Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Of The Validity Of The Global Assessment Scale, Daniel J. Dekker

Dissertations

The study evaluated the concurrent validity of the Global Assessment Scale (GAS), a rating scale which is used to measure overall severity of psychiatric disturbance in program evaluation systems and in research studies. Validity was evaluated by comparing GAS ratings of 60 community mental health outpatients to scores on the MMPI.

The literature review indicated that the GAS has been used in over 90 studies. Thirty-one inter-rater reliability coefficients cited indicated an acceptable median reliability of .80, but studies relevant to the GAS's validity were sparse and marginally supportive. The GAS was utilized primarily to evaluate change due to psychotherapy …

The Perceptual Effect Of Patients' First Name On The Clinical Judgment Of Psychopathology By Psychotherapists, Dennis G. Cowan

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between a patient's first name (desirable versus undesirable) and the clinical judgment of psychopathology by mental health professionals. Specifically, this study examined how a patient's first name affected the diagnosis of maladjustment.

A total of 266 mental health professionals viewed a standardized video taped interview with a patient. Through the analysis of two surveys, the following first names were randomly presented with the viewed patient: Christopher, David, Mortimer and Junior. It was found, at the .00001 level of probability, that when the patient possessed the less desirable first name of …

A Study Of The Knowledge About Reading Concepts Of Principals Of Schools Holding Membership In The Association Of Christian Schools International, Maxine Edge Margesson

Dissertations

This study focused upon the amount of knowledge that elementary principals in schools holding membership in the Association of Christian Schools International have regarding primary reading instruction. The problem was based on the contention that the elementary principal is responsible for the instructional program in his or her school, and in order to offer quality supervision, he or she must be knowledgeable about curriculum.

Data were obtained from a research questionnaire completed by 220 principals and 1,065 elementary teachers. The questionnaire contained 40 statments relating to primary-grade reading. Seven categories of reading concepts were utilized: (1) word recognition, (2) comprehension, …

A Study Of The Role Of Vocational Education Instructors As Perceived By Vocational Instructors, Vocational Administrators, Advisory Committee Members, And Vocational Counselors, Laverne M. Youngblade

Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to examine role expectations held for vocational education instructors by the following reference groups: vocational instructors, vocational education advisory committee members, and vocational counselors. A sample of 356 participants from 27 schools throughout the state of Michigan completed the Vocational Education Teacher Questionnaire which was used to measure the groups' expectations of the role of vocational education instructors. Twelve hypotheses predicted differences in groups' expectations. Using one-way analysis of variance statistical technique and the Welch approximate t test, the hypotheses were tested. Differences were found between: (1) Instructors and administrators regarding definition of performance …

The Relationship Between Leadership Style And Perceived Performance On Selected Tasks For Uniserv Directors Of The Michigan Education Association, David L. Myers

Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between leadership style and perceived performance in selected tasks. Using the 99 UniServ Directors of the Michigan Education Association, the objective of the study was to provide additional criteria that could be used to assist organizational leaders in assignment of staff to areas of specialization. The selected task areas were (a) negotiations, (b) arbitration, (c) writing, (d) political action, (e) public relations, (f) member counseling, (g) leadership training, and (h) organizing.

Leadership style was defined using the two dimensional nature of leadership postulated by Fleishman (1957), Blake and Mouton (1964), Reddin (1980), Hersey and Blanchard …

An Application Of Performance Analysis In A Food Cooperative, Lone Milani

Dissertations

A performance systems analysis was applied in a small business to diagnose problems and direct decisions in order to solve performance deficiencies of that organization. A "performance audit," as the approach is called, consists of analyzing an operating system from the most general to the most specific levels of vantage (i.e., levels at which a system operates). The levels of vantage for any system are: philosophical, cultural, policy, strategic, tactical, and logistic. At each level the actual performance was compared to predetermined standards called "exemplary performance." This comparison facilitated the diagnosis of the organization's deficiencies.

The study attempted to design …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Of Life Events And Self Concept To Depression In A Psychiatric Inpatient-Adolescent Population, David L. Harris

Dissertations

In the present investigation, a group of mildly depressed adolescent inpatients was compared with a moderately to severely depressed sample on measures of self-concept and life events. The expected differences between the groups were hypothesized on the basis of current theoretical and clinical considerations emphasized in the literature. Previous research has implicated the magnitude of readjustment required by significant life experiences and self concept with depression.

