Digital Commons Network^™

Creating The Tradition Of Honoring The Older Population, Catherine Weisbeck

Masters Theses

This qualitative research study explored what it would take to create the tradition of honoring the older population in American culture. In this exploratory study, 15 participants were interviewed in person using a series of ten open ended questions. The participants were selected according to the criteria of being an older adult, working with or volunteering for older adults, or having been involved in a project which considered the older population as a subgroup within the total population. The participants were personally invited by the researcher to be interviewed and the interview took approximately 40 minutes. Results indicated that creating …

The Effects Of Salvinorin A On The Novel Object Recognition Task In Male Rats, Larissa A. Haliw

Masters Theses

A recent increase in the recreational use of the plant Salvia divinorum and its derivative salvinorin A, an atypical naturally occurring kappa opioid receptor ag onist with hallucinogenic properties, by teens and young adults has contributed to a growing concern regarding the psychological effects of this drug. Salvia divinorum is presently a legal alternative to illegal hallucinogens and it is widely available over the Internet and in stores for a nominal cost making it a potential candidate as a drug of abuse. To date, no investigations have ex plored the effects of salvinorin A in memory assays. The novel object …

Bewilderment And Illumination: Catch-22 And The Dark Humor Of The 1960s, Kirsten Staaby

Masters Theses

It is often hard to deal with certain subjects in a way that would not be offensive or painful. Dark humor is a popular and powerful way to deal with serious issues in a manner that is both edifying and enjoyable. In his novel Catch-22, Joseph Heller deals with the atrocities of war, and the subsequent effects it has on people and society as a whole. Heller's novel incorporates the dark humor that became popular in the 1960s, and that was used by this generation to deal with the tensions they faced in the political and cultural realms. There is …

The Legacy Of A Failing Father: Dysfunctional Father Figures In William Faulkner's Fiction, Travis V. Holt

Masters Theses

The appearance of dysfunctional father figures in numerous works of William Faulkner makes his struggle to relinquish his animosity for his father, Murry Falkner, a significant theme in his fiction. The dysfunctional father figures play the pivotal role in the social, financial, and psychological decline of their families as the children struggle to escape their father's influence and their dismal fate. The real-life events and situations of Faulkner and his family members serve as a source for Faulkner's fiction, and the constant disgust several of his characters have for their father figures resembles Faulkner's own feelings towards his father. By …

Multiethnic Worship Representative Of Heaven: A Mixed Methods Study, Sherree Vernet Lane

Masters Theses

This mixed-methods research studies inclusive worship of multiethnic Protestant congregations across Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. I used a model of worship based upon Liesch‘s characteristics of heavenly worship, examining how it applies to the multiethnic church. I observed worship services and rehearsals at Minneapolis Multicultural Church to determine how worship is constructed at this multiethnic church that became multiethnic due to changing neighborhood demographics.

In the second phase of research I surveyed multiethnic church pastors and worship leaders to determine attitudes and practices towards inclusive worship. I found a possible connection between multiethnic churches that start through inward and outward motivations …

Coughlin And Cleveland, Karen G. Ketchaver

Masters Theses

Father Charles E. Coughlin was one of the most prominent, and most controversial, figures in the United States in the 1930s and in the early years of the 1940s. This Canadian-born cleric rose from the life of an ordinary parish priest to becoming one of the leading radio phenomena of his day, masterfully using the new medium to command a vast audience. Coughlin began his radio career addressing religious subjects, but he expanded into the realm of politics by the early 1930s. His views became more and more extreme, and, by the latter part of the decade, he became increasingly …

'Til We Meet Again: The Soul's Alchemy In John Donne's Songs And Sonnets, Ann Hayward

Masters Theses

Alchemy, in his Songs and Sonnets, offers John Donne a realm devoted to the paradoxical, one from which he selects material to be artistically altered by his trademark "metaphysical wit." It also provides him - in the intensely-prescribed process of coniunctio - with a paradigm for passion, for the irresistible conjunction and inevitable separation of lovers. Drawing upon the writings of Twentieth-century psychologist, C.G. Jung, whose study of alchemy informed much of his own work, it is possible to uncover both within and among nine diverse selections from the Songs and Sonnets a poetic opus circulatorium. A circular …

Translating Anglo-Saxon Poetry: Foreignized Translations Of The Seafarer And The Wanderer, Andrew Timothy Eichel

