Digital Commons Network^™

Marketing Campaign For Soup Stop, Nfp, Inc., Chelsea M. Mcbride

Masters Theses

For the applied thesis in professional communication, I created marketing documents for Soup Stop, NFP, INC., a non-profit organization located in Charleston that provides free lunch Monday through Friday to anyone who asks for a meal. Soup Stop does not require its clients to provide any information in order to receive service. It is one of Charleston's longest running mission projects and has operated out of the First Presbyterian Church for ten years, serving over 30,000 meals. Because Soup Stop is funded entirely through donations and volunteer efforts, board members have found it challenging to keep documents up-to-date and to …

Effect Of Prolonged Pacifier Use On Speech Articulation, Danielle Laprairie

Masters Theses

The hypothesis of the current research study was that children who frequently use pacifiers past the age of 2 years would display more articulation errors and patterns than children with limited or no pacifier use. The specific research question was whether there was a difference in articulation errors between children who used a pacifier and children who did not use a pacifier for a prolonged duration and frequency. Experimental subjects included seven children who had used a pacifier for at least 2 years and who were either currently using a pacifier or who had discontinued using a pacifier within 6 …

Influence Of Measurement Frequency On Rating Of Perceived Exertion During Sub-Maximal Treadmill Testing, Sue Stout

Masters Theses

Previous studies have suggested that ratings of perceived exertion· (RPE) may be influenced by the frequency of measurement interval during both sub-maximal and maximal exercise testing. The purpose of this study was to further examine the effect of inquiry frequency on perceived exertion during sub-maximal treadmill testing. Twelve recreationally trained female college students completed one of two graded treadmill tests with a crossover design for the other protocol on a nonconsecutive day. During one trial, RPE and heart rate (HR) were recorded at the end of each three-minute stage. During the other trial, RPE and HR were monitored three times …

Cross-Age And Peer Tutoring In The Music Classroom, Christopher B. Gelb

Masters Theses

This is a study on the effects of a Cross-age Tutoring program implemented into a beginning band classroom. High school students worked with small groups of beginning band students. The tutoring sessions were 45-minute sessions on an every-other-day rotation. Supervising teachers provided articles and demonstrations to assist the high school-aged tutors in working with different techniques unique to each instrument. Resources for the tutoring sessions included the Essential Elements 2000 band method book and the Music Ace computer program. The high school and middle school band directors supervised the tutoring sessions and were available to answer questions and develop lesson …

The Role Of Cognitive Complexity In The Endorsement Of Domestic Violence Myths, Kelly J. Gluba

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between cognitive complexity and its role in the endorsement of stereotypical domestic violence myths. The 103 participants were recruited from the Introduction to Psychology subject pool and completed the surveys online. Measures included the Sex Role Egalitarian Scale, The Religious Orientation Scale, The Multidimensional Quest Orientation Scale, Domestic Violence Myth Acceptance Scale, and the Need for Cognition Scale. Participants were divided into four categories: those that endorsed intrinsic religious beliefs, those that endorsed extrinsic religious beliefs, those that endorsed both, and those that endorsed neither. The participants who endorsed both …

The Eligibility Practices For The Category Of Specific Learning Disability In A Rural Special Education Cooperative In Illinois, Jennifer L. Hauptly

Masters Theses

This study investigated the trends in assessment for specific learning disability in a rural special education cooperative in Illinois. The sample included assessment records for 135 students who graduated from high school with special education services under the category of specific learning disability. The assessment procedures were recorded and compared to trends in practice at the time. Results revealed that the use of traditional assessment practices, such as the IQ-achievement discrepancy, was less likely to be used once the alternative Flexible Service Delivery Model was initiated. To further investigate the impact of the Flexible Service Delivery Model, data were gathered …

Mindfulness And Well-Being: Testing For Mediation And Predictiveness, Tate R. Hartman

Masters Theses

Mindfulness is defined as a state of mind where one is able to attend to and be aware of what is taking place in the immediate present in a non-judgmental manner (Brown & Ryan, 2003; Kabbat-Zinn, 1994). Although originating in Eastern spirituality and philosophy, mindfulness has migrated to Western culture within the last 30 years (Anderson, Lau, Segal, & Bishop, 2007). A number of therapies, either based in mindfulness or incorporating aspects of it, have yielded positive results on a variety of conditions, such as depression and borderline personality disorder. However, the specific avenues that mindfulness takes to elicit these …

Does Familiarity With A Rape Victim Influence Rape Myth Acceptance?, Christopher Bottger

