Digital Commons Network^™

Isolating Factors Predicting Cooperation In Work Groups: Leader Motivation And Style, Denise Hunter Velaski

Dissertations and Theses

There is evidence that cooperation in the workplace can have positive outcomes for organizations. To take advantage of these outcomes, it would be useful to gain information about the causes of cooperation. This study attempts to isolate some factors, leader motivation and style in particular, that may predict cooperation within work groups.

Worker Perceptions Of The Fast-Food Giant : Interviews With And Class Comparisons Of Teenagers Working At Mcdonalds, Joyce A. Korshgen

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the relationship between social class and adolescents conceptions of work. Four major areas of the adolescent's work experience are examined: (1) tasks and training, (2) relations with co-workers and managers, (3) organizational structure and change, and (4) family life and work. Forty female adolescent, nonmanagerial employees who worked part time at McDonald's franchise stores were interviewed.

A Study Of Ability To Choose Appropriate Conflict Behavior Determined By The Relationship Between Locus Of Control And Conflict Behavior Styles, Mary H. Zinkin

Dissertations and Theses

Two major theoretical controversies were addressed in this study: (1) whether conflict behavior can best be explained by personal characteristics or by situational characteristics and (2) whether there is one best way to handle conflict or several effective ways depending on the situation. Specifically, it explored the relationship between locus of control (internal, powerful others, chance) and conflict behavior (nonconfrontation, solution-orientation, control) in situations where choosing each of these strategies was regarded most appropriate. The study gathered data relevant to four questions: (1) Is there a relationship between an individual's conflict behavior style and personal characteristics such as feelings of …

An Analysis Of The Shift Of Employment Toward Multi-Sectoral Services Industries In California, 1960-1980, Ayalew Adamu

Dissertations and Theses

The structural change in the United States economy represented by the growth of the service sector has received a great deal of discussion and analysis in recent years. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that have determined the growth of the separate service sectors (namely distributive, personal, social, and business) from 1960 to 1980 in the regional economy of California. The research addresses many issues. First, a general discussion is presented of the structural change in the United States economy toward a growing service sector. An obvious indicator of this change is the disproportionately higher rate …

The Impact Of Physical Environment On The Social Climate Of Two Jails, James G. Houston

Dissertations and Theses

In recent years there has been a strong movement to replace outdated and inadequate jails throughout the United States. According to the National Sheriff's Association 15.9% of all jails have been under a court order to improve services or conditions at one time or another. In addition, 960 jails of the 3,493 existing jails in the United States were built prior to 1950. This need for new construction or renovation has given birth to a new area of expertise among architects and contractors--jail design and construction. While design and construction techniques have improved, little is known of the effects of …

Adult Daughters As Caregivers To Elderly Parents : An Exploration Of The Care Relationship, Margaret Anne Reynolds

Dissertations and Theses

In this study, the nature of a current social problem is explored: the provision of services to elderly parents by their adult daughters - a part of the informal system of social support for the elderly. In particular, the influence of the caregiver's construction of old age on their assessment of parental autonomy is examined.

Attitudes Of Otolaryngologists Towards Speech Pathologists Working With Voice Disordered Clients, Judith Patricia-Bader Cross

Dissertations and Theses

This study was designed to collect information about the working relationship of otolaryngologists with speech pathologists who provide service to voice disordered clients.

Analysis Of Problemsolving Groups With Feedback Intervention Using A Systematic Multiple Level Observation Of Groups, Donna Buchanan Schantz

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a feedback cycle on problemsolving groups. A formal method, Systematic Multiple Level Observation of Groups (SYMLOG), was employed for the analysis of behavior in such groups. The system, which codes on multiple levels of communication, served both as a theoretical and an explanatory approach. Problemsolving groups which included a feedback session on group process were compared with problemsolving groups which were not given feedback. The study used primary data from SYMLOG field diagrams to determine whether group movement, leader movement, self-perceptions, and group satisfaction would be affected by feedback …

Effects Of Stress And Social Support On Maternal Attachment With A Handicapped Infant, Cecelia Ostien Capuzzi

