Digital Commons Network^™

Patterns Of Cortical Growth As Indicators Of Population Health: An Exploratory Analysis Of Subadult Remains From The Tell Abraq Site, Uae, Jessica L. Rhodes

Masters Theses

The analysis of children in archaeological contexts is a relatively new field of study that emerged largely as a result of feminist and gender studies in the social sciences. Thus, methodologies that are typically employed in bioarchaeological analyses of children have yet to be refined and standardized. The commingling of subadult remains in archaeological contexts further confounds this issue by eliminating the ability of the researcher to establish reasonable age-at-death distributions.

This study seeks to explore the utility of analyzing patterns of cortical growth-for-diaphyseal length in commingled subadult remains. Specifically, commingled subadult remains excavated from the Tell Abraq site (UAE, …

Psychosocial Theories Of Development: Socializing Future Educators In Modernity, Jennifer Jill Niedzielski

Masters Theses

The purpose of this paper is to illuminate the implicit curriculum of high-profile theories of identity and moral development as commonly found in collegiate-level educational psychology texts. My primary concern is the manner in which Erik Erikson's and Lawrence Kohlberg's theories of development implicitly convey modernistic frames of mind of the autonomous individual at a level that goes unnoticed. The manner in which the implicit curriculum socializes future educators to adopt the autonomous individual frame of mind is problematic for our natural world.

The aims of this paper are significant because they illuminate the notion of the autonomous individual as …

A Survey Of Music Therapy Business Owners, Julie M. Guy

Masters Theses

An invitation to participate in a survey was emailed or sent to 503 self-employed/ private practice music therapists. As this study focused on describing current music therapy business practices, only music therapy business owners were asked to participate. Responses were received from 29% (n= l47). Results indicated that the typical business owner is a Board Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC) with a bachelor's degree who has most likely owned a sole proprietorship for less than 9 years. They typically work 30-39 hours each week and maintain 10-19 hours of contracts (primarily consisting of individual sessions). Most of the respondents work in …

Fright At The Improv: The Fear Of Public Speaking As A Social Phobia, Patrick J. Bishop

Masters Theses

Clinically speaking, fear is a phobia and the medical field has identified more than 530 phobias that humans suffer from. The fear of public speaking has long been ranked as the number one fear of Americans, placing higher than the fear of sickness or death. Within the spectrum of public speaking, many experts believe that improvisational speaking is one of the most difficult styles of public presentation.

Although anxiety caused by the fear of public speaking can diminish through tactics and training, this study attempts to demonstrate that a moderate-to-extreme fear of public speaking is linked to the condition of …

An Examination Of Claims Concerning College Student Credit Card Issues, Michael J. Macaluso

Masters Theses

This research project empirically examines claims and counterclaims regarding the matter of college students credit cards issues from a social constructionist perspective through a contextual qualitative examination of public data. First, I first focus on social and historical factors that have brought about claims and counterclaims concerning college student credit card issues. Next, I examine the structure of these public issues through the claims and counterclaims from a purposeful sample made from three specific "owners" or claims-makers of college student credit card issues, including the credit card industry, consumer interest groups, and sociologists. The specific claims examined in this research …

Survey Of Current Occupational Therapist Practice In The Emerging Field Of Home Modification And Barrier Free Design, Christian Michael Petrovich

Masters Theses

OBJECTIVE

We conducted a national survey of occupational therapists to ascertain what current trends are taking place in the field of home modification and barrier-free design and to examine how occupational therapists view their role in the practice of home modification and barrier free design.

METHODS

A 16-question survey was developed and included two hundred and fifty US licensed and or registered occupational therapists randomly selected from the AOTA membership listing.

