Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Ua35/11 Student Honors Research Bulletin, Wku Honors Program

WKU Archives Records

The WKU Student Honors Research Bulletin is dedicated to scholarly involvement and student research. These papers are representative of work done by students from throughout the university.

• Anderson, R. Scott. Anglo-Italian Relations During the Unification of Italy, 1859-1860
• Clark, Anne. Can Extra Fat Make Healthier Hogs? The Effects of Dietary alpha-Linolenic Acid on Antibody Production in Swine Following Stimulation by Red Blood Cells and by Pasteurella Multocida (Serotype A)
• Gottfried, Victoria. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A New Look at an Old Problem
• Halbert, Christy. The Stereotype of the Female Athlete
• Hannah, Kathleen. Innocence and Corruption in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet …

Ua35/11 Student Honors Research Bulletin, Wku Honors Program

WKU Archives Records

The WKU Student Honors Research Bulletin is dedicated to scholarly involvement and student research. These papers are representative of work done by students from throughout the university.

• Balyeat, Douglas. Expectations Gap: Where Were the Auditors?
• Brown, Kaye. Larry McMurtry: Saddle Up or Leave the Old West Behind
• Fridy, Geraldine. Stephen Crane's Maggie. Another Example of Patriarchal Misogyny?
• Hazelwood, Shirley and Kay Redfern. Effectiveness of Psychosocial rehabilitation Programs: Do They Make a Difference in the Re-hospitalization of the Mentally Ill?
• Johnson, Sean. Effects of Time-out as a Procedure to Decrease Maladaptive Behavior
• Leibering, Elisa, Michelle Nye and LauraLee Wilson. Euthanasia: Legal, …

Ua35/11 Student Honors Research Bulletin, Wku Honors Program

WKU Archives Records

The WKU Student Honors Research Bulletin is dedicated to scholarly involvement and student research. These papers are representative of work done by students from throughout the university.

• Bachert, Sara. Rational Portrayal of the Irrationational in The Pit and the Pendulum
• Bell, Suzanne. Early Secret Involvement of the United States Military in Cambodia
• Brock, Beth. The Informal Caregiving System: The Frail Elderlys' Avenue of Choice
• Daniel, Janice. Child Sexual Abuse
• Johnson, Linda. International Telecommunications Trade with Japan
• Jones, LaMont. Ernie Pyle: Journalist Without Peer
• Kesserling, Marcia. Attitudes Toward the Need for Computer Literacy
• Lewis, Gloria. John Donne's Attitude Toward Love
• Majdi, …

The Development And Construct Validation Of The Children’S Academic Motivation Inventory, Kevin Hughes

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to develop and provide construct validation evidence for the Children’s Academic Motivation Inventory (CAMI). The CAMI, the junior Index of Motivation Scale (JIM Scale), and the Children’s Social Desirability Scale (CSDS) were administered to 534 sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students. Additionally, teacher assigned math grades; total math and total reading scores from the Kentucky Essential skills test (KEST); and the Cognitive Skills Index (CSI) from the Test of Cognitive Skills were obtained for each participant. Principal-components factor analysis with varimax rotation performed on the CAMI items produced essentially one factor, entitled academic achievement motivation. …

A Study Of Cognitive Variables Associated With Achievement Among A Gifted Population, Sharon R. Coty-Kieta

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between specific cognitive variables and classroom achievement among a gifted population. The participants included 389 students in grades five eight enrolled in the Gifted and Talented Education program in a Southcentral Kentucky School district. An experimenter-developed teacher rating scale was used to document classroom achievement, the criterion variable. The predictor variables were (a) locus of control, as measured by the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Scale; (b) the ability to clearly express thoughts and the elaboration, fluency, flexibility, originally, and organization of those thoughts, as measured by the Prose Quantification System; (c) …

Behavior Of Retarded Clients As A Function Of Access To Leisure Activities Oriented Toward Task Completion, David R. Keltner

