Digital Commons Network^™

An Investigation Of Development Policies Related To The Establishment Of Endowed Chairs At Research I And Ii Universities, Mary K. Mclaughlin

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: Understanding Freshman Attrition Using Person-Environment Fit Theory, Jennifer Howard Brockway

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Teaching Interventions To Grade School Teachers On The Writing Performance Of Students In The Area Of Persuasive Writing, Nancy J. Mccabe

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Applied Experimental Evaluation Of Conflict Resolution Curriculum And Social Skills Development, Lea Roseberry

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Receiv'd With Plaudits In The Capitol: Whitman's Readers And The Politics Of The Canon, Alan Edward Kozlowski

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

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

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

In Vitro Fertilization And Artificial Insemination: Ethical Consideration, Joseph Ibegbulem Ekweariri

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.

Early Heterosexual Risk Among Urban African American Preadolescents: A Developmental Perspective, Gregory Louis Greenwood

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Association Of Five Therapist Characteristics With Therapists' Suspicion Of Childhood Sexual Abuse In Adult Client Cases, Sherri I. Terrell

Dissertations

One hundred and twenty-five doctoral level psychologists interning at university counseling centers throughout North America were surveyed to explore the association of therapists' suspicion of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in adult client cases with five therapist characteristics: (a) gender; (b) having or not having had personal therapy; (c) having or not having professional experience with three or more clients who are survivors of CSA; (d) having or not having a close friend, family member, or significant other who is a survivor of CSA; and (e) being or not being a survivor of CSA.

Information was collected on interns' demographics and …

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 …

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, …

Worker Productivity As A Function Of The Percentage Of Monetary Incentives To Base Pay, Carol J. Frisch

Dissertations

Several studies have shown that individuals working under pay conditions with monetary incentives have higher levels of productivity than individuals working for non-incentive pay, such as hourly wages (Abernathy, Duffy, & O’Brien, 1982; Dierks & McNally, 1987; Farr, 1976; Gaetani, Hoxeng, & Austin, 1986; George & Hopkins, 1989; London & Oldham, 1977; Orpen, 1982; Nebeker & Neuberger, 1985; Terborg & Miller, 1978; Yukl, Wexley, & Seymore, 1972). It has also been noted that a minimum of 30% incentive is generally accepted as necessary to affect (employee) motivation (Fein, 1970), and increasing incentives above this level will not result in appreciable …

Hydrogeology And Stable Isotope Investigations Of A Landfill Impacted Site In Southwest Michigan, Eliot Anong Atekwana

Dissertations

The Cork Street landfill in the City of Kalamazoo is unlined and constructed in glacial drift material. Although water quality in some of the landfill monitoring wells is poor, the degree of the landfill’s influence to groundwater, wetlands and Davis Creek located downgradient of the landfill is unknown. The objective of this study is to evaluate the degree of the landfill’s impact in this region through hydrologic and stable isotope analysis.

Site characterization using geophysical surveys and specific conductance measurements indicates highly conductive shallow groundwater probably attributable to groundwater contamination. Hydrologic evaluation of this region shows that groundwater flows towards …

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 …

Vapor-Liquid Phase Equilibria Of Nonideal Fluids With A Ge-Eos Model, Socrates Ioannidis

Dissertations

This study dealt with the prediction and correlation of vapor-liquid equilibria behavior of nonideal fluids. The thermodynamic formalism of the G^E-EoS models, which combines the two traditional methods γ-Φ and Φ-Φ used so far for low and high pressure phase equilibria correlations respectively, has been combined with the 1FG^E model, based on one-fluid theory, to produce a more consistent approach to the phase equilibrium problem.

In the first part of our study we examine the predictive abilities of our model for vapor-liquid equilibria of highly nonideal fluids. The results establish the fact that the Huron-Vidal mixing rule …

Reaction Kinetics Of Methanol And Mtbe Oxidation And Pyrolysis, Wen-Chiun Ing

Dissertations

This study presents experimental data on the decomposition of methanol in several different reaction environments - fuel lean to stoichiometric at a temperature range of 873 and 1073 K and a pressure range of I and 5 atm. Methane fuel is also added in several of the systems studied in order to provide experimental data to understand the methanol addition effect on the methane oxidation.

Computer codes: ThermCal, ThermSrt and ThermCvt have been developed for the thermal property calculations of stable molecules by the Benson group additivity method and of radicals by the NJIT hydrogen bond increment method.

