Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Study To Research The Feasibility Of Establishing A Southern New Jersey Chapter Of The Public Relations Society Of America, Joanna F. Bruschi

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to research the feasibility of establishing a southern New Jersey chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

Some major findings included: (a) more than fifteen southern New Jersey members of PRSA are interested in joining a southern New Jersey chapter; (b) more than thirty public relations practitioners, not holding membership in PRSA, are interested in joining a southern New Jersey chapter of PRSA.

The findings of the author's survey concluded that establishing a southern New Jersey chapter of PRSA is feasible.

Employer And Employee Perceptions Of Workers With Disabilities And How They Effect Supported Employment, Jennifer P. Mcintyre

Theses & Honors Papers

Twenty-three percent of the businesses participated in the study with 8 employer and 24 employee subjects. The purpose of the study was to determine the perceptions of people with disal:>ilities by their nondisabled coworkers and employers. The first part of the purpose was to address the employers' perceptions of people with disabilities and how experience and level of education can affect those perceptions.The second part addressed the amount of.experience the individual's had in working with people with disabilities and the types of disabilities presented in their workplace.

The data were analyzed with frequency distributions and an item analysis using …

The Impact Of Juvenile Curfew Enforcement On Crime Statistics, Kevin Orron Thomas

Theses and Graduate Projects

While America's overall crime rate is in decline, juvenile crime is on the rise. One strategy to help prevent and reduce this phenomenon is the enforcement of a nocturnal juvenile curfew. In a five year period (1990-1994) fifty percent of major American cities took legislative action to enact a curfew ordinance for the first time, or revised an existing ordinance. The purpose of this study was to examine the enforcement of curfew as it related to the reduction or prevention of juvenile crime. The study analyzed selected crime statistics from two city's comparing and contrasting pre and post curfew enforcement …

Christian Conservative Bias In Newspaper Print: A Content Analysis, Ted Christian

Theses and Dissertations

The major purpose of this study was to analyze the content from six major U.S. newspapers regarding their coverage of Christian Conservatives. The newspapers chosen for the study were the: New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Washington Times and Atlanta Journal and Constitution.

Articles from these newspapers from June 1993 through July 1994 were analyzed for their bias against Christian Conservatives or lack thereof. Samples were selected from the newspapers during the time frame chosen when one or more of the following five descriptors appeared in the newspaper text: Christian …

Persuasion Theories In The Practice Of Public Relations In The 1990'S, Susan E. Owens

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to present ways in which persuasion theories are currently used in public relations and how persuasion theories could be used in public relations. Some public relations textbooks devote a chapter or section to persuasion theories and how they relate to public relations. The public relations practitioner needed a publication that expanded on these theories and provided cases of how they are used in public relations today.

To research persuasion theories and current application of them, current textbooks and periodicals were reviewed at several libraries. The searches at Rowan College, Richard Stockton College and Ocean …

Communication Apprehension And Exercise Adherence: An Exploratory Study, Janette Thomas Carr

Student Work

This thesis explored whether adhering to an exercise program could significantly predict an individual’s level of communication apprehension (CA). The project expands the study o f CA by analyzing a potentially new treatment option for alleviating this fear of communication. Specifically, it asked if an individual’s level o f exercise adherence (EA) - as measured by the four components of intensity, frequency, duration, and longevity - could significantly predict an individual’s level CA in each o f the four contexts - interpersonal conversations, group discussion, meetings and public speaking - and overall. Five research questions were posited (one for each …

Interparental Conflict, Family Environment And Perceived Interpersonal Conflicts Among Late Adolescents, Harry Durell Johnson

Student Work

The characteristics of interpersonal conflict within the family system during adolescence may be influenced not only by the attempts of adolescent's to individuate from their parents, but also by the environment in which this individuation process occurs. Family systems that are characterized by decreased family cohesion and increased interparental conflict may inadvertently provide environments that foster increases in conflict among its members. How these environmental factors are associated with the quantitative and qualitative aspects of conflict is an important question which is addressed in this study. The relationship between the family system environment (i.e., family cohesion and interparental conflict), participant's …

Developmentally Disabled Elderly: Reflections Of The Aging Network Workers' Readiness, Daniel Alan Kash

Student Work

This study looks at the readiness of the aging network workers to work with the developmentally disabled elderly. The developmentally disabled elderly population will grow along with the rest of the aging population. As this occurs, the aging network workers may be called upon to work with the developmentally disabled elderly population. This study surveyed the aging networker workers to determine their attitudes and opinions in serving the developmentally disabled elderly population. Specifically, the survey looked at the attitudes and opinions of the aging network workers of the developmentally disabled elderly population in the following areas: perceptions of the field, …

Secular Change And Allometry In The Long Limb Bones Of Americans From The Mid 1700s Through The 1970s, Lee Meadows Jantz

Doctoral Dissertations

Secular change has long been of interest to researchers in fields ranging from human growth to human identification. In addition to changes in size, changes in limb bone proportions may also have occurred.

