Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Gender Identity Disorder : A Misunderstood Diagnosis, Kristopher J. Cook

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A transsexual is defined as a person who strongly identifies with the opposite sex. This is also known as gender identity disorder. The individual may identify with the opposite sex to the point of believing that he or she is, in fact, a member of the opposite sex who is trapped in the wrong body. This causes the person to experience serious discomfort with his or her own biological sex. A person with gender identity disorder may or may not know that they actually have a disorder. Not knowing they have this disorder, they can’t explain the problems they experience …

The Advantage Of Steep As A Method To Identify Elementary School Children Who Are At-Risk For Learning Disabilities, Chandra Nease

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of the current study was to determine the relationship between the Screening to Enhance Equitable Placement (STEEP) and the Dyslexia Screening Instrument (DSI) to deem STEEP a valuable tool for identifying children who may be at risk for a learning disability or dyslexia. The following research question was examined: What is the concurrent validity of STEEP, as a screening instrument for identifying at risk students for learning disabilities by comparing it to the Dyslexia Screening Instrument? In this study, students in first through fourth grade classrooms at a rural Southeastern Ohio elementary school who were administered STEEP and …

Predicting Dyslexia With Screening To Enhance Equitable Placement (Steep), Erica N. Stoler

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to predict whether students who achieved the mastery/instructional level in math and the frustrational level in reading with Screening to Enhance Equitable Placement (STEEP) were identified as being good candidates for a positive dyslexic evaluation based on the Dyslexia Screening Tool (DST). Twenty-eight students in first through fifth grades from a rural elementary school in Southeast Ohio were selected based on the results of their initial STEEP screening and those selected students were administered the Dyslexia Screening Tool (DST). Results indicated that there was not a significant relationship between the selected STEEP results and …

National Identity And The British Empire : The Image Of Saint Paul’S Cathedral, Rebecca Pierce

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This paper considers the historical geography of place and identity construction through the case of English Nationalism and the British Empire as encapsulated in London’s Saint Paul’s Cathedral. The research explores several themes: 1) the British Empire’s use of Saint Paul’s Cathedral as a representation, both physically and symbolically, of the ideals and power of the empire; 2) the British Empire’s employment of the Cathedral as the emotional and ideological center of national identity and imperialism in the English population; and 3) the British Empire's manipulation of the image of Saint Paul’s Cathedralas a national and religious landmark. Data analysis …

The Comparative Analysis Of The Dyslexia Screening Instrument And The Dyslexia Screening Tool, Shelley J. Lemasters

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

STEEP is a universal screening instrument that provides effective and efficient identification of students at risk. It is hypothesized that by using the difference between the math STEEP score and the reading STEEP score that STEEP can be used to identify dyslexic children. The present research was conducted by selecting students that scored mastery/instructional in math and frustrational in reading as the sample. The current study examines the correlation between the Dyslexia Screening Instrument and the Dyslexia Screening Tool by administering those instruments to the identified population. The results were analyzed by using the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) and the …

A Spatial And Temporal Analysis Of Conifers Using Remote Sensing And Gis, Michael Koon

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Two sets of remotely sensed images, 1986 Landsat Multispectral Scanner and a 2000 Landsat Thematic Mapper +, were used in a change detection study to determine decline and growth of conifers in Grant and Tucker Counties. The images were registered, preprocessed for atmospheric effects, ratioed using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, and categorized. A thematic change calculation was performed indicating growth and decline of vegetation. The resulting information was combined with ancillary data for GIS spatial analysis. The results showed an overall increase in vegetation and specifically on abandoned mine lands. Statistical tests showed decline occurred on steeper slopes, but was …

The Reliability Of The Piers-Harris Children’S Self-Concept Scale, Second Edition, Nello Nicole Lemley

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This research was designed to assess the reliability of a new measure of children’s self-esteem. The Piers-Harris Children’s Self-Concept Scale Second Edition, Piers-Harris 2, is a self-report assessment. The study analyzed the split-half reliability of the Piers- Harris 2 using 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students from a rural middle school in Ohio. The results of the split-half reliability analysis using the Pier-Harris 2 were inconsistent with the split-half reliability of the Piers-Harris first edition and alpha reliability coefficient of the Piers-Harris 2. The split-half reliability of the Piers-Harris 2 was at the 0.52 level whereas other reports were at …

Modernization And Divorce In Japan, Motonobu Mukai

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Divorce rates in Japan have increased since the mid-1960s, and even more rapidly since the 1990s. Divorce rates decreased throughout the period of industrialization, although modernization theory has argued that economic development brings pervasive cultural changes (including higher divorce rates). However, values regarding family are also influenced by the persistence of traditional values. Before WWII in Japan, a decreasing divorce rate was influenced by political ideology, which deliberately intended to change traditional ways of marriage and divorce. After WWII, however, this ideology diminished, and material affluence has led to an individualistic view that in turn has led to higher divorce …

