Digital Commons Network^™

Classroom Personalities Of Effective Teachers Within A Technical College Setting, Fred Manley

Dissertations

This study used student ratings to examine relationships between instructor personality and teaching effectiveness for technical college faculty. Research was specifically conducted to address three questions: (1) what personality traits are associated with effective teaching, (2) do the personality profiles of effective teachers differ by academic area, and (3) are there personality dimensions that distinguish above average from below-average instructors.

Students enrolled in classes taught by instructors randomly selected from the accounting, computer information systems, marketing, and office occupations departments at five Wisconsin technical colleges rated their instructors on 29 personality traits and 18 teaching behaviors. Pearson product-moment correlations were …

Parallel Process In Psychotherapy Supervision And Its Relationship To Empathy, Gary E. Beyer

Dissertations

How clinical supervisors manage empathy and empathy failure and its relationship to parallel process was explored by interviewing highly experienced doctoral level supervisors. Supervisor responses regarding their experiences in supervision with empathy and parallel process phenomena was examined in this study. This approach was grounded in psychodynamic theory regarding constructs of identification (countertransference, projective identification, introjective identification, parallel process and empathy).

A qualitative research design using the constant comparative method was employed. The sample of supervisors consisted of 10 male and 5 female, Caucasian psychologists, ranging in age from 40 to 70 years. Supervisors had a mean of 19 years …

Differentiated Drug Use And Its Relationship To Locus Of Control And Personality Factors Among Women Of Low Socioeconomic Status, Aubrie Catheryn Gordon

Dissertations

This research is a descriptive study assessing the psychological profiles of female substance abusers, both current abusers and recovering abusers, and female nonusers. The sample for this study consisted of 90 women of low socioeconomic status (SES) between the ages of 18 and 50 from a mid-size city in the north central United States. Thirty women from each of the following groups are used in this study: (a) women who are nonusers, (b) women who are currently abusing drugs and other chemical substances, and (c) women who are recovering from drug use and abuse. This study is important because such …

Probability Polynomials For Cubic Graphs In The Framework Of Random Topological Graph Theory, Esther Joy Tesar

Dissertations

Topological graph theorists study the imbeddings of graphs on surfaces (spheres with handles). Some interesting questions in the field are on w hat surfaces can a graph be 2 -cell imbedded and how m any such imbeddings are there on each surface. The study of these and related questions is called Enumerative Topological Graph Theory. Random Topological Graph Theory uses probability models to study the 2-cell imbeddings. It generalizes the results from Enumerative Topological Graph Theory (which is the uniform case, p= 1/2) to an arbitrary probability p.

We study the model where the sample space consists of all labeled, …

Efficient Dominating Sets In Oriented Trees, Quan Yue

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Asymptotic Diagonalizations Of A Linear Ordinary Differential System, Feipeng Xie

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration In The Elementary School A Case Study, Kathryn Kinnucan-Welsch

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the descriptive and interpretive knowledge base about collaboration based on two interdisciplinary teams of elementary school educators representing disciplines of general education, special education, speech-language, reading, and counseling. Using an educational ethnographic design, data were collected through open interviews, team meetings and classroom observations. These data supported the construction of two distinct case studies as well as working hypotheses concerning interdisciplinary collaboration among professionals from specialized disciplines.

One case study was characterized as caseload collaboration. The team originated out of the desire among teachers from specialized disciplines to effect a more …

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 …

The Teachers' And Principals' Perceptions Of The Impact Of Operation Physics On The Teaching Of Elementary Science In Michigan Schools, Brenda Prater Earhart

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of Michigan Operation Physics (MOP) on the teaching and learning of basic physics concepts in the elementary classroom as perceived by both the teachers and principals of those teachers. In addition, the study sought to identify the teachers' and principals' perceptions of the principal's role in promoting science at the elementary level.

The method used for this study was survey research. Questionnaires were mailed to Michigan Operation Physics participants, non- Michigan Operation Physics participants, and the principals of those teachers in southwestern Michigan.

Findings of this study were that teachers' …

Participative Management And Productivity: Partners Or Adversaries?, Michael Heenan Swearingen

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine what style of management was used by different office furniture manufacturers and whether or not a participative style of management affected organizational productivity. Organizational productivity was defined by factoring together the yearly sales and the financial stability for the organization, as defined by Dun & Bradstreet.