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the attachment process of mothers with and without a handicapped infant and to examine the effects of stress and the social support network on this process. The research was a prospective, longitudinal study comparing two different mother-infant groups on the dependent variable, maternal attachment. The independent variables handicap-nonhandicap, maternal characteristics, perinatal events, and other stressors were analyzed for their effect on maternal attachment. The social support network was examined to determine its direct and indirect effect on the attachment process. The sample was composed of 36 mother-infant dyads. Data were gathered in …

Richard Whately's Theory Of Argument And Its Influence On The Homiletic Theory And Practice Of John Albert Broadus, Robert Allan Vogel

Dissertations and Theses

In his Treatise On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons, the Southern Baptist preacher and educator of the latter nineteenth century, John A. Broadus, acknowledged the influence of classical and contemporary theorists upon his work. Among those named, particularly with regard to notions of argument, was Richard Whately, the Anglican Archbishop and rhetorical theorist of the early nineteenth century. The research task involved in this thesis was to determine whether and to what extent Whately's theory of argument was employed in Broadus's homiletic theory and practice.

The writer gathered his data using methods of documentary research. Most of the sources …

The Mobilization Of The Gay Liberation Movement, Ramom De Souza Torrecilha

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the development and evolution of the gay movement. It raises the questions as to why the gay movement was not organized prior to the 1960's. The study starts in the 1940's and ends in 1970. It employs qualitative research methods for the collection and analysis of primary and secondary data sources. Blumer's description of general and specific social movements and Resource Mobilization Theory were used as theoretical frames of reference. The former explained the developmental stages in the career of the movement and the latter focused on the behavior of movement organizations.

Adolescent And Parental Perceptions Of Adolescent Self-Disclosure Communication And Relational Satisfaction, Diane S. Lund

Dissertations and Theses

As children approach adolescence, their communication relation&hip with their mothers and fathers undergoes significant transformation. Research has hitherto been conducted on family communication as an isolated variable. This study analyzed adolescent and parental perceptions of adolescent self-disclosure and relational satisfaction by adolescents and parents.

Values Of Oregon Community College Faculty In Selected Instructional Areas, John Francis Bohan

Dissertations and Theses

The following question was investigated for each of several biographical variables: Are there significant differences in the work values, as measured by the Ohio Work Values Inventory (OWVI), and personal values (terminal and instrumental), as measured by the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS), of instructors in Oregon community colleges? Comparisons were made by job status (part-time/full-time), teaching assignment, sex, number of years teaching, age, degree held, other employment of instructor, geographic location of college, and vocational certificate held. A multivariate ANOVA (followed by univariate ANOVAs and Modified LSDs as needed) was performed separately on the OWVI scales, the RVS Terminal Values, …

The Effects Of Maternal Support And Non-Support On The Family Concepts Of Sexually Abused Girls, Sharon R. Hitchens

Dissertations and Theses

Incest, and the problems arising from it, have increasingly come under the scrutiny of therapists and researchers. All family members are affected by incest and all have been studied. Victims are particularly devastated by sexual abuse by a family member but it is a commonly held belief that having a supportive mother can mitigate the trauma a victim experiences. In this study, girls between the ages of ten and eighteen who were the victims of sexual abuse by a father-figure were compared to a group of girls not thought to be incest victims. The incest victims were divided into two …

The Effects Of Income Inequality On Racial Residential Segregation In The Portland Metropolitan Area, Katayoun Aidinezhad

Dissertations and Theses

Changes in the patterns of income and residential segregation were examined in the Portland Metropolitan Area. The 1970 and 1980 Census of Population and Housing were used in calculating the indexes of dissimilarity between black and white populations. The data indicated a significant decrease in the residential segregation of blacks in suburban areas between 1970 and 1980. The central city area still remained highly segregated with a segregation index of 69.5.