The Relationship Between Juvenile Delinquency And Family Unit Structure, Angela D. Mullens

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between parental absence and juvenile delinquency and to determine if a link exists between the two variables. Data was collected from male juveniles who were alleged to have committed status or delinquent offenses between 1996 and 2004. Each offense was categorized according to the family unit (e.g., intact, father only, mother only, etc.), offense type (e.g., underage consumption, petit larceny, breaking and entering, etc.), offense level (e.g., status misdemeanor, and felony), the victim (e.g., crimes against the person, crimes against property, etc.) and the juvenile’s age at the time the …

Do You Recall Where You Where When...?: Support For Automatic Encoding Of One's Location, Kristen Lea Neal

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The present experiment tested whether one's personal location is automatically encoded into memory. Twenty-one groups of students were given a tour of the Marshall University campus. At each of 10 locations on the tour, participants were told an interesting fact about the University. Participants were informed of a test following the tour assessing their recall of the facts. In addition, half of the participants were also told their recall of the location at which each fact was presented would be tested. Immediately following and two weeks after the tour, participants completed a memory test which assessed their (a) recognition of …

John F. Kennedy And West Virginia, 1960-1963, Anthony W. Ponton

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In 1960, John F. Kennedy, a wealthy New England Catholic, traveled to a rural, Protestant state to contend in an election that few thought he could win. While many scholars have examined the impact of Kennedy’s victory in the West Virginia primary, few have analyzed the importance that his visit to the state in 1960 and his ensuing administration had on West Virginia. Kennedy enacted a number of policies directed specifically toward relieving the poverty that had plagued West Virginia since statehood. The Kennedy administration funded highway construction, worker training programs, and area development at levels the state had never …

Prevalence Of A Looming Maladaptive Style As A Cognitive Vulnerability To Anxiety In Rural Populations, Caleb P. Rose

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The present study attempted to find a global cognitive style among rural populations suggesting that threatening situations are seen as rapidly rising in risk, progressively worsening, or actively accelerating and speeding up. Participants completed a battery of anonymous questionnaires including a non-identifying demographics questionnaire and commonly used, published psychological assessments which measure anxiety, depression, worry, perception of negative life events, and looming vulnerability to anxiety. It was predicted that demographic variables, such as socioeconomic status, rural/non-rural status, and experience with natural disasters, will predict anxiety, which, in turn, would predict scores on the measures of anxiety, depression, and cognitive style. …

Effects Of Intervening Items On Self-Esteem Tests: A Study Of Face Validity, Douglas Wayne Snuffer Ii

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The domain of self-esteem testing has often been thought to suffer from problems concerning demand characteristics. High face validity of many common tests of self-esteem, such as the Rosenberg (1965) Self-Esteem Scale, may influence responding of test takers, such that they respond in a socially desirable way. The current study investigated the effects of inserting "neutral" intervening items between items of the Self-Esteem Scale, creating a test that is less face valid. No significant effect was discovered concerning the primary hypothesis, though other significant results were found. Explanations and implications of the obtained results are discussed.

The Impact Of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd) On Families: The Perceptions Of Families With An Adhd Child, Patrick Whaley

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study extended the research to include a more complete description o f parents’ perceptions and the impact had on their family functioning. The researcher selected the participants with two categories in mind: (A) Parents must live or not live with an ADHD diagnosed child; (B) Parents will provide their consent for this study. The researcher used the Parenting Stress Index (PSI). The PSI is used to identify stress levels in parent-child systems. By using a t-test for independent samples, the treatment group responded with more stress than the control group (T= 10.143, 28). The researcher found a statistically significant …

Effective Planning For Seismic Risk: Case Of Kobe, Japan, Mami Itamochi

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This thesis discusses the city of Kobe’s recovery from the Great Hanshin Earthquake from the perspective of city planning. The earthquake and fire devastated many established parts of the city, impacting housing, businesses, and community institutions, resulting in a need for coordinated planning of of rebuilding. The purpose of this research is to investigate effective planning techniques for seismic risk, using Kobe, Japan as a case study. My research examines a neighborhood where a new plan was developed after the earthquake. It also describes how Kobe is dealing with the massive loss of housing and town resources. After this devastating …

Identifying At Risk Youth For Delinquency In Southern West Virginia, Roderick Q. Neal

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Juvenile delinquency has been an important area of study. Academics, practitioners, politicians, and legal scholars have devoted their attention to basic questions about the nature of youth crime. This report was designed to identify which psychological and social variables are statistically reliable predictors of significant juvenile delinquency in southern West Virginia. In an effort to identify at risk youth, 200 subjects were administered a 16-question survey. This survey had a mixture of continuous and categorical psychological and social variables and the data was analyzed using Logistic Regression strategies. One hundred of the subjects had been referred to a juvenile probation …

