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An Attributional Analysis Of The Expectancy Component Of Motivation Theory, John Edward Mathieu

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Many modern work motivation theories are based at least in part on individuals’ subjective expectancies regarding successful job performance. However, the antecedent conditions and developmental process inherent in these formulations have yet to be specifies clearly. The present study utilizes the components of Social Learning Theory and Attribution Theory to examine these conditions in a laboratory setting. Experimental and correlational techniques were used to explore the relative contributions of both state and trait variables on causal attributions. Differences among causal attributions rated on relevance versus quantity were illustrated. Additionally, the underlying processes relating causal attributions, affective responses and future expectancy …

Old Dominion University Master Of Science In Dental Hygiene Degree Program: Graduate And Employer Survey, Deborah Blythe Bauman

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to survey Old Dominion University dental hygiene master's degree graduates and their employers to assess the overall quality of the graduates' education. Individuals who graduated between May 1976 and December 1981 (N =29) were sent a self-designed questionnaire to obtain evaluative data about the ODU dental hygiene master's degree program. The graduates were asked to identify strengths and weaknesses of the ODU master's degree program, the role competencies required for their current position, and the degree to which they were prepared for their current job by the master's degree program. Concurrently, employers were asked …

Causal Modeling Of Organizational Commitment, Karin E. Klenke-Hamel

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This research was designed to develop a model of organizational commitment by establishing a causal network among three individual characteristics--tenure, work motivation, and job satisfaction--two organizational/structural variables--decentralization and formalization,--and two job facets--the job characteristic model and job stress--as determinants of commitment.

The proposed model was tested on male and female samples represented by five occupational groups ranging from blue collar to professional workers. Successive iterations of a path analytic technique indicated that across the five occupational categories, job satisfaction was the single most important determinant of organizational commitment. However, if the facets of job satisfaction were examined more closely, important …

Improving The Accuracy Of Performance Evaluations: A Comparison Of Three Methods Of Performance Appraiser Training, Jerry Willard Hedge

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Researchers in the area of rater training have relied almost exclusively on rater error measures to assess training effectiveness. A reduction in rater tendency to commit these errors subsequent to training is viewed as evidence that these raters have become more accurate in rating their employees. This assumed relationship between rater errors and rating accuracy has recently been questioned. This uncertain relationship between psychometric errors and accuracy was the focus of the current research effort. Supervisory personnel were trained under one of three training programs (psychometric error training, observation training, or decision-making training). Halo, leniency, range restriction and accuracy measures …

The Influence Of Lamaze Classes And Delivery Room Presence On Paternal Attachment Behavior, Cherie Sammis-Gonzales

Ellmer School of Nursing Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine the significance of attendance of Lamaze classes and(or presence in the delivery room on paternal attachment behaviors. Seventeen white, first-time fathers, ages 20 to 35, were observed in the mother's hospital room within 72 hours of birth using a modified paternal attachment tool. The behaviors observed included verbalization, inspection, holding, en face, smiling, and tactile response. Observations were scored on 30-second intervals for a total of 15 minutes. Fathers were then placed into one of the following groups: Group I (n 10) — Fathers from Lamaze classes and present in the delivery …

The Effects Of Exercise On Women's Self-Esteem, Wendy Laurie Biddle

Ellmer School of Nursing Theses & Dissertations

The effects of a 12-week session of aerobic dancing were examined on two groups of women, assigned into fit and unfit groups. The subjects had voluntarily enrolled in aerobic dancing prior to the study. Self-Esteem scores were obtained using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale during the first and tenth or eleventh weeks of the session. Pretest and posttest scores were analyzed along with the variables of age, marital status, weight loss, and smoking habits. A significantly higher gain score (posttest score subtracted from pretest score) was found on those women who attended three weekly classes compared to those who attended two …

Blueprints For A Small Theatre, Thomas J. Gale

Institute for the Humanities Theses

The contemporary small theatre, considered by some to be the germ of a new American theatre, has long been plagued by artistic starvation, technical ineptitude, and administrative inefficiency. Despite its traditional shortcomings, the small theatre has the potential to develop into a vital and financially viable institution.

Through a synthesis of the published opinions of theatre professionals and direct observations gleaned from practical theatre experience, this study addresses the aesthetic and practical problems faced by many contemporary small theatres. Solutions to these problems are suggested through specific plans for the establishment of a small but expanded professional theatre company.