Masters Theses

The topic of rape myth acceptance has been extensively studied; however, research investigating how rape myth acceptance may be related to a person's familiarity with a rape victim is minimal. To assess this relationship, 160 male and female undergraduate students indicated their degree of acceptance of rape myths on one of two versions of the Illinois Rape ~yth Acceptance Scale (IRMAS). One version presented the traditional IRMAS' items that referred to a hypothetical woman. The other version developed for the present study included personalized items that referred to a friend of the participant. The present study was the first to …

Predictors Of Depression In Nursing Home Residents, Lauren M. Yoggerst

Masters Theses

Research dealing with mental health issues in the aged has recently become an area of increased interest. As population trends continue to show that the elderly are increasing in life expectancy, the need for additional and more comprehensive knowledge of the elderly is needed. The present study aimed to further previous research dealing with predictors of depression in the elderly. More specifically, this study sought to target nursing home residents, which is a group that is often overlooked in the literature. The present study aimed to look at the possible relationship between satisfaction with life events and the amount of …

Olweus Bullying Prevention: A Program Evaluation At A Local Middle School, Jessica L. Hettiger

Masters Theses

Bullying is a rising problem in America leading to low self-esteem, poor school performance, and even teenage suicides. As Americans we feel it is our duty to "fix" the problems associated with bullying in order to help each student receive the best education possible. With this attitude, programs like the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program are making a rise as researched-based interventions based on the whole-school concept.

Originally, Olweus, found positive results in Norway and, consequently, started marketing his program to schools in America. Unfortunately, various studies by Cornell (2006) and Fink (2010), along with this study have shown significantly different …

Explosives Recognition And Awareness Training: A Psychological Approach To Pre-Blast Mitigation, James Wade Hawkins

Masters Theses

"The nation's security strategy tends to be reactionary to a specific event. It is rare when established policies have proven successful, even though there is substantial financial and resource investment. The payoff is measured by analyzing the desired minimal effect rather than prevention of the event altogether. Such is the case in combating explosives-related threats. Today, research and development, science and technology, are plugged as the saviors of a post-blast event. Synthetic and composite materials are used to strengthen barriers and cutting-edge technology is utilized to refine the latest in standoff detection. These legitimate measures provide a sense of security …

The Effects Of Gender On Rumination, Co-Rumination, Depression, And Relationship Satisfaction, Mera El Ramahi

Masters Theses

The present qualitative study examined gender differences in rumination, co-rumination, depression, and relationship satisfaction. Response style theory, gender role socialization, and social norms are proposed to explain the gender differences in depression. The researchers conducted a study with undergraduate and graduate students at a mid-sized Midwest university campus. The sample in the present study consisted of 232 students. There were 106 males and 126 females. Participants took an online survey that consisted of the Response Style Questionnaire (RSQ), Co-Rumination Questionnaire (CRQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Multidimensional Questionnaire (MRQ). The findings suggest that rumination is a significant predictor of …

Student Perceptions On The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. University Union At Eastern Illinois University, Anthony Kwiatkowski

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect programs and services of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Union have on the educational experiences of students at Eastern Illinois University. Data were gathered :from 619 students using a Web Enabled Survey System developed by Educational Benchmarking, Inc. that focused specifically on students' perceptions of the experiences provided by the Union. The results of the study showed that even though student users are satisfied with their overall Union experience, there is a need for administrators to address developmental issues of Life and Leadership, as well as entertainment opportunities for the …

The Marketing Value Of Graduate Certificate Programs In Higher Education: A Strategic Assessment, Susmitha Akula

Masters Theses

"The last five years have seen a significant increase in the popularity of non degree graduate certificates. This increase has raised questions about the value of graduate certificate programs from the perspective of students, alumni and industry employers. Do certificate programs provide real world skills and knowledge valuable to industry? Do they serve as effective recruiting tools for the university? Do they provide opportunities for students to meet their professional goals in terms of salary increase, promotions, and the like? The present research is specifically aimed at answering these questions. Surveys that assess perceptions of value of graduate certificates to …

Establishing Workload Limitations For Application In Human Systems Integration, Muhammet Servet Gulum

Masters Theses

"As the amount of technology involved in the typical workplace increases and standard operational procedures become increasingly sophisticated the danger of overloading an operator's mental resources is increasing. As much as these technological developments help operators with daily tasks, for example by providing information via monitors and wireless headsets; it also increased the mental workload due to the bombardment of information. Mental workload is commonly associated with information processing tasks, limits. With all the extra information inputs it is difficult to set limits where excessive information becomes dangerous. The workload optimization is critical as it directly affects system performance and …

Integrating A Variety Of Cultures And Diversity Into The Upper Elementary Curriculum, Tammy Joy Hamlin