CONCLUSIONS

The role of occupational therapy in the emerging practice of home modification and barrier -free design is regarded as important by occupational therapists in the United States. Many …

Assessing The Accuracy Of The Differential Assessment Of Autism And Other Developmental Disorders (Daadd) As A Screening Tool, Christine Jurgens

Masters Theses

Professionals are encountering children with developmental disorders more often and with more diversity than ever before. Disorder labels are being introduced increasingly early in a child's life in order to qualify them for services. However, characteristics of developmental disorders overlap significantly in young children, with features beginning to differentiate as the child enters formal education at kindergarten age. Debate continues on whether the autistic spectrum is being over-diagnosed, based on increasing incidence and prevalence statistics.

Research has suggested that developmental disorders impact multiple developmental areas, including language, socialization, sensory, motor, and medical/physical aspects and skills. Therefore, distinguishing one developmental disorder …

Influence Of A Short Exercise Program On Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment, Kaori Mitsui

Masters Theses

The influence of a 4-week exercise program on older adults with mild cognitive (MCI) impairment was measured in the study. Six older adults from a long-term care facility met the criteria for participation. After taking the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the participants were then randomly assigned to either an exercise group or a non-exercise group. All participants from the two groups attended a game of Bingo before and after the 4-week exercise program, and their positive and negative behaviors were recorded. Three participants in the exercise group participated in music-based physical exercise (a combination of chair-seated aerobic exercise and strength …

Social Fields, Belief In Psi, And Their Effects On Mental Telepathy, Brandy Mcwhorter

Masters Theses

The current study was designed to explore two major issues involving the existence of mental telepathy. The first goal was the exploration of the relationship between psi ability, specifically mental telepathy, and belief in psi phenomena. In addition, the value of social field theory as an explanation and potential facilitator of telepathic communication was explored. A small group of research assistants attempted to telepathically send 1 of 4 target locations to large groups of participants acting as receivers. The receivers answered a question on a 7-point-scale indicating their level of belief in mental telepathy. Two separate runs of 16 trials …

Religiosity, Role Theory, And Self-Esteem, Melissa R. Mccarthy

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between religion, religiosity, archetypal roles and self-esteem. The sample consisted of 61 students at a Midwestern university. The participants completed a series of surveys including two measures of religiosity, a self-esteem measure, and a Female Archetype Scale. The findings indicated that religions differ on levels of religiosity and female archetypes. In addition, there were correlations between religiosity and archetype, and self-esteem and religiosity. The significant correlations for the feminine archetypes were that were that Sekhmet was positively correlated with intrinsic religiosity, and negatively correlated with extrinsic religiosity and Connectedness; Demeter …

Cover, Copy And Compare Method Versus Copy, Cover, And Compare Method For Teaching Mathematics: A Comparative Analysis, Joel Grafman

Masters Theses

This study compared the fluency and accuracy rates produced when using the Cover, Copy, and Compare and Copy, Cover, and Compare interventions to complete subtraction math problems. Two second grade classrooms consisting of 20 or more students participated in the study. Participants were administered a pretest, Cover, Copy, and Compare worksheet, Copy, Cover, and Compare worksheet, and a posttest. Results revealed significantly higher digits correct per second (i.e. fluency) scores on the posttest and Cover, Copy, and Compare worksheets when compared to the pretest and Copy, Cover, and Compare worksheets with no difference in the errors per second (i.e. accuracy) …

On Campus Non-Traditional Student Use Of And Satisfaction With Support Services At Eastern Illinois University, Nancy J. Crone

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of student support services by the on-campus non-traditional student population at Eastern Illinois University and to determine the students' satisfaction with the services they received. This study attempted to increase university awareness of the needs of this particular student population.

Participants responded to an online survey that asked about their use of and satisfaction with student support services. The survey also provided the respondents an opportunity to make suggestions regarding current services and recommendations for new services.

