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A Historical Perspective Of The Freedom Schools: Implications For Social Change, O. Yvonette Murrell Powell Edd

Dissertations

Since the first African slave ship arrived on the American shores, the nature of life for these new inhabitants has differed greatly from that of any other immigrant group. The usual patterns of assimilation were not present. While most other immigrant groups were able to assimilate within three generations by making name changes, taking on characteristics of the majority population, finding employment and acculturating via education, the same avenues were not available to Blacks. After approximately 400 years of differential treatment, negative stereotyping, social stigmatization, and inordinate poverty, many Blacks are still struggling to assimilate. One of the greatest points …

A Case Study Of Shared Governance At Imperial Valley College, Gregorio A. Ponce Edd

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze and synthesize the perceptions and experiences of individuals and groups responsible for implementing shared governance at Imperial Valley College. Consequently, this investigation sought to establish (a) who was directly involved with the governance process, (b) how the process was operationalized, and (c) the benefits, drawbacks, and unresolved issues for implementing the governance process. The design of this investigation was a qualitative case study. Noting that the use of multiple sources of data collection adds to the reliability and validity of a study, interviews, observations, documents, and the professional literature on governance were …

Changes In Navy Leadership Theory And Practice: Post-Vietnam, Nicholas A. Trongale Edd

Dissertations

Since the Vietnam War, Navy leadership theory and practice has changed, becoming more like current civilian leadership theory and practice than traditional leadership of old. Indicators of this change have been seen in journal writings, the new Navy performance evaluation structure, current Navy leadership training, and by the birth of a Navy Command Leadership School. This study was designed to explore the evolution and recent history of the Navy's leadership theory and practice for indications of change. Combining a qualitative and quantitative methodology, this study used a 5-point Likert-type scale survey that included a written comments section. Over 70% of …

Faculty Perceptions Of Dean Transitions: Does Trust Matter? An Interpretive Case Study Of Organizational Trust And Organizational Culture, Rebecca L. Woolston Edd

Dissertations

This study looked for factors that might have influenced faculty perceptions of new deans at a professional school in the western part of the United States. More specifically, the study explored the question of how organizational trust may have influenced perceptions of new deans and faculty willingness to trust new deans. A single case study used guided interviews as data for the interpretive analysis. The study sought to provide insight into the phenomenon of dean transitions. The study also endeavored to add new dimensions to current conceptualizations of organizational trust and culture by highlighting a previously underexplored but potentially relevant …

The Effectiveness Of The High-School Academic Program In Preparing Graduates For Post-Secondary Education As Perceived By Alumni From Four Seventh-Day Adventist Senior High Schools In Canada, Janice P. Maitland

Dissertations

Problem. Questions have been raised regarding the preparation of high-school students for postsecondary studies. This study was designed to measure the effectiveness of the high-school academic program in preparing graduates for postsecondary education as perceived by alumni from four Seventh-day Adventist senior high schools in Canada.

Method. Respondents were asked to indicate their level of agreement for each of 18 statements on a Likert-type (survey) instrument, strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5), measured against a scale—I-2.5, minimally effective; 2.51-3.5, moderately effective; and 3.51-5, highly effective. Mean scores and standard deviation scores were calculated to answer the first research question. …

The Historical Development Of The Religion Curriculum At Battle Creek College, 1874-1901, Medardo Esau Marroquin

Dissertations

Topic. This study focused on the evaluation of the historical development of the religion curriculum at Battle Creek College from its founding in 1874, to its removal to Berrien Springs in 1901. Battle Creek College was the first Seventh-day Adventist educational enterprise. As such, it became influential in establishing the direction of subsequent Adventist education, and the foundation of Adventist educational philosophy.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to trace the development of the religion curriculum in relation to the purposes and goal statements of the college as they changed from 1874 to 1901, and in relation to …

College Graduates' Perception Of Placement-Service Impact At Three Selected Institutions Of Higher Education In The Michiana Area, Javan Lukema Ntaganda

Dissertations

Problem. Colleges have established offices of career planning and placement services to advise students who are making decisions concerning their vocational goals and to help graduates secure employment in their field of study. However, despite good intentions and efforts put together by colleges in establishing such offices, one problem still exists and needs to be addressed: It appears that the impact of career planning and placement services is not clearly understood by all potential graduates. There is a need for research to investigate how students perceive services provided by this office.