Masters Theses

Few scholars argue that medieval literature retains the same prestige today it once held as the foundation of almost every school's English literature/language department. One reason for this fall could be the lack of proper integration of newer literary approaches into the field. Why, despite the recent swell in the use of more contemporary schools of theory-Marxism, feminism, and deconstructionism, for example-do many medieval scholars still endorse traditional strategies of historical and empirical analysis? Focusing on the translation methodology of foreignization, I present Ezra Pound's translation of the Anglo-Saxon poem "The Seafarer" and my translation of "The Wanderer." Both serve …

The Letters Of Elizabeth I: Rhetoric For Ruling, Anna M. Patton

Masters Theses

This thesis is an investigation of the rhetorical skill of Elizabeth I of England, focusing primarily on her letters. Elizabeth's rhetorical prowess is well documented; scholars have spent ample time dissecting her political speeches as well as her historical significance in literary, political and historical studies. Although her speeches provide a firm foundation from which to examine Elizabeth and her relationships with her people, her letters are even more pertinent when examining those relationships Elizabeth sought to establish during her reign. Elizabeth's politics and relationships are enhanced and developed by her ability to manipulate those around her with her words. …

Influence Of Music Tempo On Calorie Consumption In A Restaurant Setting, Rachel Rogers

Masters Theses

This study examined the difference of calories consumed by restaurant patrons while listening to fast and slow tempo music. Twenty-three participants ate 2 meals spaced 5 days apart, 1 meal was eaten while listening to slow tempo music and 1 meal was eaten while listening to fast tempo music. Foods were weighed before being served to participants and after participants were finished eating to determine calories consumed. On average, participants consumed more calories while listening to slow tempo music versus fast tempo music. Although the mean difference between the conditions was not significant, the data trends were congruent with the …

Alcohol Consumption And Negative Outcomes At Eastern Illinois University, Matthew Michael Feely

Masters Theses

The primary focus of this study was to examine Eastern Illinois University student alcohol consumption and associated negative outcomes. Negative outcomes defined for the purposes of the present study were poor academic perfonnance, getting into a physical fight, driving under the influence, and sexual assault. Data collected by Eastern Illinois University's Health Education Resource Center using the CORE survey was analyzed for the study. A review ofliterature indicated that student alcohol consumption often resulted in negative outcomes. The literature suggested that Caucasians consumed the most alcohol among all groups by ethnicity/ race. The location of consumption played a major role …

Eliminating Hazing By Addressing Masculinities In A Fraternity Setting, Kevin J. Kolman

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Defining Diversity: An Exploration Of The Perceptions Of First Semester Students At A Mid-Sized Midwestern Institution, Angela Hobkirk

Masters Theses

The present study is a qualitative exploration of how first semester college students operationalize the term diversity and whether or not they believed their university was successful in creating an environment supportive of diversity. Previous research in this area focused primarily on how to train faculty to teach diversity related issues within their classrooms; yet there has been limited research about student conceptions of diversity. While scholars and practitioners research multiculturalism, the effectiveness of diversity awareness programs, the effectiveness of diversity training programs, and other related ideas, there seems to be a gap in the literature in terms of the …

A Survey Of Disability Support Services In Illinois Higher Education, Courtney Diann Quinn

Masters Theses

This study explored the services and accommodations available to students with disabilities at several institutions of higher education in the state of Illinois. Focus was on the number of students with disabilities matriculating, the types of disabilities the students had, and the services colleges and universities were providing to support success among students with disabilities. A survey was distributed to disability services administrators at eighty colleges and universities in Illinois to obtain data regarding college and university demographics, and the programs and resources offered by the colleges and universities. Additional phone interviews were conducted to receive further information to supplement …

Relationship Between Fluency And Comprehension For Middle School Students, Ingrid Mccallister

Masters Theses

A study was conducted to examine the relationship between fluency and comprehension for middle school students and determine if interest, prior knowledge, reading achievement and/or prior exposure to the content topic impact rate of reading (fluency) and level of comprehension for these students. Seventh grade students (n=242) completed fluency and comprehension assessments given by the school as benchmark assessments. In addition, the students were given prior knowledge and interest surveys concerning a topic (i.e., astronomy) to which only half of the population had been exposed. The students were then given researcher created fluency and comprehension assessments using a narrative text …