Seventy-four subjects participated and were assigned to one of two groups by dichotomizing scores on the Beck Depression Inventory. The relationships of scores on the Tennessee Self Concept Scale, Life Event History, and Minnesota …

A Reliability Study Of The Peer Nomination Inventory Of Depression When Used By Adults In Determining The Psychological Condition Of Depression In Children, Jeffrey R. Glindmeyer

Dissertations

In the present investigation, the reliability of a modified version of an inventory developed to assess the psychological condition of depression in children was undertaken. The Peer Nomination Inventory of Depression (PNID), an instrument designed to assess depression in children through having peers rate each other on a number of items, was modified to be used by adult raters for this same purpose. Staff members, including therapists, educators, and direct care professionals at the RiverView Hospital for Children, a psychiatric hospital in Middletown, Connecticut, completed ratings on eight boys ranging in age from seven to thirteen years of age. The …

The Relationship Between Systems Theory And Behavior Analysis, Michael B. Oberlin

Dissertations

This paper provides a conceptual framework which clarifies the relationship between General Systems Theory and Behavior Analysis. This framework is supplied by a theoretical notion borrowed from Simon (1962), the notion of "dynamics of interaction." "Interaction" refers to interaction between the units of analysis of science, e.g., in the analysis of behavior, stimuli, responses, and consequences in economics, units of supply and demand. The paradigm of Behavior Analysis is seen to accommodate a "higher-frequency dynamics" found in subsystems; and General Systems Theory, along with disciplines like Economics and Organizational Analysis, accommodates a "lower-frequency dynamics" found in systems. Argument is based …

The Effects Of A Cognitive Stress Management Program On Perceptions Of Stress Levels, Sara Sue Schaeffer

Dissertations

The impact of a cognitively oriented stress management program on participants' perceptions of their stress levels was assessed utilizing a prepost test format with randomly selected experimental and control groups. Between the pre and post tests the experimental group experienced the stress management workshop which focused on four major components: becoming aware of stress and its effects, assessing personal responses to stress, learning effective coping strategies, and designing a personal stress management program. Two measurement instruments were utilized. The Stress Program Assessment Instrument (SPAI) measured participant's cognitive knowledge of stress and coping strategies. The Life Experiences Survey (LES) measured participants' …

Gender Difference As A Factor In Psychological Crisis, Paula Laufer

Dissertations

The study's purpose was to examine possible gender differences in problem perception and desired treatment outcome of 311 persons (135 males and 176 females) selected from a pool of 1500 clients seeking treatment at an outpatient mental health clinic in a medium-sized midwestern city. One hundred males and one hundred females were randomly selected for inclusion.

Literature related to crisis theory, research in linguistics, and gender role indicated evidence supporting gender role differences in a variety of interpersonal situations. Clients' verbatim written statements and their reactions to a standard problem checklist at the time of intake provided the data base …

A Descriptive Study Of Organizational Structure And Its Relationship To Employee Utilization In The Electric Utility Industry, Frederick M. Keaton

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects that six structural variables had upon the utilization of employees within an electric utility. Specifically the objectives were: (1) To investigate the relationship between the organizational level within an organization and work force utilization. (2) To determine whether a relationship exists between span of control and work force utilization. (3) To determine whether a relationship exists between line versus staff positions and work force utilization. (4) To investigate the relationship between organizational subunit size and work force utilization. (5) To investigate the relationship between centralized versus decentralized organizations and work …

Student Leaders As Interpreters Of High School Student Opinion, William Gerard Mulcrone

Dissertations

This study was designed to investigate the accuracy with which selected student leaders from 30 public high schools in Macomb County, Michigan, reflected the opinions of the general student population of high school seniors in the same county. Specifically, data were collected which would determine the advisability of implementing change suggested by the opinions of the student leaders.

Data were collected from 90 elected high school student leaders selected by faculty and administration to represent their schools on the Student Commission on Public Education (SCOPE), and a systematic random sample of 607 high school seniors using portions of the "Macomb …

A Study Of Leadership Training Programs For Charge Nurses In Nursing Homes, Joanne Esther Smith

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop leadership training program components for charge nurses in nursing homes and to learn if there were differences in the perceptions of the directors of nursing and the charge nurses concerning the proposed components.

Three research questions were developed for consideration. The first question was concerned with the perceptions of the directors of nursing and the charge nurses concerning the need for the proposed 14 leadership components, while the second question was concerned with the present status of these components in training programs in their respective nursing homes. The third question was concerned …

An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Denominational Affiliation And Religious Orientation And Death Perspectives Of The Clergy, Donald Philip Gillespie

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of religious belief and religious orientation to death perspectives. The population was the clergy of three denominations: Conservative Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Southern Baptist. Virtually no research has been completed which explores these issues among this occupational group.

