Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Assessing The Persistence To Graduation Of Students Joining Fraternities At Western Kentucky University, Charles Pride

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In the study, I assessed the persistence of students who joined fraternities at Western Kentucky University. Also included is a comparison between them and the general student population. The study includes 1467 students who joined fraternities between the Fall 1986 to Spring 1991 semesters. A five-year time period was used as the benchmark for graduation from the institution. Factors that were explored included race, initiation status, year in school when pledging, and organizational affiliation. Pearson Product-Moment Correlations and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data. The results illustrated that students who join fraternities graduate at a higher …

Does Sex Discrimination Exist In Faculty Salaries At Western Kentucky University? An Empirical Examination Of The Wage Gap, Reed Vesey

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis examines wage differentials between male and female faculty salaries at Western Kentucky University. A human capital model of salary determination is examined by using regression analysis on relevant personal and job characteristics of faculty members. A large portion of the wage gap between men and women is explained through differences in the personal and job characteristics. A portion of the wage gap remains unexplained, however, the probability of discrimination playing a substantial role in salary is very small.

Stigma And The Negotiation Of Identity By Rural And Small-Town Lesbians, Margaret Cooper

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Fifteen women who identify themselves as lesbians were located through snowball sampling. These women participated in confidential taped interviews and assigned pseudonyms. They were questioned on topics which included growing up gay, family, work relations and friendship associations.

It was assumed that life experiences may differ on the basis of social environments. This study focused on the unique experiences of rural lesbians.

Erving Goofman’s book, Stigma, provided the theoretical framework utilized in the analysis of lesbian identity management. It also allowed for a discussion of stigma and its effect on lesbians.

The women in the study experiencing homosexual feelings during …

The Altered Mobile Home: A Stationary Image Of Work And Value, Gregory Kendall Jenkins

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

As the medium cost of conventional housing rises, many people unable to incur such an expense look for alternative forms of adequate housing. In rural areas surrounding Bowling Green, Kentucky, several families have utilized the mobile home as a base to expand, embellish, and personalize, creating a larger more conventional-looking home. Many of these altered homes possess gabled roofs, rock exterior walls, and expansive interior space. Of primary concern is: why have these families undertaken a project of this nature?

As material culture scholars and folklorists examine our built environment, they find relationship between construction and the builders. What can …

The Sex Stereotype Of A Job As A Moderator Of Sex Bias In Performance Evaluations, Sandra B. Crooks

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In accordance with the stereotype-fit model of discrimination (Dipboye, 1985), the results of past research indicate that the extent to which jobs are sex stereotyped dictates whether or not a main effect for rate sex is present in performance evaluations. The purpose of this study was to further examine the relationship between the sex stereotype of the job and the presence of sex bias in evaluation. Two hundred and five undergraduate psychology students viewed one of eight videotapes of a confederate job applicant performing a work sample task and evaluated the observed performance. A 2 x 2 x 2 between …

Adolescent Smoking Status And Socioeconomic Dependence On The Tobacco Crop In Southeastern Kentucky, Gregory Colwell

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of the study was to quantify the relationship between adolescent smoking and economic dependence on the tobacco crop. A survey of 1322 students from a random sample of all secondary schools in four counties in southeastern Kentucky was performed. The survey gathered information concerning smoking behavior and social variables. Chi-square analysis was performed to assess the relationships between these variables in students from families who worked with tobacco and families who did not.

Chi square analysis of female adolescent smoking behavior revealed a significant association between the instances of adolescent smoking and age, friend smoking status and sibling …

Misattribution Of Interpersonal Attraction: A Case Of Mistaken Chemistry Or Cognition, William John Bowman Ii

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Prior research endorsed two theories of misattribution of interpersonal attraction. Both the two-component theory and the excitation transfer theory demonstrate misattribution and, in combination, enhance the probability of misattribution. However, which theory provides the primary source of misattribution has not been distinguished. The present study asked 60 undergraduate males to rate their interpersonal attraction toward a female in a video recording engaging in self disclosure. A manipulation of different levels of environmental saliency and physiological arousal was used to determine which condition or combination of conditions is most likely to elicit misattribution of interpersonal attraction. An analysis of variance followed …

Sharing The Wealth: Movement Toward Gender Parity In Managerial & Professional Specialty Occupations From 1950 To 1980, D. Leeann Jolly

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Data on the managerial and professional specialty occupations that were specified by the United States Census of the Population for the years 1950 through 1980 were used to analyze the influence of occupational sex ratios, growth rates, and male and female salary levels on the ability of females to move into those occupations. An analysis of the change in the Standardized Occupational Sex Ratio (SSR) showed that, over the thirty year period studied, growth rates became more important than salary levels in influencing movement toward parity in high status occupations.

