Digital Commons Network^™

A Delphi Study To Identify Possible Futures Of Black Colleges: Public And Private, Gloria Jeanette Miller Duval

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify possible futures of Black colleges, public and private. The study addressed four questions: (1) Within the next 10 years, are the events concerning structure and administration of Black colleges likely to occur? (2) Within the next 10 years, are the events concerning programming at Black colleges likely to occur? (3) What will be the funding profile of Black colleges over the next decade? (4) What will be the impact of the events describing structure, administration, and programming at Black colleges? The Delphi technique was thought to be the most appropriate method to …

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 …

Some Characteristics Associated With The Effectiveness Of Elementary Principals As Demonstrated By Role Perceptions And Utilization Of Time, Judith Jean Johansen

Dissertations

Elementary principals have a major role in the educational system. However, research addressing their priorities, activities, and performance is limited. Studies indicate a relationship between principal performance and school effectiveness and achievement of students. This investigation identified factors which may be associated with principal effectiveness: length of time in the principalship, gender, level of self-confidence, and leader style. It proposed that there is a relationship between principals' priorities and activities. It predicted that there are differences in the priorities and degree of participation in activities between new and experienced principals, male and female principals, self-confident and less self-confident principals, and …

The Relationship That Teachers' Concerns And Their Perceptions Of Organizational Climate Have With Innovation Maintenance, Frederic Wayne De Vall

Dissertations

The main purpose of this study was to determine what some of the factors are that have an affect upon the maintenance of an innovation. Many educational change models focus upon the initiation and implementation of educational innovations in schools. This study tested some of the factors identified, from the literature review as affecting innovation maintenance, upon one innovation which is being used by teachers in several school districts. The first factor centered upon the concerns teachers have about an innovation they use in their classrooms. The second factor centered upon teachers' perceptions of the organizational climate that exists which …

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 …

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 Analysis Of Activities And Success Patterns Of Coordinators Of Planning, Monitoring, And Data Collection, William D. Howard

Dissertations

Public Law 94-142, the Education of all Handicapped Children Act, 1975, requires school districts, through evaluation, to document compliance to the law and its regulations. In Michigan, the individuals primarily responsible for the monitoring of compliance to these federal rules and regulations at the intermediate education unit (IEU) level hold the position known as Coordinator of Planning, Monitoring, and Data Collection (CPMDC). Little is known about how persons holding CPMDC positions functon. A review of the literature revealed a need for more information concerning these positions so that data based decisions can be made. This investigation was concerned with patterns …

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 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' …

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 …

Parameter Optimization Using A Hierarchical System Of Learning Automata, Brian T. Mitchell

Dissertations

Many problems in adaptive control, pattern recognition, filtering, identification, and artificial intelligence can be viewed as parameter optimization problems. The learning automation approach to these problems has two distinct advantages over the classic hill climbing methods: (1) the parameter space need not be metric and (2) a global rather than local optimum can be found. Unfortunately, these advantages do not come without corresponding difficulties, namely the problem of high dimensionality. A hierarchical system of learning automata has been used to reduce this problem somewhat, but inefficiencies still remain since the current hierarchical system was balanced and static hierarchical learning automaton …

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 …

An Investigation Of The Impact Of Learning Theory On Training And Conditions Of Training In The Corporate Environment, Carolyn Collins-Bondon

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which knowledge and use of learning theory are reflected in corporate training programs. The literature review was concentrated in three areas, namely: (1) nature and quality of training programs, (2) theories of learning, and (3) training programs and learning theory. That literature indicated that references to learning during training generally dealt with logistics, or teaching and instructional methods (lecture, self-instruction, or on-the-job training).

The investigator posited that training specialists need to be attuned to trainee needs and to provide optimum opportunities for addressing those needs. Instead of the hypotheses …

A Survey Of Glycosphingolipids In The Human Aorta: Their Relationship To Glycosphingolipids Of Blood And To Atherosclerosis, John L. Nappier

Dissertations

The four major glycosphingolipids, glucosyl ceramide, lactosyl ceramide, galactosyl lactosyl ceramide and globoside were isolated from both diseased and normal tissue from human aorta by solvent extraction followed by solvent partitioning and column chromatography. The levels of each were then determind quantitatively by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) after derivatization. The individual glycosphingolipids were isolated by semi-preparative HPLC and the fatty acid composition of each was determined, after methanolysis, by gas chromatography.

In the diseased tissue, the amount of glycosphingolipid as well as the amount of crude lipid increased relative to the normal tissue. The relative amounts of cerebrosides increased …

Optimization Of A New Linear Fm Detector Using Digital Signal Processing Techniques, Edward J.A. Kratt

Dissertations

This dissertation describes and synthesizes a new member of the family of FM detectors introduced earlier by Klapper and Kratt. A salient property of these detectors is low delay with excellent sensitivity. The emphasis in the new detector is on the ease of digital implementation. In addition, the new detector is also extremely linear. In congruence with the other Klapper-Kratt detectors, it makes use of zero group delay elements, balance at RF, quasi-synchronous detection and carrier cancellation. The Performance of the detector is mathematically analyzed under the conditions of a modulated input wave, sinewave [sic] interference, and noise. The results …

The Effect Of Ultrasound On The Hydrolysis Of Carbohydrates, Adel A. Khamis

Dissertations

Acid hydrolysis of dextran and cellulose were studied with and without irradiation with ultrasonic waves of different frequencies (17 - 150 KHz), and powers (0.4 - 200 w/cm²). In the case of both materials, the hydrolysis reaction was found to be first order with respect to the activity of hydrogen ions in the reaction medium. Weight average molecular weight was evaluated at different durations of the reaction course. The reaction rate of dextran was found to be proportional to the weight average molecular weight raised to the power 4/3, and raised to the power 4 for cellulose.