The Effect Of Visual Manipulations On Body Size Judgments, Anne Walk

Masters Theses

Body image has been studied sh1ce the early 201li t)entury and is relevant in tenns of how we manipulate objects (Brain, 1963) as well as being an important cultural construct (Fisher, 1968; Jourard & Secord; 1955). Hov.bJb tly schema is formed is debated in the literature (Craske, Kenny, & Keith1, 984i Ra.thachandran& Rogers-Ramachandran, iii 1996; Shontz & McNash, 1972), though sevetal illusion studies have been designed to investigate this issue (Botnivik & Cohen, 1998; Holmes, Snijders, & Spence, 2006). The present study uses visual manipulation to investigate the effect of visual information on perceived hand size. Participants were asked to …

Disparity Between Boys' And Girls' Academic Achievement, Laura M. Harris

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that contribute to the disparity between the academic achievement level of boys and girls in the school setting. Current literature indicates that while boys have historically outperformed girls in the area of math, girls have all but closed this achievement gap.

One hundred and twenty-four fourth and fifth grade students (71 girls, 53 boys, predominantly Caucasian) from a school in the Midwest region of the United States participated in the study. Gender and living with a male role model were found to have no relationship with academic achievement. These results …

An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Athletic Identity And Academic Success Among Intercollegiate Athletes, Kimberly A. Garkie

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between athletic identity and academic success at a small, NCAA Division I institution. Two hundred and twenty-eight student-athletes (143 men, 85 women), representing 15 intercollegiate sports at Eastern Illinois University, completed the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS; Brewer, Van Raalte, & Linder, 1993) and these responses were correlated with the student athlete's Grade Point Averages. Results indicated that no statistically significant relationship was found between athletic identity scores and self-reported Grade Point Average (GPA). Limitations of the current study, as well as a need for future research regarding …

Familial Factors And Attachment Styles Of Adult Children Of Alcoholics, Tiffany Marie Konz

Masters Theses

Substance abuse is a prevalent issue that has far-reaching implications for not only the abuser but also the family. Research on parental alcoholism and its effects on offspring have developed over the last several years. Following the lead of other researchers, the present study aimed to examine the relationship between parental alcoholism and attachment styles in adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) and possible mediating or moderating effects of familial factors. A sample of 84 college students completed a series of measures on parental alcoholism, family satisfaction, family cohesion, parent-child attachment, and psychological and physical maltreatment. Participants were divided into two …

Reexamining Depressive Realism Using Estimates Of Real Life Events, Lindsay Babcock

Masters Theses

Early reports of the phenomenon known as depressive realism suggest the counter-intuitive notion that depressed people are more accurate in their perception of reality. These studies have been criticized for relying solely on judging control over laboratory tasks that do not relate to real life and for the use of deception. The present study investigates the relationship between depression, anxiety, locus of control, and accuracy of judgments with an emphasis on real world occurrences, as well as examining individuals' confidence in their judgments. While depression, anxiety, and locus of control were all found to be highly correlated, significant results were …

Conditional Reasoning In Depression, Niyati Sheth

Masters Theses

Most of the studies on reasoning have suggested that individuals with depression show poor performance on reasoning tasks (Channon & Baker, 1994). Previous researches and major theories attempt to explain the association between errors in reasoning process and working memory limitations (Braine, 1994; Gilhooly et. al., 1993; Johnson-Laird, 1983). Research also shows that working memory is impaired in individuals with depression (Channon, Baker & Robertson, 1993; Christopher & MacDonald, 2005). Hence, as per this view, depressed individuals perfonn poorly on reasoning tasks because of working memory limitation or preload rather than their ability to manipulate relevant infonnation (Channon & Baker, …

Development Of Learning Objectives For An Undergraduate Electrical Discharge Machining Technology Course Using The Delphi Technique, Aaron Harmon

Masters Theses

The purpose of this Delphi study was to develop comprehensive learning objectives that support undergraduates' acquisition of knowledge and skills of the Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) processes and procedures. This study reflects learning objectives created for EDM. The learning objectives were derived by utilizing a panel of experts from academia and industry involved with EDM. The results of this study are intended for use when creating an instructional module for undergraduate machining studies.

