Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Self-Efficacy Training On The Willingness Of Preservice Teachers To Implement Social Skill Training In The Classroom, Linda J. Miller

Dissertations

Self-efficacy is the belief that one can successfully perform a behavior, and is a cognitive process theorized to play an important role in the acquisition and retention of new behavior patterns. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effectiveness of utilizing self-efficacy training procedures to influence the performance of preservice teachers, specific to social skill instruction, in their directed teaching assignments.

A modified posttest only control group design was utilized to compare the performance of three groups: (1) a treatment group exposed to self-efficacy training procedures, (2) a treatment group exposed to social skill training content information, and …

Construct Validation Of The Family Of Origin Scale: A Factor Analysis, Omar L. Mangrum

Dissertations

The major purpose of this two-part study was to contribute to the body of knowledge concerned with the construct validity of the Family of Origin Scale (FOS). The issues of construct and discriminative validity were specifically addressed. The first phase was an attempt to empirically establish the underlying factor structure of the Family of Origin Scale (FOS) through factor analytic techniques. The analysis utilized data collected from a previously studied population (i.e., college students) and a demographically different population (i.e., prison inmates). Results from this study indicate that the FOS appears to measure at least seven distinct factors/constructs, four of …

Administrator And Consultant Perceptions Of Consultant Services In Michigan Schools, Julia A. Berg

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine administrator and consultant perceptions regarding consultant services in Michigan schools as related to: (a) services provided, (b) roles, (c) sources of funding, (d) sources for identifying services, (e) characteristics and components that may influence selection, and (f) methods used for evaluation. A review of literature was conducted related to the six survey questions of the study.

Responses to surveys were analyzed from 116 (85% response rate) randomly selected Michigan school superintendents and other administrators and 58 (58% response rate) consultants identified as providing service in Michigan school districts during the 1986-87 school …

Relationship Of Quality Circles In Nursing To Leadership, Job Satisfaction, Patient Care, And Cost Containment, Shirley A. Weiglein

Dissertations

The use of quality circles in nursing has been widely espoused in nursing literature as a concept that enhances participatory leadership, promotes job satisfaction, improves the quality of patient care and contributes to cost containment. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between the use of quality circles in nursing units and leadership, job satisfaction, the quality of patient care and cost containment.

Quality circle and non-quality circle units in two midwest hospitals were used for data collection. Staff nurses only were asked to complete the survey. A total of 126 of the possible 295 staff nurses in the …

The Effects Of Caretaking Settings On School Readiness Of 4-Year-Olds, Joan C. Sergent

Dissertations

The effects of daytime caretaking settings and the nature and number of activities in those settings on school readiness and receptive language levels of 4-year-old children were investigated. Daytime caretaking settings, defined as the setting experienced by the 4-year-old the year prior to entering kindergarten, were determined through interviews administered to the parent/guardian of each of the 185 4-year-old participants. School readiness and receptive language levels of the 4-year-old participants were determined by individual administration of the Gesell School Readiness Screening Test (GSRST) and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) respectively. The settings were categorized as group educational, such as preschool …

Assessment Of Autonomic Regulation Of Heart Rate Variability, Shaw-Jyh Shin

Dissertations

Complex demodulation, accompanied by the techniques of interpolation, detrending and zero-phase-shift lowpass filtering were used to examine the effect of both divisions of the autonomic nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic) on heart rate by analyzing the heart rate variability signal from dogs under two different classical conditionings: CS+ and CS-, which cause different dynamic pattern changes in the autonomic nervous system to regulate the heart rate.

Unlike power spectral analysis, complex demodulation gives results in the time domain and shows the variation of amplitude and phase over time at a given frequency. The variation of phase indicates the frequency deviation …

An Investigation Of The Traditional And Non-Traditional College Students' Perceived Benefits Regarding Participation In The Cooperative Education Program, Beatrice C. Ullrich

Dissertations

Cooperative education has become an important component of education. The basis for cooperative education is that learning occurs outside the classroom as well as in the classroom. The shift in employment patterns from an industrial society to a knowledge and information based society means that many of the existing types of jobs will disappear. The value of cooperative education exists in its ability to provide a transition from school to work and its flexibility to respond to industries' needs and individuals' training needs.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences of the traditional cooperative education student and …

Attributes Of Undergraduates Majoring In Scientific And Technological Disciplines: Perseverance And Commitments, Judith Watlington Edwin Edd

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was first to determine the characteristics that distinguished persisters from nonpersisters in the fields of science and technology; second, to determine the effects of sex, college choice, parental income, parental educational background, GPA, and academic and social integration factors on persistence; and third, to suggest program implementation for assisting students in the science and technology disciplines to make choices in "fit" of characteristics to college environment. Subjects for this study were randomly selected from a group of 256 juniors at the University of California, San Diego who had initially selected science or technology as an …