Home Economics and Family Living Theses

This thesis represents an investigation of the effects of increased access to task completion activities on the behavior of institutionalized retarded clients. The hypothesis was that increased access to task completion leisure activities (non-competitive free time activities requiring the subject to attend to a constructive task during at least five free time periods over the course of the study) would result in reduced frequency of unacceptable social behaviors in a group of institutionalized retarded clients. A hobby kit designed according to the experimental definition of leisure activity was made available to each subject in the experimental group. Target behaviors (social …

Guilford’S Structure Of Intellect Theory: An Evaluation Of The Three Dimensional Model And The Implications For Its Use In The Education Of The Gifted Child, Judith Parr

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

There is much current interest in the field of education concerning the academically gifted student’s needs. Guilford’s Structure of Intellect model (Guilford, 1956) holds particular promise for positively influencing the development of cognitive skills among academically gifted students. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of using a program of instruction based upon Guilford’s Structure of Intellect (SI) model (Meeker, 1969) with children identified as academically gifted. Subjects consisted of 68 fourth-grade students who resided in two counties of northwestern Kentucky and who were identified as being academically gifted. The treatment group consisted of 34 academically gifted …

The Relationship Between Psychologists’ Judgments Of Artistic Quality And Judgments Of Emotional Adjustment From Children’S Human Figure Drawings, Karen Collier

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Children’s human figure drawings (HFDs) have frequently been used as a projective technique to indicate emotional problems. Despite the popularity of this technique, research has shown contradictory findings on its validity as a measure of emotional adjustment. As a reason for the inconsistent findings, researchers have suggested that the artistic quality of HFDs may interfere with successful interpretation of adjustment from the drawings. However, the issue of the possible influence of artistic quality has not been adequately researched.

The major purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between psychologists’ judgments of artistic quality and judgments of …

An Eclectic Approach To The Identification And Treatment Of The Cluster Of Disorders Known As Infantile Autism, Margaret Considine

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The present research is a comprehensive look at the causes and treatment of autism. To date the research has not found the etiology of autism, even though many areas have been examined. The areas looked at are psychogenic, biochemical and neurobiological. Some of these areas seem promising and may in the future shed more light on why these persons present this particular cluster of problem behaviors.

Approaches to the treatment of autism have not yielded an all encompassing cure for autism. Therefore, the symptoms of autism were presented along with the current treatments that are most successful in dealing with …

The Effects Of Extraversion On Performance On The Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children-Revised, Charles V. Kerekes

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A sample population of 139 fifth grade students, ranging in age from nine years to twelve years eleven months, was drawn from a data pool created from test results collected from four elementary schools in a south central Kentucky municipality. Tests used in the study were the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Revised (WISC-R) and Cattell’s Children’s Personality Questionnaire (CPQ).

These data were examined to determine the relationship of extraversion to performance on a standardized intelligence test.

Correlations for the experimental variables and extraversion ranged from .12 to .51.

The results indicated that extraverts had higher Performance, Verbal and …

The Brigance K&1 Screen And Corresponding Teacher Ratings Of Students, Shanna Waddington

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The relationship between teacher ratings of kindergarten students and scores on the Brigance K&1 Screen was examined in order to obtain a measure of construct validity for the Brigance. A Kentucky sample and California sample were included in the study. Data was analyzed separately for each sample for purposes of regional comparison. Teacher’s ratings of students’ overall ability and ability across five skill dimensions (expressive language, receptive language, personal information, fine motor skills, and gross motor skills) were compared via a linear regression analysis. The results indicated that overall ratings of students by teachers are significant and reliable combinations of …

Construct Validity Of The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, Brian W. Johnson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to add supportive evidence to the construct validity of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI). The study was conducted using the Sabers-Whitney (1976) model which investigated (a) convergent validity, (b) discriminant validity, (c) sensitivity to change, (b) internal consistency, and (e) any other factors which may contribute evidence to be a measure’s construct validity.

