Digital Commons Network^™

Family Literacy—Predictors Of Program Participation And Goal Attainment In Kentucky., Zelma Renae Stewart Harrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate how various components of family literacy programs such as operational characteristics (enrollment procedure, hours of operation, time of class, curriculum selection, type of instruction, and age of child served) and staff characteristics (gender, full or part time status, and educational attainment level) influence the recruitment, and goal attainment of adults in family literacy programs. This research investigated factors that could help educational administrators improve family literacy programs through increased enrollment, and improvement of goal attainment of participants. This exploratory, quantitative study utilized 2002-03 data submitted by family literacy programs in Kentucky. Two …

The Relationship Between Political Cynicism And Right-Wing Authoritarianism : A Study Of The Louisville-Jefferson County Merger., Jeremy Reed Porter 1978-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The government's ability to gain and hold a high proportion of citizens' trust is essential to the functioning of an efficient and successful administration at the federal, state, and local levels. This thesis is a quantitative study aimed at finding possible explanations for differences in levels of political cynicism. One possible explanation, right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), is the subject of this study. Furthermore, the study aims to link the variables to the 2000 Louisville-Jefferson County merger. The data for this study were collected from 802 respondents residing in the Metro Louisville area using a random technique via the 2004 Louisville Metro …

The Development Of An Innovative Adder Design Evaluated Using Programmable Logic., James A. Haas 1971-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research evaluates an innovative binary adder design and compares it against five standard adder designs. It begins with an algorithmic description of the five standard designs followed by the innovative design. It uses two metrics, speed and size, to establish a fair comparison among the designs and draw conclusions about the performance and usability of the innovative design. The metrics are applied to theory, simulation, and implementation of the adder designs. The latter part of the research draws conclusions from the analysis of these metrics to establish a fair comparison between the innovative and existing designs. The five standard …

Leading Before, During, And After A Major Organizational Transition., Charles Davis Mccowan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This was a qualitative, multiple-site case study that examined the leadership styles before, during, and after a major organizational transition. The purpose of the study was to determine if a major organizational transition affected the leadership styles of organizational leaders. It also sought to determine how the major organizational transitions affected the climate and the culture of the three organizations studied.

The participants for this multiple-site case study were a hospital, a manufacturing plant, and a public library in Central Ohio. The organizational leaders were chosen because they had gone through a major organizational transition in the previous two years. …

Under The Influence: Adolescent Girls' Compliance In Competitive Softball., Cory Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how and why young female athletes participate in the competitive organized sport of softball. Based on participant observation and interviews with coaches and players of Team Z, this study examines how parents and coaches influence females to participate in athletics through incentives and punishments. This thesis also examines the cultural assumptions about work that organized sports introduce to female athletes. Furthermore, the study discusses how parents and competitive sports organizations perpetuate the existence of male domination in sports and in society more generally.

Variants Of Volunteerism Among Mature Adults Within Communities Of Northeast Tennessee., Martha Wilcox Edwards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A purposive study conducted among mature adults aged 55 and older in Northeast Tennessee examined variants of volunteerism as well as volunteer needs of agencies and organizations and what percent of volunteers in those agencies fall within the specified age group. Mature volunteers in the region match profiles of other studies -- predominantly white, married, homeowners, who are protestant, females with educational levels beyond high school, and who have income levels above the regional average. Findings show that most volunteers attend religious services at least once each week but found no association between gender and informal volunteerism, between health and …

Perceptions Of High School Principals And Senior Army Instructors Concerning The Impact Of Jrotc On Rates Of Dropout And Transition To College., Lawrence Neil Marks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of high school principals and their Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) senior Army instructors about the cost effectiveness and value of JROTC in impacting dropout and transition-to-college rates at their schools. The purposeful sample for this study included principals and senior Army instructors at three high schools, two in northwest North Carolina and one in northeast Tennessee.

The research investigated the per-student costs for the operation of the JROTC programs; the dropout rates for JROTC and non-JROTC students; the transition-to-college rates for JROTC and non-JROTC students; and the perceptions …

The Relationship Of Stress Levels To Wellness Practices Among Community College Presidents., Eva Charlotte Ratliff Dawson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the variety and level of wellness practices of community college presidents and the relationship of these practices to the stress levels of this group. Additionally, relaxation activities and the feelings, characteristics, and symptoms associated with stress were considered. Items measuring each of these variables, isolated from the literature and tested in a pilot sample, were combined into an electronic instrument, Stress Levels and Wellness Practices Measurement for Community College Presidents.

