Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Of Teacher Attitudes Toward Establishing Vocational Education Programs For Disabled Students In Middle School, Dazzerene Wade

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The research goals of this study were to: 1. Determine the need to establish a vocational education program in Virginia Beach Middle Schools for disabled students; 2. Provide justification for integrating functional skills and real life community work experiences into existing curriculum; 3. Define the types of vocational education programs that are appropriate for middle school disabled students; 4. Outline the skills needed for student transition from middle school vocational education programs to secondary vocational education programs.

The Importance Of Religion For Parents Coping With A Chronically Ill Child, Carolyn M. Rutledge, Jeffrey S. Levin, David B. Larson, John S. Lyons

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

This study examines differences in the stability and consequences of religious coping among parents (N = 102) of chronically ill children. Analyses revealed that changes in religious patterns due to a child's illness were reflected in changes in other, non-religious coping resources. Specifically, parents whose pre-illness religious patterns were satisfactory did not alter their use of other coping resources, whereas parents who reported changes in their religious patterns also made changes in their use of familial financial and social support systems.

Characteristics, Perceived Skills And Leadership Styles Of Female Executives In The Senior Executive Service, Ahmad Mashayekh

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

Recent studies have expressed considerable interest in the representation of women in the upper-level management in the federal government. Yet, very little is known about the characteristics and attributes of women in the executive level of the federal services. Most of the studies are undertaken to examine how women are different from the established male standards, or have used different models or variables to explain the slow career advancement of the women.

Using a 1991 survey of 278 female executives in the Senior Executive Service (SES) this study examines the characteristics, personal attributes, barriers, experiences, and leadership styles of women …

The Impact Of Drug Abuse Resistance Education In Portsmouth, Virginia From 1987-1994, Darrell M. Lassiter

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The goals of this study were to: 1. Identify the number of elementary age students in the fifth grade in Portsmouth, Virginia that are receiving Drug Abuse Resistance Education training; 2. Determine the amount of funds being invested by the City of Portsmouth to reduce substance abuse by adolescents and the effectiveness of the current program; 3. Identify any positive change in the juvenile substance abuse related arrests made in Portsmouth, Virginia during the years 1987-1994.

A Study To Determine The Effectiveness Of The Program Of Instruction For The Department Of Labor's Transition Assistance Program For The Military, James E. Threlfall

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The research questions that will be analyzed during the Transition Assistance Program and its six primary areas were as follows: 1. Do retiring military personnel or downsized personnel obtain more information on conducting a smooth transition from military to civilian careers? 2. Is the program structure more for the understanding of the Non commissioned or Commissioned Officer?

Gender Bias In Selection For Honors Mathematics At Kempsville Middle School, William P. Mcbride

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The following objectives were established to guide the conduct of this research study: 1. To identify the percentage of females enrolled in the general population of the seventh and eighth grades at Kempsville Middle School; 2. To identify the percentage of females enrolled in the seventh and eighth grade honors mathematics courses at Kempsville Middle School; 3. To determine if a significant difference exists between the percentages determine in objectives one and two above; 4. To interview the personnel involved with the honors mathematics selection process and to review it for gender impartiality.

A Study To Determine The Effectiveness Of A Seven Bell School Day To A Block Schedule School Day Using Grade Point Averages As A Predictor, Traci Allgor

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a seven bell school day in a semester keyboarding class as compared to a block schedule school day semester keyboarding class, using grade point average as a predictor.

A Study To Determine The Effectiveness Of Diversity Training In The Workplace And What Kind Of Daily Impact Do These Results Have On Workers At Old Dominion University, Tatrece R. Dunlap

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

To answer the research problem, the researcher sought to answer the following questions: 1. Are the diversity training seminars that are conducted at Old Dominion offered on a voluntary basis? 2. Are issues of diversity better dealt with as a result of training? 3. Are employees encouraged to attend and actively participate in the diversity training seminars? 4. Based on employee feedback, is the program beneficial to employees? 5. As a result of training sessions, is there more of an awareness of prejudice and bias in the workplace?