Method. The study acquired the perceptions of 255 graduates …

Levels Of Acculturation Of Children Of Mexican Descent As Perceived In Their Kinetic Family Drawings, Kevin Adolfo Rosado

Dissertations

Problem. Information on Hispanic children and their families is limited. More research activity is crucial in the light of the rapidly expanding population of Latino/Hispanics. Mexican families present a particular challenge to clinicians and to treatment settings, as well as to researchers. The impact of acculturation on psychological assessment instruments is largely unknown. This study sought to use the Kinetic Family Drawing (KFD) as a tool to gain information about how differences in acculturation are reflected through drawings done by children of Mexican descent.

Method. Private and public schools with representation of Mexican-American and Caucasian children from rural, semi-rural, small …

An Analysis Of Role Perceptions And Job Satisfaction Of Secondary-School Counselors In Trinidad And Tobago, Hillman St. Brice

Dissertations

Problem. The increasing emphasis on school counseling by the Ministry of Education in Trinidad and Tobago highlights the need to clarify and standardize the role of the counselor in the secondary schools. The satisfaction of these needs can be facilitated by determining the perceptions held by counselors, principals, teachers, and students about the counselor’s role in the school system; by clearly articulating this role; and by identifying the relationships between the counselor’s role and the counselor’s job satisfaction. The burden of this study was to determine these perceptions and relationships.

Method. A descriptive mode of inquiry was used to explore …

Cognitive And Non-Cognitive Characteristics As Predictors Of College Success Among African-American And Caucasian Students In A Comprehensive Community College, Denise Marie Scameheorn

Dissertations

Problem. This study examined the relationship of selected cognitive and non-cognitive characteristics of community college students, particularly Aftican-American and Caucasian students, with self-concept, class attendance patterns, and GPA.

Method. The subjects were 185 community college students. They completed the Non- Cognitive Questionnaire and the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory. Demographic data were obtained from the college student database. Instructors provided attendance and grade records.

Results.

1. Student self-concept was related to age, academic background and skills, and selected learning and study strategies.

2. Student class attendance was related to family support, ethnicity, academic background and skills, and motivation.

3. Student …

The Impact Of Intentional Learning Experiences For Personal Spiritual Formation On Seminary Students, Carol M. Tasker

Dissertations

Problem. Many seminary students describe their time in seminary as a spiritual desert. Most Protestant seminaries do not provide spiritual formation classes for their students, thinking that such measures are unnecessary or inappropriate for theological education, or assuming that the church is the place for spiritual formation to take place. Nevertheless, pastors are expected to be spiritual leaders, and the pastor’s spirituality is ranked by laity as the highest priority needed by seminary graduates for effective church ministry. A literature survey of theological education shows that, in the last 150 years, students have consistently recognized their need for help …

The Impact Of The College Experience On The Lives Of Female Single-Parent Students, Elizabeth Darby Watson

Dissertations

Problem. Poverty affects all people groups, but women are systematically poorer than men are. The feminization of poverty aptly defines the plight and consequence of women's poverty. In the United States the current federal mandate requires all able-bodied adults to be gainfully employed. Minimum-wage jobs, for unskilled and untrained workers, do not move poor women and their families out of poverty.