Taeuber's index of dissimilarity was used in calculating the unevenness in the distribution of income between blacks and whites. Suburbia showed a significant decrease in income segregation compared to …

Juvenile Delinquency In Saudi Arabia, Yousef Ahmed Alromaih

Dissertations and Theses

The present study involved an examination of the delinquency problem in Saudi Arabia within the framework of social control theory. Specifically, the study was based on the thesis set forth by Travis Hirschi, i.e., that delinquent acts result when an individual's bond to society is weak or broken. Also taken into account, however, were the findings from the research of Wiatrowski, et al. that suggest a need for a) some modifications in Hirschi's conceptual framework and b) inclusion of socio-economic factors in the social control model.

An Assessment Of The Incorporation Of Established Guidelines And Intercultural Communication Concepts Into U.S. College-Sponsored Study Abroad Programs, Thomas Thaxter Bacheller Iv

Dissertations and Theses

This research project had the following goals:

1) To locate, describe, and synthesize recognized authoritative standards of performance and guiding principles of effective good practice for study abroad programs that have been established, endorsed, and supported by professionals and national organizations in the study abroad field.

2) To review selected literature on intercultural communication that has been published in the last fifteen years and examine intercultural communication theories and strategies applicable to the study abroad field to identify aspects which can most clearly benefit the study abroad experience of a sojourner through improved communication competence.

3) To assess the extent …

The Effect Of Women's Labor Force Participation On Marital Instability, Isik Akin Aytac

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the effect of women's labor force participation on marital instability. It is hypothesized that women's income-earning affects marriage in two ways: 1) the "independence effect" facilitates divorce by enabling women to be self-supporting; 2) the "parallel marriage effect" improves marital satisfaction and the quality of the marital relationship because women with higher incomes generally have more power in marriage. The "independence effect" is measured by whether or not women's income is sufficient, defined as income above the poverty line for the appropriate family size as established by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Parallel marriage" is measured …

An Assessment Of A Training Program Designed To Teach Staff Nurses In An Acute Care Facility To Transfer Nursing Process Theory To Practice, C. Frances Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

A training program was developed to help registered nurses in an acute care facility to learn nursing process theory and to transfer that theory to nursing practice. A total sample of 102 newly-hired nurses who had participated in this training program were pre- and post- tested on class content; they also filled out a questionnaire which provided demographic and attitudinal data related to the use of nursing process as a model for nursing care. An audit sample of 82 nurses, who were a part of the total sample, were audited one month after the training program to collect data on …

Women's Labor Force Supply And Commuting Behavior: A Time-Budget Analysis, Ta-Win Lin

Dissertations and Theses

Female labor and commuting behavior has been inappropriately approached by traditional economic and location theories. While labor economists assume that commuting is a "fixed" element of the cost-of-entrance, they ignore the spatial variation in wage rate or job opportunities. Urban economists, on the other hand, treat the variation in commuting distance as a function of household housing consumption, and a "fixed" amount of labor supply is assumed. Both assumptions are unrealistic, especially in the case of females. The major contention raised in this study is that labor supply and commuting behavior are interrelated decisions. This "simultaneity" relationship should be captured …

The Use Of Humor In The Social Construction Of Role Relationships In A Behavioral Treatment Setting, Daniel D. Martin

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the use of humor between workers and managerial personnel of two different treatment teams within a residential treatment center for emotionally troubled youth. Three primary questions guided the research: (1) What indigenous types of occupational humor will be found within the treatment teams?, (2) How will the use of humor vary between front and back regions of treatment work?, and (3) How does occupational status affect the way in which team members target on another to be the "butt" of jokes and other humorous remarks?

Socialization And Ideal Expectations For The Health Professional Role In The Provision Of Quality Terminal Care For The Urban Elderly, Margaret B. Neal

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigates socialization and ideal expectations for the health professional role in the provision of quality terminal care. Guiding the research are role theory, socialization theory, and Talcott Parsons' (1951) pattern variables. The research was conducted in three phases. The first phase involved development of an analytical framework elaborating upon Parsons' five pattern variables, which were first conceptualized as dimensions describing the ways in which roles could vary. Specific indicators for each of the pattern variables were developed. Typologies characterizing (1) the medical, or conventional, model and (2) the holistic model (specifically, the hospice model) for the provision of …

The Impact Of Social Networks On Mortality, Disease Incidence, And Disease Progression, Mary Bahner Maxwell