The …

Application Of Fuzzy Theory To Pattern Recognition, David Usechak

Dissertations

Piecewise curve approximation is used to describe boundaries of objects in pictures and waveforms. The method consists of linear and quadratic piecewise polynomial approximations in which the error must not exceed a predetermined cost threshold. A fuzzy Bayes model is used to determine if a breakpoint exists within an interval I_n or between intervals I_n and I_n+1 and to determine whether these intervals can be merged for data compaction reasons. In order to achieve these objectives a new fast algorithm has been proposed which gives good curve/object fitting. This algorithm uses a technique for generating generalized inverse …

Broadband Base Isolated Asymetrically Fed Vhf Antenna, Peter Edward Cunningham

Dissertations

Antennas presently being used for vehicular military VHF communications are narrowband. New generation frequency hopping radios, however, require broadband antennas. The antenna must be base isolated in order to reduce undesirable pattern nulls and impedance variations caused by currents induced on the support structure. Physical constraints limit the antenna length to three meters while operating from a frequency of 30 MHz to 88 MHz.

To satisfy the above requirements a model of a broadband, base isolated, cylindrical antenna less than three meters long was analyzed and built. Equations for the current distribution as a function of the physical parameters were …

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 …

A Study Of Michigan Local School District Community Information/Relations Systems, Stanley Joseph Olson

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to review the relationship between the operation of a full-time community information/relations program and citizen financial support in Michigan local school districts. The study also identified and investigated model components of successful full-time community information/relations programs.

Financial support records of 11 local school districts identified as operating full-time community information/relations programs (community information/relations districts) were compared to those records established by a comparable sample group of local school districts which did not operate a program (traditional districts) during a five year period, 1977-1982. This was done to determine whether districts operating community information/relations programs …

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 …

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 …

A Study Of The Relationship Of System Openness To Community Education Programming In Selected Rural School Districts, Daniel James Patterson

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was twofold: First, to identify indicators of system openness that are related to the community education program components offered by a school district and, second, to investigate the extent to which the indicators of system openness relate to the community education program components offered by a school district.

The population of this study consisted of six community educators working in separate K-12 school organizations.

A survey instrument was developed to meet the requirements of this study: The measurement of community education programs and the indicators of system openness. A review of the literature on community …

The Effects Of Participation In The Family Support Program On The Adaptive And Maladaptive Behaviors Of Developmentally Disabled Individuals, Patricia L. Mcdonald

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in adaptive as well as maladaptive behaviors of those developmentally disabled persons who have participated in a Family Support Program and those who have not participated in such a program.

The study focused on the adaptive and maladaptive behaviors of 10 developmentally disabled persons for the time period from November 1980 to April 1982. These subjects for the study were between the ages of 4 and 20, residents of Macomb County, and actively serviced by the Macomb County Life Consultation Center. Data used in the study were generated through the …

Interaction Functions Of A Computer - Assisted Career Information And Guidance System: Macomb Community College, Joyce Kirkwood

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of whether interaction with a computer-assisted career information and guidance system is a function of the person's age, sex, or educational background. It further attempted to determine if there were differences in the career information needs of Macomb Community College students and those of the general Michigan Occupational Interest Survey (MOIS) user population of the Michigan Occupational Interest Coordinating Committee's study of 1980. Interviews were conducted for the purpose of finding some explanation of these differences. After tracing the development of career information expansion and reviewing current practices in the …

A Test Of The Validity Of The Equipercentile Assumption: An Analysis Using A Data Base Of Title-I Eligible Students, Christine Applin Ameen

Dissertations

The Title I Evaluation and Reporting System (TIERS) consists of three basic evaluation models, the norm-referenced model, the control group model, and the regression model. The most widely used of these is the norm-referenced model. The equipercentile assumption, upon which this model is based, states that student groups, in the absence of Title I services, will maintain their percentile status over time. The validity of this assumption was tested using a data base of students who were eligible for Title I services but did not receive such services. The pre-and post-test reading and math scores of these students were aggregated …

The Relationship Of Preferred Work Environment And Job Satisfaction Of Community College Administrators, Susan Dunn Duford

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of job satisfaction and preferred work environment of community college administrators. Administrators from four southeast Lower Michigan community colleges were the population (N = 50). The administrators in expanding areas (N = 29) were compared with those in contrasting areas (N = 21). Members of each group completed a demographic questionnaire developed by the researcher as well as the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (Weiss et al., 1967) and the Work Environment Preference Schedule (Gordon, 1973). Survey instruments were mailed to each administrator and non-respondents were telephoned to determine reasons for noncompletion. …

An Assessment Of The Relationships Between Selected Teacher Characteristics And Attitudes Of Regular Classroom Teachers Toward Mainstreaming, Dorothy Mary Elkins

Dissertations

A descriptive study was conducted to investigate the relationship between regular classroom teachers' attitudes toward accepting handicapped pupils into their classrooms and the following factors: (a) the teacher's age, sex, academic preparation, and professional experience, (b) grade level taught, and (c) the teacher's perception of potential help available. The investigator also surveyed the opinions of these teachers about: (a) the types of handicapping conditions considered most and least acceptable and (b) the effectiveness of various incentives as inducements to enhanced acceptance of handicapped pupils into their classrooms. Data were gathered using the Attitude Regarding Mainstreaming Survey (ARMS), which was developed …