The …

A Comparative Analysis Of Factors Influencing Registered Nurse Retention And Turnover Below The Head Nurse Level In Acute Care Hospitals, Jean M. Snyder

Ellmer School of Nursing Theses & Dissertations

In a comparative survey, two groups of registered nurses (stayers and leavers) below the head nurse level were measured in the areas of human need satisfaction perception, role perception, and equity perception. The two registered nurse groups were further subdivided by educational preparation into diploma, associate, and baccalaureate degree stayers and leavers for comparative analysis. Literature reviews revealed considerable research in the area of retention and turnover, but few studies used a theoretical framework and a multivariate basis for observation. One hundred nine registered nurses from the ten area acute care hospitals were surveyed using an independently developed Nursing Perceptions …

An Analysis Of A Sample Of Parents And University Freshmen In Regard To Their Attitudes Toward The Needs Of Sex Education In Community Schools, Linda C. Aleksa

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

This study attempted to investigate a sample of both parents' and college freshmens' attitudes toward sex education, and the content and timing of sex education in the Tidewater schools. Two Likert-type scales each containing ten statements were administered in order to survey attitudes. A statistically significant difference was found in scores on the attitude toward content and timing of sex education scale between parents and college freshmen. Parents demonstrated a more favorable attitude toward sex education as an integral component of the overall educational curriculum. The majority of parents indicated support for including important aspects such as reproduction and indicated …

Measuring Interpersonal Dependency In Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatients, Susan D. Schaffer

Ellmer School of Nursing Theses & Dissertations

The successful inpatient treatment of emotionally troubled adolescents must facilitate their achievement of developmentally appropriate independence while minimizing the maladaptive dependency that can be fostered by the hospitalization experience. Levels of interpersonal dependency were measured in seven adolescent psychiatric inpatients over a ninety day period. The Interpersonal Dependency Inventory by Hirschfeld, Klerman, Gough, Barrett, Korchin, & Chodoff was utilized. The individual therapist of each participant independently assessed the participant's response to hospitalization at forty-five and ninety days using a five point Leikert type scale. The study demonstrated no significant changes in dependency levels at forty-five and ninety days. The therapist's …

Rum, Romanism, And Virginia Democrats: The Party Leaders And The Campaign Of 1928, James R. Sweeney

History Faculty Publications

The 1928 presidential election posed problems for Virginia Democrats, who were traditionally Protestant and prohibitionist. New Yorker Al Smith's nomination split Virginia's party, allowing Republican Herbert C. Hoover to win by a healthy majority. Led by a Methodist Bishop James Cannon, Jr., Virginians who opposed Smith, a Roman Catholic, cited his link with Tammany Hall and his views on prohibition legislations as justifications to vote against him. State party leaders Harry Byrd, Carter Glass, Louis Joffe, and John Garland Pollard mounted a party loyalty campaign for Smith, but the election's central issue was whether or not a candidate's religion merited …

Emerging From Women's Studies: A New World View And A New Goal For Educators, Nancy Topping Bazin

Women's & Gender Studies Faculty Publications

A new world view, emerging from the women's movement and women's studies, emphasizes the interdependence of all people and the interdependence of people and nature. This feminist world view could provide the philosophical framework necessary for transforming the curriculum to help bring about greater social, economic, and political equality and greater respect for life.

A Study Of The Predictive Utility Of Search As A Means Of Early Identification Of Potential Learning Problems, Sheila Ann Miller

Communication Disorders & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to assess the predictive utility of SEARCH, a screening instrument for the identification of potential learning problems. The 46 subjects of this study were drawn from the kindergarten and first grade population of Norfolk Christian School, a private independent school in Norfolk, Virginia.

Both concurrent and predictive criterion validity were assessed using the statistical analyses of Pearson Product-Moment Correlation and stepwise multiple regression.

The results of this study revealed a significant positive correlation between the number of SEARCH subtests passed and the Metropolitan Readiness Test composite raw score. Correlational analysis also yielded slight …

Victim-Defendant Relationship And Juror Attitudes Towards Rape As Mediators Of Attribution Of Responsibility For Rape, Robert L. Fauber Jr.

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study attempted to examine the effect of specific information about the prior relationship between victim and defendant on subjects' attributive behavior in a case of rape, as well as the relative power of subjects' general attitudes towards rape in predicting their decisions in ambiguous vs. more clear-cut cases. Seventy-two (72) male and seventy-two (72) female undergraduate subjects read one of three written accounts of a rape case in which the sexual component of the prior victim-defendant relationship was varied. They were then asked for their judgements about the responsibility of both the victim and defendant for the rape, …

A Study To Determine The Major Reasons For The Mass Exit Of Industrial Arts Teachers In The Chesapeake Public School System, Richard L. Macdonald

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

This study sought to answer the question of why so many vocational education teachers in the Chesapeake school district were seeking other careers.