Domestic Violence In Appalachia With A Focus On Cabell County, Wv, Deborah Ann Moore

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study of domestic violence in Appalachia with a focus on Cabell County, West Virginia involves many aspects. The costs of domestic violence, as well as, how abused women here conceptualize the major contributors to abusive behavior in men are examined. The demographics of Cabell Co., WV are discussed. The effects of battering and violence on woman’s work and employability are examined. What I did not anticipate to find through the qualitative interviews is the absence of a honeymoon stage in Walker’s (1989) cycle of violence. Goode’s (1971) resource theory provides an influential explanation of violence in Appalachia where a …

Measuring The Effect Of Wife Employment Status On First-Time Father Stress, Brad Petry

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This thesis examines the important aspect of changing stress levels in first-time expectant fathers at six months of term prenatal (time one), at eight months of term prenatal (time two), and one month postpartum (time three). The changing stress level was measured in relation to the employment status of the wife during pregnancy. Stress levels were measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Data used in this research was obtained by Dr. Robert Rodriguez for use in his doctoral dissertation. Changes in expectant father stress level in accordance to wives’ employment status were insignificant at time 1 (f = .159), …

Image Compression And Its Effect On Data, Khaled S. Alkharabsheh

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This thesis is intended to define and study different image compression techniques, software programs, image formats (from early ones such as “GIF” to most recent ones such as “JPEG 2000”), compression effect on compressed data (compressed images), and its effectiveness and usefulness in reducing the file size and its transmission time, as a result.

In many GeoBioPhysical applications, some information inside any image may be the keys to solve different kinds of problems and classify features. This kind of data and information has to be handled with care; i.e. it’s not allowed to be lost during the compression process. On …

Welfare As A Social Control In The United States, Jimmi Sue Brown

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The question is whether the Clinton Administration “reforms” were a revolutionary concept or an extension of history’s pattern of forgetting the “deserving poor” and ignoring the “undeserving poor”. A literature search was conducted focusing on the deserving and undeserving poor in the United States over the past century. Historically, the deserving poor were defined as people who were impoverished as a consequence of old age, mental illness, physical illness and blindness or widowed and orphaned. The undeserving poor were people who were able to work, but did not and people of color. There have been occasions when the unemployed were …

Powers And Abilities Far Behind Those Of Mortal Men: An Examination Of The Comic Book Industry And Subculture Through A Feminist Sociological Perspective, James H. Frail Jr.

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Comic books are a medium which should be able to reach readers, whether male or female. Yet, the overwhelming majority of comic book readers are male. The feminist sociological perspective asks what the role of women is in a given situation, why that had come to be, and how can it be changed for the betterment of society. The realm of comic books is cyclical between fans and the publishing companies. As such, both the content of the comics themselves, and the opinions and reading habits of the fans must be studied to determine where this disparity begins, and how …

Punishing The Poor: America’S Use Of The Welfare System As A Means Of Controlling The Impoverished, Jill R. Foley

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Throughout America’s history, various welfare assistance programs have been implemented in an attempt to prevent the poor from coordinating a social uprising to overturn capitalism. Applying sociologist Karl Marx’s theories on capitalism and the presence of a false versus a class consciousness one can trace the growth of industrialization in American with the increasing efforts devoted to subduing the impoverished. Actions ranging from the imprisonment of the poor to child saving in the 1700 and 1800s to the use of police force to dissipate uprisings of the indigent in the 1900s provide evidence of the government's continued efforts to prevent …

The Assessment Of Oral Reading Fluency: Concurrent Validity Of The Dynamic Indicators Of Basic Literacy Skills And Screening To Enhance Equitable Placement Measures, Amie A. Honeman

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Curriculum-based screening instruments such as DIBELS and STEEP can facilitate early identification of children with reading difficulties. This early detection process is crucial, as remedial efforts must be initiated swiftly in order to produce necessary gains in the performance of students struggling with the mastery of reading skills. The outlook for students who have failed to master basic reading skills by grade three is quite bleak. The current research study examines the concurrent validity of the Oral Reading Fluency measures of DIBELS and STEEP. Research has shown that Oral Reading Fluency is highly correlated with reading comprehension, thus it was …

Urban Development And Effects To Transportation Systems Of Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky, Wannaporn Jarupath

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Urban growth and its relationship to the transportation system of Lexington, Kentucky were investigated using temporal images of Landsat Thematic Mapper and multi-date line data. Land cover of the area was extracted using Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems Technologies. Change detection techniques were employed to identify areas of transformation between 1988 and 2000. Several digital image processes such as geometric registration, radiometric normalization, unsupervised classification, and accuracy assessment were applied to analyze the results. Vector analysis was utilized as well along with raster analysis to examine the effect of urban growth to the transportation system. Two datasets of line …