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Perceptions Of The Evidence Of A Servant Leadership Culture Among Educators In The P-12 School System In The North American Division Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Donovan B. Ross

Dissertations

Problem Statement. The Seventh-day Adventist church has consistently advocated that adherents to this religion should be Christ-like in every aspect of their lives. They should be of service to others as they create a community of believers who are loving, kind, and considerate of others. These ideals form some of the characteristics of servant leadership. The question therefore is whether servant leadership is being practiced in the P-12 school system. No study related to the presence and practice of servant leadership in the P-12 school system of the NAD has been conducted. Research was needed to determine the perceptions of …

Developing An Empirical Basis For Selecting A Strategic-Planning Team From Among Likely Candidates Based On Desired Emotional Intelligence Competencies, Robert Allen Reindel

Dissertations

Problem. Corporate teams are often established to complete assigned tasks as they would relate to planning, product development, process improvements, etc. There seems to be a lack of effective means for selecting team members based on objective criteria. Team-member selection is typically a process based only on the selector's judgment. While testing is a typical way to make hiring decisions, the same process is not used for creating teams.

Purpose of the Study. The purpose of this study was to explore a way of using identified competencies of emotional intelligence to objectively select team members for a strategic-planning initiative.

Method. …

They Who Persist: A Longitudinal Quantitative Case Study Of A University Student Cohort, Kenneth J. Marra Phd

Dissertations

Since the first published work on student persistence in 1929 by Edgerton and Toups, there have been literally thousands of studies that have attempted to unravel the mystery of why some higher education students persist through to graduation while others do not. Many of these studies have been qualitative in nature, restricting their generalizability, while those that have used the few existing national databases to quantitatively study persistence have been restricted to looking within a single year at multiple institutions. What is clearly missing from the literature are methodologically sound, year-to-year persistence studies conducted at individual institutions. This deficiency in …

Personalization For English Learners At A Small Conversion High School, Mary Jewell Edd

Dissertations

One of the most notable ways in which large, comprehensive high schools are working to meet the needs of the increasing numbers of English Language Learners (ELLs), and other students who may be struggling with academics, is by subdividing into smaller schools. One of the most appealing features of small schools is their emphasis on personalized instruction for students. While it takes many forms, personalizing education means knowing all students well and designing curriculum that meets their individual needs. Personalized learning environments hold enormous potential for improving the educational experiences, and even very lives, of English learners. The purpose of …

Socioeconomic Characteristics As Factors Of Academic Success On The Exame Nacional De Cursos Among Undergraduate Students Of Selected Study Programs In Brazil, Josmar Sionti Arrais De Matos

Dissertations

This study investigated the possible relationships among socioeconomic characteristics as factors influencing the success levels of Brazilian students. Data were provided by the 2002 Exame Nacional de Cursos [National Examination of Study Programs], or ENC , in five cursos . For this study, the following programs, representing three levels of prestige, were selected: low (Modern Letters and History), middle (Law), and high (Medicine and Dentistry). The purpose was to gain a deeper understanding of the issues associated with relationships among various socioeconomic characteristics, as well as to gain a more global understanding of the implications of the socioeconomic process as …

Moral Implications Of Darwinian Evolution For Human Reference Based In Christian Ethics: A Critical Analysis And Response To The "Moral Individualism" Of James Rachels, Stephen Bauer

Dissertations

The topic. This dissertation explores and analyzes James Rachels's efforts to prove that Darwin's theory of evolution has catastrophic implications for traditional Christian ethics.

The purpose. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore and evaluate the question of whether or not protology affects ethics. In particular, I propose to distill the implications of evolutionary views of origins for ethics, mainly in reference to the issue of human preference over nature in ethics. I propose to disclose Rachels's understanding of the implications of evolution on human preference (greater protections for human beings over non-humans) in ethics (such as biblical-Christian ethics), …

Sources Of Stress, Levels Of Stress, And Coping Strategies Of Faculty And Staff At Northern Caribbean University, Gloria Davis-Roberts

Dissertations

Statement of the problem. Northern Caribbean University, formerly West Indies College, attained university status in June 1999. The purpose of this study was to describe the levels and sources of stress and coping strategies of faculty and staff at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) and to determine if these (levels, sources, and coping strategies) are related to selected demographic characteristics (such as gender, age, marital status, years of employment, and employment status---faculty or staff).

Method. A descriptive survey research design was used to conduct this study in which the Occupational Stress Inventory (OSI) was administered to the facultyand staff of NCU. …

Data Warehousing And Decision Making In Higher Education In The United States, David Lester Heise

Dissertations

Problem. Compared to the business world, higher education has a lower level of acceptance and a lower rate of adoption of data warehousing for decision making. Studies into the way data warehouses are used in higher education and the extent to which they are used are hard to find. Accordingly, this research examines the use of data warehousing in higher education and its role in decision making.

