Digital Commons Network^™

Classroom Observations Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Patterns And Characteristics Of Attention Over Time, Thomas M. Timko Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Investigated differences in attentional processes between children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and their classroom peers. Models of attention gleaned from laboratory experiments provided a theoretical structure for hypothesizing between-group attentional differences. Seventy-five children with ADHD and 36 normal control children were observed in their regular classrooms over a 1-week time interval. Explication of between-group differences revealed that children with ADHD were approximately 21% less attentive on average. Both groups exhibited an accelerating-decelerating pattern of attention over time, however, children with ADHD cycled at a rate twice that of same-aged peers. Six variables derived from observed attention were examined for …

A Comparative Analysis Of Job Competency Expectations For New Hires: The Relative Value Of A Hospitality Management Degree, Peter Ricci

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study compared lodging managers' job competency expectations for newly hired employees in possession of four-year (baccalaureate) degrees from a college or university. Lodging managers mentally separated new hires into two distinct categories when rating the importance of specific job competencies: 1) new hires in possession of a hospitality management baccalaureate degree, and 2) new hires in possession of a non-hospitality management baccalaureate degree. Lodging managers who were current members of the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association (CFHLA) at the time of the survey participated and all were employed in the central Florida area at the time of the …

Academic Achievement Of Hispanic Students In Orange County Public High Schools:Do Hispanic Students Have Varying Degrees Of Academic Success Based On The High School They Attend?, Lawrence Marc Fox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined academic achievement levels of Hispanic high school students. Seven high schools in Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, Florida were selected. The schools were selected based on socio-economic status and demographics to provide a wide range of participation. The following are some of the purposes that guided this study: (a) to determine if there are differences in academic achievement among Hispanic high school students in each school, (b) to determine differences in academic achievement based on gender, (c) to determine differences in academic achievement based on LEP status, and (d) to determine if there is a relationship …

An Inquiry Into Discourse Choices As Indicators Of Gender Attitudes In A Non-Profit Conservative Christian Business, Dawn Marie Kruger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper is an inquiry into the discourse styles of men and women who work together in a conservative Protestant Christian business. Many conservative Protestant Christian churches teach that the Bible forbids women from holding positions of authority over men. Yet in the communications department of this particular business, women fill the top three management positions, supervising a mixed-gender staff of 15. Research has shown that men and women subconsciously use language markers that indicate personal attitudes toward the same and the opposite genders. This research project draws on that information while it analyzes the oral and electronic discourse of …

Risk Factors For Adult Victimization Among Florida's Homeless Women, Rebecca Michelle Weichsel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Much of the existing research on violence against homeless women has concluded that homeless women are particularly vulnerable to violence and experience victimization at rates often exceeding the rates of housed women. Little research, however, has focused upon the specific risk factors that expose homeless women to physical assault, rape, and stalking. Utilizing a sample of 737 homeless women from the Florida cities of Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa, and Miami, this study investigated the risk factors for experiencing adult personal victimization. The characteristics of homelessness, demographics, drug and alcohol use, subsistence activities, childhood victimization, mental health status, and criminal activities were …

The Maintenance Of Ethnic Culture And Manifestations Of Ethnic Identity In The Life Stories Of Finnish Immigrants, Minna Grantham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined whether Finnish immigrants show evidence of assimilation or if they have maintained their ethnic culture in the United States. More specifically, the purpose was to examine how the ethnic culture has been maintained and the ways that ethnic identity manifests itself in their life stories. Ten qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Finnish immigrants and children of Finnish immigrants, and emerging themes were identified in the data. The results indicate a strong ethnic identity among Finnish immigrants, yet it appears to be a very much taken for granted experience for them. The immigrants' lives were influenced by …

Collective Teacher Efficacy And Reading Achievement For Hispanic Students In Reading First And Non-Reading First Schools In Southwest Florida, Larry Hylemon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined explicit and systematic reading instruction for Hispanic, limited English, lower SES students in a southwest Florida school district. Additionally, collective teacher efficacy was assessed to determine if differences existed between a Reading First and a non-Reading First school. A total of 68 students participated in the study and were divided equally between a Reading First and non-Reading First school. While the Reading First school concentrated resources on grades 2 and 3, all students received some degree of Reading First strategies. Available reading measures for analyses at the time of the study included the Group Reading Assessment and …

Investigation Of The Outcomes Of Delivering Training To Spanish Speakers In Standard Spanish Versus Their Native Dialect, Mary Kosarzycki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study explored the outcomes of delivering training to Spanish speakers in either their native dialect or in Standard Spanish in the context of a self-running, narrated PowerPoint presentation on a health topic, "The Importance of Vaccinations." The training outcomes that were examined included learning scores; attitudes toward the training; and attitudes toward employment with organizations that employed the same or different dialect-speaking employees, supervisors, and trainers. In addition to examining the effects of ethnicity upon outcomes, this study also examined the effect of age, education level, time in the U.S., and familiarity with the locally dominant subgroup's dialect. …