Naturalistic Inquiry: An Appropriate Method For Evaluating Customer Training A Case Study Of A Computer System Value-Added Reseller, Barbara Coulter Broderick Edd

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to illustrate the use of naturalistic inquiry as an appropriate method for evaluating customer training. The study's scope was limited to computer system value-added-resellers (VARs). Four research questions were identified, each addressing the use of naturalistic inquiry in this setting. Case study methodology was selected as the most effective approach to demonstrate use of this type of evaluation. In order to limit the focus of the case study, the researcher identified three propositions. These propositions addressed the following: (1) the evolution of computer system VAR's customer training programs; (2) the merit and worth of …

A Study Of Licensed Psychologists And The Problem Of Addressing Spiritual/Religious Issues In Therapy, Suzanne Lorenz Brennan

Dissertations

The study was done in response to a documented concern in the literature that therapists are unprepared to treat the spiritual concerns of their clients who come from a population in which 95% profess a belief in God.

One objective of the study was to determine the spiritual orientation of licensed psychologists and their attitudes toward religious belief and addressing religious issues in psychotherapy. Other objectives were to determine the amount of help received in addressing these issues during training and supervision and how competent they perceived themselves to be in this regard. Responses of the two license levels, full …

The Effects Of A Wilderness/Adventure Program On The Self-Concept, Locus Of Control Orientation, And Interpersonal Behavior Of Delinquent Adolescents, Timothy J. Zwart

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 26-day therapeutic wilderness program for delinquent adolescent males on three conceptually distinct but closely related constructs: self-concept, locus of control orientation, and interpersonal behavior. Justification for the study was derived from the limitations of past wilderness/adventure research which suggested that there was a need for additional research on the effects of this type of alternative program for delinquent adolescents.

It was hypothesized that following participation in this program the youths would exhibit increased self-concept, more internal locus of control orientation, would express higher needs for inclusion and affection …

The Effects Of Aerobic Exercise On Anxiety In Pregnant Women, Janet L. Fourman

Dissertations

The objective of this study was to determine if aerobic exercise affects trait anxiety in pregnant women and if selected demographic variables relate to trait anxiety. These variables were age, occupation, family income, general physical and mental health, education, lifestyle, and previous exercise history. The independent variable was aerobic exercise. The dependent variable was anxiety which was measured by the trait portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, 1983).

This research was quasi-experimental and used the Solomon Four-Group Design. The experimental group consisted of women who participated in a Pregnancy Fitness Aerobic exercise program for the duration of their pregnancies. …

Educational Outcomes Of Children With Two Working Parents, Michael B. Dib

Dissertations

In this study five measures of ability or achievement (I.Q., reading comprehension, vocabulary, math concepts, and math computation) for each of four grade levels (third, fourth, fifth, and sixth) were analyzed to determine whether there were significant differences for students from traditional working parent families and students from two-working-parent families. An ex post facto design was used.

Subjects were 335 third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students from a single public school district in the state of Michigan. These students were identified by teachers or principals as being from either a traditional or a two-working-parent family. All ability and achievement …

The Effect Of Attending A Bereavement Support Seminar On The Level Of Depression Of Bereaved Spouses Within The First Year After The Spouses' Deaths; An Experimental Study, Carole Jeanne Weidaw

Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effect of providing information about the grief process and a supportive environment of peers on depression in recently bereaved spouses.

The treatment intervention consisted of the Bereavement Support Seminar, which provided didactic material relating to the normal aspects of the grief process with emphasis on dealing with anger, guilt and progressive growth while allowing for feelings and memories to be vented and supported.

The subjects were divided into two groups: experimental (those who were involved in the 4-week Bereavement Support Seminar) and control (those who received no intervention). The experimental …

A Survey Of Oral Communication Instructional Practices In The Elementary Public Schools Of Michigan, James N. Walker

Dissertations

Instruction in oral communication is critical to education. Oral communication skills are needed in the development of skills in written language, math, problem solving, and reading. Oral communication skills are important in achieving academic, vocational, and personal success. On November 1, 1978, speech education was recognized as a basic skill by United States law.

The purpose of this study was to determine the oral communication instructional practices in Michigan public elementary schools grades K-5. Eight research questions were identified:

(1) Is instruction provided? (2) What is the "basis" for instruction? (3) What materials are used? (4) What is the method …

The Development And Field Testing Of A Semi-Programed Text For The Establishment Of Reading And Writing Repertoires With Mexican-Illiterate Adults, Marco Wilfredo Salas Martinez

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to design and evaluate the effectiveness of a Semi-Programed text for establishing reading and writing skills for Spanish-speaking illiterate adults, and to compare it with the Mexican Secretariat of Public Education Reading and Writing program. Thirty-two male prisoners incarcerated at the Regional Prison of Jalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, were randomly assigned to one of four groups: (a) Semi-Programed I; (b) Semi-Programed II; (c) Conventional I; and (d) Conventional II. Subjects of the Semi-Programed Instructional condition groups were taught to read and write with a Semi-Programed text, which was based on the behavioral principles and …