Before the 1980 census year, occupational growth rates were found …

A Study Of The Relationship Of Socioeconomic Status & Student Perceptions Of School Effectiveness To Academic Achievement Of Engineering Students, Geronimo Mendoza Meraz

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the relative contribution of socioeconomic status and student perceptions of school effectiveness to academic achievement in engineering students. The variables representing the general factor of socioeconomic status were 1) father’s occupation, 2) father’s schooling, 3) mother’s schooling, 4) family income, and 5) family’s community population. The variables representing student perceptions of school effectiveness were: 1) help seeking factor, 2) professional preparation factor, 3) experience factor, 4) outside classroom activity factor, 5) personal encouragement factor, and 6) delivery factor.

A question was developed for this specific study and was completed by 110 senior …

Birth-Order Complementarity And Marital Adjustment, Cornelia Vos

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

It was predicted that the level of complementarity of birth-order position is positively associated with marital adjustment. This hypothesis was developed from Adlerian (1959) theory about the effects of birth-order position on personality formation and from the Toman (1961) duplication theorem. The Spanier Dyadic Adjustment Scale (1976) was given to 327 married women. An analysis of variance revealed no significant differences between the various combinations of birth order (no data were available for the only-with-only combination due to insufficient number of subjects in this group). Correspondingly, level of complementarity of birth order was also found to be unassociated with marital …

A Study Of Retention Between The Cadette And Senior Level Of Girl Scouting In The Kentuckiana Girl Scout Council, Diane M. Weigel

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study was made in attempt to identify the characteristics of a troop program in which tenth grade girls had been involved and to determine why they did or did not continue in Scouting. A survey instrument was devised and pretested to validate and improve upon the questionnaire. The questionnaires were distributed through the mail to 190 girls who had been registered in the Kentuckiana Council Scouting program in 1981. All girls, despite their present status in Scouting were asked to complete and return the survey. The questions pertained to such areas as years involved in Scouting, frequency of meetings, …

A Comparison Of Perceived Employee Satisfaction With Downward Communication Within Department Stores In Cities Of Varying Size, Karen Attig

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Three retail department stores of varying size were compared to determine if store size affected employee attitudes toward downward communication. Chi-square and multivariate analyses were used to determine results based on a questionnaire administered to employees within three department stores. Employees within the small department store were found to be less satisfied with the communication received from their store manager than were employees in the medium size and large department stores. Employees within the large department store were found to be more satisfied with downward communication than subjects from other stores.

Race And Sentencing Equality In Kentucky, Robert L. Hurley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Disparity in sentencing felons based on racial considerations has long has been considered a problem for civil libertarians and scholars alike. Examining data gathered in Kentucky, this thesis addresses this issue through the application of recently developed methodological techniques. Utilizing an index of sentencing equality, this study shows that while differences do exist in black and white offender offense characteristics, these differences do not account for the variations in sentences rendered in cases of white as opposed to black felons. This exploratory research reviews and critiques previous research and provides evidence which should prove useful in resolving the problem of …

A Comparative Study Of Academic Achievement Of Students From Phased-Elective Social Studies Curriculum With Students From A Traditional Social Studies Curriculum, Dennis Minnix

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In this study, the academic achievement of two groups of University students was compared. The control group consisted of 15 students who had attended a traditional high school. The experimental group consisted of 25 students who had attended a high school which utilized a phased-elective curriculum design.

The students were observed at three points in their schooling. First, students were compared at the end of the eighth grade to determine if any significant difference existed prior to their exposure to the two high school programs. Next, students were observed at the end of their high school education by comparing scores …

The Lark On The Strand: A Study Of A Traditional Irish Flute Player And His Music, Lori Jane Kaplan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis provides an in-depth study of a traditional Irish flute player, Jack Coen. Jack, raised in the village of Woodford in County Galway, immigrated to America in 1949 at the age of twenty-four. With his large repertoire of Irish traditional dance tunes, Jack has played music at parties, dances, with the New York Ceilidhe Band, and at festivals such as the 1976 Festival of American Folklife in Washington, D.C. Jack teaches the flute and the tin whistle and is recognized both as a teacher and as a player.