Development Of A Measure Of Homosexual Stress: A Factor-Analytic Approach, Lynn Marie Morris

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Although homosexual stress has been studied in the past, an examination of the literature indicated a need for a reliable and valid measure of this construct. The current study describes the creation and validation of the Homosexual Stress Inventory (HSI), a new measure for I} stressors specific to homosexual men and women. A 70-item measure was created and factor analyzed. For the female subjects, 50 of the original items were retained and four factors emerged, which were labeled Visibility, Family, Work Discrimination, and Violence and Harassment. Among lesbians, homosexual stress seems to be related to more depression, to less social …

Attachment Theory And Self-Disclosure Of Hiv Status, Amy H. Grimshaw

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the influence of attachment style on self-disclosure of HIV seropositive status. Subjects were classified according to Bartholomew's model of adult attachment (i.e., secure, preoccupied, fearful, or dismissing). Steps were then taken to assess differences in the subjects' willingness to disclose their HIV seropositive status, the communication style chosen for disclosure, the subjects' perceptions of the importance of disclosing their HIV seropositive status, and the feared negative consequences of disclosure. To increase generalizability subjects were asked to assess their self-disclosure to three types of target persons: lover, same-sex friend, and opposite-sex friend. Attachment style significantly affected perceived importance …

Teacher Roles For The Twenty-First Century, James C. Onderdonk Jr.

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This dissertation employs a case study methodology to examine the perceptions of discrete groups of educational stakeholders about the roles of teachers in two temporal conditions: the present and the future. The study proceeded in two steps: a series of structured interviews and a card sort. Members of nine different groups with varying perspectives on education were interviewed to validate the selection of teacher roles to be used in the card sort and to generate new roles to include in the study. Initially roles were identified through a literature review, brainstorming with practitioners and consulting colleagues. Interviews included both focused …

An Approach For Representation Of Organizational Mental Models Using System Dynamics, Jörg-Peter Theissen

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The concept of mental models has received much attention within recent years, especially within the context of organizational learning. This research is based on and departs from the Organizational Learning Process as developed by Keating, Robinson, and Clemson (1994). That process, which is based on a verbal representation of mental models, does not call forth the kind of change that is desired in Organizational Learning. This research investigates if mental models can be represented in the form of system dynamics models and inquires if this representation is beneficial to the process of Organizational Learning.

The research was designed as a …

Psychosocial Determinants Of Age-Appropriate Immunizations Of Infants In Norfolk, Virginia, Hoda Youssef Atta

Health Services Research Dissertations

This study represents an investigation of psychosocial factors affecting age-appropriate immunizations of infants in Norfolk, Virginia. A household survey was conducted in Norfolk, Virginia, from 4/93-8/93, to assess immunization coverage of children 12-30 months of age. This survey included a total of 389 children in the target age range. A subset of 201 mothers were randomly selected and reinterviewed to assess their knowledge and attitudes and the relationships of these factors to age-appropriate immunizations at 12 months of age. Sixty-two percent of children were not age-appropriately immunized at 12 months of age. Almost all mothers (99%) considered vaccines to be …

An Urban Education Study: Implementing Problem-Solving Strategies In Mathematics As A Function Of Teacher's Learning Styles, Mary Lou Meinhold Fogarty

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This qualitative research was designed to ascertain the impact of teachers' learning styles on an active teaching program. Using grounded theory procedures, the researcher explored the second-year implementation of Moretti and associates' Problem Solver Program by 67 second- through fifth-grade teachers in order to gain information on the major research question: How effective are teachers with different learning styles in implementing problem-solving strategies in mathematics that require an active teaching style? Three Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) instruments were used in this study. Two quantitative instruments were used: The Stages of Concern (CBAM) to determine the degree of program implementation …

The Appropriation Of Nietzschean Thought By Donald Kuspit In The Critic Is Artist: The Intentionality Of Art And The Existential Activist Painter: The Example Of Leon Golub, Frederic S. Bayersdorfer

Institute for the Humanities Theses

The prolific scholar and art critic, Donald Kuspit has frequently cited the works of Friedrich Nietzsche as a means to elucidate his art critical theories. This paper is an investigation of these citations in two of his most important works, The Critic is Artist: The Intentionality of Art, published in 1984, and The Existential Activist Painter: The Example of Leon Golub, published in 1986. In each of these two works many citations revolve around two Nietzschean concepts, the will to power and ressentiment. This paper first explores the relevance of using the philosophical work of Nietzsche as a point of …

Childhood Sexual Abuse: Attribution Of Responsibility, Dennis W. Goodwin

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Attribution theory is used to address a disparity between the number of male victims of child sexual abuse reported in clinical samples versus those reported in community samples. Participants were 48 female and 48 male undergraduate students. Participants were asked to read a vignette of a 25 year old male/female having sex with a 13 year old male/female. Two settings were used in the vignettes. The incident occurred at the victims home in half the vignettes and at a party in the other half. Participants completed an attributional questionnaire and a demographic questionnaire. Results indicate that female respondents considered the …

African-American Women's Career Development: Predicting Nontraditional Educational And Career Choices Educational And Career Aspirations And Career Salience, Tonya Alicia Miller