Method. Internet survey research method was used in this study. I asked college and university presidents to provide me with contact details of senior decision makers and technology managers from their institutions. …

An Examination Of The Psychometric Properties Of The Spiritual Well-Being Scale In A Sample Of African American Women, Mary Catherine Dugan

Dissertations

This dissertation is an investigation of the psychometric properties of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) (Paloutzian & Ellison) using a sample of African American women recruited from the community. The purpose was to determine the appropriateness of using the SWBS with a sample not included in the earlier norming studies (Ledbetter et al., 1991). The sample consisted of 168 African American women who were parents or guardians of youth attending middle school in a Midwestern urban area. The women completed a survey including demographic information, parent scales, and the SWBS. Construct validity of the SWBS was examined by conducting a …

Increasing Blood Glucose Monitoring In Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes: Effects Of A Prompt, Stephen J. Albrecht

Dissertations

A series of single-subject designs (AB, ABAB) were used to assess the effects of an antecedent prompting procedure (i.e., prompts) on blood glucose monitoring in young individuals diagnosed with type I diabetes. Prompts were delivered through portable, automated paging technology. Frequency of blood glucose checks was obtained across meter, baseline, and intervention phases. Metabolic control was assessed by obtaining blood glucose levels for each check across baseline and intervention phases, and hemoglobin (HbA1c) values at study entry and follow-up. Results indicated that the prompt increased blood glucose monitoring for three participants, and metabolic control improved for 2 participants when the …

Being Whole: Aligning Personhoods To Achieve Successful Childbirth With A History Of Childhood Sexual Abuse During Perinatal Services, Karla Kendall Richmond Phd, Msn, Rnc, Cns

Dissertations

Being a pregnant female is a temporary condition. A woman with a history of childhood sexual abuse aligns the personhoods of child victim, adult survivor and pregnant female to achieve a successful pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum experience. Female survivors desire to be recognized and function as whole being during the perinatal experience. It is estimated that 15 to 32 percent of females prior to the age of eighteen have unwanted sexual contact. Female survivors carry this history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) with them throughout their lives which may involve childbirth. There are many long-term psychological consequences that can …

Assessing The Validity And Reliability Of The Spanish Translation Of Two Help-Seeking Instruments, Salvador Lopez-Arias

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was twofold: (1) to translate two help-seeking scales (Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale (ATSPHHS) and Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Short Scale (ATSPPHS-S) into Spanish (S-ATSPPHS, S-ATSPPHS-S); and, (2) to examine indices of reliability and relationships to external correlates of the Spanish translations (acculturation, education, geographic background, socioeconomic status (SES), previous help-seeking, and, gender) to see whether the translated instruments measured the same help-seeking construct asthe English versions of the instruments.

In general, hypotheses on education, SES, and gender were not supported; hypotheses on acculturation and geographic background, while statistically significant, contradicted …

Sexual Victimization: An Examination Of Variables Predicting Psychological Adjustment, Janine M. Schroeder

Dissertations

A survey was conducted with a community sample of 208 women. Participants completed a battery of self-report measures that assessed childhood sexual abuse (CSA), adult sexual victimization (ASV), characteristics of the abuse, coping methods, PTSD symptomatology, and psychological distress. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedures revealed that victims were significantly more distressed than nonvictims; revictimized women and multiple victims were significantly more distressed than nonvictims; revictimized women were significantly more distressed than single victims; differences between multiple and single victims and single victims and nonvictims were not significant. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) analyses indicated victims reported significantly more frequent …

A Study Of How Precursor Key Concepts For Organic Chemistry Success Are Understood By General Chemistry Students, Patrick Gerard Meyer

Dissertations

This study examines college student understanding of key concepts that will support future organic chemistry success as determined by university instructors. During four one-hour individual interviews the sixteen subjects attempted to solve general chemistry problems. A think-aloud protocol was used along with a whiteboard where the students could draw and illustrate their ideas. The protocols for the interviews were adapted from the Covalent Structure and Bonding two-tiered multiple choice diagnostic instrument (Peterson, Treagust, & Garnett, 1989) and augmented by the Geometry and Polarity of Moleculessingle-tiered multiple choice instrument (Furió & Calatayud, 1996). The interviews were videotaped, transcribed, and coded …

Salary Negotiation Strategies Of Female Administrators In Higher Education, Suzette Compton

Dissertations

The salary equity gap continues to exist, with men earning more on average for every dollar a woman makes. Research suggests that women's underdevelopednegotiation skills play a role in the continuation of the salary equity gap. Understanding the negotiation strategies and gendered communications traits women utilize may assist in enhancing their skills and in moving toward gender salary equity.