The design of the study was ex post facto/correlational. The population of the study was American community college presidents. A stratified …

The Digital Divide: A Study Of The Intra-Ethnic Divide Within The African American Population In Johnson City, Tennessee., Sonja E. Schreckenberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how much access African American adults 25 years and older, living in Johnson City, Tennessee had to computers, and the factors that most influenced such access. Data was collected from 271 persons living in the area. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software to determine how certain demographics would contribute to the level of computer access.

Results from the study revealed that a digital divide existed within the African American community, with income being a strong determinant of access to computers. The highest level of access for the sample was in the salary range of $50,000-74,999. Computer …

Validity Of Self-Reported Data On Seat Belt Use: The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System., Agnes Mary Banks Samples

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Personal lifestyle and behavior are associated with the 10 leading causes of death for Americans. Motor vehicle crashes kill more than 40,000 people and injure more than 3 million people annually in the United States, representing one of America's most serious health and economic problems. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), someone in America is injured in a motor vehicle crash every 14 seconds and someone is killed every 12 minutes (as cited in Ad Council, 2003). It is widely accepted that increased use of safety belts and reductions in driving while impaired are two of the …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Students' Use Of The Fast Forword Reading Program And Their Performance On Standardized Assessments In Elementary Schools., G. Greg Marion

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the academic achievement of students through the use of standardized testing to examine the relationship of participation in a computer-based phonics instructional system called Fast ForWord^®. The sample included students enrolled in the fifth and sixth grades at four elementary schools in the Grainger County, Tennessee, school system. The comparison group consisted of same-grade peers at the four elementary schools in Grainger County who were not enrolled in the Fast ForWord^® program. Students' scores were compared using the 2003 Terra Nova standardized assessment test and using their 2001 and …

Strategies To Address The Effects Of Reduced Funding For Music Education., Jill Leigh Hobby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop a consensus from a panel of experts composed of public school music teachers both based in instrumental methods and/or choral methods, higher education music professors from various backgrounds, public school administrators, philanthropists, authors, researchers, state music supervisors, and leaders in professional music organizations on regional and national levels.

Through the use of the panel of experts from geographical regions across the United States and Canada, this study strove to build strategies that addressed the effects of reducing funding for music education. The vehicle used to build consensus was the Delphi Technique. Through …

The Effect Of Closed Versus More Liberal Visitation Policies On Work Satisfaction Beliefs And Nurse Retention., Suzanne M. Boswell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nurses believe that more liberal visitation policies will cause greater work overload and decrease the quality of patient care. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a liberal visitation policy on work satisfaction, beliefs, and retention of nurses.

In this study, nurses were asked to complete a survey before and after implementation of a more liberal visitation policy. The nurses were surveyed using Stamps (1997) Index of Work Satisfaction and the Boswell Beliefs Inventory. Statistical analyses were conducted to discover nurses level of satisfaction and beliefs related to the new policy.

Results indicate that nurses were …

Path Analysis Of Factors Affecting Student Outcomes And Continued Participation After Completing Alnu 1100 Basics Of Patient Care At East Tennessee State University., Melessia Dawn Webb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test a causal analytic model for predictors of course outcomes and a second causal model for predictors of continued participation in post-secondary education. The demographic characteristics were compared for students who continued to participate in post-secondary education and those who did not continue to participate in post-secondary education after completing ALNU 1100 Basics of Patient Care at East Tennessee State University. The two models selected for testing were Henry and Basile’s (1994) “Decision Framework” for students’ decisions to continue participation, and Donaldson and Graham’s (1999) “Model of College Outcomes for Adults”, which focused …

A Church Crisis: A Rhetorical Criticism Of Communication Arguments From Proponents Of Both Sides Of The Homosexual Movement In The Christian Church, Garland Brent Wallace

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The increased levels of homosexual discussion in mainstream media culture have aroused opinion diversity in both secular and religious circles. The case of Bishop Gene Robinson has brought the issue of homosexuality in the priesthood to the forefront. However, the main issue does not rest on the issue of homosexuality but rather on the inspiration, validity, and authority of the Bible as scripture. After the evaluation of two pieces of rhetoric, including an interview given by Bishop Gene Robinson on a local radio broadcast and a speech given by B. L. Mauser concerning homosexuality as sin, Kenneth Burke's pentad will …

