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The Westerner Vol. 2 No. 1, Western Michigan University

The Westerner (1980-1997)

• Dorothy U. Dalton: 1890-1981: 'Her passing marks the end of a significant era.' • Homecoming to be celebrated Oct. 24 • Tate to receive AASCU award • Three to receive Distinguished Alumni Award • Ackley is named Annual Fund Chair • Helwegs receive Smithsonian grant • 1981-82 University Theatre season is announced • WESTOPS to coordinate public service • Center for Human Services establishes two new services • Blasch receives Shotwell award • Language, speech, hearing clinic provides valuable services • WMUK's 30th anniversary: Growing with the University community • Instructional Communications performs juggling act • The Challenge of …

A Study Of The Effects Of Nip Width On Plybond Separation Of Board During Gravure Printing, Anne L. Liebeknecht

Paper Engineering Senior Theses

W. Hildenbrand, W. Brecht and H.-J. Knittweis did work in Germany in the late 1960's concerning the relationship between roll hardness, pressure and plybond degradation of paper board in a gravure printing process. They showed that softer rubber covered rolls caused a decrease in plybond strength. Increased pressure at the nip also caused a similar decrease. This study attempted to quantify these decreases, but was unable to produce acceptable data. Poor samples and inconsistencies in the BRDA plybond test machine are the probable causes of the high variation in the data.

Development And Validation Of A Model For Retaining Pregnant Adolescents And School-Age Parents In The Jamaican School System, D. Deloris Brissett

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to develop and validate a model to retain adolescent child-bearers in the Jamaican school system. More specifically, the study was concerned with retaining pregnant students and adolescent parents in Jamaican secondary schools.

The analytical bases of the model were: (1) A review of the literature in adolescent child-bearing in Jamaica and the United States. (2) A survey of programmes which currently deliver comprehensive services to pregnant students and adolescent parents in Michigan. Five programmes were surveyed. (3) Validation by a panel of Jamaican professionals.

The review of the relevant literature and the programme survey …

An Empirical Study Of The Equipercentile Assumption As A No-Treatment Expectation In Title I Evaluations, Alan C. Nowakowski

Dissertations

The focus of this study was the tenability of the underlying assumption of Model A, the norm-referenced model, of the Title I Evaluation and Reporting System (TIERS). Model A estimates the no-treatment expectation from normative data. The assumption made by the Model is that, in the absence of special treatment, student groups maintain a constant percentile position in relation to national norms.

The study examined the extent to which student groups maintain a constant percentile position over a six month period. The study used a sizable representative student subsample of the standardization group for the 1978 Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT). …

The Interpersonal Dimensions Of Depression As Differentiated By Cognitive Style, Frederick Tobias Sulier

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between field dependence-independence cognitive style and the interpersonal behavior of depressives. The interpersonal behavior of depressives ranges from passive and withdrawn to hostile and aggressive. This wide variety of depressed interpersonal behavior has not been satisfactorily explained by research or clinical observation.

Reseach results have indicated that field dependent (FD) and field independent (FI) people differ in their interpersonal behavior. Nondepressed FD people are often oriented towards people, whereas nondepressed FI people are usually oriented away from other people. It was hypothesized that these interpersonal orientations would also apply to …

An Analysis Of Perceptions Of Michigan Superintendents, Principals, And Teachers In Regard To Present Versus Preferred Teacher Evaluation Systems, Joann A. Noonan

Dissertations

The objectives of this study were to examine the present process of performance appraisal used in Michigan as well as to determine if the participants in that process see any need for change. If change was desired this study sought to determine what direction that change should take. A review of the literature established a background which implied a general pervasive dissatisfaction with the present process and a need for change as well as several directions that change might take. The review of the literature also established a possible link between personnel development within the school setting and that of …

A Study Of The Library Knowledge Of A Sample Of Freshmen Students Enrolled At The University Of Puerto Rico For The School Year 1980-81, Sarai Rodriguez De Perez

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to collect data that could help assess the library needs of a sample of college freshman enrolled at the University of Puerto Rico for the school year 1980-81.

Data were collected by means of a 50 item library test and 8 survey type questions.

