Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Test Of The Multiquadric Method Of Interpolation Using Drumlin Data From The Lunenburg, Nova Scotia And Peterborough, Ontario, Fields, Catherine Treena Conrad

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The multiquadric method of interpolation has been used to generate surfaces from irregularly distributed points of geophysical data, and has proven to be a successful means of mapping such data. There are four stages involved in the implementation of the method (Saunderson, 1994): (1) solution of a system of simultaneous, linear equations; (2) interpolation of new z values, for a number of locations within the x,y area of an initial sample space of points; (3) plots of all the z values at their respective locations, using colour graphics instead of contouring; and (4) plots of the partial derivatives of z …

Canadian Social Work Education From The Standpoint Of Gay Men, Brian Joseph O'Neill

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study explores issues related to same-gender sexual orientation in social work education from the standpoint of gay men. The literature suggests that the effectiveness of social services is limited by social workers’ lack of knowledge and sensitivity regarding same-gender sexual orientation. This problem is significant because at least 10% of the population are sexually attracted to members of their own gender and because clients from this segment of the population may have service needs different than those of heterosexuals, particularly related to societal discrimination based on sexual orientation. The purpose of this inquiry is to identify changes needed in …

Improving The Implementation Of A Research Tool: Methods To Increase Library Survey Response Rates, Judith R.J. Johnson, Anne E. Hedrich

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

In the winter of 1992 we began research into the implementation of a university-wide survey. This project grew out of discussion about ways Merrill Library could be more responsive through collection development to changing trends in course offerings and research emphases at Utah State University. It was felt that our collection development policies traditionally answered and were based upon teaching needs but might not address research-related needs adequately. This was in large part due to a lack of information about the evolution of research directions throughout the USU community. The problem was further exacerbated by the spiraling costs of journal …

Southeast Asian Refugees In Canada: Gender Differences In Adaptation And Mental Health, Roger Gary Edwards

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis involves secondary analysis of epidemiological data concerning a large cohort of Southeast Asian refugees resettled in British Columbia, Canada, who were surveyed three times over a ten year period. Male-female differences in the mental health impact of adaptational demands, such as the acquisition of host language skills and securing employment were the focus for the thesis. The psychometric properties of the mental health scales used in the study demonstrated high internal consistencies and construct validity in both male and female samples. There was evidence to suggest that the external validity of the study was somewhat compromised by the …

Adam Smith Goes To Moscow, Walter Adams

Clemens Lecture Series

No abstract provided.

What Works Best For Whom In Family Preservation? Relationships Between Service Characteristics And Outcomes For Selected Subgroups Of Families, Julia H. Littell, John R. Schuerman, Amy Chak

Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research Faculty Research and Scholarship

Once the effects of case characteristics were taken into account. we found that there were no significant relationships between the duration of services. amounts of contact with workers, number of concrete services, or provision of specific types of services and case outcomes.

In sum, we discovered that the duration, amounts, and types of services do not alter the risks of placement or subsequent maltreatment among families with cocaine problems, those with inadequate housing. families of a parent with serious emotional problems, or cases with serious child care skill deficits. Directions for further research in this area are discussed.

Our work …

Families And Job Loss In Rural Newfoundland And Urban Ontario: A Systems Approach To Identifying Stress And Coping Strategies For Pastoral Care, Christina Marguerite Emmaus Edwards

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In response to the Church's mission to manifest God's love in active concern for those in need, the experiences that have helped or blocked families to develop coping skills when faced with the pain of job loss due to the crisis in the fishing industry in rural Newfoundland and the recession in urban Ontario were investigated and recommendations for systemic pastoral care were made. The data was gathered using qualitative research methods and the FACES 111: Social Adaptability and Cohesion Scale. Building on the work of Hill, McCubbin and Patterson, and using Graham's Psychosystemic map a Triple ABC-X Model of …

Framework For Support: Desired Relationships Between Self-Help-Groups And Professionals, Vicente Constantino

