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Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Theses/Dissertations

2011

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Articles 1 - 16 of 16

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Horse-Trading In Smoke-Filled Rooms: Power In The 2008 West Virginia Republican Presidential Convention, Nora Kay Ankrom Jan 2011

Horse-Trading In Smoke-Filled Rooms: Power In The 2008 West Virginia Republican Presidential Convention, Nora Kay Ankrom

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The 2008 West Virginia Republican Presidential Convention was the first of its kind and presents an intriguing case study of power in politics. A small percentage of West Virginians are Republican and an even smaller percentage of those Republicans participate in politics. Based on this situation, the elite members of the West Virginia Republican Party would be expected to produce their candidate as the winner of the state's first ever presidential convention. This, however, was not the case. A perceived second tier candidate claimed victory instead, much to the anger and dismay of the party regulars. This study interprets and …

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The Effects Of A Web Presence On Sportscasting Audiences, Adam Cavalier Jan 2011

The Effects Of A Web Presence On Sportscasting Audiences, Adam Cavalier

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this research is to determine how much and what type of Web presence/content effectively draws listeners and viewers to the major sportscasts a station presents. Ad revenue, viewership/listenership and audience fragmentation all are conundrums in today's fluctuating media landscape. Combine those issues with the present economic crisis and the vast majority of media companies must rethink the way they do business. This research seeks to lay groundwork as to what new strategies effectively draw listeners/viewers back to the traditional media of radio and television while expanding upon the relatively new online media offerings. Furthermore, this research is …

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Teacher Beliefs Regarding Grade Retention In An Urban Elementary School, Toni Gilmore Hook Jan 2011

Teacher Beliefs Regarding Grade Retention In An Urban Elementary School, Toni Gilmore Hook

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine if exposure to a research-based presentation on grade retention, including the academic, socio-emotional and behavioral outcomes, would yield a change in teacher beliefs regarding retention as an intervention strategy. Teachers from a small urban school district were asked to complete a presurvey, view a research-based online presentation on grade retention and complete a postsurvey. Results from this research revealed that teachers' beliefs regarding grade retention significantly changed after viewing a research-based online presentation on topic. Results also indicated that, not only was there a change of overall participants, but there was a …

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Analysis Of Teens' Attitudes Toward Health Claims On Branded, Prepackaged Foods, Michael J. Mcateer Jan 2011

Analysis Of Teens' Attitudes Toward Health Claims On Branded, Prepackaged Foods, Michael J. Mcateer

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In the 31 years since Stuart Hall added a defiant read to audience reception analysis, several scholars have broadened its use beyond television discourse. The current study used directed focus groups to attempt the same. Encoding/decoding (1980) revolutionized modern critical thought by expanding audience interpretation. Gone were notions that mass audiences simply bowed to their message overlords in every case without thought or conviction. The oppositional read was a breakthrough with few comparisons. Still present and true to standard critical thought, was the preferred read—an interpretation of text that closely followed authorial intent (Hall,1980, p. 107). The negotiated read yielded …

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A Synthetic Analysis Of The Polish Solidarity Movement, Stephen W. Mays Jan 2011

A Synthetic Analysis Of The Polish Solidarity Movement, Stephen W. Mays

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The aim of this study is to arrive at a holistic understanding of how and why the Polish Solidarity Movement succeeded, against great odds, within a regime hostile to its existence. From this movement emerged Solidarnosc, the first independent labor union in the Communist Bloc. Solidarnosc evolved into a political party that succeeded in replacing the Communist Party in Poland. Seven factors are elaborated on, each contended to have facilitated Solidarnosc's success. Some factors occurred naturally (such as the structural conduciveness of Poland's industrially based economy), some occurred fortunately (such as the political opportunity afforded by Mikhail Gorbachev's liberalizing policies), …

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The Impact Of Socioeconomic Status On Second Grade Reading Levels, Amanda Jill Knight Jan 2011

The Impact Of Socioeconomic Status On Second Grade Reading Levels, Amanda Jill Knight

