Digital Commons Network^™

Too Familiar For Words: An Analysis Of "Invisible" Nursing Work, Frances R. Vlasses

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Phenomenology Of Being Restrained, Mary Elizabeth Johnson

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Woman Abuse: Psychologists' Attributions, Expectations, And Treatment Recommendations, Mary L. Wandrei

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Imitating Fathers: Tradition, Inheritance, And The Reproduction Of Culture In Anglo-Saxon England, Michael David Craig Drout

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Being And God In Aristotle And Heidegger: The Role Of Method In Thinking The Infinite, Catriona Hanley

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Young Adult Women's Responses To Undergoing Treatment For Early Breast Cancer, Donna Abrashoff Schutte Dnsc

Dissertations

In the nearly two decades of cancer research in the United States, there has been little emphasis on the experiences of young adult women with breast cancer. I therefore adopted a qualitative multicase study method to explore the experiences of five young adult women from the time of discovery of a breast mass through the first three months of recovery from mastectomy. Utilizing data collected via semi-structured interviews, this study sought to describe their concerns, the way in which their concerns changed over time, and the influence of contextual factors. Three themes were identified. These included: "I'm going to die!" …

The Effects Of An Information/Counseling Session And Partner Participation In Treadmill Testing On Sexual Functioning Following Myocardial Infarction, Betty J. Fisher

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to assess the effects of an intervention designed to reduce patient and partner anxiety regarding the resumption of sexual activities following myocardial infarction (MI). A multiple baseline across subjects design was employed.

Participants completed self-report measures o f sexual functioning, knowledge of psychological and physical sequelae to MI, depression and anxiety on a weekly basis for at least 3 weeks (to a maximum of 12 weeks) prior to participating in treadmill testing, and attending the information/counseling session. Couples also completed these assessments for a 4-week period following the intervention.

Six heterosexual couples in which …

Gender Discourse In Small Learning Groups Of College-Level Developmental Mathematics Students, Allen W. Emerson

Dissertations

This study was motivated by the question as to whether women’s and men’s membership in different gender communicative cultures gives rise to gender differentiated ways of talking that are implicated in the failure of a mixed-sex group to achieve good mathematical discourse when women and men sit face to face engaged in various mathematical tasks. If so, in what ways and to what effect is gender discourse implicated in the failure of a mixed-sex group to achieve good mathematical discourse?

Models of feminine and masculine discourse styles based on the theory of communicative cultural difference, as well as a model …

A Comparison Of Gay And Lesbian Sensitivity Trainings On Student Counselors’ Attitudes Toward Same Gender Sexual Behavior, H. Dean Dorman

Dissertations

This study explored the effect of both gender and three different panel discussion formats on the positive modification of attitudes toward same gender sexual behavior. Subjects were randomly assigned to either a control group or one of three treatment groups: (1) a live panel discussion, (2) a videotape of the live panel discussion with a facilitator, or (3) a videotape of the live panel discussion without a facilitator.

Attitudes toward same gender sexual behavior were measured by pre- and posttests of the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale (ATLG) developed by Gregory Herek. Subjects in this study were 86 …

A Study Of The Emotional Responses And Coping Strategies Of Male And Female Athletes With Moderate And Severe Injuries, Donna S. Eaton

Dissertations

Emotional responses and coping strategies of injured athletes was the focus of the study. Several emotions have been identified in injured athletes such as frustration, depression, anger, and shock. Questions remain whether males and females feel similar emotions and engage similar coping strategies and whether severity of injury is a significant factor in responses and coping.

Quantitative data were obtained on emotional responses and coping strategies using the Emotional Response of Athletes in Injury Questionnaire (ERAIQ), the Profile of Mood States (POMS), and the COPE. The study examined whether gender and severity of injury may influence emotional responses and coping …

Millage Election Outcomes In Michigan Public School Districts: A Test Of The Rational Choice And Social Psychological Voting Models, Christopher Petras

Dissertations

In this study, the author tests two models of voting behavior to predict the likelihood of a public school millage passing. They are: (1) a rational-choice model, and (2) a social psychological model. The rational-choice model asserts that the likelihood of a school millage passing is a function of the millage's economic benefit as perceived by the voter. The social psychological model asserts that support for the local school millage is a function o f the voter's political attitudes and/or the salience of the ballot issue.