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In this study I sought to find out how self-help groups and professionals perceive and relate to one another. The stakeholders involved in this study were self-help group members (psychiatric consumers/survivors and families and friends of consumers/survivors) and community-based and hospital-based professionals. The research questions were as follows: 1. What are the experiences and views of consumers/survivors and family self- help group members with regard to community-based and hospital-based professionals? 2. What are the experiences and views of community-based and hospital-based professionals with regard to consumers/survivors and family self-help groups? 3. What kind of relationship with professionals do self-helpers want? …

Changing Authoritarians' Attitudes: The Role Of Authority Legitimacy, Bruce Allen Parker

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study investigated the tendency of right-wing authoritarians (RWAs) to yield to established and legitimate authorities. University students enrolled in an Introductory Psychology course read two persuasive passages. One passage concerned whether homosexuals should be allowed to become schoolteachers, while the other discussed whether an aggressive proselytizing religious group should be allowed to recruit students on university campuses. Some of the participants were informed that the passage was written by a highly established and legitimate authority; others were told the passage came from a less established and legitimate authority. In addition, the passages were manipulated so that half supported and …

The College Attributional Complexity Scale: Development, Validation, And Relationship To University Adjustment, Michael David Smith

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis had three purposes: the first was to develop a self-report scale that measures the attributional complexity of university students; the second was to examine the relationship between attributional complexity and university adjustment; and the third was to examine the relationship between attributional complexity and coping styles. In study 1, 217 students completed the newly developed 20-item College Attributional Complexity Scale (CACS), and several self-report measures used to assess its validity. Results showed that the scale had good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Also, a principal components analysis revealed that the scale had one main factor. Results concerning the …

Managing Young Offender Programs: Self-Perceived Power To Manage Young Offender Custody Programs In Ontario, Kenneth Emmanuel Thomas

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The primary focus of this dissertation was to understand more about the nature and bases of power that are available to Managers of Young Offender Custody Programs in Ontario. Within a pluralist view of organizations (Morgan, 1986) and French and Raven’s (1959) framework of social power, three major questions provided direction for this research: (1) What are the perceptions of managers and their power? (2) What are the differences between managers in their perceptions of their power? and, (3) What are the possible explanations for such differences? The research involved an exploratory, descriptive study of manager power in 141 Young …

Contributions To The Resilience Of Foster Care Graduates, Susan Esther Silva-Wayne

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation reports on a study undertaken to learn, from young adults doing well in the community after being graduate from lengthy periods of out-of-home-care, what these veterans named as contributions of the system to their resilience. In-depth interviews with nineteen successful long-term child welfare graduates have produced over five hundred pages of transcribed interview data, which has been coded, analyzed and the findings from which are presented in this report. The findings are necessarily based on a specific definition of “successful” employed in conceptualizing the project and gathering the sample which, although it attempts to minimize class bias nonetheless …

Quest For Balm In Gilead: Disclosure Patterns Of Church-Affiliated Family Members With Relatives Who Have 'Come Out' As Lesbian Or Gay, Margaret Elizabeth Myers

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The researcher conducted a study between September 2005 and March 2006 that explored the disclosure experiences of church-affiliated relatives of lesbians and gays in their mainline church communities. The researcher believed that findings would potentially contribute to the provision of pastoral care in church communities that would improve the life experiences of those family members whose relatives are lesbian or gay. The study used a combined qualitative and quantitative approach. Interviews took place with 16 family members to discover their disclosure experiences, and an additional 54 family members completed a 30-item questionnaire that sought additional information about disclosure experienced. The …

Front Matter

Modern Psychological Studies

No abstract provided.

