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Identification Of Effective Classroom Management Practices Among Teachers In Elementary Special Education Computer-Use Classrooms, Stephanie L. Kenney

Dissertations

Increased use of computers in elementary special education classrooms has created the need for a model for the management of such computer-use environments. Using the case study format, this study (a) identified and described, through multiple observations of eight elementary special education teachers over a 3-month period, the classroom management strategies computer-using teachers utilized to foster student on-task behavior; (b) provided rich descriptions of the contexts in which these classroom management practices occurred; (c) provided insight into the teachers’ philosophies regarding computer use and management; and (d) examined relationships among teachers' computer experience and training and their classroom management practices …

Nuclear Threats By The United States In The Korean And Vietnam Wars: Toward A Grounded Theory Of International Governmental Crime, David Kauzlarich

Dissertations

Criminologists have generally ignored the crimes of governmental actors and agencies. This study delves into this neglected area of sociological inquiry by addressing definitional, legal, empirical, and theoretical dimensions of the phenomenon of governmental crime. The four research objectives are to:

1. Demonstrate that socially deleterious governmental actions can be studied criminologically through the epistemological framework of international law.

2. Document the existence of such governmental crimes in the area of nuclear weapons.

3. Describe and compare the patterns of the United States' violations of international laws during the Korean and Vietnam wars.

4. Inductively generate hypotheses and theoretical propositions …

A Comparison Between Computer Assisted Group Therapy And Group Psychotherapy, Dennis A. Hunyadi

Dissertations

The comparison of two forms of group psychotherapy, a computer assisted group therapy model, the Therapeutic Learning Program (TLP), and a conventional model, was the focus of this study. A control group of subjects on a waiting list to begin treatment in an outpatient psychiatric clinic was also used in the analyses. The participants were diagnosed according to DSM-IIIR criteria.

The groups were compared on gender, age, race, diagnosis, length of time in treatment, number of group sessions received, length of time on the waiting list, and pre and post test scores on Taylor’s Manifest Anxiety Scale and Rotter’s Locus …

A Clinical Trials Evaluation Of A Double-Blinded Protocol To Assess The Therapeutic Effectiveness Of Stimulant Medication Prescribed For Children Diagnosed Adhd, Ann V. Thompson

Dissertations

This clinical trials investigation developed and evaluated a protocol for determining the therapeutic effectiveness of medication prescribed for children diagnosed ADHD. The protocol included two separate baseline periods of two week durations, each of which were followed by four randomly assigned probes of one week duration, consisting either of Methylphenidate or placebo capsules. Baseline probes were unblinded, but medication and placebo probe trials were double-blinded. Therapeutic effect, expectancies, and integrity of the double-blind control were assessed through a battery of rating scales and forms completed by the parent, teacher and child at the end of each protocol week, including baseline …

Lesbian's Perception Of Parental Support And The Disclosure Of Sexual Orientation, Janet Trudee Snyder Tarkowski

Dissertations

The relationship between lesbian perception of parental support and disclosure of sexual orientation was examined in the study. From the 200 questionnaires prepared for distribution, a purposive sample of 180 (90%) lesbian-identified adults returned data for analysis. The participants completed a questionnaire addressing demographics and lesbian life-experiences. Three self-report inventories, the Perceived Social Support-Family Scale (PSS-Fa) (Procidano & Heller, 1983), the Silencing the Self Scale (STSS) (Jack, 1991), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) (Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, & Erbaugh, 1961), were also administered.

Data gathering procedures used in the study resulted in a sample which was largely white, well …

Gold-Encrusted Chaos: An Analysis Of Auschwitz Memoirs, Mary D. Lagerwey

Dissertations

One way to better understand the Holocaust is to look closely at several survivors' stories. In my dissertation I closely examine six published memoirs of women and men from one time and place: Auschwitz, 1942-1945. Specifically, I ask three questions:

1. How do Holocaust memoirs relate a universal human story?

2. How are Auschwitz memoirs informed by gender?

3. How do Auschwitz memoirs exemplify a polyphony of voices which engulfs and transcends gender differences?

In exploring the first question, I develop a thesis, that there is a universal story which captures the experiences of Auschwitz survivors' experiences. Next, I develop …

Reducing Dietary Fat And Cholesterol Consumption: An Evaluation Of A Behaviorally Focused Nutrition Education Program, Peter F. Carey

Dissertations

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing more than 500,000 people annually. Serum cholesterol is a principal risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis, a primary precipitant of CHD. Unfortunately, elevated serum cholesterol is a common but often undetected health risk for many Americans. Furthermore, the typical American diet contains high levels of fat and cholesterol which contribute to elevated serum cholesterol levels. The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), created to improve awareness of serum cholesterol as a CHD risk factor, recommends that dietary changes constitute the initial step in the treatment …

A Previous Suicide Attempt As A Factor To Predict Successful Completion Of A Residential Alcohol Treatment Program, Michael William Glover

Dissertations

The focus of the study was an examination of patient reports of a prior suicide attempt(s) as a predictor variable in completing a residential alcohol treatment program. Data were extracted from the records of 308 patients diagnosed as alcohol dependent based on criteria from the DSM III-R (APA, 1987). Additional demographic information, i.e. age, race, marital status, employment status, and substance use in family of origin, was collected for comparison to completion rates and prior suicide attempts.