A panel of experts was chosen through recommendations from members of an engineering and technology listserv. Two successive rounds of Delphi instruments were utilized to complete a …

Comparison Of Dashboard-Based And Balanced Scorecard-Based Corporate Performance Management System, Lin Zhu

Masters Theses

"Under current hypercompetitive and technology driven economic environment, more companies are using a corporate performance management (CPM) system to gain more accurate understandings of the company goals and strategies and to craft methods of achieving those goals and strategies. While CPM systems are generally implemented in two approaches: dashboard approach and scorecard approach, very few studies examine the effectiveness of each type of CPM systems implementation. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a dashboard based and a balanced scorecard based corporate performance management system. The effectiveness is examined through management effectiveness, degree of …

Development And Use Of Computer Aided Tools To Enhance Team Dynamics With Role Play Simulations, Vachaspathy Kuntamukkala

Masters Theses

"This thesis proposes a methodology for the development and use of computer based tools to enhance student team dynamics. Working effectively in groups cannot be taught in class room environment. Students often encounter conflicts during team meetings. Although some conflicts are resolved by the efforts of team members, an unbiased facilitator who is not a member of the team is often needed to help. This work proposes a tool that uses role play simulations to engage students in real-life scenarios so that they gain a practical, as well as a theoretical, understanding of how to work effectively as a team. …

Exploring At-Risk Student Writers In Academic Success Programs And The Role Instructors Play In Their Evaluation, Katrina Monique Dunbar

Masters Theses

Little scholarship in Composition Studies has focused on the writing of students who are placed in academic success courses due to the fact that they are academically at-risk. To assess this writing I conducted a study examining writing of at-risk students and the evaluation strategies used by instructors. As a result of the outcome of the study, this project establishes both the consistent and inconsistent ways that instructors evaluate the writing products of these types of students. Also this thesis calls for proposed solutions to this problem to be implemented.

Impact Of Alcohol On Dietary Behaviors Of Male College Students, Cheryl Anne Rozela

Masters Theses

Research has suggested that many male students increase consumption of alcohol during their college years (Von Ah, Ebert, Ngamvitroj, Park & Kang, 2001). As alcohol consumption increases during this time many students also make less healthy dietary choices, suggesting a relationship between alcohol use and dietary patterns may be present (Adams & Rini, 2007). Although suggestive of a relationship, there is a lack of research documenting an association between alcohol use and dietary behaviors of male college students, therefore, the current study utilized a convenience sample of twenty male participants from a midwestem university and a series of five open-ended …

Silencing And Assaulting The Feminine: An Analysis Of Institutions That Perpetuate A Rape-Supportive Culture, Melissa Territo

Masters Theses

Since 1700, rape has been a publicly discussed topic. Past research has focused on the effects that socialization practices, patriarchy, and hegemony have on sexual violence and mediated representations of gendered violence in the United States. This thesis explores two institutions, social structures, and cultures that contribute to and perpetuate a rape supportive culture in the United States-the penal and fraternity systems. By approaching and analyzing sexual assault as socially constructed and communicated through the institutional structures of the penal and fraternity systems, we are equipped to better understand how society and media (re )create and perpetuate a patriarchal rape …

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder In Elementary School Children In A Rural Illinois School District, Amy M. Miller

Masters Theses

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), one of the most commonly diagnosed childhood disorders, adversely affects children's academic, social, and emotional functioning. There were three purposes for this study. First, this study attempted to determine the number of students diagnosed with ADHD in the three elementary schools of a rural Midwestern school district as reported by parents. Secondly, the study attempted to discover discrepant practices in the methods of diagnosis and treatment ofADHD for students from a lower socioeconomic status than for those from the middle or upper class as reported by the parents. Thirdly, this study assessed teachers' knowledge and …

Factors Influencing The Academic Major Selection Of Undecided Students: A Phenomenological Study, Christina D. Thompson

Masters Theses

This phenomenological, qualitative research study was designed to determine the most commonly selected academic major chosen by previously undecided students, the various factors that influenced the academic-major decision, and the similarities between the study participants. By comparing a Fall 2006 spreadsheet of undecided freshmen enrolled at Eastern Illinois University to a Fall 2008 spreadsheet of Eastern Illinois University students, the major choice of these previously undecided students was Communication Studies, determined to be the most highly selected academic major. Previously undecided students who had chosen Communication Studies were recruited for participation in this research. Data was collected through a demographic …

C.U.B.S.: Creating Unique Beginnings For Student Involvement On Campus, Alisha Scaggs

Masters Theses

Promoting student involvement on college campuses is an important asset for the college community. Involvement plays a role in several factors, one of the most important being overall student satisfaction. In what way is student satisfaction affected when first year students are given an extra leadership opportunity where they are automatically put in a leadership position just as they move onto campus? More importantly, in what manner will placement in a leadership role impact their development? The present study investigated the role of student involvement in the personal development of a group of Midwestern university freshmen women placed in a …