This study addresses the negotiation strategies and gendered communication traits of female administrators in higher education. Twenty-two women inadministrative positions in institutions of higher education in West Michigan were interviewed to determine the strategies they utilized when negotiating forsalary and other …

Professional Role Complexities And Job Satisfaction Of Collegiate Certified Athletic Trainers, Kirk Brumels

Dissertations

This study examined whether professional role complexities existed for certified athletic trainers (ATCs) employed at the collegiate level, and if so, what impact these role complexities had upon job satisfaction and intent to leave a current position or the profession. The amount and sources of role complexities were examined for collegiate ATCs who were employed in clinical, faculty, or joint appointment positions.

Potential for professional role complexities exist in any situation where multiple role obligations are present in the workplace. Professional role complexities for health care employees often manifest into tension, dissatisfaction, lack of energy or ambition, and decreased attention …

Automotive Service Technology Intersectional Skills Proficiency Assessment, David L. Macquarrie

Dissertations

This dissertation focused on the creation and validation of a criterion referenced credentialing assessment of automotive service technicians' intersectional skills (ASTIS) proficiency. These intersectional skills are prerequisite and common to multiple job level tasks that an automotive service technician (AST) performs on the job. An assessment of the ASTIS was created to aid automotive technician employers in the evaluation of hiring prospective technician employees and is not duplicated by current certifications (e.g. ASE) as they do not uniquely assess these skills.

This dissertation focused on the ASTIS skills and the information an employer can obtain pertaining to a prospective employee's …

Hacks, Cracks, And Crime: An Examination Of The Subculture And Social Organization Of Computer Hackers, Thomas Jeffrey Holt

Dissertations

This dissertation examines both the subculture and social organization practices of computer hackers. The concept of normative orders (Herbert, 1998: 347) is used to explore hacker subculture in different contexts. To assess hacker social organization, I use Best and Luckenbill¿s (1994) framework of organizational sophistication as well as measures from Decker et al. (1998). The relationships between subculture, social organization, and behavior are explored as well. I collected three qualitative data sets to explore these issues, including posts from six on-line hacker discussion forums, in-depth interviews with active hackers, and field observations at the Defcon 12 hacker convention. These data …

Chronically Ill Adolescents' Involvement In Health Treatment Decision Making, Edna B. Domingo Phd

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to explore preferences for involvement of chronically ill adolescents in health treatment decision-making; describe, explain and predict relationships and differences in self-confidence in decision-making between older and younger chronically ill adolescents; and explore relationships between severity of symptoms and self-confidence in health treatment decision-making among chronically ill adolescents. Ten to twenty million American children have some type of chronic illnesses with 90% survival to adulthood. There is lack of current literature on adolescent preferences for involvement in health care decisions. Courts and legislators assume that minors lack the requisite capacity for information, and lack …

Psychosocial Responses By Adolescent Male Victims To Peer Bullying, Karin Eve Reuter-Rice Phd

Dissertations

Bullying remains a pervasive problem in most schools throughout the nation. Peer-bullied victims report higher levels of depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, and concerns regarding their safety in school. Reactions of victims to peer bullying have been extreme, as in the cases of the rampage school shooters. Primarily, current research has not focused on the high school adolescent, although most school shooters arise from that age group. The overall purpose of this study was to examine the psychosocial responses by adolescent male victims to peer bullying. Research questions addressed the frequency and severity of peer-victimization, distress, anxiety, and their perception of …

Nursing Students' Knowledge And Attitudes Regarding Pain And Pain Management, Ruth L. Schaffler Phd

Dissertations

Pain is a universal human experience and is a primary reason people seek health care; however, undertreatment of pain has been reported in the literature as a significant clinical problem for more than three decades. Researchers have concluded that nurses have inadequate knowledge of pain assessment, are misinformed about opioids, and have inappropriate attitudes about pain and pain management that lead to the undertreatment of pain. One question is whether those misconceptions are acquired in nursing school or whether they are present when students enroll in nursing programs. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the attitudes regarding …

Supporting Individual Time Management Through The Capture And Display Of Temporal Structures, Dezhi Wu

Dissertations

This thesis work examines the time management strategies of individuals in an academic institution and gathers information on the complex temporal structures they experience and manage. Its focus is on understanding the relationship between the quality of individual time management and an individual's understanding and use of temporal structures. This work consists of an exploratory field study to gather data on how people use temporal structures with electronic tools. It is followed by a survey that is given to a larger group of respondents in the same subject population examined with the field study. The survey examines the hypotheses developed …

Electronic Capture And Analysis Of Fraudulent Behavioral Patterns : An Application To Identity Fraud, Benjamin Ngugi

Dissertations

The objective of this research was to find a transparent and secure solution for mitigating identity fraud and to find the critical factors that determine the solution's acceptance. Identity fraud is identified as a key problem with total losses exceeding fifty two billion dollars (Javelin Strategy and Research 2005). A common denominator in most identity-fraud-prone transactions is the use of a keypad; hence this research focuses on keypad data entry and proposes a biometric solution. Three studies develop, evaluate and investigate the feasibility of this solution.