As indicated by the test scores and by the students' answers to the survey questions: library instruction is needed in six of the seven subject areas covered by the library test and in a ll the subject areas specified by the questionnaire; library instruction is needed by 75% of the …

A Study Of The Films Produced By The Aluminum/Water Reaction Using Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy, Reed L. Shilts

Masters Theses

This work compares the action of pure water to various aqueous electrolytes on aluminum surface film formation at about 100°C. The electrolytes were pure water with various inhibitor ions added. The ions were nitrate, tungstate, borate, molybdate, silicate, phosphate, a mixture of nitrate and molybdate, and a mixture of silicate and molybdate. The investigative technique was Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) using 2 MeV alpha particles with an annular detector set at 180 degrees for maximum elemental resolution. RBS was chosen for this investigation because it offers in an easily interpretable manner a relatively fast and semi-quantitative method of analysis of …

College Students' Attitudes Toward Affirmative Action Policies For Non-Whites And Women, Susan Ann C. Tong

Dissertations

This research was designed to assess college students' attitudes toward affirmative action policies for non-whites and women. As suggested by a review of the literature, five hypotheses were posited as possible factors related to attitudes toward antidiscrimination public policies. In addition, seven demographic variables were examined as control variables.

This study indicated that the majority of respondents were most in favor of equal opportunity and least in favor of discrimination-in-reverse. However, there were significant differences toward affirmative action based on the race and sex of the respondents. Non-whites overwhelmingly supported discrimination-in-reverse and did not favor equal opportunity. The converse was …

A Nonvocal Method For Teaching Reading And Spelling To The Deaf, Amy A. Barmeier

Dissertations

Teaching reading and spelling to the deaf requires materials and methods which compensate for the two problems of the deaf child. The first is that the deaf typically have a small verbal history in either the sign language or lipreading modes. The second is that the deaf cannot identify unknown written words by phonetically sounding them out. In comparison, the hearing child has sophisticated sounding out skills and an extensive auditory-vocal history.

The seven experiments in this research investigated a method for teaching vocabulary comprehension and spelling to the deaf which assumed neither a verbal history with respect to the …

Psychophysics Of Reinforcement Delay, Larry A. Morse

Dissertations

Various models have been used to describe the nature of the relation between reinforcement delay and relative response rate. Delay has been incorporated as one aspect of reinforcement within the matching law which states that the relative response rates in concurrent schedules will equal the relative immediacy of the reinforcement. A variation of matching applicable in concurrent-chain schedules states that the relative rates of responding in the initial links will match the relative reduction in the average delay to reinforcement correlated with the entry to each terminal link. The momentary maximizing position states that the molar matching relation is a …

The Evaluation Of Beginning Therapist Effectiveness Using Karon's Thematic Apperception Test Pathogenesis Index: A Psychological Approach, Catherine Rae Miller

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the applicability of Karon's Pathogenesis Index as a selection measure for persons entering graduate programs in the mental health field. The fundamental problem generating the research was the need for such selection indicators because of the present inadequacy of personality measures which adequately discriminate between those who have the capacity to become competent therapists and those who do not.

Analysis of the literature revealed many attempts to delineate those characteristics which defined a competent therapist. However, the results were mixed. Only one study VandenBos and Karon (1971) clearly identified a personality variable …

Peer Training Of High-Risk Low-Frequency Staff Behaviors In An Institutional Setting, Richard Aart Van Den Pol

Dissertations

Four experienced and four newly employed psychiatric attendants were assessed on their performance of three high-risk low-frequency behaviors during simulated emergencies. The three skills measured were Convulsive Seizure Management, Fire Safety Procedures, and Self-Defense. Each of the behaviors directly affected the safety and well-being of staff and retarded residents of the facility. The experienced employees, labelled "Trainers", received a series of workshops on how to perform and teach the requisite skills to other staff. Following each workshop, according to a multiple baseline across skills experimental design, the Trainers each taught one new staff member, labelled "Trainee" how to perform the …

A Descriptive Study Of In-Service Training Programming For Correctional Officers In County Jails In The State Of Michigan, Deborah S. Karns

Dissertations

Social trends towards accountability have motivated correctional facilities to improve the professionalism of their staff. This study investigated in-service training of correctional officers as an avenue to improve professionalism in the correctional facility. The study was concerned with only the county jails of the state of Michigan.

Three investigatory areas were developed to research training in Michigan county jails. These areas included a review of the existing literature, a review of Michigan county jail training programs, and a survey of Michigan sheriffs concerning their existing training programs (descriptive theory) and what they perceived should be incorporated into training (normative theory). …

A Comparison Of Overall Verb Complexity Between Aphasic Adults And Language Disordered Children, Cheri Suzanne Carrico

Masters Theses

In this investigation, no difference in the overall complexity of verbs produced in spontaneous speech existed between adults and children with primarily expressive language disorders. Six adults, four males and two females between 37;1 and 68;7 years of age, and eight children, five males and three females between 4;3 and 8;3 years of age, comprised the subjects. Each had essentially intact receptive language skills, but was deficient in expressive language abilities. None evidenced a history of hearing, mental or emotional deficits.

