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A Study Of The Role Of Vocational Education Instructors As Perceived By Vocational Instructors, Vocational Administrators, Advisory Committee Members, And Vocational Counselors, Laverne M. Youngblade

Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to examine role expectations held for vocational education instructors by the following reference groups: vocational instructors, vocational education advisory committee members, and vocational counselors. A sample of 356 participants from 27 schools throughout the state of Michigan completed the Vocational Education Teacher Questionnaire which was used to measure the groups' expectations of the role of vocational education instructors. Twelve hypotheses predicted differences in groups' expectations. Using one-way analysis of variance statistical technique and the Welch approximate t test, the hypotheses were tested. Differences were found between: (1) Instructors and administrators regarding definition of performance …

The Relationship Between Leadership Style And Perceived Performance On Selected Tasks For Uniserv Directors Of The Michigan Education Association, David L. Myers

Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between leadership style and perceived performance in selected tasks. Using the 99 UniServ Directors of the Michigan Education Association, the objective of the study was to provide additional criteria that could be used to assist organizational leaders in assignment of staff to areas of specialization. The selected task areas were (a) negotiations, (b) arbitration, (c) writing, (d) political action, (e) public relations, (f) member counseling, (g) leadership training, and (h) organizing.

Leadership style was defined using the two dimensional nature of leadership postulated by Fleishman (1957), Blake and Mouton (1964), Reddin (1980), Hersey and Blanchard …

Faculty Publications 1979-1981, Western Michigan University

Faculty Contributions (1950-1981)

Faculty Publications 1979-1981 is the seventeenth compilation of the publications of the faculty of Western Michigan University and is designed mainly to inform the University faculty of the breadth of writing of their colleagues.

Two Apparently Effective Strategies For Increasing Employee Compliance, Ann M. Backe

Masters Theses

The present study investigated the controlling aspects of employee participation on compliance to store procedures through the use of a total participative group and a group trained in the technical and beneficial aspects of the procedures. Five grocery store cashiers comprised the Participative Group and six cashiers comprised the Value- and Skill- Trained (VST) Group. The researcher conducted one meeting with the members of the Participative Group to design procedures to decrease the number of checks returned to the stores because of non-sufficient funds. Following the development of the new procedures, the Participative Group received technical training on the procedures. …

Identifying Jungial Personality Type By The Instrument Of Self-Report, Charles Clay Livingston

Masters Theses

This paper examines the instrument of self-report and its use in identifying and measuring the elements of the personality as defined by C. G. Jung. Jung's theory of personality is briefly explained, and self-report as a general instrument of personality assessment is critically examined. Selected research on the construction and use of self-report tests is reviewed and critically evaluated. The author asserts that the bipolar assumption that is often implicit in the construction of test items is not representative of the personality as Jung portrayed it. The author suggests revisions in the construction of test items and a scoring gradient …

Eliminating Overselective Stimulus Control: A Comparison Of Two Procedures For Teaching Mentally Retarded Children To Respond To Compound Stimuli, Keith D. Allen

Masters Theses

Overselective stimulus control occurs when behavior fails to come under control of all characteristics of a compound stimulus after discrimination training. The efficacy of two procedures designed to eliminate overselective stimulus control observed with six trainable mentally retarded children was compared in Experiment 1. A training procedure using S-'s which were minimally different from the S+ was designed to reduce the probability that stimulus discriminations could be based on stimulus characteristics othre than experiimenter specified characteristics defining the S+. This procedure proved more effective in preventing and eliminating overselective stimulus control than an alternate discrimination training procedure. Experiment 2 indicated …

The Albigensian Heresy And The Gnostic Tradition, John Stine Penman

Masters Theses

That the Albigensian heresy represents a resurgence of early Christian Gnosticism is the thesis of this work. The study defines Gnosticism in terms of its pattern of prevalent characteristics and traces the course of Gnosticism and its emergence as the Albigensianism of the Middle Ages. Using the finding of Hans Soderberg's La Religion des Cathares: Etudes, sur le gnosticisme de la basse antiquite et du moyen age as a point of departure through the analysis of documents discovered since 1949, the study shows that Gnosticism and the Albigensian heresy represent a continued tradition of religious expression as a recognizable alternative …

The Effects Of A Minimal Intervention On The Acquisition Of Behavior And An Evaluation Of The Utility Of Its Maintenance, Cheryl Anne Brandt

Masters Theses

Data based measures are rarely collected in. organizations to evaluate the performance of individuals and of any, except for the most major, projects implemented. The present study attempted to determine what was needed to initiate behaviors in implementing new activities and how long it was worthwhile to maintain those behaviors. A minimal antecedent control procedure was utilized to establish product promotion behaviors with six tellers in two banking branches. Data were collected both on teller behavior and the outcomes of teller behavior. The results of the study showed that antecedent controls were enough to initiate behavior but that over time, …