Pressure dependent …

Effects Of Exercise And Psychosocial Stress On Blood Glucose In Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetics, Lisa Renae Clemensen

Dissertations

Non-insulin dependent diabetes often has serious consequences for individuals if blood glucose is not maintained within relatively normal ranges. Exercise and stress have been enumerated as important variables for the control of blood glucose in non-insulin dependent diabetics.

This study compared blood glucose and stress for eight exercise and eight matched control non-exercise adult noninsulin dependent participants. A prospective home monitoring design was used to monitor daily blood glucose, stress, and physical activity via multiple measures for six days.

Results indicated that control participants had significantly higher average blood glucose readings and higher blood glucose variability. Daily stress measures did …

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. …

Elementary Teachers’ And Principals’ Perceptions Of Principal Leadership Style And School Social Organization, Thomas Jack Evans

Dissertations

The context of teaching has dramatically changed over the last several decades following two national waves of educational reform. Researchers have focused attention on the social restructuring of schools (Liebermann, 1992) and appropriate leadership strategies, such as transformational leadership (Leithwood, 1993; Sergiovanni, 1990), for achieving comprehensive changes leading toward increased school effectiveness. Leadership that can stimulate "bottom-up" participation from teachers and principals in efforts to restructure schools has been recommended (Rowan, 1990; Sergiovanni, 1994). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between elementary principals’ use of transformational leadership strategies as determined by teacher reports and the …

An Analysis Of The Auditory-Verbal And Visual-Figural Learning And Memory Patterns Of College Students With Learning Disabilities, Robert K. Eckert

Dissertations

The validity of the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) has been established with most clinical neuropsychological populations; however, no published work in the area of CVLT performance in adults with learning disabilities (LD) exists, despite the authors' assertion that the test is a useful psychometric measure for this population (Delis, Kramer, Kaplan, & Ober, 1987). Likewise, the validity of a recently restandardized test of visual-figural learning, the Rey Visual Design Learning Test (RVDLT; Spreen & Strauss, 1991), has yet to be investigated in LD populations. Motor deficiencies have been associated with LD in children, but little evidence exists to extend …

A Qualitative Study Of Friendships And Student-Faculty Relationships: Experiences And Perspectives Of Korean International Students Studying In The United States, Jinsook Kim

Dissertations

Experiences and perceptions among a group of Korean international students studying in the United States were examined in terms of friendships and student faculty relationships. The study used a qualitative approach and was guided by cross-cultural and cultural learning perspectives. Semi-structured interviews conducted in the Korean language were used for data collection. From a research population of 72 Korean international students enrolled at a large Midwestern university, 24 were selected using purposeful sampling, 6 from each of the four identified subgroups. These subgroups were male and female undergraduates and male and female graduates.

Participant experiences and perceptions concerning closest friendships …

Ionization And Charge Changing In 0.5 - 8 Qmev Li^Q+ + He (Q=1,2,3) Collisions And Setup Of An Electron Spectrometer Control System, Oliver Woitke

Dissertations

Projectile charge changing and target ionization cross sections are measured for 0.5 to 8 qMeV Li^q+ + He (q=1,2,3) collisions. Total cross sections for single-electron capture (for L i^1,2,3+) and single-electron loss (for L i^1,2+) are obtained and compared to existing experimental and theoretical data. Also, single and double target ionization of He associated with specific outgoing projectile charge states are identified using coincidence techniques. Cross sections for target ionization associated with no projectile charge change (direct ionization), single-electron capture, and single-electron loss are measured and compared to existing experimental data and to available calculations. Double-to-single target ionization ratios R …

Implementation Of An "Early Return To Duty" Policy Within The Michigan Civil Service: An Exploratory Study, James Patrick Hurren

Dissertations

In an effort to control rising Worker's Compensation costs and accommodate disabled employees, the State of Michigan initiated an "Early Return to Duty" policy which encourages injured workers to return to work prior to being fully recuperated. During the recovery period, injured workers are assigned restricted duties consistent with their medical limitation.

Despite legislative and administrative mandates, the Early Return policy has not been fully implemented by all departments within Michigan Civil Service. The lack of uniform acceptance and application of the policy presents serious complications for managing resources effectively and has a direct bearing on achieving expected policy outcomes. …