The author analyzed every millage election in the 561 (K-12) Michigan public school districts …

Statistical Graphics: Applications To The R And Gr Methods In Linear Models, Mei Huang Wang

Dissertations

Statistical graphics combine statistics and graphics together to visually display analytical statistical results. They present information in a way that is very easy to understand and, furthermore, they frequently reveal information that is hidden from numerical summaries. Our purpose of this study is to explore the field of statistical graphics by investigating their application to statistical methods in the context of the R and GR methods in linear models. We consider the problems of score selection, R-diagnostics, and comparison of the R- and GR-fits.

We have developed a user friendly program which uses dynamic graphics and a user interface to …

Fluency Training On Quantitative Skills Tested By The Graduate Record Examination, Pamela L. Vunovich

Dissertations

This research consisted of an evaluation of a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) preparation course and two ancillary studies. Eighteen students enrolled in one of three courses (spring, summer, or fall) during which they spent approximately 140 hours preparing for the GRE using self-instructional texts and supplementary materials. Two sets of fluency practice drills with both accuracy and speed criteria were developed to improve students' performance on the quantitative portion of the GRE. The first set of four drills used in the spring and summer courses covered basic skills (basic math, fractions, decimals, and percentages). The second set of 42 drills, …

The Measurement Of Dental Disease In A Correctional Setting: The Importance To Functional Service Delivery, Walter S. Ormes

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of decayed, missing and filled teeth and periodontal disease among male, non-camp, nonpsychiatric inmates in the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) and to assess the impact of age, race, security level, and years of incarceration on these parameters of oral health. Additionally, this study was designed to determine the emergent, urgent or routine dental treatment needs of this same population and to compare the ability of the existing Michigan Department of Corrections dental program to meet these needs. A representative sample of 251 inmates was randomly selected from thirteen geographically …

The Impact Of The Patient Representative On Satisfaction, Diana L. Newman

Dissertations

As the cost of providing healthcare services continues to rise, hospitals and other healthcare provider organizations adopt businesslike approaches to increase efficiency and productivity. The satisfaction level of the individual patient may, however, be determined by how care is delivered rather than what services are provided.

In order to enhance patient satisfaction and prevent the consequences of dissatisfaction, many healthcare institutions have utilized the role of the patient representative. The primary function of the patient representative is to act as a liaison between the patients, their families, and the healthcare providers and staff.

The purpose of this study was to …

Integrity Of Digraphs, Robert Charles Vandell

Dissertations

The vertex-integrity of a digraph D, denoted I(D), is defined to be the minimum over aIII subsets X of the vertex set of D for the quantity IXI + m(D - X), w here IXI is the number of vertices in X and m(D - X) is the maximum order of a strong component in the digraph D - X. In a like manner, the arc-integrity of the digraph D, denoted I’(D), is defined to be the minimum over all subsets Y of the arc set of D for the quantity IYI + m(D - Y), where IYI is the …

An Examination Of Factors Contributing To Exemplary Schools In An Urban Public School District In The Midwest, Gordon D. Griffin

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were characteristics that identify exemplary elementary schools. Selection of schools was based on standardized scores, principal tenure, parental involvement, Directors of Elementary School’s opinion, and accreditation status.