A Survey To Assess The Needs For Expanding The Child Care Program In The Vocational Occupational Home Economics Curriculum At Northampton High School, Martha L. White

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The following objectives were applied to this study: 1. To find out what high schools are doing to provide young people with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to become effective parents; 2. To determine if there is an adequate number of day care programs provided here on the Eastern Shore to assist working parents within parents routes to work; 3. To determine if working parents would be interested in a day care program within or on the campus where parents work.

"The Tide Of The Unconscious" Jung, Bosch And The Archetypes Of The Garden Of Earthly Delights, Andrea R. Peck

Institute for the Humanities Theses

Many scholars have discussed the meaning of Hieronymous Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights concluding that Bosch's works were of a conscious nature relating to the real world. By contrast, this study, using the theories of Carl Jung, fragments Bosch's work and sees the milieu of his art through the eyes of the collective unconscious. Accordingly, a number of explanations of Jungian ideas are presented with the view to better understanding Bosch: Jung's theory of the archetypes, his view of Christianity, his analysis of medieval alchemy, as well as matrix archetypes and symbolic forms relating to The Garden. Through this …

Incidental And Intentional Recall Of Item Names And Spatial Locations, Lois Ann Scovel

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Recent studies have indicated that there are no differences between the incidental and intentional recall of spatial location; whereas, intentional recall is superior to incidental recall of verbal information. In order to examine the variables that affect recall, second graders, fifth graders and adults were instructed to learn the location or the name of seven highly discriminable or less discriminable objects presented in a spatial array. Analysis of names recalled indicated that high discriminability enhanced recall, and that intent to learn facilitated recall, particularly for adult males. Recall increased with age, and females recalled more names than did males. Analysis …

Effects Of The Dental Hygiene Curriculum On Student Creativity, Linda Kathryn Martin

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

This investigation examined the influence of the dental hygiene curriculum on student creativity throughout the two years of dental hygiene study. A secondary purpose was to determine if various accredited dental hygiene programs differentially affect creativity in students. Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking was used to measure creativity in students from three dental hygiene programs in Virginia. Data were organized according to a 3 X 4 factorial research design, using dental hygiene programs and academic semester levels as attribute independent variables. Fluency, Flexibility, Originality and Total scores of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking were the dependent variables.

Two-way analysis …

Reciprocal Self-Disclosure In Mixed-Race And Same-Race Dyads, David Roger Sholis

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Sixty-four male teenage residents (32 white, 32 black) of a juvenile detention home were exposed to intimate self-disclosure from an experimental confederate posing as a volunteer at the facility. Subjects were assigned to one of eight conditions which varied subject race (white or black), confederate race (white or black), and content of confederate disclosure (depression or substance abuse). Following the confederate's disclosure, each subject revealed in return and then completed a questionnaire measuring various dimensions of attraction to the confederate. Subjects disclosed more intimately and gave higher ratings of liking, trust, and similarity to same-race partners. Also, black subjects reported …

Relationship Between The Empathy Levels Of Dental Hygiene Students And Their Teachers, Claudia Hudak Sanderlin

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

This investigation assessed empathy in first year, second year, and graduate dental hygiene students, and dental hygiene educators. Change in empathy levels of students and educators over one academic year was determined by taking repeated measures of the dependent variable, empathy, as measured by the Hogan Empathy Scale, A convenience sample of subjects from two universities was included in this study.

Empathy scores were compared and analyzed by a three-way analysis of variance at the .05 level of significance and also three separate one-way analyses, Results established that graduate students and educators score significantly higher in empathy than first and …

Lithium Chlorine-Induced Food Aversions In The Toad (Bufo Americanus), Paul R. Vaughan

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This research established that a strong and persistent food aversion can be produced in the toad (Bufo americanus), using lithium chloride­ prey pairings. No previous study has reported taste-illness aversions in amphibians. The first of three experiments established this aversion learning and also suggested that prior "safe" exposures to a prey had little effect on subsequent aversive conditioning to that food (mealworm). No effect on general eating behavior as measured by response to another prey object (cricket) was observed in the initial study. The second experiment tested the effectiveness of five different dosages of a hypertonic LiCl solution (.5 M …

Games And Gaming Of The Stuart Aristocracy, Vicky Ann Sanderlin

History Theses & Dissertations

Games and gaming provide insight into the lives of the people of the past. This thesis analyzes the games and gaming patterns of the aristocracy of Stuart England. This examination of gaming concentrates on the place of leisure games in the world of the elite. The study focuses on games suitable for inclement weather and includes both children's and adult's games from the period.