The overall findings of this study suggest that the on-campus non-traditional student population …

A Formative Evaluation Of The Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority's National Recruitment Program In Its Inaugural Year, Colleen Elizabeth Coffey

Masters Theses

This study was conducted as a formative evaluation of the Alpha Sigma Tau sorority's national recruitment program. The researcher sought to determine the effectiveness of all aspects of the program over the course of the last year, to discover any perceived needs among undergraduate members and chapters that were not met over the course of the last year, and to create recommendations for the program to be implemented during the 2006-2008 biennial term. Through a mixed method design the study evaluated the program using qualitative and quantitative survey data, focus groups, and existing data on membership intake from the National …

The Perceptions Of Muslim International Students On The Roles Of Muslim Women, Kevin Vicker

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to examine perspectives of Muslim international students on the roles of Muslim women based upon the length of the students' exposure to Western societal culture and values. Prior research explored varying Muslim perceptions and beliefs regarding Muslim women, American stereotypes of Muslims and Muslim beliefs, and general problems faced by Muslim international students studying in the United States. No research specifically analyzed Muslim international students' perceptions regarding Muslim women. The present study was conducted using in-depth life history interviews with four devout Muslim international students. The sample included two students from Pakistan, one …

Crime, Punishment, And Prevention: An Economic Approach, Jeff Arthur

Masters Theses

Gary Becker's seminal paper laid the foundation for the economic analysis of crime. Using this framework, the government has attempted to increase the costs of crime to a level that effectively deters individuals from criminal activity. Despite the relative lack of discussion in economics, Becker's model suggests alternatives to deterrence. Instead of focusing exclusively on increasing the costs of crime, society can increase the benefits of lawful behavior. Rather than punish the crook, reward the citizen. The purpose of this research is to compare the relative effectiveness of prison and police expansion with prevention programs. Prevention programs aimed at increasing …

Cultural And Individual Influences On Foreign Policy, Emine Sunduz Demir

Masters Theses

The principle aim of this thesis is to examine how strategic culture affects foreign policy decision-making, as contrasted to the particular decree of influence the individuals have on the foreign policy process in the concept of an immediate extended deterrence. This thesis is based on three case studies that are tested separately using both Cha's notion of strategic culture and Allison's Bureaucratic Politics Model in order to find which model (if any) best explains foreign policy decision making. Cases are: The SemiVietnamese War in 1979 and Deng Xiaoping, the Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1996 and Jiang Zemin, and the Kosovo …

Ethnicity And Religion: An Inquiry Into The Origin And Nature Of Conflicts In Nigeria, Ugochukwu Chrys. Nwabueze

Masters Theses

The policy goal of a Pax Nigeriana in the African continent is hardly realizable without a focused confrontation by Nigeria of its own security deficits. A security and politically deficient Nigeria will have nothing to offer the African continent in terms of peace and political stability if it cannot by example overcome its own accidental and structural flaws.

With this in mind, the work sets out to address the origin, nature and resolution of conflict in Nigeria. Before adequate resolution therapy could be recommended for violent conflicts in Nigeria, any intending researcher must of necessity address the origin and nature …

Comparison Of The Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test-Second Edition And The Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children-Fourth Edition, Ryan L. Mitchell

Masters Theses

Past research on the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT; Kaufman & Kaufman, 1990) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III; Wechsler, 1991) have shown good reliability and validity between the scales. However, recently, the KBIT-2 and the WISC-IV have been published. The purpose of the current study was to independently evaluate the construct validity of the KBIT-2 with the WISC-IV. The participants in this study consisted of 48 students enrolled in kindergarten through ninth grade from school districts in central Illinois, who were referred for initial or triennial multidisciplinary evaluation. The results were as hypothesized, with high statistically …

Burnout And Job Dissatisfaction Among Practicing Illinois School Psychologists: A 1994 To 2004 Comparison, Nikolaus J. Hoffman

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify the primary variables associated with burnout among practicing Illinois school psychologists. More specifically, the purpose was to determine if the same variables that correlated highly with Illinois school psychologists burnout levels in a 1994 study by Niebrugge have held constant over the last decade. Survey materials used in the 1994 study, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory, a School Psychologists Stress Inventory, and a specially designed job satisfaction questionnaire were completed by a random sample of members of the Illinois School Psychologists Association (N = 52). As in the 1994 study, results suggested …