Method. This study used quantitative and qualitative data to explore the impact of the college experience on 56 single parents who had attended a tuition-driven, faith-based college during the 10-year period of 1987-1997. Responses from a mailed questionnaire and …

The Effect Of A Jail-Based Substance-Abuse Program On Anxiety, Depression, And Locus Of Control, Peggy Leigh Frick

Dissertations

Problem. More and more alcohol and drug users are coming into contact with the criminal justice system. Some of these individuals may have comorbid mental health issues. This present study sought to determine whether the New Avenues Substance Abuse Treatment Program, housed at the Correctional Work Center, Davidson County, Tennessee, did, in the course of treatment, have an impact on the anxiety, depression, and locus of control of those individuals completing the program.

Method. The Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Rotter Internal versus External Control of Reinforcement Scale were utilized to measure depression, anxiety, and locus …

Venezuelan Adventist University Institute: The Development Of A Seventh-Day Adventist Educational Institution, 1962-1999, Pablo E. Huérfano

Dissertations

Problem. The first and only Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) tertiary-level institution in Venezuela is Venezuelan Adventist University Institute. It was founded initially as asecondary boarding academy in 1962, began offering college level programs in 1990, was accredited by the Seventh-day Adventist Church at the college level in 1995, and achieved status as a university institute under Venezuelan law in 1999. No comprehensive history has been written portraying its development.

Method. The documentary-historical method, based on published and unpublished material, was used. Sources included books, periodicals, school bulletins, board minutes, school reports, school evaluations, correspondence, interviews, and other documents pertaining to …

A Longitudinal Study Of Seventh-Day Adventist Adolescents Through Young Adulthood Concerning Retention In Or Disaffiliation From The Church, Gyung Gu Kim

Dissertations

Problem. Why do some Seventh-day Adventist youth leave the church in North America? The proportion of the youth who disaffiliate themselves from the church is considered to be a problem of serious concern for parents, teachers, other religious educators, and the church itself. It was the purpose of this study to discover the relationships that may exist between youth retention in the church and other selected variables.

Method. The Ten-Year Youth Study of Youth Retention in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America furnished data for statistical analyses. Out of the 578 questions of the Ten-Year Youth Study, relevant items …

Creation In Isaiah, Wann M. Fanwar

Dissertations

This study investigates the role of creation thought in Isaiah in order to determine its relationship to Isaiah's concept of God as creator, especially as it pertains to his salvific work for and through Israel. This investigation is carried out in three steps. First, Isaiah's use of creation language, which involves specific explicit creation terms and implicit references (metaphors), is investigated. Second, selected creation texts, namely, 4:2-6; 43:1-7; 44:24-45:25; and 65:17-25, are exegeted. Third, Isaiah's creation thought is studied in relationship to other significant concepts in the book, such as salvation theology and redemption history, and God's salvific intention for …

The Classification Of The Greek Manuscripts Of 1 Peter With Special Emphasis On Methodology, Kenneth Keumsang Yoo

Dissertations

The problem. Either because of methodological flaws or because of inadequate databases, Greek manuscripts of 1 Peter have not been satisfactorily examined. This study is an attempt to establish a better textual critical method and to apply it to a larger database. The method identifies new statistical techniques that facilitate quantitative analysis, necessary to establish the tentative groups that are used for the profiling of manuscripts.

The method. The method I used for the classification of Greek manuscripts of 1 Peter combines the computer-generated profile method and a statistical technique known as factor analysis. The profile method has …

Intergenerational Transmission Of Values Through Adages In An Ecuadorian Family, Norma Albán-Lowry

Dissertations

Problem. This study explored the function of adages in intergenerational value transmission in an Ecuadorian family. Drawing on the richness of Hispanic culture, the study documents a method used by parents and grandparents to pass on their wisdom to younger generations.

The transmission of values to younger generations has always been of special interest to parents, teachers, and religious educators. While the role of the family in the transmission of values has been researched, the use of adages, long practiced as a traditional parenting method in Ecuadorian families, had not been studied.