The Literacy Experiences Of Ninth-Graders And Their Teacher In An English Language Arts Workshop, Elizabeth Scanlon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The question guiding this qualitative study was: What are the literacy experiences of ninth-grade students in an English language arts workshop classroom? This study is an autoethnography and it chronicles six months in my ninth grade English classroom where I played the role of observant participant. It examines the process of reading and writing and how my perspective as a reader and a writer shapes my curricular decisions and influences my students as readers and writers.

A Probe Into Learning Approaches And Attitudes Towards Technology-Enhanced Language Learning (Tell) In Chinese Instruction, Rong Yuan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative research, carried out at the military environment at the Defense Language Institute investigated whether learning approaches could predict learners' language proficiency and learners' attitude towards technology-enhanced language learning (TELL). In addition, it also examined whether learners' demographic factors, such as age, educational backgrounds, prior experience in foreign language learning and in TELL as well as their ability to use PC and the World Wide Web could predict the above mentioned language proficiency and attitude. A cluster sampling method was adopted and data was collected in four Chinese departments at the institute. Both the learning approaches inventory ASSIST and …

Is Gay Really Gay?: A Heterosexual/Homosexual Quality Of Life Comparison, Kristina Dzara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines differences in quality of life measures between heterosexual and homosexual respondents using General Social Survey data from 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002. Analyses of quality of life are performed in an effort to compare the heterosexual and homosexual population of the United States. The three main areas which are explored in the analysis are physical health, general happiness, and life excitement. Few differences were found in subjective life satisfaction between heterosexuals and homosexuals; however, some control variables differed. Directions for future research regarding homosexuality and quality of life are discussed.

Relationship Between Adolescent Behavior And Civic Engagement, Michael Ernst

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Citizenship - commitment to and participation in a political community - is the heart of constitutional democracy and a free society. Knowledge of the rights, responsibilities, and privileges are the electrical impulses that keep a steady beat. Without the participation of educated citizens, a democratic republic can not and does not function. This study analyzed the relationship between adolescent behavior and civic engagement. This task was accomplished by examining the amount of civic knowledge possessed by two groups within a population. The population examined, a high school in Flagler County, was composed of "at risk" students (those who had an …

The Relationship Between Teacher Attitudes Toward Florida History And The Methods And Materials The Teachers Use To Teach Florida History, Elizabeth Dewey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reacting to an impression that history is not viewed as significant as other curricular subjects such as reading, math, or science, there were multiple purposes for this research: first, to document the attitudes of the fourth grade teachers in one county in Florida towards the subject of Florida history. The teachers' perceptions of the importance of the topic to and for the students, to the administration, and to them personally was surveyed in addition to the perceived preparation of the teachers to teach Florida History. The second purpose was to ascertain the perception of fourth grade teachers regarding preference and …

A Comparison Of The Perceived Leadership Characteristics Of Central Florida Middle And High School Principals And School Achievement Scores, Thomas Fisher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this inquiry was to examine the possible extent to which specific, identifiable leadership characteristics of Central Florida school principals differ between middle and high school administrators, and to examine if these leadership characteristics display a relationship, either positively or negatively, with the obtainment of student scores on state measures of education accountability (FCAT reading scores). Data from the research sample were collected through the administration of a modified version of the Audit of Principal Effectiveness (APE), a survey instrument developed by Dr. Jerry Valentine through the Middle Level Leadership Center at the University of Missouri-Columbia (Valentine & …

The Public Policy Implications Of Audit Regulation: Three Studies Related To The Passage Of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act Of 2002, Steven Thornburg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation documents and evaluates certain financial and non-financial strategies used by the public accounting profession to influence audit regulation during the policy formation period of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX). The dissertation is comprised of three separate, but related studies. Each study uses prior research in accounting and related disciplines to investigate significant aspects the profession's strategies. The first study evaluates the rationality and effectiveness of political action committee (PAC) contributions paid by the accounting profession to members of Congress. The study finds that the accounting profession rationally allocated more PAC contributions to top congressional leaders and to …

Accounting Disclosure At The Organization-Society Interface: A Meta-Theory And Empirical Evidence, Jennifer Ching-Kuan Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three studies related to accounting disclosure at the interface of the organization and society. The first study investigates the overlapping perspectives of legitimacy theory, institutional theory, resource dependence theory, and stakeholder theory and integrates these theories into a more cohesive meta-theory of the organization-society interface. The second study examines whether a corporation's charitable contributions represent a corporate social performance strategy or a legitimation strategy. More specifically, study two investigates, from two competing perspectives, how corporate executives rationalize their philanthropic actions. The third study analyzes the relationship between the current tax laws and the fulfillment of corporate …