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the current research was to develop and to test a model pertaining to the unique career development experiences of African-American women. The model concentrates on African-American women's educational and career aspirations, educational and career choices, and their career salience. A sample of 183 female African American undergraduate and graduate students from three local universities supplied data for the study. Results of the hierarchical block regression analyses conducted to test the proposed model were mixed. The proposed predictor sets, self-perceptions, career exposure, and relational support, were more strongly related to educational aspirations, career choice, and career salience, than …

The Teamwork Components Model: An Analysis Using Structural Equation Modeling, Rebecca Rosenstein

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

As the world increases in complexity, teams have assumed greater importance in the work place as a method used by organizations to cope with global competition and technological progress. Thus, an understanding of team processes and outcomes has become critical to individuals who study and work in organizations. The purpose of this investigation was to undertake a construct validation study of a model of the processes that underlie teamwork. This investigation was accomplished in two parts. A first study was conducted in order to determine the construct validity of scales that were developed to measure the nine teamwork components: task …

Correlation Between Hamstring Spasticity And Range Of Motion And Selected Gait Parameters In Pediatric Clients With Spastic Diplegia, Erin Mccain Glace

Rehabilitation Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Spasticity is often considered the primary limitation to function in children with spastic cerebral palsy. The purpose of this study was to study the relationship between hamstring spasticity and a functional activity, specifically gait. The gait parameters chosen were step length, stride length and velocity. A secondary purpose was to study the relationship between hamstring contracture and the same gait parameters. Reliability data were calculated for tone and ROM measurements. Eleven subjects (8 male and 3 female) between the ages of three years and fifteen years with a primary diagnosis of spastic diplegia were recruited for this study.

Hamstring spasticity …

The Effect Of Same-Sex Grouping Versus Mixed-Sex Grouping On Mathematics Achievement And Attitudes Of Academically Gifted Fourth And Fifth Grade Females In The Urban Classroom, Martha J. Tompkins

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Studies

Reports of the neglect of gifted students in America's schools and the inadequate mathematics involvement of females have made educators aware of a crisis in public education. Attitudes and opportunities are believed to be major influences in helping females become more involved with mathematics courses and careers. The research project examined the effect of same-sex groups versus mixed-sex groups on mathematics attitudes and achievement in fourth and fifth grade females in a mathematically gifted pilot program at a magnet center. The experimental study was analyzed with Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Regression Analysis, Post-Hoc tests, and …

A Comparative Study Of Black And White Girls' Delinquency, Kenya Larae Covington

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

In this research, I examined the similarities and differences between black and white female delinquents. A secondary analysis of the Survey of Youth in Custody, 1987 data was utilized to answer the following research questions: (1) What factors contribute to each group's delinquency the most? (2) Are the factors that contribute to black girls' delinquency significantly different from those factors that contribute to white girls' delinquency? The study was guided by previous research on race and female delinquency, girls' victimization, the role of the family and school performance. The independent variables victimization, family structure, family function and school performance were …

The Effects Of Athletic Participation On Self-Concept, Daily School Attendance, And Grade Point Average Of Female Seventh-Grade Students In Urban Schools, David L. Olah

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study examined the effects of athletic participation on self-concept, daily school attendance, and grade point average on 503 seventh grade students in urban middle schools. A 2 x 3 factorial MANOVA analyzed self-concept data to determine differences in self-concept associated with the levels of athletic participation with that of pre- and post-treatment test periods. Tukey's post hoc tests were incorporated when a significant F ratio was demonstrated (p< 0.05). Significant differences were noted in four areas of self-concept as defined by Piers-Harris (1984): (1) intellectual and school status (Tukey, p< 0.05), (2) physical appearance and attributes (Tukey, p< 0.05), (3) anxiety (Tukey, p< 0.05), and (4) popularity (Tukey, p< 0.05). No significant differences were noted in three areas of self-concept: (1) behavior, (2) happiness and satisfaction, and (3) self-concept total.

A 3 x 3 factorial ANOVA demonstrated statistical differences in daily school attendance between female students participating in interscholastic athletics with female students not participating in interscholastic athletics. Daily school attendance …

An Assessment Of Personal Characteristics, Job Satisfaction And Semantic Descriptors Of Virginia Acute And Tertiary Care Hospitals' Chief Executive Officers, Justin C. Matus

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to identify the determinants of job satisfaction of Virginia Hospital CEO's and to identify those descriptors that best characterize the role of the hospital CEO as defined by the CEO's themselves. The study sample consisted of all hospital CEO's in Virginia as listed by the Virginia Hospital Association. The study employed a four part survey instrument that investigated four major areas: (1) personal and hospital demographics; (2) self rated performance; (3) a semantic scale measuring the concept of Hospital CEO; and (4) The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. A survey was mailed to 119 CEO's. The …