The Effects Of Parent Monitoring On Homework Completion Of Low Performing Students, Maria Del Carmen Barocio

Masters Theses

Four junior high school boys from a Special Education room participated in this study. The purpose was to increase the amount of homework completion having parents as monitors of their own children and minimal teacher intervention. In Condition I, baseline was taken of the percentage of homework assignments completed. During Condition II, parents received a Homework Checklist from the teacher explaining the assignments for the next day. For Condition III parents were given a handout explaining the use of positive statements and prompts, and a guideline for skillful home study was also included. Parents were asked to send a Report …

An Optimal Design Of Relational Data Model, Pissamai Amatayakul

Masters Theses

The objective of this study was to propose a design methodology to support a designed in mapping a conceptual model to a logical model. The system was created as a semiinteractive software to produce an optimal relational data model for a given database. The software was developed by combining a well known normalization method from a theory of relational data model which was presented by Codd and the ideas of new normal form which were presented recently by many researchers in the field of database design. The complete description of data objects and their associations are initially defined as a …

A Uniform System For Data Base Directories, Karl Chang

Masters Theses

The objective of this study is to provide an efficient uniform system for data base directories, so that every file in the data base will have the same type of efficient directory. Data base directories will then be uniformly generated, updated and maintained.

The uniform system which is developed here can handle not only discrete attributes, but also range attributes. For the range attributes, it provides the uniform ranges (i.e., a set of ranges such that the records are distributed uniformly between ranges.)

In this thesis, the design and implementation of the hybrid B-plus tree and inverted files which is …

A Microprocessor Controlled Pulsed Hollow Cathode Lamp For An Atomic Absorption Spectrometer, James B. Schilling

Masters Theses

A Jarrell-Ash Atomic Absorption/Flame Emission 82-360 Spectrometer was interfaced to a Heathkit ETA-3400 microprocessor. The microprocessor is used to pulse the hollow cathode lamp from a "steady" current to a "peak " current during the opening of the chopper. The current from the photomultiplier-tube is converted to a proportional voltage which is supplied to a sample-and-hold circuit. A successive approximation routine is used to convert the voltage to a representative digital value. Digital values are obtained for the "blank" and "sample" and are used to calculate percent absorption values. The system can also be used to obtain emission values.

The …

Some Characteristics Associated With The Effectiveness Of Elementary Principals As Demonstrated By Role Perceptions And Utilization Of Time, Judith Jean Johansen

Dissertations

Elementary principals have a major role in the educational system. However, research addressing their priorities, activities, and performance is limited. Studies indicate a relationship between principal performance and school effectiveness and achievement of students. This investigation identified factors which may be associated with principal effectiveness: length of time in the principalship, gender, level of self-confidence, and leader style. It proposed that there is a relationship between principals' priorities and activities. It predicted that there are differences in the priorities and degree of participation in activities between new and experienced principals, male and female principals, self-confident and less self-confident principals, and …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Of Life Events And Self Concept To Depression In A Psychiatric Inpatient-Adolescent Population, David L. Harris

Dissertations

In the present investigation, a group of mildly depressed adolescent inpatients was compared with a moderately to severely depressed sample on measures of self-concept and life events. The expected differences between the groups were hypothesized on the basis of current theoretical and clinical considerations emphasized in the literature. Previous research has implicated the magnitude of readjustment required by significant life experiences and self concept with depression.

Seventy-four subjects participated and were assigned to one of two groups by dichotomizing scores on the Beck Depression Inventory. The relationships of scores on the Tennessee Self Concept Scale, Life Event History, and Minnesota …

A Reliability Study Of The Peer Nomination Inventory Of Depression When Used By Adults In Determining The Psychological Condition Of Depression In Children, Jeffrey R. Glindmeyer

Dissertations

In the present investigation, the reliability of a modified version of an inventory developed to assess the psychological condition of depression in children was undertaken. The Peer Nomination Inventory of Depression (PNID), an instrument designed to assess depression in children through having peers rate each other on a number of items, was modified to be used by adult raters for this same purpose. Staff members, including therapists, educators, and direct care professionals at the RiverView Hospital for Children, a psychiatric hospital in Middletown, Connecticut, completed ratings on eight boys ranging in age from seven to thirteen years of age. The …

The Relationship Between Systems Theory And Behavior Analysis, Michael B. Oberlin