Dissertations and Theses

Several recent longitudinal studies of large community populations have revealed that people with more extensive network resources live longer. However, it is not known whether this occurs because social ties prevent disease or retard its progression once it occurs. The purpose of this research was to: (1) determine the relationship between social network indicators and mortality in an urban sample; (2) extend that knowledge by addressing the relationship between networks and disease incidence and disease progression; (3) delineate which specific network sectors were the strongest predictors of the health related outcomes. This was uniquely possible because measures of the three …

Growing Old And Going Straight: Examining The Role Of Age In Criminal Career Termination, Annette I. Jolin

Dissertations and Theses

This study was designed to investigate mid-life desistance from crime as a function of general mid-life change. Adult developmental theory postulates that major occupational or lifestyle changes occur during mid-life, more so than during other developmental periods in adulthood. Such changes are said to occur in conjunction with specific transitional processes experienced by the middle-aged male. The abandonment of a criminal career at mid-life is viewed as a significant occupational and lifestyle change. It is examined in relation to the postulated transitional processes affecting aspects of the life areas of work and social relationships, as well as health and psychological …

Job Satisfaction Of Teachers In The Portland Metropolitan Area: An Examination Of Differing Factors And Their Relationship To Herzberg And Lortie Theories, Laura Lee Perko

Dissertations and Theses

This study addresses job satisfaction of public school teachers in seven districts of the Portland Metropolitan Area (N = 2,133; validated response = 1,444; ratio of 67.698 percent). The three research questions are: (1) How satisfied are teachers in the PMA with their jobs? (2) What are the primary differing factors affecting teacher satisfaction and dissatisfaction, and do these factors and their relationship to satisfaction conform with Herzberg and Lortie theories? (3) How does satisfaction and dissatisfaction vary as a function of the following "demographic" factors: age, sex, grade level, years of service, highest degree earned? Findings from the three …

Social Structure, Health Orientation And Health Behavior, Khalifa Ali Baej

Dissertations and Theses

An attempt has been made to examine the relationship between social structure and medical factors in a framework which links cosmopolitanism to health orientation and behavior. Specifically, this study has attempted to investigate the variations in health knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and behavior among individuals whose social structure varies in terms of cosmopolitanism.

A Social-Psychological Case History : The Manson Incident, Judith Elaine Bullis

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the social-psychological impact of of the Manson incident; which begins with the Tate-Labianca murders, continues with the arrest of Charles Manson and some of his followers, continues with the trial of Charles Manson and the co-defendants, and results in a popular image.

Peri-Urban Agriculture In Western Washington: An Identification Of Factors Of Potential Influence To The Development Of Metropolitan Food Policy, William H. Gray

Dissertations and Theses

Historically, agricultural policy has been developed at the national level, while land use decisions have been made at the municipal or county level. In primarily rural areas, the policy objectives of these domains are largely consistent: agricultural development. In urban areas, however, the food production objectives of national policy and the planning objectives of local government may be incongruent. This research uses the European construct of "peri-urban agriculture" as a framework in which to address the issues confronting both farm producers and metropolitan areas.

The principal hypothesis to be tested in this research is that farmer characteristics differ between peri-urban …

The Effect On Culture-Bound Evaluation By The Intercultural Communication Workshop (Icw) At Portland State University, Marion Franc Sørensen

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect on culture-bound evaluation by the Intercultural Communication Workshop (ICW) at Portland State University. An increase in positive evaluation of an intercultural dyad was taken to indicate a decrease in culture-bound evaluation. Methodology consisted of an adaptation of Dawes' "Direct Estimation Techniques" which was utilized in creating the testing instrument. The results are inconclusive but suggest that the ICW training may be more effective in this dimension for the American students than for International students.

Career Lines In The Area Of Mental Retardation, Charlotte Ballard

Dissertations and Theses

In the past few years there has been a large growth in the number of facilities and services provided to the mentally retarded in the community, as contrasted to the institutional setting.

This thesis reviews some of the factors involved in the transition to community care for the mentally retarded as a background for an examination of the characteristics and perceptions of the persons who provide community care.