Spontaneous language samples elicited from each subject were scored using the Developmental Sentence Scoring (DSS) procedure (Lee, 1974). Marginal, …

The Effect Of Storm Sewer Drainage On An Urban Lake, Jose Ignacio Aizpurua

Masters Theses

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the impact from normal precipitation (ra in , snow) into an urbanized lake during 1978- 1980. Several stations were chosen, and various limnological parameters were investigated. Chemical analyses were used to estimate the annual load of nutrients input into the lake by the storm sewer and surface runoff. Excessive phosphorus and nitrogen loads from these sources were discharged into the lake.

Fecal coliform distribution in the lake before, during, and after several storm events was studied. In general, fecal coliform counts increased after storm events. Peak concentrations decreased markedly with distance of the …

Politics And Medicine In The Estrogen Replacement Controversy: A Comparative Analysis Of The United States And Great Britain, Frances B. Mccrea

Masters Theses

This thesis investigated social and medical aspects of the Estrogen Replacement Controversy (ERT) in the United States and Great Britain. American researchers claim that ERT, a treatment for menopausal and postmenopausal problems, substantially increases the risk of endometrial cancer; British researchers minimize the risk and instead emphasize benefits of the treatment. Whereas British medical practitioners are reluctant to prescribe ERT, their American counterparts widely prescribe the treatment. American feminists and consumer groups strongly oppose ERT; similar groups in Britain demand the treatment. Whereas the British government has not regulated the drug, in America, increasing restrictions have been placed on ERT. …

A Diagnostic Teaching Analysis Of The Feasibility Of Teaching Trainable Mentally Impaired Students Hutchings’ Low-Stress Addition Algorithm, Marsha K. Markle

Masters Theses

This study attempted to determine the feasibility of teaching trainable mentally impaired subjects Hutchings' low-stress addition algorithm. It was a non-experimental study of acquisition using diagnostic teaching techniques. Three trainable mentally impaired subjects participated in training. No subjects knew basic addition facts, so use of a number line was substituted. Training was divided into four steps: a) use of the DOOF for a single binary; b) notation; c) adding two binaries in one column; and d) adding binaries in two columns. Tests were scored immediately, error patterns diagnosed and program modifications implemented. All subjects acquired skill for the first three …

A Functional Analysis Of Response Contingent Full Physical Guidance, Richard J. Jackle

Masters Theses

Two experiments were conducted in this study of effects of full physical guidance (folding the subjects' hands) that was made contingent on a mechanically defined leg movement response. Two severely mentally impaired adolescents served as subjects. Experiment I compared the effects of baseline and contingent full physical guidance procedures upon the leg movement response. Experiment I I compared the effects of several procedures incorporating full physical guidance to ones which developed operant baselines of leg movement responses. The results Indicated that full physical guidance functioned as an evocative stimulus for Subject 1 and as mild reinforcement for Subject 2.

Development And Implementation Of An Outlining Preskills Program Utilizing A Multiple-Probe Design, Patricia Ellen Bird

Masters Theses

This project proposed to develop, implement and validate an outlining preskills program utilizing a multiple-probe design (Horner & Baer 1978). The critical entry skills for any recording system (Carnine & Silbert, 1979) include: Determining the topic, main idea and supporting details of a paragraph. These skills and how to identify each in an outline were presented in the Outlining Preskills Program developed by the researcher. Measurement was taken on student responses to nine probes which tested every component and subskill presented in the program. For each component, student performance increased from a zero baseline to 50 percent or better accuracy …

Reduction Of Aggressive Behavior Of A Preschool Child Using Extinction And Teacher Attention Procedures, Greg Randle

Masters Theses

The subject was a 2 and a half-year-old male who engaged in a high rate of aggressive behavior that appeared to be maintained by teacher reprimands and physical contact. An extinction procedure in which all aggressive behavior directed toward peers was ignored was used in conjunction with teacher attention directed to the victim. Teacher attention was also used to positively reinforce the subject for interaction with peers. These procedures reduced the subject's aggressive behavior to a much lower rate. Although the subject's undesirable behavior was modified, a questionnaire responded to by the teachers indicated the need for open communication between …

Detector Geometry For Cascade Photon Experiments, Roger Minoru Munechika

Masters Theses

An observation of cascading optical photons can be used to determine an absolute excitation cross section for the intermediate state without the need of standard lamp calibration. In order to reduce the data an angular correlation function and an angular distribution function must be known. These functions depend on the alignment of the upper excited state and the polarization of the light emitted in the lower part of the cascade. However, at certain angles of observation the values of the required functions are known regardless of the alignment or polarization. A computer search is done to find these angles for …

A Geochemical Study Of The Sudbury Breccia, Kevin M. Prochaska

Masters Theses

The origin of the Sudbury Breccia surrounding the Sudbury Basin of Ontario, Canada has long been debated. The breccia has been described both as an igneous injection and as an abraded country rock formed by attrition in place.

