Digital Commons Network^™

Factors Affecting Persistence Of Non-Traditional Students In A Non-Traditional Baccalaureate Degree Program, Dixie Lee Lund

Dissertations and Theses

Limited theoretical research exists regarding attrition of nontraditional (older, part-time, commuter) students on American college and university campuses today. Thus, when colleges or universities seek to improve programs specifically designed for such students, there is no broad research base on which to rely. The present study sought to determine if there were differences, especially ones the institution could do something about, between non-traditional students who left such a program and those who completed it. A conceptual model of non-traditional student attrition, developed by adult educators/researchers, Drs. John Bean and Barbara Metzner, provided the theoretical base for the study. Data were …

Staff Development And The Process Of Teacher Change: A Case Study, Christene Kay Jones

Dissertations and Theses

This case study documented a staff development program which was the major component of a public school/university partnership between Portland State University and the Lake Oswego School District, a suburb of Portland, Oregon. A select group of 34 Lake Oswego teachers and 4 administrators participated in the Joint Ventures in Instructional Leadership Program which included classes in learning and instructional theory, techniques of peer sharing, instructional strategies and models of teaching, and approaches to the teaching of higher order thinking skills. The program included 7 full days and 4 evenings of instructional training which occurred throughout the 1986-87 school year. …

Organizational Inducements And Social Motives: A Game Theoretic Analysis, Richard G. Davis

Dissertations and Theses

Game theory was used to analyze compensation systems based on individual and group incentives. Payoff formulas were developed for these incentives assuming different preferences for individual and social outcomes. Two levels of contributions were considered: (1) Defection. The minimum acceptable level of contributions, and (2) Cooperation. A level of discretionary contributions above the minimum. The discretionary contributions associated with cooperation were represented as a cost to the individual.

A classification scheme for uniform n-person games was developed using the approach of Rappaport and Guyer (1966) for 2 x 2 games. This classification scheme defines the natural outcome (cooperation or defection) …

Traditional College-Age Students' Attitudes Toward Arnold's Seven Building Blocks Decision-Making Strategy, Mary Ellen Wernow

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to learn more about the attitudes of traditional college-age students toward Arnold's Seven Building Blocks decision-making strategy (John D. Arnold, 1978. The Art of Decision Making. New York: Amacom). to identify student characteristics which could predict those students who are most likely to respond in a positive manner to the strategy and to determine which of the steps in the strategy students perceive as being helpful. The sample population consisted of 62 traditional college-age students currently enrolled in four Oregon educational institutions. Data was gathered through the Decision Making Inventory (Johnson, Coscarelli, and Johnson. …

The Characteristics Of The Teacher Evaluation Process As Perceived By Elementary Teachers And Principals, Peter H. Taylor

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of elementary teachers and principals of the evaluation system used in two suburban school districts near Portland. Oregon. The two districts involved in the study used the ITIP model for instruction and teacher evaluation over a period of several years. The Teacher Evaluation Profile (TEP) developed by the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory was the instrument used in the study of teachers. A modified version of the TEP was used with elementary principals. The population of the study consisted of 233 elementary teachers from grades K-6 and 14 elementary principals. The …

Collective Bargaining For Educational Administrators: Oregon And Washington Principals' Perceptions Of Working Conditions, Patricia Ann Boles

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between collective bargaining for public school principals and principals' perceptions of their working conditions. Specifically, this study examined the perceptions of working conditions for a sample of principals who had statutory authority to bargain collectively (Washington) and a sample of principals who did not have such authority (Oregon). This type of study can make a contribution to the knowledge base for educational leadership, administrative behavior and governance dynamics within educational organizations. Methodologically, this descriptive study utilized a survey research design. Survey research permits data gathering from a relatively large number …

Adults As Students: Ego Development And The Influence Of The Academic Environment, Shannon Moon Leonetti

Dissertations and Theses

This study was based on the premise that one outcome of education is ego development. The research was based on Jane Loevinger's theory that ego development is the central frame-of-reference through which people view themselves and their relationships with others. The study looked for evidence of ego development in adult students and for contributing factors, including academic environments. It compared the ego levels of students aged 35 to 55 at two higher education institutes and some experiences that are common to most colleges.

