Digital Commons Network^™

Western News, November 15, 1990, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Research park can link higher education and economic development, Casting as professor in Apple Computer ad brings fame and phone calls to Washington, Collins-Bondon heads Benton Harbor center, WMU wins state award for energy saving efforts, Laboratory automation expert to speak as part of Visiting Scholars and Artists

Western News, November 8, 1990, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Haenicke to appoint commission to study salaries, International student enrollment increase attributed to linkage agreement; institutes, Workshop to explore proposed recreation system, Geography Awareness Week activities set

Using Predictable Songs In Beginning Reading Activities, Sandra L. Renegar

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

One of the universal languages of humankind is music, a source of rhythms for toe-tapping, melodies for humming, and lyrics for remembering. Like nursery rhymes, many simple songs contain repetitive and/or predictable language which can serve as a means for teaching sight vocabulary to beginning readers (Bridge, Winograd, and Haley, 1983). Predictable text is characterized by the repetitive pattern of the author and concepts familiar to children (Rhodes, 1981). This repetition may be evident in the rhyme and rhythm of the language and/or the cumulative pattern in stories or songs. By introducing beginning reading vocabulary through music, the children's psychological …

Adopting A Whole Language Program For Learning Disabled Students: A Case Study, Pamela J. Farris, Carol Anderson

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The study of how children learn has moved from examining the accumulation of isolated pieces of knowledge to the current research position that it is appropriate to study children's acquisition of complex subject matter and development of learning strategies. Resnick and Klopfer (1989) believe that "[k]nowledge is acquired not from information communicated and memorized but from information that students elaborate, question, and use." As researchers become concerned with how students develop and utilize learning strategies, Resnick (Brandt, 1989) warns that "strategies will not be effective unless there is also attention to self-monitoring and motivation."

The Development And Validation Of A Comprehensive List Of Primary Sources In College Reading Instruction, Norman A. Stahl, Cynthia R. Hynd, William G. Brozo

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

It may be argued that a field only comes of age when its professional membership is able to gain insight into the present and begin to predict the future through the organized studying and the collective valuing of the field's past. As we enter the 1990's, it is time for the field of college reading and learning assistance to achieve a broader perspective that more fully incorporates the field's rich and varied past. To achieve this end, collectively we should endeavor to understand our professional roots through chronicling, interpreting, and evaluating the fundamental ideas, the pedagogical achievements, and the research …

Lessons From A French Class On Becoming Literate: A Personal Reflection, Beth Weir

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Recently I set myself the task of learning the French language. I knew the undertaking would be fraught with frustration. I did not know it would provide me with insights into the demands made upon the child who is learning to read and write. Neither did I know it would so soundly reaffirm my belief in the whole language approach to literacy instruction.

Reading Horizons Vol. 31, No. 1

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Complete Issue of Reading Horizons volume 31, issue 1.

The Reading Teacher As A Workplace Literacy Consultant, Patrick P. Mccabe

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

A number of leaders in industry and government have asserted that many workers in this country lack the basic skills to perform adequately on the job; they claim that a wave of workplace illiteracy is sweeping this nation as never before. Whether the cause of this problem is perceived to be a deficit in the educational delivery system or a lag in skills due to the sudden technological explosion, it seems that there are many adults who need training in basic workplace skills in order to obtain and keep employment.

Western News, September 27, 1990, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Board gives Haenicke 5.25 salary increase, he once again donates it to WMU Foundation, DeRight; Erickson earn University service awards, Bafna to oversee off-campus engineering programs, Haenicke to discuss race relations institute at statewide workshop on minority affairs, Robert Russel to celebrate 100th birthday, Series to explore new hearing aid technology

Western News, September 6, 1990, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Faculty, staff endorse present leadership, according to Institutional Functioning Inventory, Behm named acting associate VP, University, AAUP reach tentative agreement, Relations with Asia-Pacific region is focus 'of Sept. 13-15 conference, Journalistic 'Truth or Consequences' talk will launch fall lecture series on ethics, Four Michigan scholars find that climate is right for new state atlas, Professional society boosts engineering education, Barcelona shares groundwater monitoring and analysis expertise with British officials, Mom and Pop spend money, while baby boomers maintain saving rates, Sociology journal garners attention from abroad

Mary F. Wack, Lovesickness In The Middle Ages. The 'Viaticum' And Its Commentaries. University Of Pennsylvania Press, 1990, Margaret Schleissner

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

A Critique Of Family Case Workers 1900-1930: Women Working With Women, Beverly A. Stadum

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Case records from a charity organization/family case work agency in the early century provide means for evaluating the interaction of nascent social workers with female heads of poor households receiving relief 1900-1930. Class differences and social control appear in retrospect as defining certain elements of this activity; although social workers provided needed material resources, positive impact on poor women's lives was limiited by workers' lack of knowledge and unquestioning commitment to traditional values. Casework, however, is shown as a complex process with concerned leaders in social work trying to shape professional behavior and recipient families engaged in their own problem …

The Use Of Volunteers By Governmental Social Services In Israel, Ram A. Cnaan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article studies an important aspect of coprovision in social service agencies. It focuses on how social welfare departments utilize the resources of volunteers. An indepth study of 14 Local Departments of Social Service (LDSS) in Israel identifies several issues regarding the use of volunteers that have theoretical and practical implications not only for social services but also for other government service organizations engaged in coprovision.