College Students: Vulnerable To Hiv/Aids And The Least Educated?, Regine Rochelle Rucker

Masters Theses

In the United States, women, African Americans, and youth are emerging as the face of HIV and AIDS. Since there is no cure, education and prevention is important to halting the spread of the disease. However, first, the current knowledge level of at risk populations, and others, must be revealed to appropriately address misconceptions and deficiencies in HIV awareness and ultimately change at risk behaviors. Many studies acknowledge the overall lack of HIV awareness, however, few identify and make recommendations to address the knowledge deficiencies, specifically in at risk populations. The following research statistically demonstrates that the knowledge of HIV/AIDS …

Gender Differences In The Self-Efficacy Of African Americans With Type Ii Diabetes: A Secondary Analysis Of A Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, Haley Erica Shead

Masters Theses

African Americans with type II diabetes must possess the self-efficacy to manage and cope with the chronic illness in order to prevent further decline in physical and psychosocial health. This secondary analysis of data examined gender differences in self-efficacy with the theoretical frameworks of Lazarus (1993), Bandura (1971), and Bandura and Bussey (1999). There were no significant differences found between the mean scores on the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item Scale (Lorig, 1999) for the subgroups of males and females. Other variables such as years diagnosed with diabetes, family members with diabetes, and HbA_1c levels were not related …

Un/Worthy: The Us Print Media's Portrayal Of The Kosovo And East Timor Massacres, Derek De Vries

Masters Theses

This study is a re-examination of Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman’s “Propaganda Model”, which hypothesizes that the market-driven, institutionalized filters determine the way in which the “agenda-setting” media in the United States cover and portray news. Further, the theory posits that these filters will reinforce the modes of control for the dominant elites in power. This evaluation concentrates on the treatment of so-called “worthy and unworthy victims” and relies on a content analysis of news coverage of the massacres occurring simultaneously in Kosovo and East Timor in 1999. In line with the “Propaganda Model,” the analysis showed that the volume …

‘Þæt Is Yrre': The Construction And Use Of Anger In Anglo-Saxon Literature, Hilary E. Fox

Masters Theses

An examination of the linguistic background and literary conceptions of anger in Old English. The first point of analysis will be the vocabulary of used to discuss anger and its manifestations in Old English prose didactic texts, particularly homilies and translations from Latin materials. Subsequent chapters will discuss anger as a literary phenomenon, first with respect to its use in the Old English hagiographic poem The Passion of St. Juliana and then Beowulf. The goal of these two chapters collectively is to outline the social use ( or misuse) of anger, and Christian understandings of how anger must be …

The Effects Of Service Delivery On Teacher Behavior, Miranda R. Glover Duncan

Masters Theses

The current study investigated how teacher assistance with articulation goals was affected by participation in traditional nonintegrated service delivery, consultative service delivery, and collaborative service delivery. Two kindergarten teachers participated in the single subject design comparing service delivery models. One speech-language pathologist consulted and collaborated with the teachers. During the traditional pull-out condition, the SLP informally communicated with teachers about the children in their classrooms who had speech-language deficits. Students with speech-language goals were treated in the pull-out setting, with no treatment provided in the classroom during this phase. The consultative condition involved the SLP meeting with each teacher weekly …

The Effects Of Employment On High School Performance, Erik Pizer

Masters Theses

Previous research on the effect of employment on high school performance has produced inconsistent results. This study investigates the influence of work hours on academic achievement, measured by grade point average (GPA). GPA is chosen because it is a more direct measure of performance in high school than standardized tests. It captures the day-to-day performance of students on everything from homework to quizzes and in-class participation to final examinations.

