Digital Commons Network^™

Considering Tomorrow: Parse's Theory-Guided Research, Sandra Schmidt Bunkers

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Moral Views Of Freshmen In Selected Christian Colleges, Dennis Fledderjohann

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Computer-Assisted Instruction In A College Setting: Survey Of Student Demographic And Motivational Characteristics, Maureen A. Culleeney

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Allison Davis And The Historical Development Of His Sociological Concepts: "Cultural Deprivation" And Compensatory Education", 1925-1983, Andrea Marie Macaluso

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The American Catholic Sociological Review: A Reflection Of The American Catholic Sociological Society, 1938-1968, Carol Tolson

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Descriptive And Exploratory Case Study Of The Evolution Of Intercollegiate Athletics And Education At Loyola University Chicago: 1922-1994, Thomas G. Hitcho

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Lessons In Leadership: Julius Caesar, Niccolo Machiavelli, And Napoleon Bonaparte, Kelly Dale Baird

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Feminism And The Evolutionary Sciences: A Reexamination Of Human Nature, Laurette T. Liesen

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Toward A Comprehensive Model Of Parent-Teen Socialization: The Antecedents And Consequents Of Parent-Teen Interaction, Gregory L. Sanders

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Adult Male Assaultive Behavior And Correlates With The Mmpi-2, Tom G. Lanning

Dissertations

This study was descriptive in nature and examined the relationship between demographic variables, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) variables, and levels of violence as measured by the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS) (Straus, 1979). The research sample consisted of 44 males entering a treatment program for male batterers. All participants completed a research protocol during a required assessment consisting of: (a) a General Information Sheet, (b) the MMPI-2, and (c) the CTS. The CTS was the only instrument administered solely for research purposes.

The MMPI-2 data were used to construct a sample composite mean profile. MMPI-2 data were also divided into …

State Terrorism In The Arab-Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Social Constructionism And The Question Of Power, Amani Michael Awwad

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The United Center: A Community-Based Corrections Project, William George Hinkle

Dissertations

The United Center is a community-based corrections center located in Middletown, Midwest. Funded by the Midwest Department of Corrections, and administered by local county government, it provides a sentencing alternative to the county's jail, and the state's prison system. Defined as a correctional "halfway-in house," the program provides offenders with employment and education related services, job placement, mental health services, and drug and alcohol counseling in a highly structured, but supportive environment. In operation since the early 1980's, the program has serviced some 400 offenders sentenced to short prison terms for low-level property and drug offenses. Compared to national rates …

Lesbian Identity Development And Career Experiences, Mary Jo Thiel

Dissertations

This study used a qualitative research design to explore the experiences of lesbian women with respect to identity development and career issues.

Using the Stage Allocation Measure (SAM) (Cass, 1984), twenty lesbian women who were in the Synthesis Stage (Stage 6) of identity development were identified. In face-to-face, one and a half to two hour interviews, using a semi-structured interview guide developed by the researcher, respondents were asked open-ended questions about their coming out process and their career development .

Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed and the transcripts were analyzed using grounded theory coding techniques. Themes and patterns were …

A Study Of The Correlation Between Per Pupil Funding And Student Achievement In The State Of Michigan, Douglas Harold Snyder

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate if a relationship existed between per pupil funding levels and achievement levels of students in the state of Michigan. The study sought to apply objective, systematic research techniques to a question which receives much emotional, unscientific discussion. To that end, the study asked the question whether a connection existed between student achievement as measured by Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) tests and the amount of per pupil funding in the student’s school district.

In an attempt to address these concerns this study examined two sets of variables. One set represented educational effectiveness …

The Relationship Of Teacher Attitudes Toward Evaluation And School Building Climate, Timothy James Lowe

Dissertations

Present management theory divides teacher evaluation into two categories, summative evaluation and formative evaluation. Summative evaluation is used for administrative decision making. Formative evaluation is used for shaping the performance of teachers. Traditionally, the evaluation process has been more summative than formative. Therefore, teachers have regarded evaluation with some apprehension.

In the 1960s, Halpin and Croft suggested that the climate of a school is analogous to its personality. School climate can be defined as the perception incumbents have of the organization. Degrees of climate can be organized along a continuum ranging from closed to open. A closed climate is characterized …

Sisters In The Hood, Deborah Burris-Kitchen

Dissertations

This research assembles and organizes the literature in the areas of African-American women, the political economy of racism, the Black feminization of poverty, drug use and distribution, and gang violence. This dissertation explores extant theoretical approaches with a special emphasis on their relationship to the underground economy. The researcher uses ethnographic methods to examine the role that female gang members play in the underclass drug infested community of south central Fort Wayne, Indiana. Of the Black females interviewed, some were drug dealers, others were using illegal drugs, and still others were females who just found themselves in the inner-city, in …

The Role Of Elites In The Quality Of Life In Kalamazoo And Calhoun Counties, Sam S. King

Dissertations

My research examined the role of elites in the quality of life from 1890 to 1990 in two southwestern Michigan communities: Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties. This research is grounded in three research literatures: community power, elites and quality of life. My approach combined a quantitative analysis of six dimensions of quality of life and an historical analysis using case methods to look at the two communities over a 100 year time span.

My assumption at the beginning of this study was that elites play a major role in the quality of life. My data showed that some elites did have …

The Impact Of Mentoring On Leadership Among Young African-American Females, Joyce A. Montgomery

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived effectiveness of the mentoring relationship on the leadership behavior of female mentees in a community leaders program. More specifically, the researcher was concerned with what effects do the variables age, residence location, and family position have on aggressiveness, amount of influence, respect of knowledge, parental substitute and supportiveness components of leadership behavior among adolescent female mentees.