Dissertations

This paper provides a conceptual framework which clarifies the relationship between General Systems Theory and Behavior Analysis. This framework is supplied by a theoretical notion borrowed from Simon (1962), the notion of "dynamics of interaction." "Interaction" refers to interaction between the units of analysis of science, e.g., in the analysis of behavior, stimuli, responses, and consequences in economics, units of supply and demand. The paradigm of Behavior Analysis is seen to accommodate a "higher-frequency dynamics" found in subsystems; and General Systems Theory, along with disciplines like Economics and Organizational Analysis, accommodates a "lower-frequency dynamics" found in systems. Argument is based …

A Survey Of Glycosphingolipids In The Human Aorta: Their Relationship To Glycosphingolipids Of Blood And To Atherosclerosis, John L. Nappier

Dissertations

The four major glycosphingolipids, glucosyl ceramide, lactosyl ceramide, galactosyl lactosyl ceramide and globoside were isolated from both diseased and normal tissue from human aorta by solvent extraction followed by solvent partitioning and column chromatography. The levels of each were then determind quantitatively by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) after derivatization. The individual glycosphingolipids were isolated by semi-preparative HPLC and the fatty acid composition of each was determined, after methanolysis, by gas chromatography.

In the diseased tissue, the amount of glycosphingolipid as well as the amount of crude lipid increased relative to the normal tissue. The relative amounts of cerebrosides increased …

The Moral Majority: The Fundamental1st-Christian's Fight Against Humanism And Pluralism In American Politics, James A. Kruis

Masters Theses

The Moral Majority claims to be nonreligious but they are actually a very religious reaction against humanism and pluralism, fighting their battle from behind a facade of legitimate moral issues. Their reaction against humanism is due to their failure to distinguish properly between religion and morality. Their reaction against pluralism is a result of the fact that pluralism has been overextended and thus weakened, making it vulnerable to attack. In place of humanism and pluralism the Moral Majority advocates more freedom: freedom from government interference and freedom to solve social problems with "moral, spiritual" solutions.

The Moral Majority could make …

The Repeated Acquisition Procedure As A Means Of Analyzing Instructional Stimulus Control And Rule-Directed Behavior, Jeffrey S. Danforth

Masters Theses

Pre-school children were taught to emit four-response chains using the repeated acquisition design. Experiment 1 examined the effect of instructional stimuli. Many errors were made in Control Learning, followed by few errors in Control Relearning. Instructional cues resulted in few errors in the morning learning session, but many relearning errors were made. Experiment 2A determined if two-trial cuing with instructional stimuli would improve relearning performance. The result was fewer relearning errors, but the criterion required more learning trials. In Experiment 2B a rule was taught relevant to two-trial cuing. In Experiment 3 a child was told that the morning and …

An Analysis Of Activities And Success Patterns Of Coordinators Of Planning, Monitoring, And Data Collection, William D. Howard

Dissertations

Public Law 94-142, the Education of all Handicapped Children Act, 1975, requires school districts, through evaluation, to document compliance to the law and its regulations. In Michigan, the individuals primarily responsible for the monitoring of compliance to these federal rules and regulations at the intermediate education unit (IEU) level hold the position known as Coordinator of Planning, Monitoring, and Data Collection (CPMDC). Little is known about how persons holding CPMDC positions functon. A review of the literature revealed a need for more information concerning these positions so that data based decisions can be made. This investigation was concerned with patterns …

The Effects Of A Cognitive Stress Management Program On Perceptions Of Stress Levels, Sara Sue Schaeffer

Dissertations

The impact of a cognitively oriented stress management program on participants' perceptions of their stress levels was assessed utilizing a prepost test format with randomly selected experimental and control groups. Between the pre and post tests the experimental group experienced the stress management workshop which focused on four major components: becoming aware of stress and its effects, assessing personal responses to stress, learning effective coping strategies, and designing a personal stress management program. Two measurement instruments were utilized. The Stress Program Assessment Instrument (SPAI) measured participant's cognitive knowledge of stress and coping strategies. The Life Experiences Survey (LES) measured participants' …

Gender Difference As A Factor In Psychological Crisis, Paula Laufer

Dissertations

The study's purpose was to examine possible gender differences in problem perception and desired treatment outcome of 311 persons (135 males and 176 females) selected from a pool of 1500 clients seeking treatment at an outpatient mental health clinic in a medium-sized midwestern city. One hundred males and one hundred females were randomly selected for inclusion.