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to examine if low SES students respond differently to Tier I and Tier II interventions than Non-Low SES students. The study also seeks to determine the effect Tier I and Tier II interventions have on a group of second grade students. Forty-four Tier I and Tier II Caucasian second grade students from a rural Ohio elementary school were included in this study. No significant differences were found between the reading levels of low-SES and Non-Low-SES students prior to or afterimplementation of RTI. Significant differences were found between the AIMSweb fall and winter benchmarks as …

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Mental Health Services And Alternative Schools, Chasity D. Johnson Jan 2011

Mental Health Services And Alternative Schools, Chasity D. Johnson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

With the number of children being placed into alternative school settings growing, it is of interest to know if mental health services are a beneficial addition to the traditional alternative programs. To research this issue, case studies of 48 children who had attended an alternative school were assessed. Participants included 48 students, half of whom had received only alternative school services while the other half had received alternative school services in addition to mental health services during their alternative school placement. Findings show no significant correlation between the hours of mental health services received and any of the following variables: …

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Patient Perspectives Of Physicians' Compliance Gaining Strategies, Margaret Malinda Lambert Jan 2011

Patient Perspectives Of Physicians' Compliance Gaining Strategies, Margaret Malinda Lambert

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This research examined strategies used by physicians for compliance gaining and patient responses to those strategies. Respondents were surveyed regarding their expectations about strategies physicians would use to gain compliance with requests related to changing lifestyle behaviors and how the respondents anticipated they would respond to physicians. Findings revealed that patients did anticipate specific persuasive strategies from physicians and anticipated responding in specific ways. Most respondents expect expertise strategies from physicians and plan to comply. Expertise strategies, however, were also linked with patients who planned to defy or ignore their physicians’ requests. Findings suggest that future research into why patients …

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Transition From High School To College : The Experiences Of Girls In Rural West Virginia, Leanne Arbor Olson Jan 2011

Transition From High School To College : The Experiences Of Girls In Rural West Virginia, Leanne Arbor Olson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A degree in higher education is increasingly important in our competitive economic environment, but a 30% gap exists between high-income and low-income students attending college (Bloom, 2005; Corrigan & Hartle, 2007). Rural and urban schools contend with issues of poverty and educational resources, while suburban schools work with "ample resources and stable populations" (Truscott & Truscott, 2005, p. 245). The purpose of this study was to better understand the enabling and constraining factors of five girls from rural, West Virginia as they transitioned from high school to college. Collaborative enthographic case study allowed the five students to be involved in …

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Stewards Of The Forest: An Analysis Of Ginseng Harvesters And The Communal Boundaries That Define Their Identity In An Area Of Environmental Degradation, Eric Arthur Edwards Jan 2011

Stewards Of The Forest: An Analysis Of Ginseng Harvesters And The Communal Boundaries That Define Their Identity In An Area Of Environmental Degradation, Eric Arthur Edwards

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Research introduced here demonstrates the use of protagonist framing as a means of identifying the boundaries that define a community’s identity in relation to an antagonist. Specifically, this research examines the two-sided nature of boundaries and the impact such boundaries have on the identity of a community. Through the telling narrative of two distinctively contrasting members of the ginseng steward community, this research explores how boundaries and protagonist framing can be used to identify the schemata of interpretation that enables the ginseng steward community to locate, perceive, and label themselves in relation to American society and a capitalist mentality. The …

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Nationalism In Cyprus: The Effects Of Institutionalization On Nationalist Mobilizations And Political Conflicts As Reflected In Turkish Cypriot Nationalism And Greek Cypriot Nationalism, Nicel Masarogullari Jan 2011

Nationalism In Cyprus: The Effects Of Institutionalization On Nationalist Mobilizations And Political Conflicts As Reflected In Turkish Cypriot Nationalism And Greek Cypriot Nationalism, Nicel Masarogullari