Spain On Status And Space: A Comment, James J. Chriss

Sociology & Criminology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Academic Freedom In American Higher Education: Rights, Responsibilities, And Limitations By Robert K. Poch, Vicki Gregory

School of Information Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Introduction: One Hundred Years Of Natural History In Turkmenistan, Victor Fet

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

As part of the famous “Great Game” between the Russian and British Empires in Central Asia, Turkmenistan was the last colonial prize of the Russian tsars; its delineation from Afghanistan was completed only in the 1890s. The Russian Empire’s Transcaspian Region (Zakaspiiskaya Oblast) was roughly what Turkmenistan is today; its neighbors were the semi-independent emirate of Bokhara to the east and khanate of Khiva to the north, both remnants of medieval Muslim empires.

This book combines the results of basic scientific research in biogeography and ecology; its purpose is to give a fairly comprehensive account of the nature of Turkmenistan. …

Discussion In The Security Council On Environmental Intervention In The Ukraine, Linda A. Malone

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Leadership In A Quality School, Peter J. Bray Edd

Dissertations

Education in Western countries has been under attack in recent years. Numerous individuals and groups have made attempts to reform or restructure the system in which students are schooled. Such change is difficult and on many occasions the attempts at reform resulted in very superficial modifications. Significant change can come from a complex interaction of people where leaders and collaborators work interactively to achieve common purposes. This research examined one school, which is part of William Glasser's consortium of Quality Schools, where significant changes took place. Glasser's control theory has played an important role in the change process. The challenge …

Affecting Change Synergistically: An Interpretative Case Study Of Leadership Relationships At Southwest Airlines, Jacquelyn A. Freiberg Edd

Dissertations

As we move into the 21st century it becomes increasingly more important to move beyond what we have come to know as leadership--great man and position/authority-based, excellent management. Instead, what organizations are in need of is a postindustrial model of leadership. Rost defined 21st century leadership as "an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes that reflect their mutual purposes" (p. 102). This study sought to operationalize 21st century leadership in Southwest Airlines Co., a Texas-based corporation that is recognized as one of America's most successful airlines. This company has a 22 year history, over 10,000 employees, …

Transforming Leadership In The California Literature Project: Ethnographic Narrative As True Fiction, Jon S. Davies Edd

Dissertations

With rare exception leadership scholars and practitioners focus on individuals as leaders. However, to investigate leadership only through the activities of individual leaders is to miss its essential feature, namely, that leadership is a particular kind of relationship in which leaders and followers create changes. Relationships are difficult to describe because researchers cannot observe them directly; instead, they must infer them indirectly. This study investigated leadership relationships in the California Literature Project. An exploration of leadership relationships required that I implement research methods that would support the construction of detailed descriptions of transforming leadership processes. These methods developed in part …

Barriers To Community: The Development Of An Instrument To Assess Components Of Prejudice, Anita M. Rogers Edd

Dissertations

Contemporary theory and practice defines leadership as a collaborative effort, based in community, and purposefully guided by a mutual vision of freedom, justice and equality. Prejudice, as a preset of negative beliefs and behaviors toward a person or a group is a primary barrier to the transformational process of team-building and formation of community. The purpose of this study was to contribute to the effectiveness of training and educational interventions through further understanding of the origins and aspects of prejudice which act as barriers to community. The Retroductive Triangulation process served as a guiding methodology for the development of a …

Creating Campus Climates That Are Free From Sexual Harassment: Implications For Leaders In Higher Education, Susan E. Mitchell Edd

Dissertations

Based upon the preponderance of research which strongly indicates that sexual harassment is a serious problem for females in academia, the purpose of this study was to identify effective strategies for creating campus climates that are free from sexual harassment. In order to realistically bound the project, the study focused specifically upon the issue as it relates to undergraduate and graduate female students. The Delphi method, designed to generate solutions to complex problems, was the method of choice. Eighteen identified experts from thirteen campuses of The California State University participated as panelists and completed three rounds of surveys. The surveys …

Implementing Total Quality Management In A College Of Business, Jeffrey William Glazer Edd

