Digital Commons Network^™

A Comparison Of The Stad And Jigsaw Cooperative Learning Methods In A College-Level Microcomputer Applications Course., Nina Zetty

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the effects of two cooperative learning methods on the achievement, computer anxiety, and classroom environmental preferences (whole class, small cooperative groups, or individualized) of college-level students in two microcomputer applications classes. One group received instruction using the Student Teams Achievement Division (STAD) method (n = 26), while the other group was taught using the Jigsaw method (n = 27); both groups were taught for one semester (15-weeks) by the same instructor. Although both cooperative groups reported statistically significant achievement gains for each application, the Jigsaw group scored significantly higher than the STAD group with the DOS {dollar}(F(1, …

The Effects Of Self-Graphing On Regular, At-Risk And Special Needs Students' Oral Reading Fluency And Comprehension., William D. Farrer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There are regular and at-risk students in regular education who are not progressing academically. The emphasis of keeping students in the regular reading classroom, while meeting their individual needs makes effective documentation vital. This study indicated that frequent measuring of student progress by collecting and graphing data can be useful. A multiple baseline design across behaviors and students was employed to determine if self-graphing would affect greater and more rapid change in student progress. All students showed improvement when they self-graphed words per minute (WPM) and rated their daily performance. Because improvement in WPM occurred only when self-graphing was introduced, …

Restructuring In State Departments Of Education: An Analysis Of Structural Evolution., Harriet Maxey Deel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to address the nature of structural changes evolving in state departments of education which are perceived by chief state school officers as useful in implementing educational reforms. As a context for the inquiry on structural evolution, the study examined restatement of mission and goals in response to the reform movement. Examination of structural elements related to five areas: (a) reduction in vertical layers in the organization hierarchy, (b) adoption of flexible, cooperative roles, (c) decentralization of decision making, (d) delivery models for training and technical assistance to local education agencies and schools, and (e) …

Foot-In-The-Door And Cancer Prevention, Danielle J. Dolin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Foot-in-the-door (FITD) technique was applied to a health care setting to determine if this compliance method could be used toward increasing cancer prevention rates. Self-perception was used as the theoretical explanation for the FITD technique. Subjects were mall merchants attending the setting during two days of a scheduled area health fair. Two groups were run. One cell received both a first and second request (the FITD cell), while the control cell received only the second request. As expected, statistically significant effects indicated higher compliance rates of the FITD group. Attitude measures concerning the general topic of prevention and the topic …

School-Based Community Service: A Descriptive Analysis Of Four High School Programs., David Richard Procter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The study evaluated the panegyrical claims for high school-based community service programs. Four high school programs from three different states were selected to represent public, private-parochial, single and mixed gender, urban, suburban, and rural orientations. A repeated measure quantitative research design was developed and implemented as well as a qualitative study involving student and teacher/coordinator interviews. A survey instrument consisting of three scales--Social Isolation, Powerlessness, and Political Efficacy--was administered to experimental groups of student volunteers in each of four schools before and after programs involving student participation in community activities. The time periods between pre and post-tests ranged from one …

Countertransference Reactions Toward Incest Victims: A Qualitative Investigation., Susan Carol Bates

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This was a qualitative study investigating countertransference reactions toward incest victims and how these reactions impacted the therapist. Two caucasian male and two caucasian female therapists were participants. Their level of education varied from masters' degrees (n = 3) to a doctoral degree (n = 1). Years of experience ranged from 5 to 25 years. Each participant agreed to an in-depth interview, to maintain a journal for three months recording reactions toward two current sexual abuse clients, and to an exit interview. Qualitative analyses employing recommendations by Hycner (1985) were utilized. Results described a diversity of reactions and management of …

Coanda Effect Jet Around A Cylinder With An Interacting Adjacent Surface., Randolph Allen Churchill

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The effects of placing a plane solid surface in close proximity to a Coanda effect jet turning over a cylindrical surface are investigated to help judge the possible application of this type of jet to manufacturing line processes. The Coanda jet is proposed as a coating control mechanism for fluidic coatings on sheets or a particulate removal device. A Coanda jet placed close to a surface will develop a strong tangential flow that will shear by viscous effects and pressure gradients. A turbulent k-{dollar}\\varepsilon{dollar} finite element model, developed in FIDAP, is presented that studies the effects of cylinder-sheet separation distance …

Acquisition Of Word Concept In Two Kindergarten Classrooms., Elwin Leonard Dickerson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study explored how differing teaching methodologies affect word concept development during the first semester of kindergarten. Comparing fourteen kindergarten students matched on age, concepts about print, cognitive level and home factors in kindergartens differing in teaching philosophy, the researcher administered tasks to assess development of concept of word. Those tasks structured to assess word concept development, were administered every other week. Clay's "Concepts About Print" (CAP) task provided the pre- and post test assessment. The seven students exposed to a holistic philosophy and seven students exposed to a skill building philosophy demonstrated no significant differences when their word concept …

