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The New Format, "The Pain We Must All Share", Ken Vandermeulen

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

A letter from the editor.

Prior Knowledge And Prediction In Reading, Robert E. Shafer

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

In order to understand how reading works and what reading is, it is necessary to look carefully at what readers try to do when they read. Many teachers have noticed that when pupils are confused by the meaning of a word or phrase, they will make a guess at it, sometimes to themselves, or publicly if reading orally. On what are these guesses based? Kenneth Goodman (1967), in his research on the nature and quality of children's predictions about the meanings in their reading called reading "a psycholinguistic guessing game" . Prediction has become a more descriptive word than 'guess' …

A Non-Traditional Technique For Testing Vocabulary, Frederick A. Duffelmeyer

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The close and very significant relationship between knowledge of vocabulary and reading ability has long been recognized (q.v., Strang 1938, Davis 1944, Smith 1950, Klare 1963, Davis 1972). Perhaps Strang expressed this relationship most succinctly when she wrote: "Vocabulary is like the warp threads running through the entire developmental reading program. It is prerequisite to, as well as result of, effective reading."

Retaining The Returning Adult In A Reading Program, Paulette F. O'Malley, Anne Marie Bernazza Haase

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The purpose of this paper is to discuss open entrance/ open-exit programs to prevent attrition in adult reading programs that are designed for the student who has not completed high school. Often these students need to become better readers and to become test wise in order to take high school proficiency tests or some other test necessary for entrance into military service, trade schools, and/or various government supported training programs. Suggestions for encouraging success within such a program are offered.

Teaching Reading Flexibility In The Content Areas, Judythe P. Patberg, Janell B. Lange

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Two problems existing in secondary classrooms warrant the teaching of reading flexibility. The first is the problem of students being required to read extensively in many of their classes. In order to meet this requirement, they must accomplish their reading assignments efficiently in these subject areas. This, in turn, demands that they be flexible readers who can read rapidly when such speed is appropriate and slowly and carefully when a slow and careful rate is demanded.

Quick Reviews, Beth S. Wise

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

No abstract available.

Better Attitudes Via Branched Stories, Sharon Crawley, Lee Mountain

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Jack reads adequately for a nine-year-old, but reading is not his thing. When he gets to the end of a basal-reader page, he'd rather quit than continue. So far, his reading materials just haven't turned him on.

Component Analysis Of Hutchings' Low-Stress Addition Algorithm, Daniel V. Mccallum

Masters Theses

An A-B-A-C counterbalanced reversal design was used with two groups to analyze the two components of Hutching's Low-Stress addition algorithm. Fourth grade students achieving 96% accuracy on a pretest of basic math facts were subjects of this study. Subjects were taught two new methods of computation; Hutchings' Low-Stress and the Conventional algorithm with a written record, along with reviewing the Conventional algorithm. Students were given worksheets containing fixed size addition problems and asked to complete as many as possible with a five-minute times session. Accuracy and speed were monitored across the three methods of computation. The results showed superior performance …

Reduction Of Self-Stimulatory Behavior Through The Use Of Appropriate Toy Training And Sensory Reduction, Jacquelyn A. Rouh

Masters Theses

Reduction of self-stimulatory behaviors in retarded and autistic children is desirable for a variety of reasons, including prevention of self-injurious behavior and increase in appropriate leisure activities. In this study, three autistic boys who exhibited hand-clasping, chin-grazing, and finger-waving were exposed to toys and received toy training on selected groups of toys. The toys consisted of stimulating toys, selecting toys, selected to replicate the sensory effects of their self-stimulation, and non-stimulating toys, selected to replicate a modality different from their self-stimulation from 85% of intervals observed and 11.3% to 0% and 7%, respectively. The third subject required the use of …

A Social Impact Assessment Study Of The Barrier Sand Dune Controversy In Bridgman, Michigan, Linda Lee Sweigart

Masters Theses

This analytical anthropological study examined the interrelationships among the population, environment, and modes of technology of a small community in southwestern Michigan. The researcher assumed a participant-observer role and engaged in a social impact assessment by (1) conducting a survey among the residents in the community of Bridgman, Michigan; (2 ) analyzing the data and making recommendations concerning the impact of a proposed sand mining operation in the community; and (3) providing detailed records of the assessment process.

Help Them To Speak, Write, And Listen--They'll Be Better Readers, Linda Jean Lehnert

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

While observing beginning readers in both American and British schools, I have noted that the better readers also appear to be the better speakers, while the child having difficulty with reading also tends to be less verbal and less explicit in oral language activities. This observation sparked my interest in the role of oral language in the reading process.

Reasoning Guides: Fostering Reading In Content Areas, Thomas W. Bean, Joe Peterson

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

There is little doubt that a student stands a good chance of comprehending difficult content area material when actual life experiences can be related to an author's intent. The importance of a reader's prior knowledge and experiences in the meaningful reception, integration, and retention of new concepts is a widely held precept in learning theory (Ausubel, 1968; Smith, 1978).