Method. The ethnographic method, as proposed …

Tradition As A Viable Option For Protestant Theology : The Vincentian Method Of Thomas C. Oden, Kwabena Donkor

Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes Thomas Oden's theological method in order to understand its structural elements, and thereby, to facilitate a clearer comprehension of his commitment to the classic Christian tradition in the context of the increasing contemporary emphasis on postmodernism in Protestant theology. Given Oden's affirmation of the Christian tradition and his simultaneous commitment to postmodern sensitivities, the dissertation strives to examine how Oden is able to harmonize what essentially appears to be a dialectical situation. Thus, although the emphasis on tradition in Oden raises the perennial issue of Scripture versus Tradition, the postmodern question raises the issue beyond the usual …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Police Stress And Moral Reasoning, Coping Mechanisms, And Selected Demographic Variables, Harvey J. Burnett

Dissertations

Problem. Past research provides information on stress and its relationship to the law enforcement officer's coping mechanisms. However, there is no research on how the element of moral reasoning relates within the conceptual framework of Police stress and coping. This present study investigated the relationship between police stress and moral reasoning, coping mechanisms, and selected demographic variables among police officers.

Method. The subjects for this study were 71 full-time certified law enforcement officers in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties of Michigan. A brief demographic questionnaire was utilized, followed by the Police Stress Survey (PSS), the Defining Issues Test …

The Evolving Face Of God As Creator: Early Ninteenth-Century Traditionalist And Accommodationist Theological Responses In British Religious Thought To Paleonatural Evil In The Fossil Record, Thane Hutcherson Ury

Dissertations

The Topic

From the early Reformation through the early 1800s, Gen 1-11 was consensually understood as providing a perspicacious, historical account of how God brought the world into being. Tenets of belief included six literal 24-hour days of creation and a catastrophic global Flood, and most often the conviction that Gen 1:31 implies that no evil of any type existed prior to the Fall. New geological interpretations in the early nineteenth century, however, pointed toward an earth history that seemed anything but very good, instead suggesting a harsh concatenation of deep-time prelapsarian pain, struggle, destruction of the weak, predation, diseases, …

Impact Of A Short-Term Shelter Program On Selected Outcome Indicators Among Youths And Their Parents, Gale Sandra Hackworth

Dissertations

Problem. Innovative services have been developed over the last 10 years to assist families in coping with the increased demands associated with child rearing. One burgeoning area of resource development has been that of"respite" for parents. A variety of programs and methods have been utilized in providing these services. While families frequently proffer the benefit of these programs, there is a relative paucity of data to substantiate these claims. This study has attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of respite programming using outcome indicators which include both objective and subjective measures. This study focused upon families utilizing a short-term respite …

Intergovernmental Mediation : A Technique For Successful Local Government Partnerships, W. Thomas Wiseman

Dissertations

Problem. Statement Local government officials are faced with ever-increasing citizens' demands and unfunded Federal and State mandates while competing with neighboring governments for dwindling federal and state monies. Both of these tend to fuel intergovernmental conflicts. Research is necessary, therefore, to determine the most effective ways of addressing the alarming rate at which intergovernmental conflict is occurring in order to meet the needs of local government officials.

Methodology. This study examined the relationship between local government organizations in terms of intergovernmental mediation, conflict resolution, and the sharing of revenues and resources. Data were collected from county commissioners in Ohio, …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of School Culture In Relation To Job Satisfaction And Commitment, Mayda Bahamonde-Gunnell

Dissertations

The concepts of culture and climate have been investigated in the corporate world and have been found to relate to increased job satisfaction and commitment. Schools can also benefit from such findings. In the school setting there are a number of studies that have been conducted relating school culture and climate to student achievement, but few have investigated the relationship of school climate and culture to job commitment and satisfaction.