Secular change in size and limb bone length proportion was investigated in five U.S. skeletal samples (Total N =2700) with dates of birth ranging from mid 1700 to 1970s. The six long bones are measured for maximum lengths, and stature is known for a approximately 2000 individuals. The goals of this study include 1) examining any changes in the long bones and stature of white and black …

Funding Of Higher Education In Tennessee: A Qualitative Study Of The Perceptions Of State Legislators And Higher Education Leaders, David D. Collins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify issues that are considered important to the legislators and higher education leaders of Tennessee in making decisions that affect the funding of higher education. A further purpose was to identify actions that such individuals believe should be taken by higher education leaders to ensure that higher education is accountable and worthy of continued or increased financial support. Using a qualitative research design, interviews were held with 10 legislators and 6 higher education leaders selected in accordance with the concept of purposeful sampling. Legislative participants included five members from the Senate and five …

The Political Resources Model Of Representation: A Local Approach, Joe Manuel Cavazos

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of the study was to determine the applicability of the Political Resources Model of Representation to the Rio Grande Valley and to ascertain if political resources (poverty levels, educational attainment, and Hispanic representation) provide an adequate explanation of educational outcomes (ACT, TEAMS, and dropout rates).

The political Resources Model of Representation, used by Meier and Stewart, served as a theoretical framework for the study. Formerly, the model had been used at a national level and a state level. Representation variables were used to predict the applicability of the model to a region.

Political Resources variables were used to …

Patient Satisfaction With Spiritist Healing In Brazil, Darrell William Lynch

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to assess patient satisfaction with Spiritist healing in Brazil. The data utilized consist of forty personal interviews of Spiritist patients conducted by the author during a seven month stay in Brazil. The study focuses primarily on the outcomes of the surgeries of Dr. Fritz, a well known Spiritist healer in Brazil, as seen from the point of view of the patients. The study finds that a clear majority of the patients expressed belief that their treatments were successful. This is particularly impressive in view of the fact that a majority of the patients had …

A Study Of Histological Aging Of The Human Clavicle, Nikki L. Rogers

Masters Theses

This study attempted to augment the Stout and Paine (1992) and Stout and colleagues' (1996) methods of histological aging for the clavicle. In the 1992 study, the predictive equation was generated from a sample of only 40 individuals taken from an autopsy population (mean ages 28.6 years) with no prior sampling strategy. The 1996 expansion (Stout et al., 1996) tested the 1992 equation, added 41 males and 42 females from a Swiss cemetery sample to the original autopsy sample to generate a new predictive equation based on all 123 individuals.

In this study, an independent autopsy population was used to …

An Ecological Assessment Of Wetland Mitigation Projects In East Tennessee, Kim Pilarski

Masters Theses

Federal wetland protection regulations stipulate that developers who destroy natural wetlands are required to construct mitigation or replacement wetlands. Despite the frequency of wetland mitigation, few studies have evaluated the ability of mitigated wetlands to mimic the ecological function and community composition of natural wetlands. Fewer still compare mitigation sites with existing natural wetlands in the same ecological region.

Studies from other freshwater habitats suggest that comparisons of the ratios of functional feeding groups (FFGs) of benthic macroinvertebrates (i.e., shredders, scrapers, collectors, predators) may provide useful information about the ability of mitigated wetlands to mimic the ecological functions of natural …

Environmental Attitudes And Behaviors: An Examination Of The Antecedents Of Behavior Among Air Force Members At Work, Mark S. Laudenslager

Theses and Dissertations

A questionnaire was randomly distributed to members of the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson AFB, OH, with 307 returned. The survey was designed to test the theory of planned behavior (TPB) model developed by Icek Ajzen, and the organizational theory of planned behavior (OTPB) model explored in this research effort. Validation and measurement of the TPB in relation to an organizational setting was accomplished, with the organizational theory of planned behavior (OTPB) developed. The behaviors and intentions individuals have towards recycling, energy conservation, and carpooling were examined, with the demographic variables of gender, age, and education also investigated. …

Solitas: An Evaluation Of A Non-Government Organization's Approach To Gender Needs In Latin America, Tara J. Vette

Masters Theses

This study is an evaluation of a project conducted by a non-government organization working with single women in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The focus of the evaluation was how Solitas, a non-government organization project approached gender-specific needs of the women. More specifically this study will ascertain if the skills learned by the women were sustainable, the amount of participation in decision making for the project and if the skills taught by the organization led to the participants organizing independently.