The five hypotheses studied were:

1. The higher the educational level of the organization's management is, the more likely they are to use a participative style of management.

2. The older an organization is, the less likely they are to use a participative style of management. …

Leadership Practices And Job Satisfaction: An Examination Of The Relationship Between Academic Deans And Department Chairpersons, Vera Kay Dauffenbach

Dissertations

The focus of this study was an examination of the relationship between academic deans and department chairpersons with respect to leadership practices and job satisfaction. In particular, the purpose was to study the impact of academic deans' leadership practices on the job satisfaction of department chairpersons.

The study involved a random sample of 300 academic deans and 300 department chairpersons from colleges and universities in four upper Midwest states. Testing of seven null hypotheses was based on the responses of 170 deans (57%) and 140 chairpersons (47% ). The instruments used were the Leadership Practices Inventory (Kouzes & Posner, 1987), …

Teachers' Perception Of Instructional Leadership And Student Achievement, David Anspaugh

Dissertations

The focus of this study was to investigate the teachers' perceptions of the principal's leadership behaviors and how the achievement level of the students was affected. Three middle schools representing the Prairie View Public Schools were used in the study. These middle schools were Sparta Middle School, High Plain Middle School, and Middleville Middle School.

A staff survey was given to the 33 teachers in each of the buildings. The survey dealt with 18 leadership behaviors of the principal. The teachers were asked to rate the behaviors as to their importance to them and if the behaviors existed. The survey …

A Descriptive Study Of The Implementation Process For All-Day Alternate Day Kindergarten Schedules In Michigan Public Schools, Kenneth G. Drenth

Dissertations

This research project was initiated and designed to gather data on the decision making, implementation, and evaluative processes being used in Michigan schools implementing all-day alternate day kindergarten schedules.

The major issues of concern w ere an assessment of preplanning activities transpiring prior to implementation, staff development preparations, parental involvement in the decision-making process, and evaluative data collected.

Data were collected during the fall of 1994 via a questionnaire sent to 68 Michigan school districts that had implemented an all-day alternate day kindergarten. The same questionnaire was also sent to five Michigan school districts that had implemented the all-day alternate …

A Wellhead Protection Study Of A Small Agricultural Community In Glaciated Terrain, As A Model For Wellhead Protection Efforts By Similar Communities, Cole Kevan Lovett

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to create a wellhead protection approach for a small town in a rural watershed that could be used by other, similar, communities.

Lacustrine clay and melt-out till interbedded in outwash sands and fine gravel, separate an unconfined aquifer from a deeper aquifer. The lower aquifer was determined to be semiconfined due to (a) high vertical conductivity, (b) lack of continuity in the clay/till, (c) absence of significant seasonal water level changes, and (d) tritium levels above 1-2 tritium units in deep wells.

Tritium level falls and water age rises along flowpaths. A low-high-low pattern …

Step Domination In Graphs, Kelly Lynne Schultz

Dissertations

One of the major areas in Graph Theory is domination in graphs. It is this area with which this dissertation deals, with the primary emphasis on step domination in graphs.

In Chapter 1 we present some preliminary definitions and examples. In addition, a background of the area of domination is presented. We then introduce the concepts that lead to step domination.

In Chapter II we formally define the concept of step domination and give several examples. We determine the minimum number of vertices needed in a step domination set for many classes of graphs. We then explore step domination for …

Mapping Of Portable Parallel Programs, Song Chen

Dissertations

An efficient parallel program designed for a parallel architecture includes a detailed outline of accurate assignments of concurrent computations onto processors, and data transfers onto communication links, such that the overall execution time is minimized. This process may be complex depending on the application task and the target multiprocessor architecture. Furthermore, this process is to be repeated for every different architecture even though the application task may be the same. Consequently, this has a major impact on the ever increasing cost of software development for multiprocessor systems. A remedy for this problem would be to design portable parallel programs which …

Document Preprocessing And Fuzzy Unsupervised Character Classification, Shy-Shyan Chen

Dissertations

This dissertation presents document preprocessing and fuzzy unsupervised character classification for automatically reading daily-received office documents that have complex layout structures, such as multiple columns and mixed-mode contents of texts, graphics and half-tone pictures. First, the block segmentation algorithm is performed based on a simple two-step run-length smoothing to decompose a document into single-mode blocks. Next, the block classification is performed based on the clustering rules to classify each block into one of the types such as text, horizontal or vertical lines, graphics, and pictures. The mean white-to-black transition is shown as an invariance for textual blocks, and is useful …