Masters Theses

Research has overwhelmingly shown that something needs to be done to combat the increasing problem of high minority drop-out rates. Many people still do not acknowledge that schools need to do anything differently. Instead the problem is blamed on the home life and economics. Some teachers feel that low-income inner city, minority students, simply are not capable of being successful academically. Society often does not realize how poor the minority drop out rates are in their school districts. Some administrations have chosen to hide the statistics. For instance one New York school district in this research promoted that almost all …

Exposing Romantic Folly: Comic Performance In Mark Twain's Foreign Travel Writing, Andrew Cessna Jones

Masters Theses

This thesis explores Mark Twain's three works of foreign travel literature, The Innocents Abroad, A Tramp Abroad, and Following the Equator using the rhetorical tool of comic performance. Comic performance as a tool of rhetorical analysis is defined using Kenneth Burke's conception of the comic frame and Richard Bauman's framework for performance. This tool is then used to explore Twain's descriptions of foreign place, culture, and people in representative passages from each work in order to show how Twain uses his descriptive passages as a means to elicit social change.

Disenchantment: The Formation, Distortion, And Transformation Of Identity In Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, Lydia K. Christoph

Masters Theses

Charles Dickens' Great Expectations (1861) stands apart from his other works as a powerful expression of his later social and theological views. Rife with rich characterizations, fairy-tale elements, grotesque and bizarre plot twists, Victorian social issues, and a beautifully thoughtful and imaginative commentary on the universal human themes of loss, guilt, abuse, identity, money, social status, and love, this novel remains an outstanding example of truly great art, both popular and classic. This story of identity formation in a nineteenth-century English context demonstrates how Dickens' life and writings, influenced by spurious and inconsistent theological beliefs, express the idea that sin …

The Use Of Music In Early Childhood Centers In British Columbia: A Survey Of The Perceptions And Practices Of Early Childhood Educators, Michelle Lawrence

Masters Theses

This study explored the current practices of early childhood educators' utilization and perception about music in their classrooms. Early childhood educators are defined as individuals who have completed post-secondary training at an accredited college or university in early childhood education and are registered with the ECEBC Registry. Early childhood centers are defined as either preschools or licensed group child care centers. An online survey was been designed to obtain information regarding demographics and characteristics of early childhood centers in British Columbia, relevant musical and educational training, comfort level of the early childhood educator leading group music activities, implementation of the …

Christian Yoga As A Product Of Hinduism And The New Age Movement, Injib Kim

Masters Theses

This thesis is divided into four main parts. Part one examines the origin of Hindu yoga practice. It will focus on the ancient Hindu origins of modern Yoga practice. Part two deals with the introduction of yoga into the western world. It examines the socio-cultural-religious phenomenon that Yoga has become. Chapter three inspects yoga in American churches. It concerns the origins, meaning, and detailed methods of Christian Yoga. The last part formulates a biblical response to Christian yoga. It is an apologetic for biblical Christianity.

A Study Of The Effect Of Splinting On Pain During Tip Pinch For Osteoarthritis Of The First Carpometacarpal Joint, Leana Tank

Masters Theses

The following research project focused on the effect of a prefabricated neoprene first carpometacarpal splint on osteoarthritis pain with tip-pinch, strength measurements of tip-pinch and functional performance. The following questions were explored throughout this study:

1. There will be a significant decrease in mean pain levels when the subject’s hand is splinted as compared to mean pain levels when the hand is not splinted.

2. There will be a significant decrease in mean pain levels for the second session as compared to the first.

3. There will be a significant increase in mean tip pinch strength measurements when the subject’s …

Viewing The World Through Oprah's Eyes: A Framing Analysis Of The Spiritual Views Of Oprah Winfrey, Marianne Jeanette Crosby

Masters Theses

Oprah Winfrey is an American icon. She has a hand in almost every form of media: movies, television, books, Internet, and radio. In her rise to success, another place that she has infiltrated is the church. Because of her wide range of influence, her thoughts and teaching on spirituality have made their way into both the home and church. Over ten years ago, talk shows had a reputation for portraying mainly negative topics. To combat this stereotype, she made a push to encourage more positive topics of discussion on her show. Yet after receiving criticism for "preaching," she withdrew from …

Hauntings In The Church: Counterfeit Christianity Through The Fin De Siècle Gothic Novel, Melissa Ann West

Masters Theses

The lengthy Victorian period, extending from 1832 until 1901, was a time of cultural turmoil. New scientific discoveries were being made daily, and Christianity was forced to deal with issues of Darwinism, occultism, and growing disbelief in God. By the start of the fin de siècle, God was an impartial deity sitting on His almighty throne, and man was nothing more than a highly evolved animal. The church, both Catholic and Anglican, did not exist to lead man toward salvation, but existed because of a dated adherence to cultural tradition.