The demographic information suggested that both groups of schools were similar in composition. Developing schools demonstrated a significantly greater population of students receiving free lunch and a greater population of minority students. Each school principal and staff received two survey instruments: the Leadership Practices Inventory (Kouzes & Posner, 1992), and the School Assessment Survey (Wilson, 1985). The results were compared to determine which …

A Study Of Students Involved In A Leadership Development Program, "Excellence In Leadership", At Grand Valley State University, Paul Mckimmy

Dissertations

This study sought to describe the leadership behaviors of students involved in the Excellence in Leadership Program (ELP) at Grand Valley State University. Additionally, it sought to determine how ELP influences the leadership behaviors of its members. The Leadership Practices Inventory - Student Version (LPI) was used to measure the leadership behavior frequencies of five groups of students at the beginning and end of the 1995-1996 academic year. Non-ELP-members, newly registered ELP members, and ELP members at three different achievement levels (Bronze, Silver, and Gold) were compared. The behaviors measured by this instrument are: Enabling Others to Act, Modeling the …

A Case Study Of Academic Achievement Of African American Males, Loistean Mason

Dissertations

Several areas are often identified as barriers to the academic achievement of African American males. They include racial inequality, segregation between schools, segregation within schools, cultural insensitivity to learning styles, the theory of cultural deprivation, teacher/student interaction, and the discipline of African American students. The study was conducted in a Midwestern school with a predominantly African American student body and faculty at the end of the final grading period before graduation. This study of 12th-grade males sought to determine if the climate of an African American high school with African American administrators and faculty would enhance the achievement of African …

The Role Of The Principal When Parents Are Increasingly Involved In Decision-Making, Inge Ellefson Edd

Dissertations

The role of the principal has been changing in relation to the increasing parent involvement in decision making and the educational restructuring in Alberta, Canada. The purpose of this study is to describe and examine a selected principal in her role in a school, during the 1994-1995 year, where parents from the school council and staff from the school share some of the decision making. The school chosen for this study had the principal working collaboratively with the parents and staff. A case study methodology is used to describe and examine interviews with the parents, teachers, superintendent's designate and the …

Motion Estimation And Video Coding, Xiaochun Xia

Dissertations

Over the last ten years. research on the analysis of visual motion has come to play a key role in the fields of data compression for visual communication as well as computer vision. Enormous efforts have been made on the design of various motion estimation algorithms.

One of the fundamental tasks in motion estimation is the accurate measurement of 2-D dense motion fields. For this purpose. we devise and present in this dissertation a multiattribute feedback computational framework. In this framework for each pixel in an image. instead of a single image intensity. multiple image attributes are computed as conservation …

Scheduling And Discrete Event Control Of Flexible Manufacturing Systems Based On Petri Nets, Huanxin Henry Xiong

Dissertations

A flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is a computerized production system that can simultaneously manufacture multiple types of products using various resources such as robots and multi-purpose machines. The central problems associated with design of flexible manufacturing systems are related to process planning, scheduling, coordination control, and monitoring. Many methods exist for scheduling and control of flexible manufacturing systems, although very few methods have addressed the complexity of whole FMS operations. This thesis presents a Petri net based method for deadlock-free scheduling and discrete event control of flexible manufacturing systems. A significant advantage of Petri net based methods is their powerful …

Behavior And Attitudes Related To The Prevention Of Sexually Transmitted Disease And Unplanned Pregnancy, J. Lee Hoover

Dissertations

A sample of 214 persons was tested to determine the impact of gender role orientation, neuroticism, extraversion, authoritarianism, race, gender, and sexual orientation on attitudes and behavior relevant to the prevention of sexually transmitted disease and unintended pregnancy. Specifically measured was the impact of these factors on attitudes toward the condom as contraceptive, attitudes toward the condom as prophylactic, and reported condom use.