When Life Really Is A Stage: A Test Of Objectification Theory Using Dancers And Non-Dancers, Megan Duesterhaus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study tested a model of objectification theory proposed by Fredrickson and Roberts (1997) as it applies to disordered eating in a sample of dancers and non-dancers. The methods in this study are based on a previous test of objectification theory done by Tiggeman and Slater (2001). Two samples of participants were given a survey to measure self-objectification and its anticipated consequences. The first sample included 155 women who participated in either ballet, modern, jazz, or hip-hop dance. The second sample included 199 women enrolled in undergraduate classes at the University of Central Florida during the fall semester of 2004. …

Whither Color-Blind Love? A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis Of Love In Black And White, Brian A. Mcelwain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Interracial marriage remains one of the most emotionally charged issues in the troubled racial history of the United States. Love in Black and White: The Triumph of Love over Prejudice and Taboo is Mark and Gail Mathabane's relatively popular memoir of their interracial marriage. Using this text as a means of access to the discourses surrounding interracial marriage in the post-Civil Rights era, this study applies the key Foucauldian concepts of discourse, power, subjectivity, and critique to an interpretation of this text in relation to its sociohistorical context. Color-Blind Love emerges as the dominant discourse of the memoir and this …

Resorts In Southern Appalachia: A Microcosm Of American Resorts In The Nineteenth And Early Twentieth Centuries., Mary F. Fanslow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Five resorts in East Tennessee--Montvale Springs and the Wonderland Hotel in the Smokies, Tate Spring in the Holston River Valley, Unaka Springs on the Nolichucky River, and the Cloudland Hotel at the summit of Roan Mountain--stand testament to the proposition that their region engaged fully with areas outside southern Appalachia. Their origins, clientele, and health and leisure offerings followed those of other resorts of the same time period. Moreover, the effects of national socioeconomic trends on the hotels serve as a contradiction to the stereotype of southern Appalachia as an isolated region barricaded from the outside world by mountainous topography. …

Burial Practices In Southern Appalachia., Donna W. Stansberry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted in an attempt to determine whether certain burial practices are unique to the people of Southern Appalachia. Eight individuals were interviewed, including a minister and a funeral director. As a result of the research, it was found that, although a strong sense of community and religion still prevails, making certain burial rituals distinctive to the people of Southern Appalachia, they are slowly eroding due to the growing presence of the modern American funeral industry.

Qualitative research methods were used to analyze a segment of the Southern Appalachian population, with literature reviews of related material and in-depth …

Race Reform In The Early Twentieth Century South: The Life And Work Of Willis Duke Weatherford., Sara Trowbridge Combs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Willis Duke Weatherford, a liberal pioneer in Southern race reform, argued that the ethics of Christianity obligated Southerners to address the social and economic problems faced by blacks in the early twentieth century. His strategy for improving race relations centred on educating Southerners and promoting economic uplift for blacks. Weatherford advocated race reform through the Young Men's Christian Association, the Southern Sociological Congress, and other voluntary organizations. He published books, taught courses, preached sermons, organized conferences, and raised funds from Northern philanthropists. Through an analysis of Weatherford's published writings and of his papers archived at the Southern Historical Collection, the …

The Relationships Among Perceptions Of Family Disharmony, Parent-Child Relationships, Disharmonious Family Experiences, And Adolescent Cigarette Smoking., Herbert F. Wolfe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among the following perspectives: perception of family disharmony, parent-child relationships, disharmonious family relationships, and adolescent cigarette smoking. Participants from a southeastern university reported about whether they smoke daily, weekly, monthly, never, or no longer smoke. The independent variable was smoking status of participants. Four to eight rating scales served as dependent variables for the three perspectives. Independent groups (smoking status) multivariate analyses of variance with unequal cell sizes were performed on the rating scale measures. Because none of the comparison tests were significant, the results were interpreted to suggest that …

Positive Self-Talk Statements As A Self-Esteem Building Technique Among Female Survivors Of Abuse., Fred Jackson Teaster Iii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this integrated review of literature was to explore the relationship between and among females in abusive relationships, self-esteem, and positive self-talk. Various models are discussed that provide possible explanations in the understanding of the complex social and psychological nature of cyclic abuse. These models are: learned helplessness, psychological entrapment, self-verification theory, and feminist theory. It is suggested that positive self-talk statements used by the female survivor as a basis for cognitive restructuring can act as a self-esteem building technique, thus promoting healthier cognitions over time. Furthermore, it is argued that self-esteem enhancement can assist females in developing …