The Relationship Between Food Aid And Food Production In Sub-Saharan Africa., Saba Momodou Jallow

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between food aid and food production in thirty-six Sub-Saharan African countries over an eleven year period. Local food production was used as a dependent variable in a pooled cross sectional time series statistical model with food aid, GNP per capita, population, urbanization, literacy rates, regime type, and rainfall used as explanatory variables. The statistical model was supplemented with four cases pertaining to agricultural food policies and politics in Botswana, Ivory Coast, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Both internal and external constraints have contributed to the food crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa. The relationship …

The Relationships Among Teachers' Immediacy Behaviors, Credibility, And Social Style And Students' Motivation And Learning: Comparisons Among Cultures., Catherine Ann Thompson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent research offers insight concerning the roles of teachers' verbal immediacy, nonverbal immediacy, and credibility in American classrooms, but little work has been done to test the universal effects of these constructs. The primary purpose of this research was to extend previous research by comparing in different cultural groups the relationships among students' perceptions of teachers' immediacy, credibility, and social style in relation to students' perceptions of their own motivation and learning. Relationships among students' perceptions of teachers' verbal immediacy, nonverbal immediacy, competence, character, assertiveness, and responsiveness and students' motivation, cognitive learning, affective learning, and behavioral learning as well as …

Prediction And Amelioration Of Acid Mine Drainage., Walter Mark Hart

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Two aspects of acid mine drainage (AMD) production were studied on a laboratory scale: the role of leaching, and the effectiveness of phosphate amelioration. The leaching study was based on an assumption of an earlier oxidation/leaching field model: that oxidation is independent of leaching. A SAS program was written which can simultaneously fit all three parameters of this field model. The model was generalized to include the effect of initial sulfate sulfur. A deterministic oxidation/leaching model was developed and applied to two continuous, unsaturated flow trickle bed reactors. First-order leaching rate constants were calculated to be 0.0888 days{dollar}\\sp{lcub}-1{rcub}{dollar} for refuse …

"Losers At The Game?" Male Protagonists In Four Novels Of Henry James., Sandra Rosalynne Woods

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examines the male American protagonists from four of Henry James's major novels, Roderick Hudson, The American, The Bostonians, and The Ambassadors. Considerations of the generic Jamesian hero usually include James's heroines, and numerous works have concentrated on James's female protagonists, but few comparable attempts have been made to focus exclusively on James's male protagonists. Both the dynamic character of James's literary career and the extraordinary range of James's female characters suggest that such a study may be warranted. The scale of modes delineated by Northrop Frye in Anatomy of Criticism provides an archetypal base for this study. Because …

Behavior Of Bolt And Adhesive Connections In Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic Members, James R. Doyle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Structural fasteners must be engineered to resist a large variety of loading conditions. Isotropic materials with high shear strength can be designed to withstand multidirectional loading. However, since fiber reinforced plastic materials are direction dependent, a more in-depth understanding of the effects of loading direction and fiber orientation is needed. To achieve a better understanding of load transfer and failure mechanisms in FRP fasteners, an experimental program has been devised which includes static testing by varying overlap areas and connector strengths. From the results of these tests, more accurate joint designs should be possible.

Connectors such as arc welding and …

Development Of A Measure Of Therapist Trustworthiness, Gregory M. Alberts

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Graduate and professional therapist training programs emphasize the acquisition of technical skills (Stevenson & Norcross, 1987) and deemphasize the promotion of interpersonal and relationship competencies (Lambert, 1989; Schiffman, 1987 ) . The content of such training programs and the procedures by which the competencies of prospective mental health practitioners are developed and evaluated have been critic ized because neither are based on an adequate fund of clinically relevant empirical knowledge (Ford, 1979; Garfield, 1977; Matarazzo, 1978; Ponterotto & Furlong, 1985; Scofield & Yoxtheimer, 1983).