Gender role orientation was measured using the short form of the Bern Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) (Bern, 1978), neuroticism and extraversion were measured using the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) (Costa & McCrae, 1992), and authoritarianism was measured …

Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing Treatment Of Communication Anxiety: A Closer Look, Teresa Foley

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to replicate the results of previous research with respect to EMD/R (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) and of this researcher’s investigation of EMD/R treatment of public-speaking anxiety (Foley & Spates, 1995). The present study, however, included components to permit more extensive analysis of the elements of treatment that contribute to therapeutic effectiveness. The study investigated the contribution of assessment speeches to treatment effectiveness by using a two factor design in which one factor featured a condition of pre-treatment/post-treatment speeches vs. a condition of post-treatment speeches only. The other factor featured two treatment conditions, permitting …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Women Survivors’ Disclosure Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Joanne Dodgson

Dissertations

In clinical literature regarding adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, disclosure of abuse is considered a vital aspect of healing (Courtois,1988; Herman, 1992). Despite the apparent significance of disclosure, few studies have been conducted to investigate this process. Integrating feminist and qualitative research perspectives, I sought to explore disclosure through the stories, language, and perspectives of women survivors. I was interested in learning about the following issues: (a) the ways in which survivors' disclosure unfolded, (b) the ways in which survivors understood and made meaning of their disclosures, and (c) the ways in which survivors' lives changed through the process …

Training Nonconventional Autoclitic And Tact Relationships In Children, Ingolfur Bergsteinsson

Dissertations

To some extent, one understands a complex aspect of human language if one can produce that kind of language in children who have not already acquired it. Skinner’s (1957) concept of autoclitic secondary verbal behavior is the most complex of his various verbal units, and until recently has not been the subject of experimental analysis. Howard and Rice (1988) made the first attempt to generate an autoclitic repertoire in preschool children, and the present study is an attempt to corroborate and extend their findings. They worked with the autoclitic “like” which identifies the accompanying primary verbal behavior as a form …

Measuring Changes In Spontaneous Play Behavior In Preschoolers With Autism Associated With A Receptive Language Intervention, Jori Reijonen

Dissertations

Children diagnosed with Autistic Disorder have well documented deficits in the development of pretend play. When it occurs, spontaneous pretend play differs from play seen in other children in frequency, duration, and quality. The present study examined the effects of teaching preschoolers with Autism to follow one-part directions to play during discrete trial receptive language training sessions on spontaneous play skills.

Receptive language tasks were designed to teach simple pretend play skills (e.g., "Feed the doll with a spoon"). Spontaneous play was continuously sampled during free play sessions in the clinic and in the child's home before these receptive tasks …

A Comparison Of The Spontaneous Utterances Of Students With Autism Across Two Educational Settings, Mary E. Peterson

Dissertations

Students with autism are being mainstreamed into general education classes in increasing numbers. This practice is based on the largely theoretical assumptions that normal peers will provide models of appropriate communication skills as well as increased opportunities for social interaction. However, there are few empirical studies available to corroborate these beliefs.

The purpose of this study was to compare the functional communication of the same group of students with autism across two settings, their general education classrooms and their self-contained, special education classrooms. Each of the students spent time in both settings during each school day. Their spontaneous language was …

The Effects Of Wraparound Services On The Adjustment Of Four Severely Emotionally Disturbed Youth: A Controlled Multiple Baseline Study, Michael J. Myaard

Dissertations

This naturalistic study employed a controlled multiple baseline design (Baer, Wolf & Risley, 1968; Poling, 1995) across subjects and behaviors to examine the effects of wraparound services on the adjustment of four Severely Emotionally Disturbed teenagers at risk o f long term residential placement. Subjects were selected on a clinical trials basis upon referral into a public sector interagency service system within a small rural county. The Vermont System For Tracking Client Progress served as the primary dependent measure and was sampled daily for one year, the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale and detailed financial data were also sampled. …

Intergovernmental Cooperation In Metropolitan Grand Rapids, Michigan, James M. Kadlecek

Dissertations

This case study contributes to the understanding of governance in Metropolitan areas of the U.S. by examining cooperative activity among local units of government in the Grand Rapids, Michigan metropolitan area. A conceptual framework identifies the factors which impact cooperation, and displays a theoretical continuum of approaches to metropolitan governance.

The research methodology is qualitative and includes four years of participant observation, extensive records analysis, a survey of local government managers and 21 interviews with key informants.

The findings identify 151 examples of formal and informal cooperation occurring in Grand Rapids metro, as well as eight categories of factors which …