The Effects Of Prompts And Feedback On Frequency Of Teacher Referrals Of Students To A Contract Study Center, Leslie Marie Skinner

Masters Theses

Daily student referrals to a contract study center by seven high school teachers were recorded for a total of 95 school days. A reversal design, consisting of various experimental conditions interspersed between repeated baseline conditions, was used to determine if the number of teacher referrals of their students could be increased. Feedback was the only technique that showed minimum experimental control for the teachers that were able to return to baseline. No clear differences were apparent in the effectiveness between the prompting and feedback conditions. The procedures resulted in an increased use of a contract study center by offering students …

Job Satisfaction Of Working Black Women And The Relationship Of Social Awareness To Job Satisfaction, Lillian Denise Nunley

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Individual Verbal Training Versus Group Verbal Training Upon Preschooler's Corresponding Snack Selection, John W. Hoedl

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare group correspondence training with individual correspondence training. Groups of individually-trained and group-trained preschoolers were observed for their selection of specific snack items (fruit). First, they were trained to say they would select fruit. Then, social reinforcers were used to attempt to reinforce correspondence. Next, tangible reinforcers were contingent upon correspondence. The Group-Trained Tangible Reinforcement Phase proved the most successful and was replicated across the other groups.

Effects Of Supervisory Feedback Skills On Performance And Job Satisfaction, Kenneth Wayne Barnes

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Self-Management Training On Academic Performance, Mark R. Dean

Masters Theses

Two studies evaluated the effect of a self-management training program on students' academic performance. In Experiment 1, nine students with low academic scores received an instructional package providing training in self-monitoring, self-recording, and several environmental management techniques designed to increase the duration of studying for quizzes. The students had a median quiz score of low "C" before training and a median quiz score of "B" following training. Follow-up measures indicated that the majority of students were continuing to use these self-management techniques as part of their everyday activities. In Experiment 2, three components of the self-management program were individually evaluated. …

Staff Incentive Programs: The Effects Of Time Off And Monetary Compensation On Professional Service Delivery, Sharon L. Surratt

Dissertations

The effects of two staff incentive procedures, time off from work and additional monetary compensation in increasing the amount of time that professional counselors spent in direct service (client oriented) activities were compared. The participation of six outpatient counselors, three male and three female, enabled the assessment of the differential impact of these incentive procedures by sex of the counselor. Throughout the study, which lasted 30 weeks, daily records were kept on the amount of time counseling staff engaged in 18 predefined categories of staff behavior. Using a repeated measures design, time off from work and/or additional monetary compensation were …

Goals And Objectives For Teaching Science In The Junior High Schools Of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Gary W. Wester

Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to determine the similarities and disparities among the expected learning outcomes of three sets of performance objectives for science education: (1) the teacher-written science objectives of the Goals-Objectives-Test (GOT) Program for the seventh, eight, and ninth grades in the Kalamazoo Public School System; (2) the objectives prepared by the Department of Research and Development of the Kalamazoo Public School System from test items on Test 8: Science of the Metropolitan Achievement Tests (MAT) - Advanced Forms; and (3) the science objectives of the Michigan Department of Education (MDOE) for grades 7-9.

The methodology …

The Relationship Between Interpersonal Perception And Locus Of Control, Richard G. Smith

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to clarify the relationship between interpersonal perception and locus of control. Interpersonal perception refers to the process of understanding internal states of other human beings. Locus of control refers to the belief in the nature of causality of reinforcement. Viewed theoretically as a continuum, individuals at one end, labeled internals, believe that the reinforcement they receive in life is the direct result of their own behavior. Conversely, individuals at the opposite end of the continuum, labeled externals, believe that the reinforcement they receive in life is the result of fate, luck, or powerful others. …

The Effects Of Rules And Videotape Training On Complex Observation Skills, Gerald L. Shook

Dissertations

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of rules and videotape training on the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of complex behavioral observation skills. A multiple baseline design across two groups of subjects (N = 17) was used. An initial pretest probe measured subjects' ability to score adult and child behavior shown in a set of five, 15- to 20-second videotape episodes. Child behavior was rated as appropriate, inappropriate, or unacceptable. The subsequent adult behavior was rated as correct or incorrect, as a function of the child behavior, in five categories: vocalization, eye contact, facial expression, physical contact, and back-up consequence. Mean …

The Stress Reducing Properties Of Five Intervening Variables, Edward R. Lyon

Dissertations

Current research has demonstrated a relationship between stress and subsequent psychological and/or physical dysfunction. It has been shown, however, that some organisms, both animal and human, are more resilient to stress than others. Several researchers have suggested that intervening variables available to the organism may play a role in stress resilience. Intervening variables have been defined as any resource which has stress reducing properties. Examples of proposed intervening variables include intelligence, wealth, reasoning, friends, and assertiveness. Although many resources have been suggested as possible intervening variables, there has been little scientific research into this area. The present study investigated the …

An Analysis Of Primary Prevention In A State Mental Health System, Salvatore Cullari

Dissertations

This study analyzed ten primary prevention demonstration projects located in various counties of Michigan. While only two programs showed significant post intervention effects, the amount of data available for interpretation was insufficient to allow any general conclusions. Problems encountered in program implementation and evaluation were cited, and procedures that may reduce these difficulties were discussed. A theoretical model for primary prevention based on a systems approach was also presented.