Research on religious orientation and death perspectives has been fraught with methodological difficulties. The major problem has been the unidimensional conceptualization of the variables. Multidimensional scales were used in this study to avoid that problem. These scales (refined by Spilka) were subjected to factor analyses which resulted in the formulation of new …

The Implementation Of Human Reproductive Programs Following Pa 226 Of 1977 In Michigan K-12 Public School Districts, Jerry L. Hilton

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree to which the Michigan K-12 Public School Districts have chosen to implement Public Act 226 of 1977. This statute from the Michigan Legislature deals with the topic of sex education in the public schools. The review of literature resulted in four hypotheses based upon the setting, size, basic instructional expenditures and the location of the district within the state. A research instrument was mailed to all 529 public school districts and had an 87% return rate with good representation from the entire state. For this study the state of Michigan …

Complex Behavior: A Systematic Reformulation Of Radical Behavioral Analyses, Linda J. Parrott

Dissertations

Mentalistic psychology thrives in the absence of a satisfactory, naturalistic account of complex human behavior. Inadequacies in the radical behavioral position with respect to complex events are of two sorts. First, the complexity of such events is undermined, either by reducing the latter; or, by providing only a very superficial treatment of events at their own level of complexity. The former procedure applies to Skinner's treatment of verbal behavior; the latter to his distinction between rule governed and contingency shaped behavior. Second, the analyses made of some classes of complex phenomena indicate a commerce with metaphysical philosophy, and they thereby …

Effects Of Social Support As A Moderator Of Role Stress Among School Principals, Richard Glen Siler

Dissertations

In this study, an interdisciplinary approach was used to examine the problem of role stress and social support as a stress moderator. The purposes of this study were: (a) to determine the level of occupational stress for school principals and identify significant occupational stressors, (b) to measure the effects of social support in reducing role stress, (c) to note the characteristics of the effective providers of social support, and (d) to identify factors in the educational setting that can strengthen coping skills by providing for social support.

A total sample of 355 subjects was randomly selected from the larger population …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Teachers' Perceptions Of Self-Actualization Needs And Their Perceptions Of Satisfaction With The Teaching Profession, Margaret Anne Kennard

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teachers' perceptions of how well they are meeting their self-actualization needs and their perceptions of satisfaction with the teaching profession. The review of related literature led to the development of the main hypothesis: "There is a direct relationship between teachers' perceptions of how well they are meeting their self-actualization needs and their perceptions of satisfaction with the teaching profession." Eight subhypotheses were developed which dichotomized segments of the population according to gender, age, years of experience, and grade level taught. The relationship between perceptions of self-actualization and perceptions of …

Correlates Of Role Choice Among High School Senior Females: Family Variables, Sex-Role Orientation, Self-Esteem, And Academic Success, Loretta E. Lobbia

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Synaptic Transmission In The Inferior Mesenteric Ganglion Of The Rabbit: An Electrophysiological And Immunohistochemical Study, Mark Alan Simmons

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Changing American Catholic University, Donald R. Lamagdeleine

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Sex Of Subject And Cognitive Style As Predictors Of Successful Biofeedback Performance, Michael Wallace Tetkowski

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Transition Process In Office Automation And Its Impact On Clerical Workers: A Case Study, Judith Turnbull Green Edd

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to study the transition process of office automation and its impact on clerical workers. The objective was to provide computer-naive managers with recommendations on factors to consider when managing the office automation change process. The topic was investigated using a case study approach. The setting was a large, multi-function, research-oriented, urban university on the west coast. Data were gathered through interviews, observations and examination of documents. Twenty-five clerical workers (representing different segments of the campus and having experience using different types of computer-assisted office equipment), who had experienced the transition process of office automation, …

Attitudes Of Teachers And Administrators Toward The Handicapped In Malaysia And Implications For Teacher Training And Program Development, Rachel Mathews Edd

Dissertations

The primary purposes of this study were to investigate the attitudes of teachers and principals based on demographic and experiential variables and to make recommendations for teacher training and program development based on the results of the study. Subjects were (N = 450) elementary schoolteachers and (N = 30) principals from the state of Selangor in Malaysia. The Attitude Toward Handicapped Individuals Scale (ATHI) and a personal data questionnaire including two open-ended questions related to the treatment of the handicapped and categorical preferences for exceptionalities were used in this survey research. Ninety-two percent of the questionnaires were returned with 87% …

An Assessment Of The Perceived Inservice Needs Of K-12 Teachers Of The Lake Union Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Hazel R. Wright

Dissertations

Problem

While an active and costly inservice program exists for teachers of the Lake Union Conference, there appears to be no data on the perceived inservice needs of these teachers. Consequently, there is a need to identify their perceived inservice educational needs for purpose of enhancement and strengthening the existing program. The present study attempts to identify the perceived inservice needs of the K-12 teachers of the Lake Union Conference currently employed within its educational system.

Method

Data was gathered by using the "Lake Union Conference Inservice Assessment" which was a modified version of Ingersoll's Teacher Needs Assessment Survey modified …

An Analysis Of The Profile, Roles, Functions, And Behavior Of Women On Boards Of Education In Dupage County, Illinois, Stephanie Anne Pace Marshall

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Role Of Secondary School Supervisors In Bangkok, Thailand, Suganda Tapaneeyangkul

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Relationships Among Occupational Stress, Life Stress, Social Support And The Burnout Experienced By Staff Nurses Working In Diverse Hospital-Based Specialty Areas, Diane Cronin-Stubbs

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Construction And Evaluation Of A Workbook To Facilitate Productive Self-Understanding, Allan H. Schnarr

Dissertations

No abstract provided.