A geochemical analysis of selected elements in matrix and clast samples from the breccia revealed distinct differences between the two sample groups. Matrix samples were lower in silicon and higher in heavy elements than the clasts. Matrix and clasts were comparable in light elements.

The results of the analysis favor an igneous process. Petrographic observations and structural evidence support this idea. The …

An Analysis Of Validity Constructs In The Dichotic Listening And Hemispheric Competition Procedures, Wade Addam Kapik

Masters Theses

This investigation was designed to determine the validity of two categories of neuropsychological measures of cerebral dominance. Forty right-handed subjects were administered two dichotic listening tests and two hemispheric competition tests in a random order. The principal data showed that none of the four tests had sufficient levels of criterion-related and concurrent validity to be considered clinically useful in measuring laterality. In addition, a Baysean analysis of one of the dichotic listening tests indicated that it possessed a predictive validity of .79. Finally, the assertion that the scoring methods of each test are dynamically different was disputed, and Kinsbourne's interhemispheric …

The Effect Of Active-Participation With Feedback In A Videotape, Discrimination-Training Program, Stephen M. Brewer

Masters Theses

With the use of a multiple-baseline design, the present experiment examined the effect of three training conditions on the acquisition of tutoring techniques in four volunteer college students. The three training conditions were: (1) Guidelines, subjects read and were tested over a manuscript; (2) Passive-Participation Without Feedback, subjects viewed 15 vignettes of a model's correct and incorrect use of tutoring techniques without receiving feedback on the model's behavior; and (3) Active-Participation With Feedback, subjects actively scored and received feedback on the same videotaped model's use of tutoring techniques. Subjects participated in one of the training conditions once at the beginning …

Intimacy In Context: A Theory Of Interpersonal Relationships, Sara Mirjam Terian

Masters Theses

To define intimacy, interpersonal relationships are divided into four major categories that encompass the whole range of interpersonal behavior: strangers, acquaintances, friends, and intimates. These are seen as progressive stages, defined by the individual's subjective, affective orientation, and discernable by behavioral indicators. Strangers are divided into total, encountered, and familiar strangers, acquaintances into mere and friendly acquaintances, and friends into Just friends, casual friends, and close friends. The process culminates in intimacy which is divided into three aspects: psychological, the necessary aspect, biological, and ideological. Total intimacy is the presence of all three. This framework has explanatory and predictive value, …

A Computer-Assisted Instructional System And Its Application To A Course On Computer Structures And Hardware, Tahir Mufti

Masters Theses

Computer-Assisted Instruction is a powerful tool which is fast becoming an integral part of the instructional system in schools.

The objective of this study is to review the techniques used to provide Computer-Assisted Instruction and to present such an instructional system called LEARN which is general enough to be applied towards the teaching of any subject. Also included are notes on the application of the LEARN system to a subject entitled "Computer Structures and Hardware".

Western News, July 9, 1981, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Evaluation Training Consortium gets $244,446 grant for projects, Ackley will head Annual Fund Committee, Former faculty chosen for Hall of Fame, Michigan League of Nursing honor Breed, July program schedule for WMUK offers Lincoln Center concert and Salzburg Music Festival, Grandstaff is commissioned to write play

Reading Horizons Vol. 21, No. 4

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Complete issue of Reading Horizons volume 21, issue 4.

Flexibility: A Key Element For Reading And Study Skills Specialists, Mark E. Thompson

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The term flexibility is difficult to define. A person's definition of flexibility, like many other concepts, depends on a particular orientation or perspective of the world. If flexibility means adapting to change, then most people are flexible in some way. Through science we have developed technology, and our technology forces us to be flexible. About 97% of all the scientists who have ever lived are alive now, and they produce many changes (Toynbee, 1971). Our knowledge of the world is expanding at an incredible speed. Fourteen years ago George Arnstein said our scientific knowledge doubles approximately every eight years (Arnstein, …