This evaluation was conducted by examining the organization's own reports concerning the progress of the project and the organization's gender policy. In …

Conflict And Balance Among Asean Countries: Geopolitics And Security Issues, Akihito Yonekura

Masters Theses

This paper examines the changing geopolitical scene in Southeast Asia and regional security issues managed by the states belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). A crucial research question is "How has the end of the Cold War influenced the security perspectives of these nations?"

Historical research of the political cultures and complex ethnicities of the ASEAN countries shows causes of awkward relationships (originating in the colonial era) between them. For managing regional security issues, these countries have established several regional organizations, although most of them have failed. The withdrawal of the British and U.S. forces from Malaysia, …

Japan's Oda (Official Development Assistance): Foreign Aid Policy And Practice In Asian Countries, Akiko Nakaya

Masters Theses

Two objectives of this study are (1) to examine the relationship between the Japanese people's perspectives and government policies toward Japan's foreign aid, and (2) to examine Japan's aid administration in Asia. Two significant aid philosophies of Japan are humanitarianism and interdependence among nations. A questionnaire survey was conducted in Japan to examine public attitudes toward Japan's foreign aid. The Japanese people support Japan's ODA. They recognize their duty to the world through its foreign aid. Both the public and the government put a high priority on humanitarianism; however, not many Japanese are aware of the interdependence factor.

Japanese aid …

Nuclear Pariahs And Regimes In The New World Disorder, Wayne F. Lesperance Jr.

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This thesis discusses the role of pariah states vis-a-vis the nonproliferation regime. Specifically, the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) is analyzed to determine, first, whether Iran is a pariah, second, the potential threat the IRI poses to the Persian Gulf region and third, the possible international responses that may be undertaken to address Iranian pariahtude in the nuclear field. Through the course of this thesis regimes are defined as a set of implicit and explicit rules, principles, norms, and decision-making procedures around which actor's expectations converge and which govern relations among states. Pariahs are defined as …

Physician’S Willingness To Treat Hiv Positive Patients, Tania Tiara Kazanjian

Masters Theses

Two research questions guided the present study: (1) Are there physicians' traits that influence their willingness to treat HIV positive patients? (2) Are there patients' traits that influence physicians' willingness to treat HIV positive patients? A total of 12 independent variables were selected for this study, five of which were related to the following physicians' traits: age, religion, geography, OSHA training, and the method of health insurance compensation. The other seven related to patients' traits such as race, ethnic background, and the manner in which patients contracted the disease. Three modes of transmission selected for study reflected on patient behaviors …

The Relationship Of Crime Patterns To Social And Ecological Conditions In Grand Rapids, Michigan: 1980-1990, Christine L. Mcgavin

Masters Theses

The spatial distribution of the relationship between crime rates and urban ecology in Grand Rapids, Michigan over time is the focus of this study. Urban ecology can often be measured by indicators of social disorganization. Five crimes (larceny, burglary, robbery, aggravated assault, and homicide) were regressed with several indicators of social disorganization. The independent variables were poverty, transience, family disorganization, the percentage of youth in the population, race, and household density. Both violent and property crimes were strongly related to race while specific crimes were related to poverty, family disorganization, the percentage of youth in the population, and transience. Property …

Gender Consciousness, Patriarchy And The Indian Women’S Movement, Aparna Thomas

Masters Theses

The women's movement has a long history in India. There exists an active women's movement in India today. Furthermore, there also exists a strong legal environment to protect women's rights. However, the social status of the majority of Indian women remains unchanged. In other words, the women's movement has failed to change the social status of Indian women.

This thesis examines the Indian women's movement historically from the nineteenth century to the present to explain why it has not had a greater impact on changing the social status of Indian women.

I argue that the lack of change in the …

Game Theory And The Application To Mainland China-Taiwan Relations From 1949-1995, Po-Tung Chang

Masters Theses

This study is dedicated to evaluating the capacity of game-theoretical models in analyzing and explaining international crises like mainland China-Taiwan relations. To highlight and reflect the nature of these complicated long-run relations, the author formulates a dynamic game model based on the combination of three well-known models, Deadlock, Prisoner's Dilemma, and Chicken instead of occupying one dominant model.