Previous suicide attempt(s) was a statistically significant predictor for noncompletion of an alcohol treatment program for this study. The demographic factors of employment …

Struggling Readers In The Regular Classroom: A Personal Reflection, Curt Dudley-Marling

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Eclecticism, a common alternative to the model of unique instruction, "holds that multiple perspectives and approaches will be necessary to accommodate the needs of children who possess differences in abilities and learning histories" (Kameenui, 1993, p. 376-383). Here teachers select the best teaching and learning activities from various approaches to literacy as a means of meeting the diverse needs of learners.

Promising Practices: Perspectives Of Junior And Senior High At-Risk Students, Janet Dalman

Dissertations

This dissertation examined the “fit of school and Me” from at-risk students’ perspectives. The purpose of the study was to gain insight into at-risk students’ views on what school elements were necessary and helpful in their achieving success, in their seeing hope, and in their choosing to remain in school.

Promising practices of affective/nurturing and cognitive/learning gleaned from the literature review of success producing school components were examined within the context of most favorite and least favorite classrooms during focus group interviews with junior high school and senior high school at-risk and non-at-risk students. Students were asked to compare and …

An Analysis Of The Relationship Of Achievement, Attitude, And Sociological Element Of Individual Learning Style Of Students In An Interactive Television Course, Thomas A. Burkman

Dissertations

This study examined the relationship of individual learning style with achievement and attitudes of students receiving instruction via two way interactive television. The technology of interactive television is making it possible for school districts to cooperate and share instructors for low-incident courses. The technology is also helping schools to restructure and enhance programming. Knowledge of the extent to which these technologies affect the students, however, is limited.

Fifty-four students enrolled in two high school psychology classes were the study population. A quasi-experimental research design was used. In Part 1 of the data collection phase, the instructor taught a textbook unit …

A Study Of Tuition In Public Comprehensive Universities And Colleges: A Model For Analyzing Factors That Affect Tuition, Michael J. Roy

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain how enrollment and financial factors affect tuition at public comprehensive universities and colleges, and to determine the relative influences that these factors are likely to have on future tuition levels.

The study methodology included the analysis of 4 years of tuition, enrollment, and financial data for fiscal years 1987 through 1990 of public comprehensive universities and colleges located within the contiguous 48 states of the United States. In each of the 4 years being studied, approximately 300 institutions completed the IPEDS surveys to allow them to be included in the study.

The …

Investigating The Influence Of Pre-Theoretical Assumptions On Clinical Reasoning, Barbara R. Hooper

Masters Theses

This study explored what internal beliefs a therapist holds about the nature of reality and how those beliefs influence how he/she delivers occupational therapy. A single-case study design was utilized. Data were collected from three in-depth interviews and observation of multiple treatment sessions.

The results suggest that this therapist's view of the world could be categorized into four areas: (1) What she believed about ultimate reality; (2) What she believed about life, death and eternity; (3) What she believed about human nature; and (4) What she believed about the nature of knowing. The study also suggests that this core world-view …

The Effects Of Cross-Level Peer Facilitated Learning On The Mastery Of A Structured Reading Program, Elaine R. Bartos

Masters Theses

This study examined the effects of cross-level peer facilitated learning on the total amount of time needed for special education students who attended a southwestern Michigan inner-city elementary school, to complete to 100% mastery the teacher-directed portion of the reading lesson. Cross-level peer tutoring was defined as a process in which a more proficient student worked with a less proficient student on a one-to-one basis in the academic area of reading. The tutoring took place prior to the teacher instruction with 20 students from three special education reading groups. The tutoring sessions took place for a duration of 5-9 weeks. …

A Study Of Leadership Behaviors Of Principals In Schools Which Educate Students With Moderate And Severe Disabilities In Regular Education Classrooms, Patreese Ingram

Dissertations

The full-time inclusion of disabled students in regular education classrooms on a full-time basis is an emerging practice in schools across the United States and other countries (Stainback & Stainback, 1992). In school systems which have traditionally educated disabled and nondisabled students in separate classrooms, the principal is increasingly recognized as ,"... being the one individual above all others who is of critical importance in creating an effective school" (Ubben & Hughes, 1992, p. 19).