The target population consisted of 47 African-American adolescent females ages 14 through 18 years old attending the Community Leadership Program (CLP) based in Battle Creek, Michigan. The major data-gathering scale used, The Mentoring Leadership …

Toward A Biocritical Sociology, John Neuhaus

Dissertations

This dissertation is a critical discourse with three prominent trends in contemporary sociology. It is a critique of Emile Durkheim's admonition that sociological analysis, by definition, requires the exclusion of biological and psychological data. It shows, in contrast, that the exclusion of biosocial data removes vast sources of information which are useful and necessary in any interpretation of human behavior. This work also demonstrates that a biosocial perspective facilitates the development of a transcultural theory of human needs, which, if utilized, would enable sociologists to clarify a number of unproductive disciplinary conflicts concerning the definition and extent of social problems. …

Lost In The Fifties: A Study Of Collected Memories, Janelle L. Wilson

Dissertations

This is a study of ordinary people's recollections of the decade of the nineteen fifties. The theoretical concepts of collective memory and collected memories guide design and analysis. Unstructured interviews with 33 individuals who grew up in America in that decade were conducted. The snowball method identified potential informants. The data from these interviews, combined with secondary sources on that time period, served to reconstruct this decade. A number of themes emerged from the data; the decade was seen: as an apolitical time, as fun and innocent, as fearful with respect to atomic weaponry and Communists, as problematic for race …

Beliefs And Perceptions Of Michigan Superintendents Toward Females Advancing In The Ranks: Perspectives To Increase The Minority Pool, Dennis J. Stanek

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine potential factors which affect the advancement of females in the role of superintendent. With the research pointing to a variety of causes for the low percentage of female superintendents, the reason for this study was to make various groups in leadership positions aware of such factors.

Three research questions were studied:

1. Do practicing K-12 male superintendents in Michigan possess significantly different beliefs and perceptions toward female superintendents than do practicing female superintendents?

2. What experiences did the respondent have in working with a female superintendent?

3. What perceptions do K-12 superintendents …

Illness Impact And Adjustment To Parkinson's Disease: Before And After Treatment With Tolcapone, Mickie D. Welsh Dnsc, Rn

Dissertations

There is evidence that adjustment to chronic illnesses such as Parkinson's disease (PD) may be affected by psychological factors especially how patients appraise and cope with the stress of their illness. There has been limited research available examining the role of illness impact or appraisal in adjustment to chronic illness. No studies were found dealing with the interrelationship of illness impact, adjustment and pharmacological treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the quality of life (as conceptualized by impact of illness and adjustment) was improved by treatment with tolcapone in persons with Parkinson's disease. This study was …

Development Of A Participative Approach To Guide Organizational Change: Reviewing The Sawtooth Technique, Port Robert Martin Edd

Dissertations

In a world economy that bears scant resemblance to the one dominated by the United States following World War II, many American companies have found it increasingly difficult to keep pace with their foreign competitors. The public sector, too, has found itself under significant pressure to provide needed services but with significantly reduced resources. In each individual case leaders have been seeking new solutions to both old and new problems, and organizations have been faced with change and its impacts. The purpose of this study was to design a methodology that could be used to structure organizational changes in such …

The Identification Of Behavioral Indicators Of A Superintendent's Leadership Success: A Delphi Study, Douglas George Player Edd

Dissertations

In British Columbia, as well as other Canadian provinces, an annual report is produced by every school district. The report informs the citizens using a variety of indicators that demonstrate the level of success of the district. These reports do not include specific indicators on the level of success of the superintendent or other administrators in the district. This study sought to identify and describe behaviors that could serve as indicators of a superintendent's leadership success. It also sought to ensure that the indicators were aligned with the leadership behaviors applicable to a Total Quality Management model. The research methodology …

Literary Allusion And Myth In The Five Canonical Ancient Greek Novels, Edmund P. Cueva

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Grounded Theory Of Knowledge Utilization In Undergraduate Management Majors: An Institutional Study, Alfred Rosenbloom

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Validation Of A Stress Scale For Asian American College Students And Variables Related To Their Perceptions Of Stress, Stephanie Falk

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Professionalism And Effectiveness: A Grounded Theory Study Of Teachers' Perceptions, Patricia Marie Surdyk

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Gender-Role Attitudes Among Contemporary White And African American Couples, Margaret Cecile Dust

Dissertations

Problem. Limited and conflictual studies have been completed on White and African American marriages and gender-roles. As a result, this study sought to compare perceptions of gender-roles in White and African American married couples. In addition, this study looked at relationships between gender-roles, length of marriage, and level of education in White and African American married couples.

Method. A total of 92 couples (26 African American, 33 White interacting married, 33 White non-interacting defacto) participated in this study. The defacto couples served as a control group.

The Bem Sex-Role Inventory, Masculine-Feminine Sex-Roles Survey, and a demographics sheet were given to …

A Descriptive Case Study Of Teacher Study Groups And Teachers' Perceptions Of The Impact Of Study Groups On Professional Growth, Rita Henriquez-Roark

Dissertations

Problem. Few studies have focused on defining and delineating the essential characteristics of veteran teacher study groups or the perceptions of teachers about how study groups affect their professional growth.

Purpose. The purposes of this study were to: (1) define and delineate the essential characteristics of existing study groups; (2) describe the effects of study groups on the professional growth of the teacher in the workplace and; (3) explore the implications of ongoing study groups on school change, school improvement, and staff development.

Methodology. This study used a descriptive, qualitative case study method based on interviews, observations, surveys, documents, and …