Structuring A Wayfinder's Dynamic And Uncertain Environment, Michael D. Hendricks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wayfinders typically travel in dynamic environments where barriers and requirements change over time. In many cases, uncertainty exists about the future state of this changing environment. Current geographic information systems lack tools to assist wayfinders in understanding the travel possibilities and path selection options in these dynamic and uncertain settings. The goal of this research is a better understanding of the impact of dynamic and uncertain environments on wayfinding travel possibilities. An integrated spatio-temporal framework, populated with barriers and requirements, models wayfinding scenarios by generating four travel possibility partitions based on the wayfinder's maximum travel speed. Using these partitions, wayfinders …

The Impact Of A Rural School-Based Health Center On Students And Their Families In Sneedville, Tennessee: A Case Study., Michael D. Belcher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the impact that the school-based health center in Sneedville, Tennessee had on students who attended Hancock County High School. The study documented how the school-based health center affected students, families, and the community of Sneedville. Case study methodology was used to determine if the school-based health center impacted school attendance, mental and emotional health, sexual practices, and overall quality of life for students and their families.

Data were collected through 25 interviews with health center stakeholders. The methodology included working with the staff at the school-based health center to identify the key …

Methods Of Teaching The Holocaust To Secondary Students As Implemented By Tennessee Recipients Of The Belz-Lipman Holocaust Educator Of The Year Awards., Julie Patterson Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teaching the Holocaust is a challenging task. Not only do educators have a responsibility to impart the historical information surrounding these events, but issues of humanity are also an important part of the lessons. As of 2001, Holocaust education has been mandated by at least 6 states in the United States. At least 11 others, including Tennessee, have task forces or commissions responsible for promoting Holocaust education and providing professional development opportunities and materials for teaching such units. It is conceivable that additional states will enact legislation requiring Holocaust studies.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore methods …

Epiphanies Of The Principalship: A Study Of Passages In Educational Administration., Donna J. Raines

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This scrapbook of biographical sketches serves as an exhibition of portraits in the elementary school principalship through experiencing a gallery of leadership interviews. Perspectives have been framed in compositions that represent the practical realist, the idealist, and at times even a surrealistic perspective of the elementary principal. Critical incidents were shared from individual participants representing catalysts for momentous change; themes of personal realizations, barriers to effectiveness, and challenges in the career of an administrator also contributed as dominant elements of the final work.

A qualitative research method employing interviews explored the variation of colorful experiences that 23 elementary administrators encountered …

Barriers To The Implementation Of The Oklahoma Learning Site Initiative., Robin L. Plumb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Oklahoma State Legislature and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education have partnered to put forth an initiative to strengthen the state's intellectual power in hopes of preparing its citizens to compete in the global, knowledge-based economy of the 21^st Century. As a starting point for the Oklahoma Learning Site Initiative, the Oklahoma State Regents set forth two goals: (a) to improve the quality of life of the citizens of Oklahoma and (b) to improve Oklahoma's rankings on national economic indicators to achieve a condition in which Oklahoma's growth rate on national economic indicators is consistently above the …

Fundamentalist Religious Movements : A Case Study Of The Maitatsine Movement In Nigeria., Katarzyna Z. Skuratowicz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is a historical analysis of reasons and dynamics behind the emergence of fundamentalist religious movements. Its purpose is to develop a new conceptual apparatus to the approach toward religious fundamentalist movements that would analyze both external and internal factors influencing their emergence. It is a case study of an Islamic fundamentalist religious movement called Maitatsine in Nigeria. The theoretical background is based upon the concepts of international division of labor and the role of the state taken from development theories, which explain the external factors influencing the dynamics in West Africa, the region where the analyzed religious movement …

The Current Crisis In Orthodontic Education : The Residents' Perspective., Matthew Kawabori Bruner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify orthodontic residents' demographic trends, goals for the future, and perspectives on training. A 26-item survey, conducted at the Graduate Orthodontic Residency Program, in August 2003, was distributed to residents representing 51 of the 58 orthodontic programs in the U.S. Questionnaires were sent to 5 programs not attending GORP. Of the 380 questionnaires distributed at the meeting, 295 were returned, while 35 of 50 mailed questionnaires were returned. Total response rate was 77%. Clinical education was the most important factor when choosing a residency. Residents' future plans were to publish their research, earn …