Western News, August 16, 1990, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: New associate dean among appointments approved by Board of Trustees, Native American historian to join faculty this fall, Inselberg case goes to arbitration, Symposium planned on Ethiopia

Variables Related To Faculty Attitudes Towards Computing At Western Michigan University, Marianne P. Vakalis

Dissertations

The purpose of this study were: (a) to describe characteristics of faculty at Western Michigan University who hold favorable or unfavorable attitudes towards computing with respect to the 13 variables used in previous research; (b) to investigate other selected variables which could be used to describe faculty who are likely to have favorable attitudes towards computing at Western on which little, if any, research has been reported in the literature; and (c) to develop implications of findings for identifying possible interventions with faculty who hold unfavorable attitudes towards computing at Western Michigan University.

A Computing Favorability Scale (Shields, 1984), used …

Kinematic Considerations Of Elite Alpine Slalom Ski Racers, David Andrew Goodwin

Masters Theses

This study described specific kinematic parameters associated with success on the international level in alpine slalom ski racing. Sixteen male athletes representing twelve countries comprised the subject pool. Subject selection was based on finish position in the men's special slalom at the 1989 World Alpine Ski Championships in Vail, Colorado. Cinematographical records were analyzed by a method known as direct linear transformation.

The findings of the study indicated that: (a) hip and knee joint angles of the turning leg must approximate 1.80 to 1.83 radians and 1.82 to 2.21 radians, respectively, for efficiency in this turn; (b) a decrease in …

Improving Active Treatment Through Performance Management, Carman E. Stark

Masters Theses

The primary purpose of this project was to evaluate a performance management program using a goal setting and feedback system implemented by unit supervisors in a large psychiatric hospital. The focus of the research study was to improve active treatment for mental health patients by increasing levels of staff-patient interaction. Behaviors o f self-recording by staff and instructions and goal setting by the unit supervisor were targeted. Feedback was provided by the unit supervisor in the form of publicly posted graphs indicating percent of completed assigned activities. The four phases used in the data summary include: (1) baseline, (2) goal …

Causes Of Juvenile Delinquency In Jordan, Ayed A. Irfaifeh

Dissertations

This dissertation sought to examine the extent to which a set of social bonding factors were helpful in preventing delinquency in the Jordanian society. A sample of 147 juveniles (male eleventh-graders) from seven public high schools in the Tafielah Covernate and its localities completed a self-reported survey. Their answers were useful in ascertaining whether or not Hirschi's (1969) social control theory was indeed applicable cross-culturally, especially in a society dissimilar to the United States. Within the theoretical confines of Hirschi's theory, the descriptive data suggest that Jordanian youth have similar cultural beliefs, values, attitudes, and affiliation to the convention order …

Effects Of Performance Feedback And Goal Setting On The Productivity And Satisfaction Of Clerical Workers, Leslie Ann Wilk

Dissertations

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Performance Management (PM) intervention designed to improve the productivity and job satisfaction of clerical employees in a university admissions department. During the first phase of the intervention, supervisors applied a PM program which included an individualized daily goal setting and verbal feedback program. During phase two, graphic display of individual performance levels was added to the goals and verbal feedback program. Productivity was measured via daily self reports of tasks completed. Job satisfaction was assessed by taking measures prior to and following the intervention using the Work …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of A Linear And An Exponential Performance-Pay Function On Work Productivity, Shezeen Oah

Dissertations

This study examined how work productivity was affected by the way in which individual monetary incentives were related to performance. Two types of relationships, or performance-pay functions, were compared: a linear function in which a specific per piece incentive was provided for each piece completed in excess of a performance standard and an exponential function in which the amount of the per piece incentive accelerated as productivity increased. Forty college subjects were randomly assigned to one of the two pay conditions. Each subject participated in 15 forty-five minute sessions. Subjects performed a computerized work task that simulated the job of …

A Simulation Of A Multi-Hop Communications Network Using A Kinematic Topology Generator And Static Sphere-Packing Power Control, Kevin Charles Davis

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Ctran: Transforming Scientific Fortran Programs To Unix Based Computing Environments, Qi Chen

Masters Theses

FORTRAN is one of the most popular scientific programming languages. The efficiency, rich libraries, and popularity of FORTRAN support its continued use as a programming language for scientific computing in the near future. However, in current multiprocessor UNIX environments, C is often better supported. The desire to use existing FORTRAN subroutines within such a C environment leads to several options. In this thesis, we introduce a "modern" scientific programming language called CTRAN for this purpose.