Composite Beam Analogy Fracture Model (Cbafm) : A Non-Linear Fracture Mechanics Model For Concrete, Mohammed Enamul Haque

Dissertations

The main objective of this dissertation is to develop a simple non-linear fracture mechanics model for the determination of fracture mechanics parameters for concrete, such as fracture process zone length (rp), critical fracture energy release rate (Gic), critical stress intensity factor (KO and fracture energy (GF). The fracture process zone (FPZ) is modeled as a damaged non-elastic cohesive band where the extent of damage due to microcracking varies from no damage at the boundary of FPZ to complete crack surface separation at the notch or macro-crack tip. The proposed method can predict theoretically both the pre-peak and post-peak load versus …

Visual Pattern Recognition Using Neural Networks, Jenlong Moh

Dissertations

Neural networks have been widely studied in a number of fields, such as neural architectures, neurobiology, statistics of neural network and pattern classification. In the field of pattern classification, neural network models are applied on numerous applications, for instance, character recognition, speech recognition, and object recognition. Among these, character recognition is commonly used to illustrate the feature and classification characteristics of neural networks.

In this dissertation, the theoretical foundations of artificial neural networks are first reviewed and existing neural models are studied. The Adaptive Resonance Theory (ART) model is improved to achieve more reasonable classification results. Experiments in applying the …

Grain-Size Optimization And Scheduling For Distributed Memory Architectures, Jing-Chiou Liou

Dissertations

The problem of scheduling parallel programs for execution on distributed memory parallel architectures has become the subject of intense research in recent, years. Because of the high inter-processor communication overhead in existing parallel machines, a crucial step in scheduling is task clustering, the process of coalescing heavily communicating fine grain tasks into coarser ones in order to reduce the communication overhead so that the overall execution time is minimized.

The thesis of this research is that the task of exposing the parallelism in a given application should be left to the algorithm designer. On the other hand, the task of …

Investigation Of Hybrid Message-Passing And Shared-Memory Architectures For Parallel Computer : A Case Study : Turbonet, Xi Li

Dissertations

Several DSP (Digital Signal Processing) algorithms are developed for the MIT TurboNet parallel computer. In contrast to other parallel computers that implement exclusively in hardware either the message-passing or the shared-memory communication paradigm, or employ distributed shared-memory architectures characterized by inefficient implementation of the shared-memory paradigm, the hybrid architecture of TurboNet supports direct, efficient implementation of both paradigms. Three versions of each algorithm are developed, if possible, corresponding to message-passing, shared-memory, and hybrid communications, respectively. Theoretical and experimental comparisons of algorithms are employed in the analysis of performance. The results prove that the hybrid versions generally achieve better performance than …

Biodegradation Of Mixed Wastes : Basic Kinetics And Reaction Engineering For Cyclic Reactor Operation, Kung-Wei Wang

Dissertations

This study dealt with the determination of the detailed kinetics of the biodegradation of mixed substrates by pure cultures, and with reaction engineering studies of bioreactors employed in treatment of substitutable substrates under cyclic operation.

In the first part of the study the degradation of phenol and 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) by two strains of Pseudomonas species was investigated. Strain P. putida 0 was found to be capable of utilizing both phenol and 4-CP as sole carbon and energy sources. This suggests that this strain follows the ortho-cleavage pathway for the aromatic ring. Strain P. putida N could grow on phenol, and …

Dichloromethane Pyrolysis And Oxidation : Formation Of Chlorinated Aromatic Precursors To Pcdd/F, Hong-Ming Chiang

Dissertations

The pyrolysis and oxidation of dichloromethane is studied in a tubular reactor at 1 atmosphere pressure, residence time between 0.3 to 2.0 seconds and in the temperature range 680 - 840°T. Four reactant concentration ratios are:
I. CH₂Cl₂ : Ar =1 : 99 II. CH₂Cl₂ : CH₄ : Ar = 1 : 1:98
III.CH₂Cl₂ : O₂ : Ar = 1:4 : 95 IV. CH₂Cl₂: CH₄ : O₂ Ar = 1: 4: 94