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Historical events in Cyprus have played a very important role in the institutionalization of nationalist movements and political conflict between the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot nationalist movements on the island of Cyprus. In order to make the case of the “Cyprus problem” understandable, the sociological elements of the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot nationalism of the island were analyzed in this study in relation to some fundamental elements of the conflict. Internal and external elements including nationalism, the role of outsiders, modernization, and some other cultural factors, such as the educational and religious systems and colonial policies, played an …

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The Application Of The Lamaze Method In The Management Of Acute Pain: A Comparison Of Non-Pharmacological Pain Management Techniques, Emily Marie Selby-Nelson Jan 2011

The Application Of The Lamaze Method In The Management Of Acute Pain: A Comparison Of Non-Pharmacological Pain Management Techniques, Emily Marie Selby-Nelson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Pain is a primary concern in health care. Considering the limitations of pharmacological interventions, identifying the effectiveness of alternative pain management is crucial. Utilizing a pre-post design, different psychological approaches to acute pain management were tested. Participants included 85 college females who were randomly assigned to one of four conditions (Long Lamaze, Brief Lamaze, Acceptance of pain, and a Control group). Participants first underwent an Algometer pain task, then received training or control interactions once a week for four weeks, and were tested again on the pain task. Amount of time participants were able to withstand the pain administered in …

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Teachers' Beliefs Towards Grade Retention In A Rural Elementary School, Sarah Elizabeth Terry Jan 2011

Teachers' Beliefs Towards Grade Retention In A Rural Elementary School, Sarah Elizabeth Terry

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examined the beliefs of kindergarten through fourth grade teachers regarding effects of retention on academic, emotional, and social areas, as well as alternative interventions to retention. The teachers were asked to take a web-based pre-survey on grade retention. After completing the initial survey they were then asked to watch a web-based PowerPoint presentation on research-based evidence regarding retention before taking a web-based postsurvey. The results of this study revealed that teacher‟s beliefs towards grade retention were not significantly changed when presented with a research-based PowerPoint presentation regarding the negative effects of retention practices, as measured by the pre …

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Effects Of A Universal Positive Behavior Intervention On School-Wide Behavior, Kelly Renae Tanner Jan 2011

Effects Of A Universal Positive Behavior Intervention On School-Wide Behavior, Kelly Renae Tanner

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examines the effects of a positive behavior intervention on the behavior of students in a single elementary school located in a rural area of West Virgina. A Single Group Pretest-Treatment-Posttest Design was utilized with the frequency of Office Discipline Referrals (ODR’s) as the dependent variable. Data were analyzed using the Chi Square statistic. Results showed no significant difference in pre-treatment and post-treatment conditions.

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West Virginia School Psychologists' Attitudes Toward Gay And Lesbian Students, Lauren B. Winter Jan 2011

West Virginia School Psychologists' Attitudes Toward Gay And Lesbian Students, Lauren B. Winter

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Given the alarming rates of harassment of gay and lesbian students in our nation’s schools, it is important to ascertain the attitudes of school personnel toward homosexuality. Particularly important are the attitudes of school psychologists. The present study examines the attitudes of West Virginia school psychologists toward gay and lesbian students, and how their contact with, knowledge of, and level of religiosity affect these attitudes. Results indicated that respondents’ attitudes toward homosexuality were positively correlated with contact and knowledge and negatively correlated with religiosity. Contact was the strongest predictor of positive attitudes. There were no significant differences between demographic variables, …

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Goal Attainment Scaling To Determine Effectiveness Of Inidividual And Group Counseling, Andrew J. Woolwine Jan 2011

Goal Attainment Scaling To Determine Effectiveness Of Inidividual And Group Counseling, Andrew J. Woolwine

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to utilize the Goal Attainment Scale (GAS) during the Marshall University Summer Enrichment Program (MUSEP) to determine the effectiveness of individual counseling, group counseling, and a combination of both, on student academic and behavioral goals. Results indicated that no significant differences were found when comparing the type of counseling students received with their scores on the GAS in academics or behavior. Also, no significant differences were found when hours of treatment, combined with the type of counseling were compared to students’ scores on the GAS.

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