Digital Commons Network^™

Influence Of Social Context On Evaluation Of Municipal Service Delivery, Anahid Petrosian

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study examines the influence of social context on the evaluation of municipal service delivery. It hypothesizes that those individuals who are more satisfied with their immediate surroundings also are more satisfied with the municipal services they receive. A stratified sample of 1.027 household telephone numbers in McAllen, Texas, was selected for this study. The telephone survey resulted in 542 successful interviews, representing a 52.4% response rate. The study's conclusions suggest that first, satisfaction with the neighborhood appears to affect the general level of satisfaction with public services. Second, there was no significant difference in services satisfaction level based on …

Nutritional Requirements For Preterm Infants In Neonatal Intensive Care Units, James Allen Nelson

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This thesis reviewed the special caloric requirements of preterm infants. The goal of this research was to investigate the feasibility of using the time required for infants to reach substantial feeding as a possible indicator of future developmental progress. The triage of birth weight, gestational age, and days to first substantive oral feeding were highly significant in predicting development through 12 months of age. However, none of the independent variables contributed significant unique variance in predicting developmental outcome.

The Political Resources Model Of Representation: A Local Approach, Joe Manuel Cavazos

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of the study was to determine the applicability of the Political Resources Model of Representation to the Rio Grande Valley and to ascertain if political resources (poverty levels, educational attainment, and Hispanic representation) provide an adequate explanation of educational outcomes (ACT, TEAMS, and dropout rates).

The political Resources Model of Representation, used by Meier and Stewart, served as a theoretical framework for the study. Formerly, the model had been used at a national level and a state level. Representation variables were used to predict the applicability of the model to a region.

Political Resources variables were used to …

A Study Of Factors On The Performance Of The Texas Academic Skills Program Test, Billy B. Watkins

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

At least thirty percent of students who enter Texas public higher education each year have basic skills deficiencies and cannot perform effectively in college. The TASP Test was developed to identify these students. Moreover, this test must be passed in order to obtain a degree from a Texas public institution.

A survey of 150 entering freshmen from the University of Texas-Pan American was examined to identify variables that influence student performance on the TASP Test.

Chi-square tests uncovered academic, socioeconomic, and institutional bivariate relationships with TASP performance. Multiple regression analysis indicated that academic variables primarily predicted TASP performance.

Using The Spot-Mapping Censusing Technique To Assess Changes In Breeding Bird Communities At Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Alamo, Texas, 1940-1996, Alberto Cantu

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Results of breeding-bird censuses done by Davis in 1940 and by Gehlbach between 1973-1978 at Santa Ana National Wildlife, Alamo Texas, were compared to a 1995-1996 bird survey done in Gehlbach's study area. According to the Wilcoxon rank-sum test, bird densities in 1940 and 1995-1996 were similar, while 1973-1978 densities were lower. The 1995-1996 bird community was 76% similar to both the earlier studies. However, the communities studied in 1940 and 1973-1978 had only a 60% similarity. Negligible differences in bird densities and species composition were found between the 1995 and 1996 communities. Differences are attributed to changes in vegetation …

Case Studies Of Selective Mutism In Hispanic Children, Colleen Anne Gittins

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Selective mutism is a consistent refusal to use spoken language in specific social situations. This can occur in a particular environment or with specific individuals. A collaboration of four case studies was used to study the possible etiologies, characteristics, and intervention strategies associated with selective mutism. Four children from public school campuses in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas were subjects in this investigation as well as teachers and parents.

A questionnaire was used to gather data along with informal interviews. Results concluded that prevalence rates for selective mutism are relatively high in the area surveyed. Furthermore, many professional …

A Comparison Of Secondary Successional Woody Vegetation In Two Revegetated Fields In South Texas And An Assessment Of Habitat Use By The Olive Sparrow, Arremonops Rufivirgatus, Patrick Grant Wright

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Aspects of plant species composition and structure of two revegetated fields in western Cameron County, Texas, were studied between 1992 and 1995. Avian habitat suitability was assessed using the Olive Sparrow, Arremonops rufivirgatus, as an indicator species. Total vegetation volume at the Longoria Wildlife Management Area (WMA), an area revegetated in 1961, was 0.745 $\rm m\sp3V/m\sp2$ and that of the Anacua WMA, revegetated in 1983-4, was 0.546 $\rm m\sp3V/m\sp2$ in 1992. Secondary woody species at the Longoria and Anacua WMA's had a Shannon's index of diversity of 0.619 and 0.264, respectively. Secondary woody vegetation at the Longoria WMA had a …

Mexican Elites In The United States: An Introductory Investigation Of Privileged Mexicans In South Texas, Maria Elena Elias De Mounce

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Privileged Mexicans--first generation elite Mexican immigrants living in the United States-Mexican border--are herein described in terms of their cultural capital. Levels of assimilation are explored. A greater knowledge of this group, not yet fully appreciated in the literature, may advance sociological knowledge in a transitional region. The sample comprises wealthy, professional business people, architects, physicians, academicians, socialites, writers, artists and their families. Facilitated through interviews in Spanish, participant observation, and a detailed questionnaire, the study examines their attitudes toward South Texas, toward Mexican Americans, and evaluates the process of their integration into the community. Questions focus on religion, education, language, …

Work Role Vs. Familial Roles: Management Of Work And Family Responsibilities Among Blue-Collar Chicana And Mexican Immigrant Women In The Lower Rio Grande Valley Apparel Industry, Maria Olivia Villarreal-Solano

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This qualitative study examined how a select group of forty Chicana and Mexican immigrant women employed as apparel production workers in the Lower Rio Grande Valley manage work and family responsibilities. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews. The interviews were conducted over a one year period in the county of Hidalgo, Texas. This study identified two processes used by women in managing work and family. Age and the timing of life events were found to have the greatest influence on the process of managing work and family responsibilities among the studied women. Ethnicity, contrary to existing explanatory models, was not …