Breakdown From Within : Virginia Railroads During The Civil War Era., Larry Edward Johnson 1956-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an examination of the Virginia railroad system during the Civil War. Using extensive and primary secondary sources, the thesis argues that the Virginia General Assembly, the Confederate Government under Jefferson Davis, and the superintendents of Virginia's carriers inadequately utilized one of the state's, and subsequently, the Confederacy's, primary assets. This thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter one focuses on the limited historiography of Civil War railroads. Chapter two examines the Confederacy's attempts to find a government-level railroad chief. The efforts by Virginia's railroad superintendents to keep their lines operating during a time of civil war are examined …

An Empirical Investigation Of Factors Influencing Teacher Attraction To A Career As School Counselor., Beverly Cox Keepers 1948-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study addressed the administrative task of recruiting school counselors in the largest school district of Kentucky, a state undergoing systemic school reform. The participants (N = 553) were elementary (n = 162), middle (n = 113), and high (n = 278) school teachers.The independent variables included personal characteristics of the participants (age, gender, number of dependent children, ethnicity, education, current school enrollment, current school level, current school CATS level, years of teaching experience, years of teaching experience in JCPS, years of teaching experience in Kentucky) serving as control variables. The other independent variables were counselor job facets (predictor variables) …

The Parents Of Progressive Improvement : Railroads And Public Policy In Kentucky, 1829-1900., David Matthew Wilkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a historical examination of the relationship between the railroad industry and state government in Kentucky during the nineteenth century. The thesis begins with an examination of the legal culture of the early nineteenth century and its relation to railroads. The thesis then shifts into an examination of the various political and social forces that led to regulation of railroads by 1900. The thesis is divided into five chapters. Chapter One covers the historiographical issues surrounding American railroad history, and introduces the reader to the topic. Chapter Two discusses early interactions between railroads and public policy in Kentucky, …

Writing In The Crossroads : Examining First-Year Composition And Creative Writing., Leah Schweitzer 1973-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The trend in writing curriculum has been to diversify and separate courses. This dissertation looks at one set of divided curricula--creative writing and composition--in order to examine the ways in which writing pedagogy has been affected by this parceling out of writing objectives into separate niches of the English department. I argue that there should be a way for different curricula and disciplines to share information between them and to bridge arbitrary gaps created by misguided binaries. My dissertation examines some of the problematic generalities propagated within the English department and interrogates the limits of such generalities. Using what scholars …

Factors Influencing The Willingness To Mentor Female Campus Recreation Professionals., Glenna G. Bower

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to discover factors which influence a mentor's decision to engage in a mentoring relationship within campus recreation administration. The present study investigated four areas of inquiry within campus recreation: (a)what are the individual reasons for mentoring women? (b)what organizational factors inhibit or facilitate mentoring women? ©what protégé characteristics attracted mentors? And (d)what outcomes are associated with mentoring women? A qualitative research design from a phenomenological genre was chosen to examine the mentoring relationship from the perspective of the mentor. A group of campus recreation professionals from the Midwest were contacted for the study (N …

Software Integrity Management System., Joseph H. Brown 1980-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to design, implement, and evaluate a software package that is mutli-platform and will provide software integrity management (SIM). The software package is implemented in Java and will perform two hashing algorithms, Message Digest version 5 (MD5) and Secure Hashing Algorithm 1 (SHA-1), in order to verify the integrity of executable files. These records of executables and their hash value will be stored in flat database files. The database files will be stored off site on multiple servers. Each server will hold a file corresponding to the hash algorithm that was used. By storing the …

Indicators Of Community Receptivity To International Service-Learning Programs., Henry R. Cunningham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an exploratory study of the indicators of receptivity that communities portray towards international service-learning programs. Historically, programs such as service learning programs choose communities and other working partners based on the needs of these communities. International service-learning on the other hand because of the high cost of travel to another country and accommodation needs to minimize the risk of having unsupportive partners. In this light, communities should be assessed to ensure that they are receptive to international service-learning programs. The study was conducted in a community that displayed a high level of receptivity to the University of …

Employees' Perceptions Of Barriers In E-Learning : The Relationship Among Barriers, Demographics, And E-Learning Self-Efficacy., Penina Mungania 1974-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this empirical study was to examine the types of e-learning barriers and to establish the nature of relationships among (a) barriers perceived by employee e-learners in the process of starting, continuing, and completing online training; (b) demographic variables; (c) background characteristics; and (d) e-learning self-efficacy. The population was comprised of employees (N = 4807; n = 865) who had participated in Web-based training delivered 100 percent online. Convenient samples of employees were drawn from seven organizations representing (a) IT Manufacturing, (b) Oil Exploration & Manufacturing, (c) Public School District, (d) Health insurance, (e) Wholesale Distribution, (f) IT …