The variables compared were based on Loevinger's levels of ego development and theories of academic environments of …

Effects Of Flat Panel Display Parameters Across Three Application Areas Upon Similarity Judgments, Novia Weiman

Dissertations and Theses

A human performance experiment was conducted to investigate pixel parameter requirements for three types of flat-panel display images: an alphanumeric character, an oscilloscope waveform, and a real-world image. Subjects performed similarity judgments between an extremely high-quality image and an image composed of different levels of anti-aliasing and pixel width-plus-pixel separation (pitch). It was found that the effect of pitch had greater influence on perceived image quality for the alphanumeric character and oscilloscope waveform than for the real-world image. The results of this research provide empirical evidence showing that the pixel pitch requirements for flat-panel systems that are used to display …

Advertising In Restrooms, Karsten C. Hofmann

Dissertations and Theses

There is a common belief that the special situation one encounters in restrooms is likely to evoke negative associations between the setting and a potential product, and that these presumed associations make advertising in restrooms incompatible with the objectives of advertisers.

This general proposition was questioned on theoretical grounds. It was argued that the specific situation in a restroom would be conducive to advertising goals in a number of ways. In addition, while negative associations may occur with certain kinds of products, others were hypothesized to be unaffected. In particular, the potential value of restrooms for communicating public education issues …

Beyond Difference Scores: Testing Models Of Speed Of Information-Processing Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Gary A. Uhland

Dissertations and Theses

This study has two parts: Part I discusses the limitations of difference scores and exploratory factor analysis for representing speed of information-processing stages in the context of a reanalysis of a study by Vernon (1983). Vernon interpreted the differences between objectively measured reaction times on various simple cognitive tasks as components of speed of information processing. Correlations were calculated among these differences and subjected to exploratory factor analysis. The factors obtained from this analysis were interpreted by Vernon in terms of short-term and long-term memory processing constructs. The use of difference scores, however, implies an additive model allowance for random …

Eating Disorders: The Correlation Of Family Relationships With An Eating Disorder Continuum, Jana Schweitzer

Dissertations and Theses

For the purposes of this study, eating disturbances were placed on a continuum ranging from disordered to normal, and family factors were examined via this framework. Research on anorectics and bulimics indicates that a variety of family variables contribute to the etiology of eating disorders. Research suggests the presence of a subgroup of persons who experience some disturbance in their relationships with food but not to the severity observed among eating disordered individuals. This study examined the relationship between family factors and eating disturbances.

Hedonic Analysis Of Gasoline Retailing, Soleman A. Al-Bassir

Dissertations and Theses

Researchers have difficulty modeling the influence of retailing attributes on consumer choice. The literature of retailing that has dealt with this issue has conventionally used experimental data for estimating the influence of retailing attributes on consumer behavior. The present research applies hedonic analysis to the measurement of the value of retailing attributes. This is accomplished by applying hedonic specifications to supply and demand models for the retail sales of unleaded gasoline for the purpose of estimating the influence of specified retailing attributes on retail prices. Four retailing attributes-accessibility, convenience, service, and competition-were expected to have a determinable value that was …

Effects Of Feedback And Goal Setting On Job Attitudes And Productivity: A Field Study, Stephen Kildahl

Dissertations and Theses

Two theories of work motivation taken from the field of Industrial/Organizational Psychology were compared in a six-week field experiment at a Fortune 500 company. A Job Enrichment Model (Hackman & Oldham, 1975) was used and the Motivating Potential Score (MPS) of three groups of machine operators was obtained before and after a six-week productivity study. Three goal conditions based on Goal Theory (Locke, 1968) were assigned one to each of three groups of machine operators and comparisons were made between the treatment groups. Production increases resulted from providing goals and feedback to subjects, but these increases were not statistically significant. …

Effects Of Graded And Steady Exercise And Self-Confidence On Stress, Kristine M. Clarke

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the effects of steady, graded, and no exercise on stress reduction, and the effects of self-confidence on stress reduction through exercise. Seventy-two male and female volunteers from the Portland area, ranging in age from 19-49 years, served as subjects. Subjects completed pre and post measures of the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale and the state portion of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Subjects were divided into two experimental and one control group matched according to age and exercise history. The control group kept its exercise at a minimum for eight weeks. Exercise programs for the two experimental groups consisted …