By examining Jack Coen’s music we learn about the style, technique, …

Stereotype Bias In Selection: A Process Approach, Donald V. Currie

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This investigation was to determine if an applicant’s sex and the job’s sex orientation stereotypes affected the evaluation of applicant information and subsequent selection decision outcomes. Interviewers (N=48) were asked to rate the employment suitability of 49 hypothetical applicants. The results indicated that an interaction of the applicant’s sex and job’s sex orientation had marginal affect on the importance weightings in two of the four applicant attribute factors, motivation/ability and personality/appearance. Applicants with equivalent qualifications did not receive comparable employment suitability ratings, Unfair job discrimination was demonstrated by these data. It was concluded that the applicant’s sex and the job’s …

The Structure Of Relevance And Marxian Sociology Of Knowledge: An Analysis Of Hegemony And Voluntary Associations, Larry R. Irons

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis examines the hegemonic function of symbolic structures of relevance as they are related to phenomenological commitments to social change held by voluntary associations of homosexuals. The data base of this investigation consists of the literature of 21 homophile organizations.

Organizations literature is used to facilitate a theoretical adaptation of Alfred Schutz’ discussion of relevance structures which addresses he hegemonic organization of voluntary associations. The concept of relevance structure was implemented to relate predominant orientations within the sociology of deviance to a phenomenological interpretation of group commitment serves as a heuristic device for scrutinizing the instrumental as well as …

“They Made Us Dance In The Pig Trough!” Mrs. Blanche Story’S Oral Accounts Of Dating, Courtship, Marriage And Sexual Attitudes In Northcentral Nebraska, 1885-1910, Gayle Waggoner

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Oral recollections concerning dating, courtship, marriage and related attitudes were collected from a single informant, Mrs. Blanche Story of Butte, Nebraska. Through in-depth questioning during twelve tape-recorded interview sessions, value- and attitude-oriented accounts were secured for the years 1885 to 1910, the late frontier period in northcentral Nebraska. These detailed reminiscences focus on common life experiences related to interpersonal relationships and the institutions related to them, resulting in a personal or folk history. The single greatest problem in research was the lack of documentation for the attitudinal content of the texts. Corroboration of both specific information and broad patterns of …

Fandom Is A Way Of Life: A Folkloristic Ethnography Of Science Fiction Fandom, David Axler

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A science fiction (“sf”) fan is an individual whose interest in this literary genre has extended past reading into involvement in such things as local science fiction clubs, fan magazines (“fanzines”), and sf conventions (“cons”). Science fiction fandom is the loosely-structured, geographically-dispersed organization of these fans. Drawing on both written sources and field interviews with eight informants, the history, composition and structure of sf fandom is examined from a folkloristic viewpoint. The forms of folklore which serve to bind the individual fan to the larger social entity of fandom are detailed.

Despite its literary orientation, fandom is primarily a social …

An Approach To Meeting The Educational Needs Of A Select Group Of Migrant Children, Ruth G. Cornelius

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Children in grades one through six who were identified as children from migrant agricultural families in a specific country in South Central Kentucky were compared to non-migrant children in the same specific county. A determination of the educational needs of these migrant children was made by a comparison of their standardized test scores to similar test scores of children from non-migrant families in the areas of Reading, Math, AND Total Battery scores. Resultant data from the test scores indicated that migrant children generally do not have achieve as high academically in the areas tested as do children from non-migrant families. …

The Impact Of Boys’ Club Membership And Participation Upon Self-Reported Delinquent Behavior, Charles Vaught

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study empirically tested the responses of sixty-one Boys’ Club members to a questionnaire which contained the Nye-Short delinquency scale. Frequency of self-reported delinquent behavior was compared for the youngsters both before and after having joined the Boys’ Club. It was found that the various aspects of Club membership and participation had minimal effect upon the members’ delinquent behavior.