No one genre captured the religious upheavals of the age …

Expunging Father Time: The Search For Temporal Transcendence In The Novels Of Aldous Huxley And Tom Robbins, Stephanie Abigail Taylor

Masters Theses

This study explores the connection between the time concepts of Aldous Huxley and Tom Robbins. For both authors, time imprisons man on two fronts, or in two cages, if you will. The smaller of these cages is society's concept of time, clock time, which constrains the activities of man, forcing him to submit to his fate as a mere drone operating on the assembly line of life. In this prison, man cannot take the proper time to commune with nature, to look inward at himself and his life, or to focus on the real meaning and goal of life--escape from …

On Earth As It Is In Heaven: The Social Gospel As A "Theology Of Liberation", Joseph Francis Super

Masters Theses

Gustavo Gutiérrez is considered the father of Latin American liberation theology. Walter Rauschenbusch is considered the father of the Social Gospel in the United States. Although their circumstances differed greatly, both theologians made similar contributions to social Christianity, even though Gutiérrez does not seem to recognize it fully. Gutiérrez asserts that a theology of liberation must interpret the gospel in light of both the current reality and the values of the oppressed and then must use this theology to attack the social structures of oppression. This thesis asserts that Rauschenbusch did just that with his social gospel. Thus, the social …

From In-Vitro To In-Vivo: Corporate Development And Efficacy Of A Topical Hair Growth Agent Derived From Natural Extracts, Kelly Michael Glynn

Masters Theses

Androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness) affects up to 50% of the world’s population, propelling the development for a possible treatment. The hair follicle is influenced by several genetic and physiologic factors, which, when gone awry, lead to androgenetic alopecia. Vascular endothelial and keratinocyte growth factors are believed to be promoters of hair growth, as is inhibition of the proteasome complex. The cytokine IL-1α is also known to regulate follicle dynamics. The research objective described herein was an attempt to develop a botanical blend, which could mediate the above biomarkers, be successfully incorporated into a safe topical product and be evaluated …

Making Sense Of Cultural Complexity: An Experimental Study Of Third Culture Individuals’ Interpersonal Sensitivity As A Result Of Intercultural Adaptation, Allyn D. Lyttle

Masters Theses

This study examined third culture individuals, defined as people who lived in a country other than that of their nationality during their developmental years, seeking to determine a difference in interpersonal sensitivity between third culture individuals and mono-cultured persons. While popular literature asserts such specialized skills developed as a result of intercultural adaptation, this assertion has not been empirically supported. Data was collected using web-based surveys, which yielded a sample size of 142. The instrument measured participants' intercultural experience and interpersonal sensitivity in two classifications, emotional sensitivity and social sensitivity. Results showed third culture individuals as having significantly higher social …

"Life Wants Padding": Food, Eating, And Bodies In George Eliot's Novels, Tess Rebecca Stockslager

Masters Theses

This thesis uses six of the novels of George Eliot (those that take place entirely in rural England), works from the field of psychology, the concepts of realism and sympathy, and a metaphor of liquidity from Thomas Carlyle to explore several ways that body fat shapes identity and mediates relationships with others. Boundaries are the guiding concept: the chapters move from a demonstration of how boundaries between the self and others are created (padding), through a discussion of how sympathy can enable those boundaries to be broken (stuffing), to two case studies of characters whose boundaries of selfhood are in …

Poe's Poisoned Pen: A Study In Fiction As Vendetta, Charity Lea Givens

Masters Theses

Edgar Allan Poe, widely regarded as an extremely influential American writer and prolific literary critic, exacted high standards in both his writing and in the writing of those he reviewed. Though his criticism was harsh, it was a necessary part of the growing process for American literature to become a separate and distinct body of literature. However, Poe's literary criticism is not his only work that bore the stinging marks of his pen; his fiction was also a venue for Poe to express his dissatisfaction with the literary field in America. Using a combination of close reading for textual analysis …

Towards Understanding: The Study Of Hughes' Poetry As The Epitome Of The Expressive, Cultural, And Political Elements Of African American Literature, Brianne Nicole Trudeau

Masters Theses

Unfortunately, a disconnection currently exists between the academic world and the sweet, soulful study of African American literature (AA literature). Because there is limited exposure to AA literature in academics, except for specialized courses in which it serves as the intended focus, most people do not know how to approach it as serious academic study because of its stark differences from Western literature. In sum: African American writers often do not utilize Standard English (SE), so their work is misinterpreted as non-academic in comparison to other Western works of prominence; AA literature tells a different cultural story that most of …