A Comparative Study Of Victimization Experiences And Family Dynamics Of Adolescent Sexual Offenders And Nonsexual Offending Delinquents, Alicia Ann Chavis

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Research has directed little attention toward understanding and dealing with the adolescent sexual offender. In an effort to understand what makes adolescent sexual offenders different from other delinquents. I will examine the victimization experiences (sexual abuse and physical abuse) and the family dynamics (family violence, family incarceration and family structure) of both adolescent sexual offenders and nonsexual offenders. The research question is: what factors contribute to each group of delinquency the most? Although all of the factors influence delinquency, victimization is expected to be the most influential. This study utilized data from The Survey of Youth in Custody, 1987; a …

A Literary Evaluation Of Black Female Interaction In Toni Morrison's "Beloved", "Sula," "Jazz", Carol Ann Davenport

English Theses & Dissertations

This Master's thesis consists of three chapters that examine the roles, circumstances and effects of racism and sexism on the black female characters in three of Toni Morrison's novels, Beloved, Sula and Jazz. I propose that the elements of racism and sexism have left the female characters, Sethe, Denver, Ella, etc. in Beloved with few choices in life. Further, I suggest that the theme of "choice versus no choice" perpetuates hatred and self-hatred among black women and results in "metaphoric scarring." I explore in the characters, Sula, Eva, Hannah, Nel, and the black Bottom women, the damage inflicted on black …

The Atlantic Conference At Argentia (9-12 August 1941) The Anglo-American Agreement On The Defeat Of Nazi Germany, John Michael Sweeney

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The meeting at Argentina, Newfoundland, between Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt in August 1941 was the first "summit" conference of the Second World War. It set the stage for the United States' entry into the war on the side of Great Britain and produced the Atlantic Charter, the noble statement of Western war aims. This study describes how the Nazi threat to England and the Atlantic brought the two democracies together into a de facto alliance before the United States formally entered the war. Its central theme is the "strategy of provocation" whereby President Roosevelt, certain …

An Assessment Of Four-Hour Sample Durations Used To Determine Full-Shift Noise Exposures In A Foundry, Vince Marlo Fleming

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

Full-shift sampling, usually eight hours, is traditionally performed to assess daily occupational noise exposure. This sampling approach is inefficient, and costly for repeated, long-term exposure evaluations. This study assessed the use of four-hour sample durations and subsequent data analysis to determine daily occupational noise exposures in a foundry. The four-hour sample durations were extracted from full-shift samples and analyzed on their ability to provide valid data for estimating mean daily noise exposure levels without significantly affecting sampling precision or accuracy. Results of this study indicate four-hour sample durations can be used successfully to estimate full-shift noise exposures provided certain criteria …

The Identification And Magnitude Estimation Of Occupational Stressors In The Industrial Hygiene Profession, Judith Hinch

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

The industrial hygiene professional is responsible for the evaluation and control of hazards in the workplace. Job stress has been identified as a factor affecting the health, safety and productivity of workers and can be considered a workplace hazard.

This study involved the development of an instrument to identify and quantify sources of stress within a give profession. The industrial hygiene profession was chosen, though the method can be, and has been, used to evaluate stress in other groups of individuals. The method involved the identification of the most significant sources of stress by surveying a small number of the …

The Effects Of An Urban Middle School Dropout Prevention Program On The Academic Achievement, Attendance, Attitudes, And Conflict Resolution Skills Of At-Risk Student, Patricia Hawkins Fisher

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an urban middle school dropout prevention program on the academic achievement, attendance, attitudes toward self and school, and conflict resolution skills of potential dropout candidates. The study compared the differences in grade point averages and Iowa Test of Basic Skills scores, percentages of absences, self concept and motivation towards school scores, and the percentage of suspensions of subjects in three middle schools in Portsmouth, Virginia. A review of literature revealed that traditional dropout prevention efforts have addressed the dropout dilemma with varying degrees of success. More recent dropout initiatives …

The Role Of Laughter In The Thought Of Friedrich Nietzsche, Paul D. Gerdes

Institute for the Humanities Theses

The objective of this thesis is an analysis of the role of laughter in the thought of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), by which I mean both its influence on his intellectual development, and the incorporation of it in his philosophy. Such an undertaking is important because, while it might seem somewhat odd for a philosopher, and particularly a German philosopher, to consider laughter fundamental to his thought, laughter does play an essential role in all of Nietzsche's writing.

For the purposes of this thesis, I will investigate three separate but interrelated aspects of Nietzsche's thought: the influence of the Dionysian tragic-comic …