially in full-time positions and higher ranks, continued to …

Instructions To Authors At Caur, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

Instructions to authors of CUAR publications.

Mainstreamed Students Doing Community Service: The Positive Effects, Joanne Urgese

Disabilities

Since the enactment of public law 94-142 in 1975, public schools have been searching for ways to extend the opportunities for their handicapped students to receive more of their education with nonhandicapped peers. While looking for ways to do this they have also been concerned with the outcomes such placement would have on the students in such areas as social adjustment and academic achievement. The Shorehan-Wading River Middle School has had a program in place since 1973 which responds to this need. This program, called community service, is most effective in promoting positive mainstreaming in both the area of social …

Assessment Of Recreational Needs In The Papillion/La Vista/Ralston Area, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

In December 1986, a survey was conducted by the Center for Applied Urban Research (CAUR) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha to assist a community group in determining whether there is sufficient market demand for a new YMCA facility in the Papillion/La Vista/Ralston area of Southwest Omaha. Residents in the area were surveyed to assess their current level of fitness activity, the specific activities in which they participated, their use of existing YMCA facilities and programs, the need for an additional YMCA facility, and the potential support for a new facility. The results presented in this report represent the …

Microcomputers In City Hall: Case Studies Of Their Uses And Effects, Donald F. Norris, Vincent J. Webb

Publications

Microcomputers first appeared on the commercial marketplace in 1976. Since then, an estimated 40 million microcomputers have been sold and more are being sold each day. A survey conducted in 1982 found that 13 percent of American cities owned microcomputers and that 35 percent planned to buy one or more microcomputers within two years (Norris and Webb, 1984). A follow-up survey conducted three years later found that between 75 percent and 90 percent of city governments owned microcomputers (Scoggins, 1986).

Resident/Shopper Survey North Omaha Area, Omaha, Nebraska, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

In December 1986, a survey was conducted to determine the socioeconomic characteristics and shopping patterns of residents in an area of North Omaha that is being considered for retail development. This survey is part of a larger study being conducted by Applied Real Estate Analysis, Inc. (AREA) of Chicago, Illinois, for the Community and Economic Development Division of the Omaha Planning Department. The Community and Economic Development Division of the Omaha Planning Department contracted the Center for Applied Urban Research (CAUR) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha to analyze the survey data, compile the information, and prepare a report …

Materials For The Secondary Data Analysis Portion Of The Central City Area Environmental Scan, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

This material has been developed to assist in completing the secondary data analysis portion of your local This analysis is a prelude to your local session for economic development. environmental scan. strategic planning

Public Perceptions Of The American Red Cross In The Heartland Chapter's Service, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

The Center for Applied Urban Research conducted a telephone survey in December 1986, to learn more about general public perceptions of the American Red Cross in the Heartland Chapter's service area. This report presents the results of the survey, and provides an information base which can be used to assist the Heartland Chapter in its organizational planning and decision-making efforts.

Does Values Education Belong In The Curriculum?, David W. Hornbeck

Curriculum

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am particularly enthusiastic about joining you to discuss values education. It is one of the three most important challenges favoring American public education. The other two, parenthetically, are: (1) Successfully meeting the needs of children and youth at risk of school failure; and (2) The availability of sufficient quantities of quality teachers. Frankly, the three are very much intertwined, but this afternoon I will focus on values education.

Job Match: Together For Good Business - Accommodating Individuals With Special Needs In The Workplace, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

The purpose of this module is to explain the systematic process needed to successfully employ people with special needs (individuals with disabilities and older individuals). This process may seem most useful to job developers and job coaches whose primary role is vocational training and job development. However, much of the material, particularly the chapters on job analysis (3), job matching (4), and adaptations (5) will be equally useful to employers. This training kit provides information that allows businesses, industries, and employing agencies to work cooperatively to design training and employment programs that meet the needs of individuals with special needs, …

Job Match: Together For Good Business - Business Practices And Resources, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

This training kit, job Match: Together for Good Business~ is designed to assist business, industry, and human service agency personnel prepare to employ workers with special needs. Readers should refer to the booklet, Introductory Guide: How to Use This Kit, which explains the contents and purpose of the kit. Four instructional workers who are videotape are also modules address finding, hiring, training, and supporting older or who have disabilities. Audio-cassette tapes and a provided. This volume is a directory of businesses and human service agencies that are actively employing and placing workers with special needs.

Job Match: Together For Good Business - Introductory Guide, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

This training kit was developed to demonstrate to business and industry personnel how individuals with special needs (individuals with disabilities and older persons) can be assimilated successfully into the labor force.

Job Match: Together For Good Business - Inside And Outside The Corporation: Human Relations Factor, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

The purpose of this module is to explain how a public relations program can facilitate the integration of persons with special needs into the workplace. It shows that persons with special needs have skills and experiences of worth to businesses and industries.

Job Match: Together For Good Business - Building Effective Partnership: A Win-Win Approach, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

The purposes of this training kit are outlined in Introductory Guide: How to Use This Kit. This module explains partnerships between businesses and human service agencies. It emphasizes the development of working relationships between the public and private sectors. Thus, the design specifies preparation for using the materials and expected outcomes.

Job Match: Together For Good Business - Workers With Special Needs, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

The purpose of this module is to direct attention toward potential participants in the war k force. They include individuals 55 years of age or older and persons with disabilities--workers with special needs.

Dewey's Theory Of Experience: Implications For Service-Learning, Dwight E. Giles

Service Learning, General

Cornell’s Dwight Giles, Jr. relates John Dewey’s concept about education and experience to service-learning. Giles suggest a dialectical interaction between service and learning, which had implications for ensuring quality in service learning programs and for defining service-learning as a philosophy rather than as a type of program.

The Classroom Researcher's Research Agenda, American Association For Higher Education

Higher Education

Involvement and critique from educators in dialogue with researchers is a critical element for achieving clarity about what research will benefit educational policy and practice. The AAHE Research Forum is convened annually to involve individuals committed to research and scholarship in higher education. The Forum stimulates educators' involvement in creating a research agenda that speaks to current educational concerns. Since each year's agenda is developed around the conference theme, educators and researchers can continually rely on the Forum agenda as an up-to-date source of research questions of common interest that flow from the year's most central educational issues. The Forum …

Public Awareness And Telephone Contact With The Mid-Plains Poison Control Center, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

The Center for Applied Urban Research (CAUR) conducted an evaluation of public awareness of poison control services available to Nebraskans by the MidPlains Poison Control Center (MPCC) in November and December 1986. This report presents the results of that analysis.

Omaha Public High Schools' Graduates Attending Uno, Floyd T. Waterman

Publications

During the 1986-87 school year, the University of Nebraska at Omaha/Omaha Public Schools (UNO/OPS) Liaison Committee requested a study to determine how high school graduates from the Omaha Public Schools were progressing in their college careers at UNO. The author was asked to work with Paul Malcom of the Research Department of Omaha Public Schools to determine how the study might be conducted. Possible research questions were shared with the committee. The author met with Malcom to obtain lists of names of high school graduates.

Earlier, OPS conducted a survey of its high school graduates and developed a list of …

Nebraska Conference On Employment Of Persons With Disabilities, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

The conference was sponsored by the Nebraska State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, Department of Health, and the Center for Applied Urban Research, University of Nebraska at Omaha. The conference convened at the Midtown Holiday Inn, Grand Island, NE, on Thursday, November 13, and concluded at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, November 14, 1986.