An Analysis Of Selected California Community College Chief Executive Officers' Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of District Governing Board Evaluation Policies And Practices, Sherrill Lea Hatfield Amador Edd

Dissertations

Purpose. The focus of this study was to examine whether the California community college chief executive officers perceived their governing boards' evaluation policies and practices to be effective, and whether those evaluations contributed to their improved performance. Methodology. An ethnographic research design and interviewing methodologies were used for this study. The sample consisted of 20 California community college districts and chief executive officers selected from the 70 California community college districts based on: (a) multi-college and multi-campus district or single district organization, (b) northern or southern California district location, and (c) the district's chief executive's length of service as the …

A Study Of Shared Instructional Leadership By Mentor Teachers In Southern California, Rita M. King Edd

Dissertations

Can implementation of a mentor teacher program create instructional leadership opportunities resulting in retention of talented and dedicated educators, eliminate teacher isolation, and promote teacher empowerment, collegiality, and teacher and administrator collaboration? The purposes of this research were to determine the extent to which mentor teachers have become instructional leaders and to show activities and interactions in which mentors demonstrated instructional leadership with colleagues within one district. The research examined a sample number of formal and informal key relationships. Six research questions examined qualitative interview data and quantitative survey questionnaire data from mentor teachers, teachers who may or may not …

On Being A Truant: A Phenomenological Study Of Students In A Comprehensive High School, Diane Berger Mcclure Edd

Dissertations

This dissertation was a phenomenological study of eight students in a comprehensive high school who exhibited symptoms of truancy. Student interviews, student journals, and field notes were examined and the content analyzed. Students who began to display a truancy pattern and who have displayed symptoms of truancy in a previous school year were selected from a stratified random sample. Students were chosen to represent the ethnic and gender percentages of their school. During the first months of truancy, behavior modification steps were applied to the students which incorporated successful elements of major exemplary truancy programs. These students having not responded …

The Impact Of The Father/Daughter Relationship On Women In Educational Administrative Leadership Positions, Marilyn Ann Skordas Edd

Dissertations

Research studies by Cartwright (1970), Helson (1971), and Hennig (1976) have indicated and demonstrated that a father's influence is critical to the development of skills in women who successfully obtained a position in business, medicine, and math, male dominated occupations. The public school teaching profession in the United States is an occupation dominated by women; however, the administrative positions such as principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent positions of school districts are male dominated. This case study investigated the father/daughter relationship experienced during middle childhood, early and later adolescence, and early adulthood of ten women who are currently in positions of …

Organizing For Change: An Assessment Of Organization Development Activities Of Training Consultants, Katherine Waller Edd

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine and analyze the background and training of consultants involved in organization development activities, the client organizations served by these professionals, the types of organization development interventions most commonly employed by the training consultants, and the resources utilized by internal and external consultants conducting organization development activities. The data were collected from a review and analysis of organization development research literature and from a descriptive survey questionnaire utilized to obtain information from a sample of 102 practicing consultants from a variety of institutional settings throughout the United States. Both qualitative and quantitative information …

Improving Critical Thinking Skills Using Paideia Seminars In A Seventh-Grade Literature Curriculum, Stephanie A. Tarkington Edd

Dissertations

There are many programs which purport to teach thinking skills. If thinking skills of reasoning, logic, explaining, judging, and deciding can be taught, are there some ways to teach thinking that are more effective than other ways? The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Paideia seminars on the critical thinking skills of seventh grade students. Paideia seminars are discussions held in a seminar format and involve active participation on the part of students and teachers. The format for the Paideia seminars was taken from The Paideia Proposal: An Educational Manifesto (Adler, 1982). There were four main …

Viewpoint And Vision In George Eliot: The Novelist And Her Major Fiction, Patricia Ward Svec

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Neurokinin Regulation Of Midbrain Raphe Neurons: A Behavioral And Anatomical Study, Joseph Paris

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Chinese Minority In Thailand: Social And Educational Perspective, Supha Phinaitrup

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Functions Of The Director Of Medical Education In The Teaching Hospital, Elaine Lee

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Desired Student Outcomes Of Catholic Elementary Schools As Perceived By Principals, Teachers, Parents, And Board Members, Mary Leanne Welch

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Teachers' Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of The Post Observation Conference, Kenneth Sorrick

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Reciprocal Teaching: An Instructional Model Applied To Improve Written Language Performance And To Enhance Critical Thinking Skills Among Sixth Grade Students, Virginia Serrano Sison

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Augustine And America: Five Contemporary Autobiographical Works, Dennis Gillespie

Dissertations

No abstract provided.