Developmental Counseling And Psychotherapy: Applying The Theories Of Piaget, Perry, Kohlberg And Erikson, Toni Perior Gross

Dissertations

While developmental theories have been used as a diagnostic tool in counseling adults, they do not seem to have been used as a basis for treatment. The author reviews the theories of Piaget, Kohlberg, Perry and Erikson and abstracts from them a series of basic statements and corollaries that form the core of a theory of developmental counseling and psychotherapy.

With these statements as a background, the author discusses the persons involved in therapy, the purposes of therapy, and the stages of therapy. In the considerations on the initial stage of therapy, emphasis is placed on the responsibility of the …

Storm-Sewer Input Of Heavy Metals Into An Urban Lake Environment, George A. Duba

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure the concentration of lead, cadmium, zinc and copper in runoff entering an urban lake ecosystem and to measure the distribution of these metals in selected tropic levels of the lake.

Fisk Lake was chosen as the study site and is located in East Grand Rapids, Michigan. Samples were collected of stormwater, rainwater and lakewater together with substrate, aquatic macrophytes Peltandra virginica, chironomid larvae, Chironomidae, snails Physa, and eight species of fish, Ictalurus nebulosus, Esox lucius, Lepomis gibbosus, L. macrochirus, Pomoxis nigromaculatus, Micropterus salmoides, Catostomus commersoni, and Perca flavescens. All samples were collected …

Liberalism And The Austrian School Of Economics, Gilbert Mason Scott

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the political philosophy and impact of an important group of European economists known as the Austrian School. This group includes such notables as Eugen Von Boehra-Bawerk, Ludwig Von Mises, and Friederich Havek.

The thesis first seeks to identify the role of the Austrian School within the liberal tradition, chiefly as a "conservative force" seeking -to defend the liberal tradition of Locke and Smith.

Secondly, the thesis seeks to examine the Impact of the Austrian School on American politics, specifically upon the growth of the American right. The thesis focuses on the impact of the Austrian School upon …

A Comparison Of Concurrent And Removed Component Procedures For Teaching Toothbrushing Skills To Preschoolers, Timothy Ian Mckinley

Masters Theses

The study compared the use of a removed component program to a concurrent training program in teaching toothbrushing skills to preschool children. The removed component program separated three response components from the terminal toothbrushing response and taught them separately out-of-the mouth before requiring them in the mouth. The concurrent training program required the three response components but did not train them separately in or out of the mouth. The removed component program taught the skills faster than or equal to the concurrent program, with a significantly higher percentage of correct responses.

Key Predictors Of Vocational Rehabilitation Outcomes Among Clients With Psychiatric Disturbance, William Douglas Brooks

Dissertations

It was the purpose of this study to investigate demographic and treatment/training, services provided variables which predict rehabilitation outcomes among clients with psychiatric disturbance. A population of 166 clients representing a "Mental Health" caseload for Fiscal Years 1977, 1978, and 1979 from the Kalamazoo, Michigan Bureau of Rehabilitation District office were studied. The population consisted of three sub-groups of psychotic, neurotic, and character disordered subjects.

A total of twenty demographic and eleven treatment/training independent variables were subjected to correlational and Step-Wise Regression methods of analyses with closure status (Status 26 and Status 28) used as the criterion.

Three major research …

The Prevalence Of Hopelessness In Hospitalized Alcoholics, J. Michael Mccarthy

Dissertations

This study investigated the psychological construct of hopelessness as a factor in hospitalized alcoholics. There is a high suicide rate for alcoholics, and previous research has shown hopelessness to be a key factor in suicide. There have been no previous studies of hopelessness in alcoholics.

The purposes of this study were to establish norms and reliability of the Hopelessness Scale, an instrument designed to measure hopelessness, and to gain more information about hopelessness by testing several hypotheses concerning the relationship between hopelessness and certain variables. These variables included severity of alcoholism, depression, age, length of problem drinking, number of hospitalizations …

The Relationship Between Adjacent Residential Development And Breeding Bird Populations, Steven L. Harbron

Dissertations

The breeding bird populations of a 40.9 acre grassland-thicket, the Colony Farm Tract, Kalamazoo, Michigan, were studied over 18 years, from 1961-1979. The purpose of the study was to discover any variations in the avian populations that resulted from the construction of an adjacent residential development. Particular attention was directed toward establishing the kinds of relationships that existed between the breeding bird populations and the adjacent residential development.