Quality Economics In Total Quality Control., Fu Qiang Yang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this research is to develop a general approach to quality economics in Total Quality Control. Based on microeconomics theory and the development of prevailing quality control approaches, the research develops a set of economic quality concepts which provide a solid theoretical base for economic design and evaluation in quality control. A number of quality economics modeling procedures are established in the phases of both the consumer's and the producer's decision makings on product quality as well as their interactions. In the context of a total quality control approach, the research first analyzes consumer behavior under quality discrimination …

An Artificial Associative Neural Net For Underground Mine Landmark Recognition., Peijian Li

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A new bi-directional associative memory (BAM), a type of artificial neural net, is proposed, defined, demonstrated and tested as the core classifier in a landmark recognition system for underground mine navigation. The simulation of this new BAM shows improved ability in recognizing images of objects as compared with the BAM proposed by Kosko. This dissertation documents: (1) A new bi-directional associative memory model which shows an obvious improvement over the Kosko BAM in applications of pattern recognition; (2) A new distinctive system structure using the proposed BAMs for multiple feature space pattern recognition applications; (3) The analysis of simulation results …

A Method For Predicting Rock Fragmentation And Blast Casting., Shih Wen Wang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fragmentation and burden velocity are the major concerns of any blasting operation. A good estimation of fragment size distribution before blasting is very useful and helpful for selecting the proper equipment for loading, hauling, and crushing rocks. The burden velocity can be used to predict the center of mass movement. There are three basic variables that determine the blasting effects. They are rock properties, explosive properties, and drilling patterns. These together include more than twenty factors that can affect the blasting results. The development of a blasting model which considers most of these factors is the main task of this …

Rural Female College Graduates: Barriers And Catalysts To A College Education., Sue Diane Day-Perroots

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Many of the known cultural, familial, historical and geographical deterrents to education exist within the rural female population from six counties in southern West Virginia. Through feminist survey research, this qualitative study is an analysis of the common themes that arise in the lives of rural women who have earned a college degree, using women's narratives to provide insights into existing research. Based on a 42 percent return on a 14 page survey, 110 rural college educated women responded to 41 open-ended and forced-choice questions about parental demographics, childhood and public school experiences, hometown descriptors and college attendance. The women …

The Effect Of Teaching A Test-Taking Strategy To High School Students With Learning Disabilities., Youn-Ock Kim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between a test-taking strategy intervention and academic improvement of high school students with learning disabilities. For students with learning disabilities, generalization of learning becomes an ultimate goal. The Test-Taking Strategy is designed to enable students to generalize the strategy to the real world and maintain their use of the strategy over time. However, there have been no studies reported that utilized guided test-taking as a strategy to improve academic performance in high school students with learning disabilities. The experimental subjects for this study were four students with learning disabilities in …

A Comparison Of Seat Belt Use Attitudes And Behaviors Of Regular And Exceptional Students And Their Parents., Sandra Kay Vanin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Each year nearly one million individuals suffer a head trauma. Many will sustain permanent injuries resulting in behavior and learning problems. In addition, both the individual and the family will accrue thousands of dollars in hospital and rehabilitation costs. It has been estimated that 4,500 lives are saved and 119,000 serious injuries are prevented each year by using a seat belt. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have mandatory seat belt laws. West Virginia, with the third highest non-seat belt use, has failed in three legislative sessions to pass such legislation. Over 200 Monongalia County fourth, fifth and sixth …

Self-Understanding And Empathy Development In Seasoned Psychotherapists: A Qualitative Study., Linda M. Sandel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

How do persons come to want to be helpers? What types of circumstances and life events help psychotherapists nurture and develop personal and professional self-awareness and self-understanding, as well as empathic ability? How does the practice of psychotherapy influence the lives of practitioners? Few research efforts have addressed these questions. An extensive literature review on the development of self-understanding in therapists suggested that the paradigm of the "wounded-healer", and the concept of narcissism, have often been used as a basis for exploring answers to these questions. Conceptually, it has been suggested that the healing of personal issues is a critical …

Seismic Evaluation Of The Mississippian Greenbrier Limestone And Devonian Ohio Shale In The Big Ugly Area, Southwestern West Virginia., Li Zheng

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Mississippian Greenbrier Limestone and Devonian Ohio Shale were studied in the Big Ugly area of southwestern West Virginia by reprocessing and interpreting existing seismic and geological data. Careful design of routine processing parameters and the use of a modified tau-p filter significantly enhanced the quality of seismic data from the area. The presence of detached structures above three decollement zones and cross-strike discontinuities (CSD's) associated with the Alleghanian deformation west of Mann Mountain anticline is suggested. A basement growth structure, the Griffithsville basement high, localized detached structures along its southeast flank. High producing trends in the Devonian Ohio Shale …

Development Of A Resistivity Method To Detect Underground Mined Openings., Fazlollah Ziaie

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this study, a new resistivity method has been developed and tested in three phases; simulated model, similitude model, and field survey. This new resistivity method is a combination of the Bristow arrangement and line electrode method. Three line electrodes are chosen so that the sinkhole electrode is emplaced at far distance from the other two electrodes. Any of the two electrodes and the sinkhole electrode is activated and several resistivity profiles perpendicular to the line electrode are prepared for different electrodes activation. Subsurface cavities cause resistivity anomaly. These anomalies are interpreted and are used to estimate the depths and …