The degradation of dichloromethane, intermediate product formation and decomposition, and final …

Care Of Aging Parents: The Experiences Of Middle-Aged Filipino Women, Carmen B. Toledo Galang Dnsc, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine and analyze parent care as experienced by middle-aged Filipino women, particularly those who have resided in the United States for over 20 years. There is little information known about this topic; therefore, a grounded theory study design was utilized. Open-ended, semi-structured interviews of 29 Filipino women were conducted in English and/or Tagalog, and at times a combination of both languages. Data were transcribed verbatim from the audio-recorded interviews and analyzed using a constant comparative method of analytic induction. Field notes were kept and patterns of observation were analyzed according to their significance. …

A Model Of Patient Satisfaction And Behavioral Intention In Managed Care, Diane Sturdy Greeneich Dnsc, Ms, Rn

Dissertations

Determination of patient outcomes associated with new and return business is a primary objective of the managed care marketplace. Identification of variables which contribute to both positive and negative patient experience in managed care systems is crucial to their effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to test the functional relationships between the variables of nurse practitioner attributes and behaviors, patient perceptions of the managed care system, and outcomes of patient satisfaction and intention to return to and recommend the managed care system. Functional relationships were measured with the Patient Satisfaction Semantic Differential (Greeneich and Long, 1992), and the Service …

A History Of The Concept Of Creativity In Western Nursing: A Cultural Feminist Perspective, Karen K. Fritz Dnsc, Ms, Ba, Rn

Dissertations

Using historical methodology, this study examined the concept of creativity in Western nursing from a cultural feminist perspective. An exploration of the concept was accomplished by means of a review emanating from the English literature of Western nursing and its allied disciplines of education and psychology. Two distinct views of creativity were delineated--the classical and the contemporary. The classical understanding required the completion of a major product or attainment in order for creativity to be ascribed. In contrast, the contemporary view was that of a novel, unrestrained thought process. It required no creative work or attainment for its ascription. The …

The Role Of Transformational Leadership In The Collaborative Development Of A Full Inclusion Program: An Action Research Study, Paul R. Hain

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This dissertation is a critical action research study on full inclusion for students with learning disabilities. The study describes how full inclusion for 16 students with learning disabilities in three regular classes was implemented in an Illinois elementary school over a one year period. The purpose of this study is to describe how transformational leadership, collaborative decision-making and action research helped in the development of full inclusion.

Action research was the method used to 1) observe and collect data about the project, 2) to analyze what was happening, and 3) help guide the inclusion teaching team in taking actions …

Micromechanics Of Hot Mix Asphalt Material Formulation And Numerical Simulation, Kuo-Neng G. Chang

Dissertations

Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA), a highway and airfield pavement material, is heterogeneous, granular, and composite. It is traditionally modeled as a homogeneous material using continuum mechanics or semi-empirical methods. As a result, the above models either neglect or over-simply component reactions, failing to predict field performance problems resulting from particle segregation. This research presents micromechanical modeling, a novel approach that accounts for the components.

A micromechanical model is developed for HMA by modeling it as an assembly of asphalt cement coated particles. The asphalt cement is modeled as a viscoelastic material. To represent asphalt cement, several viscoelastic elements (i.e. Maxwell, …

Factors Influencing The Hiring Of Women As Community College Chief Executive Officers, Diane Chaddock

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to provide information, in the community college setting, about the boards of trustees who hire the leaders o f these institutions, and to provide information about the men and women who have been successful in obtaining these positions.

Four basic hypotheses underlie this research. They are: (1) there is a difference in the characteristics of male and female community college presidents; (2) there is a difference in the selection processes which lead to the hiring of male community college presidents compared to those processes which lead to the hiring of female presidents; (3) there …

A Study Of The Effectiveness Of The Michigan Certified Boardmember Award (Cba) Program, Henry Bothwell Iii

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine, among Michigan certified school board members, the perceived effectiveness of the Certified Boardmember Award (CBA) program.

Four specific research questions were investigated:

1. What topics do CBA certified school board members believe to be the most important within the CBA program?

2. How do CBA certified school board members rate the quality of the CBA courses?

3. How often do CBA certified school board members use the knowledge gained from CBA courses in making decisions as members of the board of education? 4. How valuable do CBA certified school board members believe …