Louise C. Morel, The Louisville Women's City Club, And Municipal Housekeeping In Louisville, 1917-1935., Gail Elizabeth Chooljian Nall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Louise C. Morel was a leading social reformer in Louisville from 1917 through the early 1940s. Morel's work is a primary example of the continuation of Progressive Era ideals into the decades after the traditional end of the Progressive Era. Because the areas in which she worked were those that had traditionally appealed to and benefited women and children, Morel became known as a municipal housekeeper. With the help of fellow members of the Louisville Women's City Club, Morel conducted numerous surveys, organized conventions to educate the public, gave speeches, and urged city leaders to institute reforms in various areas. …

Corporate Change And Integration As A Result Of A Merger : An Analysis Of Organizational Culture Within A Large Full-Service Law Firm., Ilker Huseyin Onen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous research on organizational mergers has found that such a business activity bears an effect upon the structural and cultural foundations of organizations. Whether combining intellectual resources or capital, mergers combine workforces that have operated within every unique historical settings. This research focused on a merger between two law firms and the subsequent acquisition of an additional firm. Interviews with a random stratified sample of employees were conducted to gain insight on the cultural aspects of workforce integration. Througout the research, culture and structure were used as interrelated aspects when addressing the merger. The main result of the research revealed …

Approaching Dionysus : Challenges Of A Post-Modern Bacchae., Julie Dingman Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a personal examination of the process of creating, developing and portraying the character of Dionysus in University of Louisville's 1996 production of Euripides' The Bacchae. It begins with an examination of my acting process prior to study at the University of Louisville and focuses on learned skills which enabled me to meet challenges that I faced coming into this role. The latter part of this thesis examines the effect of my process on the outcome of the performance of the role. The five chapters of this thesis cover my approach to acting from the start of my …

The Heart Of The Matter : The Gendered Relationship Of Altruism And Marital Happiness., Natalie Jane Brinton Call 1978-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In light of western cultural trends toward individualism, the presence of altruistic marital attitudes and behavior is examined as a predictor of marital happiness. Most quantitative studies exploring correlates of marital happiness use the same underlying concept of asking participants how their spouses' actions help them obtain marital happiness. Specifically, this research departs from convention by using a respondent's own level of altruism to predict his or her own marital happiness. Quantitative data gathered in the Louisville Metropolitan Survey 2004 is used for the project. Several methods of analysis find support for ties between certain manifestations of marital altruism and …

A Reconstruction Of Moreau Chambers' 1937 Excavation Of A Chickasaw Village In Northeastern Mississippi, Ladonna F. Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An analysis of the archival data relating to the earliest professional investigation of a Chickasaw village site was done in order to reconstruct the excavation and place the artifacts in their appropriate context. A progress report written near the beginning of the project, excavation photographs with annotations and catalogue entries for the primary documentation were available to begin reconstruction. The original field notes have been lost but there were a limited amount of data that were abstracted from them by an earlier researcher. Although an overview of the excavations was derived, there was not sufficient data to allow the reconstruction …

Authentic Versus Tourist : Reexamining A Collection Of West African Art In Light Of New Debates And Old Ambiguities, Sarah Joy Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The issues in defining, describing, and ultimately displaying “authentic” West African traditional art in the museum environment are often wrought with arbitrary distinctions concerning aesthetic value, artistic intention, and function in a ritual atmosphere. I examine a West African art collection, the Fulton-Meyer Collection, at the University of Mississippi Museums, and identify these works of art in terms of contemporary criteria found in both ethnographic and art history texts for specific tribal and ethnic affinities. I compare works deemed “authentic” and those that meet the tourist art criteria. I explore the reasons for these distinctions, and apply the contemporary studies …

The Interrelationships Of Parent Rural Values, Parent Religiosity, Parent Involvement, And Student Outcomes In A Small, Southern, Rural Middle School., E. Carolyn Tucker 1949-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a case study of 109 students and their parents from a small rural, middle school community in Western Kentucky. It seeks to determine the interrelationships between conservative Protestant Parent Values (Parent Rural Values and Parent Religiosity), Parent Involvement, and Student Outcomes. For the mixed-methods study, mail-administered Parent and Student Surveys provide quantitative data. Interviews, document analysis, and participant-observer field notes are utilized to supplement statistical findings. Ten Research Questions reflect Demographic Factors (Socioeconomic Status, Family Structure, and Specifically Designed Instruction), Independent Variables (Parent Values--Rural Values and Parent Religiosity), Mediating Factor (Parent Involvement), and the Dependent Variable (Student …