The mainland China-Taiwan relations (1949-1995) are divided into three individual phases in accordance with the configuration of game models: (1) the military confrontation phase (1949-78); (2) the peaceful competition phase (1978-86); and (3) the premature cooperation phase (1987-95). By generating and suggesting …

An Analysis Of Democratic Consolidation In South Korea, Sangmook Lee

Masters Theses

This thesis focuses on the process of democratic consolidation in South Korea. Under the assumption that South Korea's democratic consolidation phase has not been completed, the thesis examines the problems and prospects of South Korean democratic consolidation in terms of its political, economic, and social aspects. In particular, from a comparative perspective on the Third Wave of democratization, the thesis deals with the changes, dynamics, and characteristics of South Korean democratization. Using a maximalist conception of democratic consolidation, the thesis analyzes how South Korean democracy is becoming consolidated in the political and socioeconomic spheres.

South Korea is undergoing a democratic …

The Effects Of An Information/Counseling Session And Partner Participation In Treadmill Testing On Sexual Functioning Following Myocardial Infarction, Betty J. Fisher

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to assess the effects of an intervention designed to reduce patient and partner anxiety regarding the resumption of sexual activities following myocardial infarction (MI). A multiple baseline across subjects design was employed.

Participants completed self-report measures o f sexual functioning, knowledge of psychological and physical sequelae to MI, depression and anxiety on a weekly basis for at least 3 weeks (to a maximum of 12 weeks) prior to participating in treadmill testing, and attending the information/counseling session. Couples also completed these assessments for a 4-week period following the intervention.

Six heterosexual couples in which …

A Study Of The Emotional Responses And Coping Strategies Of Male And Female Athletes With Moderate And Severe Injuries, Donna S. Eaton

Dissertations

Emotional responses and coping strategies of injured athletes was the focus of the study. Several emotions have been identified in injured athletes such as frustration, depression, anger, and shock. Questions remain whether males and females feel similar emotions and engage similar coping strategies and whether severity of injury is a significant factor in responses and coping.

Quantitative data were obtained on emotional responses and coping strategies using the Emotional Response of Athletes in Injury Questionnaire (ERAIQ), the Profile of Mood States (POMS), and the COPE. The study examined whether gender and severity of injury may influence emotional responses and coping …

Gender Discourse In Small Learning Groups Of College-Level Developmental Mathematics Students, Allen W. Emerson

Dissertations

This study was motivated by the question as to whether women’s and men’s membership in different gender communicative cultures gives rise to gender differentiated ways of talking that are implicated in the failure of a mixed-sex group to achieve good mathematical discourse when women and men sit face to face engaged in various mathematical tasks. If so, in what ways and to what effect is gender discourse implicated in the failure of a mixed-sex group to achieve good mathematical discourse?

Models of feminine and masculine discourse styles based on the theory of communicative cultural difference, as well as a model …

The Mediating Effects Of Religiosity And Irrational Beliefs In The Differential Experiences Of Guilt And Depression In Gender-Traditional And Gender-Nontraditional Men, Daniel L. Snyder

Dissertations

This research addressed the question of whether or not religiosity and irrational beliefs were predictors of depression or guilt for men who were in gender-traditional and gender-nontraditional occupations. This was a correlational regression study. Religiosity was measured by the Religiosity Scale, irrational beliefs were measured by the Personal Beliefs Test, guilt was measured by the Situational Guilt Scale, depression was measured by the Beck Depression Inventory. It was anticipated that religiosity would be a predictor of depression and guilt for gender-traditional men, and that endorsement of irrational beliefs would be a predictor of both depression and guilt for both groups. …

Millage Election Outcomes In Michigan Public School Districts: A Test Of The Rational Choice And Social Psychological Voting Models, Christopher Petras

Dissertations

In this study, the author tests two models of voting behavior to predict the likelihood of a public school millage passing. They are: (1) a rational-choice model, and (2) a social psychological model. The rational-choice model asserts that the likelihood of a school millage passing is a function of the millage's economic benefit as perceived by the voter. The social psychological model asserts that support for the local school millage is a function o f the voter's political attitudes and/or the salience of the ballot issue.

The author analyzed every millage election in the 561 (K-12) Michigan public school districts …

The Measurement Of Dental Disease In A Correctional Setting: The Importance To Functional Service Delivery, Walter S. Ormes

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of decayed, missing and filled teeth and periodontal disease among male, non-camp, nonpsychiatric inmates in the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) and to assess the impact of age, race, security level, and years of incarceration on these parameters of oral health. Additionally, this study was designed to determine the emergent, urgent or routine dental treatment needs of this same population and to compare the ability of the existing Michigan Department of Corrections dental program to meet these needs. A representative sample of 251 inmates was randomly selected from thirteen geographically …