Organizational culture, employee job satisfaction, an d employee commitment are all variables that must be measured in order to investigate how culture affects the organization. In this study, teachers’ perceptions …

An Exploratory Study Of Michigan Grantmaker Attributes And Competencies, Lisa R. Wyatt Knowlton

Dissertations

Foundation trustees and professional staff are giving greater attention to issues of accountability and return on investment, while voices of those with significant experience in the private sector inquire with increasing frequency and vigor about the organizational performance of foundations. For these reasons there must be renewed attention on the competencies and attributes of grantmaking practitioners. This study is a self-assessment by grantmakers based on the construct of Emotional Intelligence (Goleman, 1995) as well as competency studies in organizational management and leadership.

In association with the Council of Michigan Foundations, grantmakers associated with foundations holding in excess of $1 million …

Membership At Risk: Representation Of Disability In Popular Counselor Education Textbooks, Nancy A. Rosenau

Dissertations

Representations of disability in American culture are saturated with negative images and meanings. Pervasive negativity threatens full societal membership and its related benefits of a sense of belonging, connectedness, and inclusion, and a source of identity, social networks and empowerment for people with disabilities.

Disability pride is a resistant movement that seeks to denaturalize assumptions about the negative experience of disability. The multicultural turn in counseling recognizes that competent practice requires awareness of diverse groups in society. Disability as the largest minority group in the U.S. requires counselor awareness. This study examined the representation of disability in a sample of …

Environment, Cultures, And Social Change On The Great Plains: A History Of Crow Creek Tribal School, Robert W. Galler Jr.

Dissertations

This study explores the socio-cultural history of a school for Native American students on the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation in central South Dakota. The case study places the school's history (1886-present) within the context of the historic interaction between environment, cultures, and social change on the Great Plains.

This work focuses on a Catholic school and the multi-dimensional students and staff who constitute its story. These individuals acted neither as perpetually passive students nor simplistically sinister administrators. Instead, this dissertation broadly explores the challenging nature of intercultural relations that led to the founding of the school and how tribal/Catholic interactions …

Emotional Expressiveness And Problematic Behaviors Among Male Juvenile Sexual Offenders, General Offenders, And Nonoffenders, Carin M. Ness

Dissertations

This analytic variable study examined the potential differences that exist among male juvenile sexual offenders (JSOs), general offenders (GOs), and nonoffenders (NOs) on the emotional expressiveness variables of alexithymia and affective orientation, and three problematic behavior variables including self-defeating behavior, risk taking, and reckless behavior. It was hypothesized that JSOs and GOs would be statistically significantly different than NOs on all variables but not different from each other.

Hypotheses were tested by a MANOVA. When statistical significance was indicated, ANOVAs were computed to identify the specific groups and measures, which were statistically significant The significance level for all analyses was …

Venture Behavioral Health Southwestern Michigan Treatment Of Depression Collaborative Study: The Effectiveness Of Behavioral Activation Group Therapy: An Initial Investigation, Jeffrey F. Porter

Dissertations

A recent empirical study (Jacobson et al., 1996) suggested that the Behavioral Activation (BA) component of Beck’s Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CT) for depression (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979) may be as effective a treatment for clinical depression as the full CT treatment. BA involves intervention choices that are fewer in number and more straightforward than those contained in CT, making BA a more efficient treatment than CT. The purpose of this study was to extend the research on BA by administering it as a group therapy and to evaluate this treatment in a natural setting. This was achieved by classifying …

The Effects Of Radiation Damage On The Vortex Dynamics Of High Temperature Superconductors, Andra Petrean

Dissertations

This work focuses on the interaction between magnetic vortices in high temperature superconductors and defects introduced by irradiation with protons and heavy ions. The study concentrates on the high temperature superconductor YBa;Cu30 7J5. This material is used to investigate the role of disorder in phase transitions, a topic of great interest in Solid State Physics. In addition, this study analyzes the interaction between vortices and columnar defects in various doses and defect morphologies, including the thermal stability of columnar defects.

We present experimental evidence of the vortex glass phase in proton irradiated Y B a:Cu:!0 -.15. For the first time, …