The SEI Children’s Self Concept Scale (CSCS), and Children’s Social Desirability Scale (CSDS) were administered to all fifth grade students enrolled in an elementary school within a public school district in the northeastern United States. The self-concept assessments were conducted within …

An Exploration Of Change In Teacher Concerns Over Time, Sharla E. Hutchinson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to reconsider the five factor structure of the Teach Concern Checklist (TCC) currently being utilized by the teacher Preparation Evaluation Program (TPEP) at Western Kentucky University. The problem was to replicate the three factor solution of the TCC proposed by George (1978) and to further explore the progression of teacher concerns with experience to lend support to the self-task-impact concern theory proposed by Fuller (1969)

Two hundred and sixty-five pre-service and in-service teacher participating in TPRP completed the TCC. These teachers represented the different experience levels of student. First, third and fifth year of …

Head Start Four And Five Year Old Children’S Attitudes Toward School As They Are Related To Achievement, Eugene Smith

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine if there existed significant relationships between 4 and 5 year old children’s attitude toward school, their classroom teacher’s perception of their attitude toward school, length of time in school, sex, or a composite of these with their achievement on the Pre-School Attainment Record. A random sample of 55 Head Start children completed three instruments. The instruments used in this study were a revised Children’s Attitude Toward School Scale (CATSS-R), (Beere, 1970) The Pre-School Attainment Record (PAR), (Doll, 1966) and the Teachers Rating of Attitude of Children Toward School (TRACTS). The results of …

Comparison Of The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test And The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale In School Age Children, Stephen Skiles

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The correlate relationships and directionality and magnitude of mean differences between MAs and IQs of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and Revised Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (both 1960 and 1972 norms) were investigated in a sample of 225 school age children. It was found that MAs of two instruments were more highly correlated than the IQs. For the total sample, no significant differences were found between mean MAs of the two instruments. The correlation between PPVT and the 1960 Revised Stanford-Binet IQs and the correlation between PPVT and 1972 Revised Stanford-Binet IQs were found to be identical. The PPVT was found …

Demographic Characterization Of Wisc-R Factor Score Profiles, Don Twyman

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Factor score profiles based on scores in the standardization sample for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Revised were visually surveyed for patterns of the demographic characteristics sex, race, parent’s occupation and religion and area of residence, these characteristics having been listed with the intelligence quotients obtained in the standardization sample. Patterns of the demographic characteristics and frequencies were described over the range of profiles, then the various profiles were described individually in terms of percentage of frequency and predominant demographic characteristics. The profile descriptions demonstrate a differential distribution of characteristics in relation to profiles, and suggest investigation of …

Personality Correlates Of Field Dependence/Independence In Preadolescent Children, James Koch Jr.

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationships between perceptual style as measured by the Children’s Embedded Figures Test (CEFT) and personality as measured by the Children’s Personality Questionnaire (CPQ). The sample included 69 fifth grade students of which 30 were male and 39 were female. All subjects were preadolescent children, of average intelligence, from lower class and lower-middle class socioeconomic homes.

Multiple regression analyses were utilized for the total sample and for each sex using the CEFT as the dependent variable and the 14 CPQ scales as independent variables. It was judged more meaningful to interpret only …

A Comparison Of The Intellectually Gifted, Average, And Below Average High School Subjects On The Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey, Lyda Parker

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between intellectual ability of 276 high school students and personality as measured by the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey (GZTS) factors. The 10 GZTS traits utilized were: General Activity, Restraint, Ascendance, Sociability, Emotional Stability, Objectivity, Friendliness, Thoughtfulness, Personal Relations and Masculinity. The study was designed to test for the relationship between three IQ groups (high, middle and low) and each of 10 GZTS personality factors. A multiple groups design was used, in which the three groups of subjects were blocked across intelligence. Ten one-way analyses of variance were performed to determine if …

Ua35/11 Student Honors Bulletin, Vol. I, No. 1, Wku Honors Program

WKU Archives Records

Articles written by honors program students. They were originally research projects, class papers or essays written for academic credit, but in each case the student has done further work editing and improving his or her manuscript for this publication. The articles represent a broad range of interests and disciplines, and they indicate a healthy attempt on the part of at least some students to dig for deeper knowledge and understanding than is usually associated with undergraduate study.

• Harris, James. The Trent Affair; Restraint vs. Irresponsibility
• Massey, Scott. Foolishness
• Oskins, Doug. Reuse of Sewage as a Potable Water Supply
• Alvey, Richard. …