The first study was done in three stages. Stage one investigated the technical feasibility …

Exploration Of Ideal Body Image Among African-American Women, Shannon Denise Nickens

Dissertations

Body image dissatisfaction is a pervasive problem, most notably among women, that is neither well understood nor well defined. Inconsistent and overly narrow definitions of body image make it difficult to draw conclusions regarding the degree and type of dissatisfaction across cultural and/or various ethnic groups. Thus far, research has largely focused on size, shape, and weight concerns, ignoring physical features that may be salient to women belonging to non-Caucasian ethnic groups. This study explored African-American (AA) preferences for weight, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and salient physical appearance attributes, as well as their identification with the ¿thin¿ ideal, racial identity salience, …

Navigating Cultures And Epistemologies In Science And Technology Education, Kathleen Theresa Kurzk

Dissertations

This investigation focuses on the nexus of science and culture in the lives of marginalized youth in the United States and South Africa. The epistemologies and contextual realities of cross-cultural learner cohorts and their understandings of scientific phenomena are examined. The researcher was a participant observer within the context of the Science, Technology & Culture: Empowering Learners (STC) program, an after-school and school-based collaboration focused upon integrating science, technology and culture. Electronic communication provided a vehicle for dialogue between youth in St. Louis, Missouri, USA and a South African Township. Study findings include documentation of the marginalizing effects of poverty …

How High School Science-Related Experiences Influenced Career Persistence, Andrew Dwight Shaw

Dissertations

The events of 9/11 brought into focus two ongoing trends that were present before this tragedy and have continued since: 1) The United States needs more scientists if it is to ensure its freedoms and maintain its economy. 2) The number of scientists in the ¿pipeline¿ is declining because of the diminished presence of foreign scientists (they are wanted in their own countries), the under-representation of minorities and women, and the reduced numbers of students able and willing to take on the scholastic rigors necessary for a science or engineering degree. Though much has been written about improving science education, …

An Analysis Of Rhythm Systems In The United States: Their Development And Frequency Of Use By Teachers, Students, And Authors; And Relation To Perceived Learning Preferences, Paul Charles Varley

Dissertations

One of the issues facing music educators is the way in which they teach students to read rhythms accurately. Using the current educational philosophy of differentiation, or teaching a student by appealing to their preferred learning style, as a backdrop, the researcher proposed that music educators tend to teach rhythms using a limited number of systems, thereby failing to utilize many of the available systems.

The researcher examined the published rhythm systems dating back to the early nineteenth century, surveyed band students in grades 7-12 concerning their preferences in learning rhythms and their learning styles, surveyed music teachers concerning their …

The Lost Journals Of Sylvia Plath, Kimberly Dawn Knutsen

Dissertations

Sylvia Plath is one of the few authors who has been posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Plath's exceptional literary career is not limited with that. When twentieth-century literary history is examined, it becomes patent that no writer has created such an enormous impact as Sylvia Plath. Furthermore, no writer or poet has been as misunderstood as in the case of Plath. In addition, no writer or poet has been labeled often as "schizophrenic" or "mad" by scholars or researchers who do not have the slightest education in psychology or psychopathology. Therefore, the works written on Plath, or the studies that …

Enhancing Motivation Using The Constructs Of Flow In Museum Education Activities, Maria C. Grant Edd

Dissertations

While many extol the general value of museum fieldtrips, few can describe the specific parameters needed to make the excursion an educational benefit. Oftentimes, a day at the Museum of Natural History or time spent at the local art gallery is casually put into place with little forethought or attention to activity details. This research intended to utilize the parameters of flow theory and children's interest to investigate the phenomenon of student motivation while viewing an exhibit. Informal learning environments offer educators the opportunity to look beyond the halls of their campus in a manner that allows augmentation of curriculum …

Incidence And Clinical Predictors Of Risk Factors For Inappropriate Shock In Patients With Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators, Shu-Ling Lo Phd

Dissertations

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a major unresolved medical problem worldwide. Although Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators (ICD) are highly effective in diagnosing and treating life threatening arrhythmias, inappropriate shock therapy (IST) occurs in approximately 5-20% of ICD recipients. IST results in pain, anxiety, induction of ventricular arrhythmias, decreased battery longevity, and even death. Researchers studying clinical predictors of IST have drawn findings based on single case studies with small samples or with outdated data. This study filled this gap by describing the incidence and co-existing clinical predictors of IST. Methodology This descriptive, retrospective study analyzed the incidence and clinical predictors of IST …