An Exploratory Study Of Moral Judgment Of Higher Education Administrators., Betsy Barger Cook

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The relationships between the moral judgment score as measured by Rest's Defining Issues Test and certain demographic variables of higher education administrators were investigated. In addition, five personal interviews with higher education administrators were conducted to obtain personal anecdotes on decision making in ethical dilemmas. The population for the quantitative portion was a sample of all presidents, vice presidents for academics or provosts and academic deans at all four-year public higher education institutions in the United States. The research method used the DIT, an objective psychological test of moral judgment, and a demographic questionnaire developed by the researcher. To determine …

The Effect Of Board Grade On Yellow Poplar Millwork Cutting Yield., James C. Flowers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The custom millwork industry currently purchases about 89 percent of its hardwood lumber from the top NHLA grades, FAS and FAS1F (1F&Btr). For many millwork producers, the abundance of yellow-poplar in the Appalachian region, its cost and machining properties make it an attractive wood species. The price discrepancies between 1F&Btr yellow-poplar and lower grades are not necessarily justified by observed variation in cutting yield. To determine the effect of NHLA board grade on millwork cutting yields, a database was assembled, detailing information on the type, size and location of defects on the faces of 479 re-graded 4/4 kiln-dried yellow-poplar boards. …

An Examination Of The Relationship Of Violations Of Students' Expectancies Of Teachers' Nonverbal Immediacy And Perceived Teachers' Nonverbal Immediacy Behaviors On Learning., Mark Alan Seiffert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This investigation examined a model of Burgoon's Violation of Expectancy theory (Burgoon, 1978; Burgoon & Hale, 1987) as applied to the instructional context. Students' perceptions of teacher nonverbal immediacy were used in conjunction with the Expectancy Violation Model to predict amount of student learning. At the beginning of a term, students were asked to complete questionnaires assessing the expected level of nonverbal immediacy for one of their instructors. One week later, and at midterm, students were asked to complete questionnaires assessing the level of nonverbal immediacy evidenced by their instructors and the students' perceptions of the amount of learning that …

Parent Compliance To Treatment For Pediatric Cancer: Development And Validation Of Two Measurement Strategies., Carita Renee Shawchuck

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Investigations of treatment compliance among pediatric cancer patients have indicated that noncompliance to treatment is a significant problem in this population. Some researchers have suggested that compliance to treatment may be significantly influenced by the complexity of the treatment regimen. The purpose of this investigation was to: (a) develop and assess the efficacy of a prospective parent self-monitoring measure to assess compliance to the entire treatment regimen, (b) develop two physician-completed measures to assess the complexity of childhood cancer treatment regimens, and (c) investigate the relationship between current and overall medical regimen complexity and compliance to treatment among a sample …

Modeling The Supply Response Of Energy Resources: The Case Of Non-Associated Natural Gas In West Virginia., Omowunmi Odemyi Iledare

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this study, we have attempted to conduct an economic and policy analysis of the West Virginia natural gas producing industry. The research concentrated on industry activities, objectives and outcomes in the post-NGPA era. The primary goal was to determine the role of economic and market conditions on natural gas supply. First, the structure, conduct and performance of the West Virginia gas producing industry were examined with respect to key features of market structure--concentration, vertical and horizontal integration and barriers to entry. Second, a West Virginia gas supply (WVGAS) model based on the assumption of a price-taker industry was constructed. …

Student Demographic And Performance Variables Related To Performance On The Pre-Professional Skills Mathematics Test., Sally Hardwick Digman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The consequences of failure on the PPST Mathematics Test can be devastating for individuals in states requiring a passing score for teacher certification. This concern prompted the researcher to investigate the variables related to performance on the PPST Mathematics Test. The dependent measures were PPST Mathematics Test Raw Scores and Pass/Fail Scores. The demographic variables included Age, Sex, State, High School Mathematics Coursework, College Rank, and Teaching Area. The performance variables included High School GPA, ACT Mathematics Test, Nelson-Denny Reading scores, WVU Mathematics Department Computation and Word Problem scores, and Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal scores. Subjects were 164 teacher education …

Rapid Pyrolysis Of Eastern And Western Oil Shales In An Entrained Reactor., Guo-Qing Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An entrained reactor system (LFER) has been used to study the rapid pyrolysis kinetics for both eastern (New Albany) and western (Colorado) oil shales. Under the condition of high heating rate, a fundamental understanding of the processes influencing oil production and product quality/composition was obtained. Flow visualization and temperature characterization in the LFER were conducted to provide a critical laminar flow and isothermal reaction zone. Calibration curves depicting the flow regimes confirmed that the existing inlet and reactor design can be operated without particle dispersion caused by turbulence. A thermocouple tree was successfully utilized to identify the conditions necessary to …