Race As A Moderator Variable In The Prediction Of Grade Point Average From Act Scores: Implications For Course Placement Guidelines, Robert Ungarean

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The problems focused on in this study are to determine (1) if racial differences exist when American College Testing Program (ACT) scores are used to predict Grade Point Average (GPA); (2) how placement decisions may be affected if differences do exist; (3) and what guidelines or recommendations can be formulated to avoid possible test bias and discrimination in placement procedures. Subjects consisted of the total population of 139 Black freshman students and a sample of 139 White freshman students entering a Southeastern regional university in the fall of 1970. Separate regression analyses were performed for Black, White and combined (total) …

Sex And Marital Status Differences In Death Anxiety, Michael Cole

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Previous research in death anxiety has suggested that marital roles, and especially the male’s role as the family provider, influence the sex differences in death attitudes (Diggory & Rothman, 1961; Tolor & Murphy, 1967). The present study attempted to directly investigate the effect of marital roles by comparing the sex differences in death anxiety scores (as measured by the Templer Death Anxiety Scale) of married persons, with and without children, and single persons. In addition, 20 demographic covariates were investigated to observe their possible effect on death anxiety. The results of the multiple regression analysis indicated that marital status was …

The Cedar Grove Community In Oral Folk History, Ada Parker

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The thesis was originally done for the Center for Intercultural & Folk Studies which no longer exists.

Influence Of Sex Role Stereotypes On Ratings Of Male And Female Behavior, Constance Barclay

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An attempt was made to investigate the extent to which individuals are unknowingly influenced by a sex role stereotype in their evaluations of men and women. It was hypothesized that subjects would describe a character in more potency-related, “masculine” terms if that character had been identified as a male than if the character had been identified as a female. Subjects taking part in this study were an equal number of male and female students in introductory psychology classes. The semantic differential technique was employed as a descriptive tool for the subjects’ evaluations of a character they read about in a …

A Study Of The Recreational Impact On Nolin Flood Control Reservoir In West Central Kentucky, Afolabi Adedibu

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purposes of this study are: (1) to consider factors that influenced the creation of Nolin Reservoir, and the selection of its recreation sites, (2) to consider the growth and the variations in attendance and participation in activities as a function of quantity and quality of available facilities and accessibility, and (3) to trace the changes that the creation of the reservoir has brought on the surrounding land use, value and ownership. Through the use of questionnaires, interviews and field investigations, the purposes were accomplished.

Nolin Reservoir was constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers. After extensive study, the cost …

Kentucky Parole Officers: An Inquiry Into The Effect Of Residential Background On Their Works Styles, Virginia Cleveland

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Using the population of Kentucky state parole officers as the focus of this thesis, work styles were studied. The work styles of twenty-eight rural parole officers were compared with the work styles of twenty-two urban officers. The Fisher Exact Statistical Test was used to test differences between these groups. Rural officers were significantly more likely than urban officers to go out of their offices to meet with their parolees. Urban officers had had a significantly greater number of parolees waiting in their offices at one time, than the rural officers had. The length of the average meeting did not differ …

The Social Construction Of Professional Knowledge Illustrative Empirical Patterns In Social Work, 1956-1973, Danny L. Jorgensen

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Traditional sociological conceptions of professions are examined in this thesis by refocusing attention upon knowledge and ideology as a key to understanding changes in professional reality and action. In a proposed transcending model of professional knowledge it is hypothesized that conflicts between certain ideological positions will result in the displacement of one position by an opposing position and thereby produce changes in the definition and meaning of specific aspects of professional knowledge. Furthermore, it is suggested that knowledge construction, ideological debate, and changes in professional meaning may be observed in the arena of professional communication which is represented by major …

The Feasibility Of Annexation: A Cost-Revenue Approach For Bowling Green, Kentucky, Jeanne M. Dibble

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The United States is becoming a country of urban dwellers. Much of this urbanization is occurring outside of the legal city in what is called the urban fringe. Among the solutions advanced to deal with the problems of urban sprawl is the annexation of such areas by the central city. Before annexation can become a reality, its feasibility from a cost-revenue approach must be assessed. This was accomplished by dividing the urban fringe of Bowling Green, Kentucky, into nine study areas and investigating the costs incurred by the city for the provision of services associated with annexation as compared to …

The Theatrical Innovations Of Charles Laughton, Gary Joseph Jones

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In most journalistic studies the film career of Charles Laughton overshadows his theatrical activities to the extent that the reader is hardly aware of the importance of his theatrical innovations to the theater of our time. The more commercial side of Laughton’s career was publicized while his artistic efforts, as characterized by the innovations, were frequently forgotten. More people remember him as the man who played Captain Bligh in the movies than as the man who worked with Bertolt Brecht, created the First Drama Quartette and developed a new American art form, Readers’ Theatre.

The rationale of this study is …