Grace Wick: Portrait Of A Right-Wing Extremist, June Melby Benowitz

Dissertations and Theses

"Grace Wick: Portrait of a Right-Wing Extremist" is a biography of an American woman who lived between 1888 and 1958. Wick grew up in a small midwestern town, but as a young woman broke away from small town tradition by moving to the city to pursue a career as an actress in the theater and in silent movies. In the course of her acting career she traveled across North America and had the opportunity to associate with people from all walks of life. As an actress, she was able to achieve an autonomy enjoyed by few women during the 1910s …

Identifying Pedophiles With The Mmpi, Margaret M. Seits

Dissertations and Theses

The present study investigated the validity of the Pe (Toobert, Bartelme, & Jones, 1959) and Sexual Deviancy (Marsh, Hilliard, & Liechti, 1955) subscales, developed from the MMPI, to determine if the scales would discriminate convicted sexual offenders from nonsexual offenders.

Residential Care Facilities: Resident Characteristics And Public Policy, Sharon Anice Baggett

Dissertations and Theses

Residential care is a rapidly growing form of housing and service provision for older adults. Residential care policy is defined by historical and cultural influences in social welfare and by the history of policy development and regulation in long term care, specifically for nursing homes. These influences have played a large role in the growing regulatory environment for residential care.

This study examines the characteristics of elderly residential care facility (RCF) residents and examines these through the lens of current state and federal regulations concerning the type of care given in these facilities. It is hypothesized that the lack of …

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo: Self And Close-Other Selection Of Personality Test Interpretations, Sheela Word

Dissertations and Theses

In a study investigating the ability of subjects and their close friends or relatives (close-others) to recognize subject personality test results under conditions which controlled for the Barnum effect, 64 male and female undergraduate psychology students were administered the California Psychological Inventory (CPI). Each subject later attempted to choose his or her own unidentified CPI profile from among three, and a close-other of the subject independently made the same selection. It was found that 57.81% of subjects and 45.31% of close others were able to correctly identify subject profiles; these results were significant at the .0001 and .05 levels respectively. …

The Unveiling, Elizabeth Heron

Dissertations and Theses

The method I use in creating abstract sculpture presented the question that became the subject of my Master's thesis. Only occasionally will I create from a pre-conceived concept. The sculptures evolve through a process of addition and subtraction of material to something that simply pleases me. This method, really no method at all, seemed contradictory to my original intentions. My artistic goals were purposeful; I wanted to create sculpture that would provoke a reaction first, not a judgment of features. I wanted the viewers emotional and psychological involvement to be the basis for content and meaning in the work.

In …

Adolescent Shoplifting And Situational Stimuli, James A. Chambers

Dissertations and Theses

Adolescent shoplifting has provoked limited and somewhat controversial perspectives within the sociological and psychological literature. These controversies center around the empirical variables used for analysis. A companion argument focuses on the subjective and objective measurement of these variables. This research explicated variables from the sociological literature to test their relationship, using multiple linear regression, to adolescent shoplifting behavior. These variables and situational stimuli were operationalized in a simultaneous model to demonstrate a proximate occurrence of the attitude-situation-behavior reciprocal. This reciprocal is a learning theory which suggests that direct and vicarious experiences accompanied by rewards and punishment, in one's environment, lead …

The Development Of A Social Network Following Geographic Relocation, Joan E. Starker

Dissertations and Theses

The United States is a strikingly mobile nation. Every year almost 20% of its population changes residence and about 45% moves at least once every five years. Economic considerations are a major reason for relocation as persons seek new employment or are transferred by their corporations. Relocation, however, can be a stressful life experience. It removes individuals from daily routines, alters social networks, and may be accompanied by a mixture of sadness, excitement, anger and anxiety. It requires an enormous investment of physical and emotional energy to reestablish order and stability to one's life in a new city. At the …

Direct And Indirect Costs Of Tinnitus: Factors For Decisionmaking, Gloria E. Reich

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigates the psychological, social and economic costs of tinnitus to affected individuals. A conceptual framework for tinnitus is presented which includes the possible causes of tinnitus, the perception of severity of tinnitus, mediators or agents that can change the perception of tinnitus, tinnitus treatments, and the social and economic effects of tinnitus. Three main factors were studied: 1) whether tinnitus costs can be predicted from perceived severity and other characteristics of tinnitus, 2) whether a scale can be developed to provide information about the subjective measurement of tinnitus severity, and 3) how many people have severe tinnitus. Information …