Therefore, this study investigated the principal’s leadership behavior in schools which educate moderately and severely disabled students in regular education classrooms on a full-time basis. …

An Empirical Investigation Of Total Quality Management (Tqm) Effectiveness In Healthcare Organizations, Lokesh S. Basappa

Masters Theses

American hospitals are implementing quality programs to offer higher quality service at reduced cost. However, the results of these programs in many hospitals have often not met expectations.

This research analyzed the effectiveness of Total Quality Management (TQM). The objective of the study was to better understand how TQM strategies can best be applied by hospitals. An empirical survey was distributed to Michigan hospitals and an analysis was performed to meet this objective.

The survey results show that hospitals involved indirectly with quality programs haven't realized that they are implementing TQM strategies. On the other hand some hospitals say that …

Behavioral Contracting: The Effects Of Metacontingency Contracting On Math Performance Of At-Risk Students, Vernard V. J. Jones

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of behavioral contracting in providing parents with a means of assisting their child with homework from school. Following the baseline condition, the subjects were introduced to the intervention [behavioral contracting including parent(s)] one at a time to provide a concurrent check between baseline and treatment conditions.

Six students from the Kentwood Public School District served as participants in the study. All participants were between eleven and thirteen years of age. Each participant was identified by the teacher as "at-risk" based on their sustained academic performance.

Four out of six participants …

The Effects Of A Wetland On Ground-Water Quality In An Agriculturally Impacted Aquifer, Marilyn Ann Betts

Masters Theses

Nitrate concentrations in excess of U.S. EPA standards have been documented for farm wells in an area where hog production and row crops are the predominant forms of agribusiness. The aquifer serving this area is in glacial deposits of interbedded sand, clay, gravel and till. The upper, unconfined, sand and gravel unit of the aquifer is connected to a flow-through wetland. Five well nests, with wells at various depths, were installed in and around the wetland. Samples were taken from the wells in both winter and summer to establish temporal and spatial changes in ground-water quality parameters.

Concentrations of nitrate, …

Attitudes Toward Euthanasia And Suicide For The Terminally Ill: An Updated Analysis, Thomas Melvin Stankewicz

Masters Theses

Replication of Monte's (1991) analysis of euthanasia and suicide correlates was the focus of this study. In addition, a right to die index was created and results were compared to the replication findings. The data used in the analyses were from the 1985 and 1991 General Social Surveys.

Cross-tabulation and multiple regression analysis were conducted to determine: (a) whether euthanasia and suicide approval increased significantly between 1985 and 1991, (b) which variables were significant predictors of euthanasia and suicide attitudes, (c) whether changes had occurred between 1985 and 1991, and (d) whether results obtained using the right to die index …

Recent Advances In Engineering Design: Theory And Practice, Andrew J. Moskalik

Masters Theses

In the last few years, industry and academia have focused greater attention on the area o f engineering design. Manufacturers have implemented new design methods such as concurrent engineering and design for manufacture, and academia has increased research in design-related issues. This paper will attempt to summarize the recent advances, both scholarly and industrial, relating to the field of design. I will examine new methodologies and supporting tools for the design process, both in use and under research. This paper will cover concurrent engineering, design for manufacture, quality methods, design theory research, computer-aided design, expert systems, analysis programs, manufacturing, and …

Kinematic Analysis Of Sprinting With And Without The Speed Chute, Douglas Roy West

Masters Theses

The problem under investigation was to determine if kinematic differences existed when sprinting with and without the speed chute. Eight Western Michigan University Track and Field Athletes were filmed at 100 frames per second as they sprinted two trials with and without the speed chute.

Three ANOVAs and descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the effects of sprinting with and without the speed chute. Descriptive statistics provided information for numerous dependent variables. Although statistically significant differences (R < .05) existed between sprinting with and without the speed chute, those differences may not be practical for the coach to use in terms of evaluation of sprinting technique, because the differences would be difficult for the human eye to see. Therefore, the speed chute may be a viable training tool as kinematics were only minimally affected.

Floorplanning For Mixed Block And Cell Designs, Arun G. Shanbhag

Masters Theses

Floorplanning is one of the important phases of the VLSI Physical Design cycle. The quality of a floorplan is usually not evident until the routing phase. A bad floorplan can lead to an unroutable design requiring another iteration of the floorplanning phase. Use of over-the-cell routing has led to zero routing footprints. Any further reduction in area of the layout is possible only by reducing the white space or the vacant space from the floorplan, that is by improving the floorplan of the layout.