Literature related to crisis theory, research in linguistics, and gender role indicated evidence supporting gender role differences in a variety of interpersonal situations. Clients' verbatim written statements and their reactions to a standard problem checklist at the time of intake provided the data base …

A Delphi Study To Identify Possible Futures Of Black Colleges: Public And Private, Gloria Jeanette Miller Duval

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify possible futures of Black colleges, public and private. The study addressed four questions: (1) Within the next 10 years, are the events concerning structure and administration of Black colleges likely to occur? (2) Within the next 10 years, are the events concerning programming at Black colleges likely to occur? (3) What will be the funding profile of Black colleges over the next decade? (4) What will be the impact of the events describing structure, administration, and programming at Black colleges? The Delphi technique was thought to be the most appropriate method to …

A Descriptive Study Of Organizational Structure And Its Relationship To Employee Utilization In The Electric Utility Industry, Frederick M. Keaton

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects that six structural variables had upon the utilization of employees within an electric utility. Specifically the objectives were: (1) To investigate the relationship between the organizational level within an organization and work force utilization. (2) To determine whether a relationship exists between span of control and work force utilization. (3) To determine whether a relationship exists between line versus staff positions and work force utilization. (4) To investigate the relationship between organizational subunit size and work force utilization. (5) To investigate the relationship between centralized versus decentralized organizations and work …

An Investigation Of The Impact Of Learning Theory On Training And Conditions Of Training In The Corporate Environment, Carolyn Collins-Bondon

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which knowledge and use of learning theory are reflected in corporate training programs. The literature review was concentrated in three areas, namely: (1) nature and quality of training programs, (2) theories of learning, and (3) training programs and learning theory. That literature indicated that references to learning during training generally dealt with logistics, or teaching and instructional methods (lecture, self-instruction, or on-the-job training).

The investigator posited that training specialists need to be attuned to trainee needs and to provide optimum opportunities for addressing those needs. Instead of the hypotheses …

A Report Of A Project In The Central Administrative Offices Of The Jenison Public Schools, Gary W. Allen

Masters Theses

The initial part of the manuscript is a log of the author's activities during his internship at Jenison Public Schools. In addition to the daily entries, weekly summaries of the experience are also included. The second section of the manuscript lists the author's objectives for the internship and how these objectives were obtained. The final portion of the manuscript contains three appendices that pertain to the author's internship prospectus, the development of various school calendars for 1982-1983, and a report on job sharing.

A Report Of An Internship In The National Office Of The American Occupational Therapy Association, Claire Callan

Masters Theses

This report describes an internship of six weeks, completed by a candidate for a graduate degree in educational leadership, in the educational division of a professional organization (the American Occupational Therapy Association). The plan for the internship is presented; and the host organization is described. The experience is summarized, and it is analyzed from a variety of perspectives.

A central concern of the internship consisted of the development of a training unit for the purpose of assisting clinical educators to improve their skills as supervisors of occupational therapy students. Problems encountered in the development of this unit, and the solutions …

Growth Rates: Influence Of Prednisolone, Sex And Crowding In Rats, Karen M. Allen

Masters Theses

Growth inhibition As frequently noted in the chronically ill child. Causes of such growth rate decrements appear multiple and include both internal and environmental factors. The present study analyzed growth of rats by manipulation of glucocorticoid treatment, housing conditions and sex of subject in a search for potential interactions. Specifically, body weights were assessed daily in post-weanling male and female Spraque-Dawley rats which received 16 daily I.P. injections of prednisolone acetate (0.0, 2.0, or 4.0 mg/kg) under either individual or group-housed (6/cage) conditions. Effects of dose and of sex were found, while a main effect of housing was lacking. Interactions …

Coalition Politics In Malaysia, Zakiah Awang

Masters Theses

This thesis has attempted to explain the success and the stability of the coalition party system in Malaysia from 1955 to 1982. This success has been attributed to three factors.

The most important factor is the role played by political elites. Malaysian political elites come from a different racial background. It is their willingness to cooperate, work together in harmony and to find solutions through compromises that helped to hold the coalition party together. Elite cooperation, in turn, has been fostered through similarities in the leaders' socioeducational- linguistic backgrounds.

The success of the coalition party is also closely linked to …

An Evaluation Of A Library Skills Workbook For Beginning College Students, David Dean Alleman

Masters Theses

The quasi-experimental study was undertaken to evaluate the usefulness of the library skills workbook for beginning students at Hillsdale College. The pretest was administered to five sections of a freshman English course. Five other sections, which analysis of SAT, ACT, and first semester GPA figures indicated were similar to the pretest group, constituted experimental and control groups. The experimental group completed the workbook and a research project. The minimally and moderately instructed groups received instruction and completed a library based project. The posttest indicated significant differences between the groups, probably due to the workbook experience. Recommendations are made for further …