Dissertations

Today, a wide range of organizations are involved in what is commonly referred to as total quality management (TQM). Implementation and associated research have primarily been focused in the business community; however, over the past decade, faced with dwindling enrollment and increased competition, the educational community has also started to embrace TQM at differing levels in a wide variety of settings across the nation, ranging from doctoral granting institutions to community colleges to elementary schools. This descriptive case study examined the implementation of a TQM process at a College of Business in a large state university on the west coast. …

The Influence Of Glasser's Control Theory And Reality Therapy On Educators: A Case Study, Debra Cullinane Edd

Dissertations

The influence of Glasser's control theory and reality therapy on educators' perceptions of change, relationships and self reflection has to date not been researched. The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the influence that control theory and reality therapy training had on educators in one school district. A case study method was chosen because of its descriptive and evaluative strength in educational settings, its qualitative character and its flexibility. All educators currently employed who had participated in one week of training or more were sent a fifteen item survey. From the group of 100 who received the …

Self-Esteem: A Descriptive Study Of Students Of San Diego Unified School District At Grades 4, 6, 8, 10, And 12 Related To Components Of Self-Esteem, Kathryn Dorothy Skube Edd

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess the self-esteem of students in a large, multicultural, urban, public school system on overall self-esteem and components of self-esteem across various ages. This was a descriptive study in which the researcher attempted to discern changes in levels of self-esteem as the students moved through the school system (grades 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12). Utilizing the Coopersmith Inventory, the researcher compared students' overall level of self-esteem, as well as the individual components of self-esteem: general self, social self/peers, home/parents, and school/academic. Selected teachers also completed a behavioral-observational rating scale on their students. …

Meeting Graduate Student Needs Through Alternative Programs: An Analysis Of The Impact Of Factors Related To Student Choice, Debra Jill Wright Edd

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to explore the design and initiation of alternative graduate programs and their impact on student needs, to examine the university organizational structure and environment that fosters the development of alternative graduate programs, and to identify the factors graduate students see as important in their choice to attend and participate in an alternative graduate program. The intent of the research was to rank the factors significant in the design of a graduate program to meet the factors meaningful to the student in meeting their needs related to graduate programs. The content of the survey instrument …

The Impact Of Collective Bargaining On The Civil Service Merit System In Oregon, David K. Blanchard

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the impact of collective bargaining on the civil service merit system in the State of Oregon. Four topics of current interest are explored. The first is a discussion of the status of collective bargaining and the civil service merit system legislation. The second topic is an analysis of the extent to which the day-to-day administration of public sector personnel functions is determined by the relative influence of collective bargaining agreements and civil service rules. The third is the impact of the collective bargaining model on the integrity of the merit principle. The final topic addressed by this …

Depression In College Students: The Influence Of Coping Strategies, Optimism, And Daily Hassles, Kristin Vickers

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

College students (n=250) were given a survey packet containing reliable instruments for the measure of depression, coping strategies, optimism, and daily hassles. Depression in college students was hypothesized to be positively correlated with avoidance and frequent daily hassles; whereas problem-solving, social support coping, and optimism were hypothesized to be negatively correlated with a depressed effect. Hierarchical multiple regression produced empirical support that frequent daily hassles and avoidant coping strategies exacerbates depression in a college population. Data analysis assessed a significant relationship between optimism and decreased depression. The coping strategies of problem-solving and social support did not enter into …

The United States Nonprofit Sector As An Alternative Delivery System, Jennifer Rexroat

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The purpose of this thesis project is the exploration of the nonprofit sector in the United States. In the course of my research, I came to a comprehensive definition of the nonprofit sector, illuminating its foundation, manifestations, and infrastructure in relationship to the whole of the U.S. bureaucracy. I supported my analysis by illustrating the advantage of nonprofit organizations in several areas, asking penetrating questions about their standards of quality, mission, effectiveness, and efficiency. A concentration upon the case study of nonprofit education allowed me not only to discover the inner workings of a nonprofit organization, but it also provided …