Currently, the Mixed Block and Cell (MBC) design style is gaining popularity. This evolving design style …

Faculty Development Programs And Evaluation In American Colleges And Universities, Antonio Nicolas Rubino

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to determine (a) the importance and frequency of offering of personal, instructional, curriculum, research, academic advising, and organizational development programs in universities and colleges in the United States; and (b) the types and times of evaluation of faculty development practices. Types of evaluation studied included measuring participant satisfaction, participant learning, on the- job behavior, and organizational effects. Times of evaluation included during the implementation of the practice, evaluation immediately after the implementation, and evaluation a month or more after the implementation.

A sample of 195 faculty developers from research, doctorate-granting, and comprehensive universities, and …

A Comparison Of The Differences Of The Chinese Language And The English Language Using Voice Analysis, Chia-Lin Hsieh

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to see if differences exist in Taiwanese students when speaking in their native Chinese language as compared to a secondary language (English) using voice analysis. Not only was the study intended to compare pitches and octaves of 2 languages, but it also hoped to identify the possible factors that influenced the voices of 2 languages.

Fifty Chinese students were randomly selected from a population of 84 Chinese students who were from Taiwan, had established residence in the USA for at least 6 months, and were enrolled in WMU with TOEFL score of at least …

Laser-Rf Double Resonance Measurements Of The Hyperfine Structure Of V Ii, Gregory Michael Matous

Masters Theses

We have measured the hyperfine structure of ⁵¹V II using the technique of collinear fast-ion-beam laser spectroscopy. The output of a dye laser was applied collinearly to an accelerated 50 ke V ion beam to produce laser induced fluorescence spectra for the metastable 3d³4s and 3d⁴ configurations. The technique of laserradio- frequency double resonance, which utilizes an optical photon to deplete a hyperfine state and an rf photon to repopulate the state, was used to measure the hyperfine intervals to a high precision. These measurements of the hyperfine intervals allowed the determination of the magnetic …

The Testing Of A Protocol For Validating Claims Of Facilitated Communication, Jorge Teodoro

Masters Theses

Facilitated Communication (FC), is a new and controversial augmentative communication technique. This study examined the facilitated messages of six severely mentally impaired school children, produced under naturalistic, yet controlled, experimental conditions. The students were removed from the presence of their facilitators and experienced out-of-classroom events. When the students returned, their facilitators read descriptions containing True, False or No Information about the students' experiences. Messages produced in the ensuing facilitation sessions indicated that the facilitators influenced the facilitated messages, although they appeared unaware that they were doing so. Meanwhile, students showed little resistance to the testing procedures. Based on these results …

Social Change And Attitudes Of Educated Elite Toward The Role Of Women In Qatari Society, Jassim Al-Nasr

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate attitudes of educated elite toward \ the role of women in Qatari society. Attitudes were viewed as reactionary, traditional, and liberal.

A questionnaire technique was used to gather data for this study. Five hundred eighty-two questionnaires Were distributed at eighteen Qatari ministries and official establishments. The response rate was 62.37%.

The six hypotheses tested in the study examined the relationships between the independent variables of gender, level of education, major and place of study, religious commitment, and job status, and the dependent variable of attitudes of Qatari educated elite toward the role …

Faculty Recognition Dinner Photo 1994, Western Michigan University

Faculty Recognition

Faculty Recognition Dinner Photo

May 31, 1994

Photographed:

• Eugene Kirchherr
• Raymond Zelder
• Robert Hahn
• Robert Shafer
• George Lowry
• Arnold Gallegos
• James Kline
• President Diether Haenicke
• William Stiefel
• Raymond House
• Hardy Carroll
• William K. Smith
• Beverly David
• Elizabeth Patterson
• John Flynn

The Faculty Recognition Dinner 1994, Western Michigan University

Faculty Recognition

The Faculty Recognition Dinner

May 31, 1994

Honored Guests:

• Beverly Belson
• Hardy Carroll
• Beverly David
• John Flynn
• Stephen Friedman
• Arnold Gallegos
• Robert Hahn
• Raymond House
• Jack T. Humbert
• Lethonee Jones
• Eugene Kirchherr
• James Kline
• George Lowry
• Richard Passero
• Elizabeth Patterson
• Richard Schubert
• Robert Shafer
• William K. Smith
• William Stiefel
• Joseph Work
• Raymond Zelder

Western News, May 19,1994, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story Highlights: International advisers will visit here this month as part of USIA, College Board training program, Hybrid electric vehicle getting ready for the 'challenge', Leja wins Fulbright award for work in Taiwan, Dybek earns kudos for his creative writing, Boersma honored for work in speech pathology, audiology, Graduate Research Fellows receive $10,000 awards, WMU awarded grant to become host sitefor critically-acclaimed National Writing Project