This thesis addresses three basic questions: 1) who were the gamesters, 2) when and where did they game, and 3) what games did they play and how did they play them? Answers to these questions have …

The Effect Of A Movement Education Program On Self Concept Among First Grade Children, Rosemarie Zumbo Tyree

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

No abstract.

The Relationship Of Cognitive Complexity-Simplicity To Occupational Role Perception, Raymond Boetcher

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present research investigates the relationship of cognitive complexity-simplicity to consensus in occupational role perception between subordinate and. supervisor. The research literature indicates that role consensus for specified positions is seldom found, and. that such disparities are well-documented for various educational roles. A sample of elementary school teachers and their immediate supervisors from three southeastern Virginia school systems were administered the Role Dimension Profile Scale in order to measure the importance of various behavioral role statements. Average ratings per role dimension were computed and difference scores were obtained. for each individual teacher and his or her supervisor. Teachers were divided …

Thomas Sully (1783-1872): Beginning Portraitist In Norfolk, Beth N. Rossheim

Institute for the Humanities Theses

An examination of the Register of Paintings and Journal of Activities written by Thomas Sully reveals his attempt to begin a painting career in Norfolk, Virginia, 1801-1803. A discussion of portraiture in America in the early 19th century precedes the investigation of the Sully family, their theatrical background and influence on Thomas Sully. Descriptive material on Norfolk is provided as background to a close study of Sully's earliest patrons Several early portraits are presented to demonstrate a progressive sophistication.

The Effect Of Kindergarten Entrance Age On School Success In Kindergarten And First Grade In Selected Portsmouth Private Schools, Mary Lindsey H. Hester

Theses and Dissertations in Early Childhood Education

This two-year study compared kindergarten children by age and sex on cognitive development, emotional adjustment, and social development. A similar comparison was made of the sample at the end of their first grade year.

The sample (N=57) consisted of the total kindergarten enrollments of two private schools in Portsmouth, Virginia. Those children who had entered kindergarten before their fifth birthday were defined as "younger," and the remaining sample, "older."

The tool for measuring cognitive development was the Metropolitan Readiness Test in kindergarten, and the Metropolitan Achievement Test in first grade. A self­ designed developmental rating sheet was used both years …

A Study Of The Career Salience, Marriage/Family Plans And Sex-Role Identity Of Twelfth Grade Girls In Vocational And Academic Programs As Determinants Of Vocational Choice, Janet F. Dickinson

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

This research study will attempt to answer the following questions concerning senior girls at Poquoson High School: 1. Is there a significant difference in career salience of students in vocational programs and those in college preparatory programs? 2. Is there a significant difference in marriage/family plans of students in vocational programs and those in college preparatory programs? 3. Is there a significant difference in the sex-role identity of students in vocational programs and those in college preparatory programs?

"Applied Values" And Its Perceptions At Paul D. Camp Community College, Michael J. Forrest

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

This study sought to identify perceptions of students that have taken a previous ethics course in "values", likewise and investigation of problems encountered prior to the commencement and upon the conclusion of such a course. Research questions central to the study were: 1. What aesthetic worth does such a program serve to occupational-technical students? 2. Does having a technologist as a member of the team of teachers (humanist) relieve non-traditional student anxieties in "Applied Ethics" courses?

The Relationship Of Student Sex, Attractiveness, And Self-Esteem To Teacher Preference Of Seventh Through Eleventh Grade Private School Students, Susan Montgomery Booker

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

This study tested the null hypotheses that student sex, attractiveness, and self-esteem were not related to teacher preference. It was assumed that these variates were communicated nonverbally through photographs. Two hundred twenty yearbook photographs of Caucasian seventh through eleventh grade students attending a private school were considered for the study. Attractiveness and self­ esteem scores were associated with each student's :10Lo­ graph. The attractiveness score was obtained by a survey of the photographs. The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory was administered to the students to produce the self-esteem score. A set of criteria was established to determine degrees of attractiveness and self-esteem. …