GPA falls by 0.02 grade points for every ten hours worked. This decrease in academic achievement caused by work may result from the displacement of extracurricular and co-curricular activities by work …

Observing, Navigating, Exploring: The Fourfold Path Of Nourishing Wrath And Others, Greg Holden

Masters Theses

A good poet to illustrate the distinction between modernism and postmodernism would be George Oppen (1908-1986). I believe Oppen's "objectivism" - coupled with a judicious use of deliberate ambiguity - nicely gets us past the postmodern insistence on the illusions of selfhood, reason, and order by insisting on the centrality of the perceiver/thinker amid the objective chaos of perceptions/ideas, while at the same time recognizing the multi-vocal construction of the perceiver/thinker. I believe the self may project its illusions onto reality, but not all reality (including the "self') is always thereby a false image. I have tried to fulfill Oppen's …

The Construct Validity Of The Wechsler Abbreviated Scale Of Intelligence (Wasi) And The Wide Range Intelligence Test (Writ): Replication And Extension, Gregory S. Wilson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to further verify the relationship between the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) and the Wide Range Intelligence Test (WRIT) by replicating Collins' (2002) study regarding the convergent validity between these two tests. To assess the convergent validity of the WASI and WRIT, two newer brief intelligence tests, 86 participants from central Illinois public schools were administered both measures in counterbalanced order. All correlations between the WASI and WRIT were significant (p < .05). Furthermore, the correlations between the corresponding IQ scales and subtests of the WASI and WRIT were moderate to high, ranging from .55 (r2 = .30) to .82 (r²= .67). The results provided convergent evidence for the construct validity of the WASI and WRIT and supported the contention made by Collins (2002) that the WASI and WRIT are measuring similar constructs. The results of the joint exploratory factor analysis supported the retention of only one factor (general intelligence "g"). A forced, two-factor solution resulted in 10.50% more variation among WASI/WRIT subtest scores. However, the two factors correlated at a high magnitude (r = .75), and all subtests cross-loaded with their theoretical dissimilar factor. The results of the factor analysis supporteda conclusion that the WASI and WRIT are best conceptualized as providing strong measurements of general intelligence.

The Civic Development And Political Socialization Of High School Students: An In-Depth Look At One Southern Illinois School District, Jamie Bolander Weitl

Masters Theses

Is there a difference in the way students are socialized and the amount of political knowledge they have based on location and socio-economic status? This thesis looks at one rural Illinois high school (East Richland High School, Olney, Illinois) through a 2004 school wide survey and compares results with Richard Niemi's "The Civic Development of9th through 12h-grade students in the United States," a 1996 nationwide survey of students.

To examine the political knowledge level of ERHS, student's overall political knowledge score was related to their parent's political party affiliation, grade level, gender, GPA, involvement in student council, involvement with community …

Examination Of Sexual Offenders' Behaviors And Self-Perceptions, Denise Wright

Masters Theses

Child sexual abuse is a global concern. More specifically, the growing concern has prompted researchers to study the effects of abuse, with varied interest in both victims and perpetrators. For child sexual abuse to be addressed there needs to be an increased focus on sex offenders. Study of sex offenders' perceptions of their behavior and childhood experiences may yield further understanding of the reasons and motives behind the abuse. The purpose of the study is to examine sex offender's behaviors and self-perceptions related to sexual activity.

The present study consists of 46 registered male sex offenders located at three different …

Exploring The Subjective Meanings And Experiences Of Depression, Reena Sheth

Masters Theses

This study aimed to provide subjectivist accounts of how people understand and interpret their experience of depression. In the mainstream research on depression, the voices of people who experience depression are largely absent. Therefore, the meanings and experiences of depression from the perspective of people who are living with depression themselves were explored in this study by drawing on in-depth interviews. The stories of two participants diagnosed with depression were examined using the holistic-content and the holistic-form analysis approach proposed by Lieblich, Mashiach, and Ziber (1998). Illness narrative forms outlined by Frank (1998) were also utilized to explore how the …