A Critical Study Of Communications In Land Use Hearings, Douglas J. Warren

Dissertations and Theses

This study addresses a major theoretical issue posed in the literature: can alienation in modern urban society be conceptualized in terms of the communicative competence of speakers taking part in social interaction. Specifically, this study explores the relationship between communicative competence and two observable indications of success in land use hearings: 1) ability to influence the final decision of the Variance Committee and 2) expression of feelings of dissatisfaction with the hearings process, as expressed by the participants. On a broader scale, the study tests Jurgen Habermas's classification of speech acts and the notion that public hearings are a free …

Mmpi And The Juvenile Sex Offender Russell Funk, Russell Funk

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the effectiveness of the MMPI in identifying juvenile sex offenders. This study examined the hypothesis that previously identified subscales of the MMPI (i.e., Toobert et al. (1959) Pe scale and Dolan (1986) Ic scale) could be used in discriminating juvenile sex offenders (n=l 02) (and subgroups of juvenile sex offenders i.e., pedophiles n=79, and incest perpetrators n=41) from a control group of 40 juvenile offenders who had been adjudicated for non-sex related crimes. The study yielded results which indicate that the Pe subscale was not effective in discriminating pedophiles from non-pedophile sex offenders or from the control …

The Relationship Of The Perception Of Choice And Positive Behavior Change In Adolescent Residential Treatment With Future Success In The Community, Rita Harding Mcclellan

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of clients' perception of choice in treatment planning and the clients' positive behavior changes made within the treatment setting, with the clients' successful return to the community after release from the residential treatment setting.

A Case Study Of Instructional Improvement Through Peer Observation In A Suburban High School, Helen Jean Hanna

Dissertations and Theses

This two-year case study investigated the effects of a peer observation process in a high school on the six selected areas listed below. Peer observation is a process to improve instruction by having teachers observe and critique other teacher's videotapes of classroom teaching. 1. Changes in norms and expectations for sharing instructional ideas among teachers. 2. The perceived value of self-evaluation of videotapes and related peer discussions about teaching. 3. The perceived value of peer feedback exchanges for instructional improvement. 4. The use of other teachers as models for effective teaching. 5. The perceived value of peer exchanges in stimulating …

Pupil Mobility And Its Effect On Basic Skills Achievement Growth Rates And The Educational Program, Daniel P. Klee

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the study was to compare the basic skills achievement scores of mobile and non-mobile students within the Portland Public Schools. The problem was to assess the effect of this mobility on basic skills achievement and the total educational program. The study was designed to test differences in reading, language usage and mathematics achievement test scores between pupils in the third through the eighth grades. The instrument that was used was the Portland Achievement Levels Tests of reading, language usage and math. These tests are administered to students in grades 3 - 8 in the fall and spring …

The Study Of National Character In The Post War Era : The Work Of Erich Fromm, David Riesman, And David Potter, Adam Rittenberg

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the study of national character through the work of the psychologist Erich Fromm, the sociologist David Riesman, and the historian David Potter. Above all Intend to provide a critical exegesis of the three thinkers will relate them to one another by discussing the Interconnections In their thought, beginning with Fromm's social psychological theory of character, turning to Riesman's theory of sociology and, finally, Potter's theory of American history. Each, I argue, must be studied in the context his time--above all the climate of horror and uncertainty at mid-century.

Simplified Framework Evaluation Of Large Water Resource Project Impacts, Brian Woodbridge Clowes

Dissertations and Theses

The document most frequently used to support a water resource project's economic feasibility is the commercial benefit-cost analysis, which quantifies tangible and direct project consequences. The objective of this type of analysis is simply to maximize net monetary benefits. This analysis assigns an arbitrary monetary value to ecological and social disruptions, if it does not ignore these effects entirely. An improvement on this method is the social benefit-cost analysis, which assesses sane intangible costs such as air and noise pollution. Unfortunately, even the social analysis usually neglects the sometimes profound effects that a large water resource project has upon quality …

A Comparative Study Of The Characteristics Of High Technology Start-Up Firms, Sandra J. Kiehl

Dissertations and Theses

A sample of two hundred and twenty-five high technology start-up firms located nationwide provided a base for the analysis of characteristics of start-up success. The analysis provides insights into management capabilities which may be generalized to a larger population. For comparison purposes, the sample was divided into two groups: (1) those firms which have not received a venture capital infusion from a formal venture capital company and (2) those firms which have received one or more infusions of venture capital. Aspects of organizational climate, top management team approach, marketing strategy and focus, business planning and the intent to go public …