We begin with a brief review of the history of scientific programming languages. An introduction of CTRAN is given in Chapter HI. In Chapter IV, …

Comparison Of Behaviors Of Suspected Sexually Abused And Nonsexually Abused Preschool Children Using Anatomical Dolls, Rita Kenyon-Jump

Masters Theses

Using anatomical dolls, the play behaviors of nine sexually abused preschool children (five males, four females), ranging in age from 3-5 years, were compared with nine preschool children with whom there was no suspicion of sexual abuse and who were matched on the basis of age, gender, race, family status, and socioeconomic status. There was no significant difference between the two groups on explicit sexual behavior (vaginal, oral, and anal intercourse with thrusting motions between the dolls or between the child and dolls and masturbation by the child). The groups were significantly (t (8) = 2.19, p < .05 ) different when behaviors with suspicious sexual implication were combined with explicit sexual behaviors. There were no differences between the groups on measures of aggression, anxiety, and nonsexual behavior. The occurrence of the suspicious sexual behaviors is discussed and reviews of previous doll research and physical evidence of child sexual abuse are provided.

A Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Verbal Vs. Nonverbal Cue-Controlled Relaxation In Reducing Test Anxiety, Marilyn J. Christensen

Masters Theses

This study compared the effectiveness of verbal vs. nonverbal cue-controlled relaxation in reducing test anxiety. Twenty-four subjects participated. Subjects received training in progressive muscle relaxation with one treatment group using a verbal cue and one treatment group using a nonverbal cue. The control group was offered relaxation training at the completion of the study. The Suinn Test Anxiety Behavior Scale (STABS) (Suinn, 1969) was administered at pre- and post-training in addition to a comparison of the subjects' quiz scores before and after relaxation training was completed.

The findings from this study indicated thats (a) the groups did not differ; however, …

The Effects Of Audiotape Self-Monitoring On Direct Instruction Teacher Presentation Techniques, Kay D. Simon Brynildson

Masters Theses

Prior research has shown that several Direct Instruction teacher presentation techniques are functionally related to student academic achievement. Unfortunately, variability exists in the implementation of Direct Instruction programs with regard to these critical teaching skills. Monitoring of Direct Instruction teachers appears necessary to ensure program effectiveness. The present study employed a multiple baseline across subjects experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of audiotape self-monitoring in improving and maintaining five Direct Instruction teacher presentation techniques: clear signalling, pacing, corrections, contingent reinforcement and student accuracy. The subjects were two middle school special education teachers who taught Direct Instruction corrective reading programs. Both …

Extension Of The Audio-Visual Combination Discrimination Test, Valerie R. Davine

Masters Theses

The Audio-Visual Combination (AVC) scale (Kerr, Meyerson, & Flora, 1977) was developed to assess basic discrimination skills in the developmentally disabled population. Acquisition of such skills has been demonstrated to follow a progressive pattern. The existing AVC test assesses discrimination skills in the following hierarchy: Imitation, Position, Visual, Match-To-Sample, Auditory, and Auditory- Visual Combination. This investigation attempted to discover transitional skills between the Match-To-Sample and the Auditory levels. Twenty-four developmentally disabled adults were tested using the original AVC tool with the addition of four new discrimination tasks that were added to the existing scale to ascertain a finer gradation of …

Progressive Muscle Relaxation As An Adjunctive Treatment For Moderate Asthmatics, Kellye Hutton Slaggert

Masters Theses

This study examined the effects of parent assisted progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) training on moderate asthmatics. Three children between the ages of 7 and 12 participated in the study. After 3 weeks of PMR training and daily practice, the parents became involved in prompting their children to use PMR when an attack appeared likely.

The findings from this study suggest that parental prompting of PMR was instrumental in decreasing the frequency of attacks, increasing peak expiratory flow rates (PEFR) values, and decreasing the severity of attacks for 2 of the 3 subjects. The long term implications for using PMR as …

Robert Grosseteste's De Ubero Arbitrio, Andrew L. Pearson

Masters Theses

De Libero Arbitrio of Robert Grosseteste (ca. 1170-1253) represents his primary exploration of that aspect of man's relationship to nature, to other human beings, and to God, known as free choice. This thesis explores the relationship of his treatise De Libero Arbitrio to his treatises De Veritate, De Veritate Propositionis, and De Scientia Dei. It also offers an outline and summary of De Libero Arbitrio and presents an English translation of Ludwig Baur's edition of the first recension of this treatise with updated notes.

Western News, July 5, 1990, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: $1 million Kellogg Foundation grant to support computerized library network, Trustees amend president's employment contract, Moskovis to lead institutional advancement efforts

Comparing Recreational Reading Levels With Reading Levels From An Informal Reading Inventory, Lawrence L. Smith, C. Rosanne Joyner

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

When children pull a book off the library shelf for recreational reading, what are they considering -length? ... jacket appeal? ... difficulty level? ... relation to their experiential background? All of these probably enter into consideration when the selection is made. The determining factor, however, for a freely chosen book, is quite likely to be the interest level of that selection for a particular child (Breen, 1967). Teachers acknowledge the importance of a motivating interest when they teach a directed reading lesson or prepare a child for an Informal Reading Inventory selection. Advocates of individualized reading programs have long stressed …