Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Cross-Age Tutoring On Reading Attitude, Joshua John Quick

Masters Theses

One of the greatest challenges facing teachers of reading today is the negative attitude of students toward reading. One suggested means of positively influencing the reading attitude of students is cross-age tutoring. However, a study is needed to establish whether a clear link exists between cross-age tutoring and positive changes in reading attitude. Experimental research was conducted during the course of an academic quarter (nine weeks) to determine whether cross-age tutoring has a positive impact on reading attitude. The subjects of the study were first grade students (n=12). The first graders were identified for the study based on low scores …

Elementary Teachers And School Psychologists Actual And Ideal Role Perceptions Of The School Psychologist, Blake E. Martin

Masters Theses

Survey materials included original questionnaires utilizing categories proposed by Rechsly and Wilson (1997) and a job satisfaction scale utilized by Rechsly and Wilson (1995), and a demographic data sheet. Psychologists in Illinois (n=87) and Illinois K-6 elementary teachers (n=100) were surveyed as to actual and ideal roles and functions of the school psychologist. In addition school psychologists were questioned about job satisfaction. Results indicated a great deal of discrepancy between actual and ideal role from both the viewpoints of psychologists and teachers. Teachers also demonstrated little understanding of the actual role and functions of psychologists in the schools. Job satisfaction …

Research Utilization In Hand Therapy Practice Using A World Wide Web Survey Design, Amy D. Heathfield

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate how frequently occupational therapists, certified hand therapists (OT, CHTs) read, integrate, and contribute to occupational therapy research; identify barriers and solutions to research utilization; and identify the effectiveness of World Wide Web (WWW) survey research with OT, CHTs. Of the 306 questionnaires sent, 154 were used (50% response rate). Most OT, CHTs reported reading some OT research, but integrated little into practice. One-half reported participating in research since graduation and 82% of those who did not participate reported interest in future research participation. Barriers to research were lack of time, research was …

The Health Belief Model And Self Breast Examination In Nurses, Valerie L. Holwerda

Masters Theses

The relationship between frequency of self breast examination and health belief model variables was assessed using a convenience sample of nurses. The self-administered survey measured perceived susceptibility, perceived seriousness, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, health motivation, and confidence on 5-point Likert-type scales previously developed by Champion (1993). Individual items measured the frequency of self breast examination and demographic variables. Correlational statistics were used to determine relationships. The results of the data analysis using the Spearman correlation found that perceived benefits (p=.027), health motivation (p=.0289) and confidence (p=.008) were positively correlated with frequency of self breast examination. Perceived barriers (p=.0002) were negatively …

Neonatal Intensive Care Nurses' Perceptions Of Participation In Ethical Decision Making In The Care Of Imperiled Newborns, Dennis W. Philpott

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to empirically examine the extent of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nurse participation in the ethical decision making process. The study also examined the relationship of nurse participation and satisfaction in ethical decision making to age, years of experience, level of education, and religious participation. This study attempted to describe what NICU nurses believe their role should be in the ethical decision making process. Koblberg’s theory of moral development was the theoretical framework. Data were obtained through the use of a survey mailed to Registered Nurses employed in a level III NICU. …

The Correlation Between Quality Of Life And Social Support One Year After Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, Sarah S. Arnold

Masters Theses

A descriptive correlational design was used to examine the relationship between the level of social support and the perceived quality of life (QOL) of the patient following coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS) one year after the procedure. A total of 212 surveys were sent to the homes of former patients admitted to a mid-western hospital and 90 were returned. The Personal Resource Questionnaire (PRQ-85) was used to measure social support and the Quality of Life Index-Cardiac Version (QLI) was used to measure QOL.

The hypothesis of the study asserted that there was a positive correlation between the level of social …

A Comparison Of Perceptions Of Labor And Delivery For First-Time Mothers With And Without Prenatal Education, Marla A. Mcdonnell

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in the perceptions of labor and delivery between first-time mothers who took prenatal classes and first-time mothers who did not take prenatal classes. The convenience sample consisted of mostly Caucasian, married, well-educated women with few minor pregnancy complications. Twenty of the subjects were first-time mothers who took at least four prenatal classes. Twenty of the subjects were first-time mothers who took three or fewer classes.

A non-experimental descriptive design was used for this study. One questionnaire, the Childbirth Perception Questionnaire (Beaton & Gupton, 1990), was administered 18 …

The Influence Of Support Systems And Internal System Resources On Family Well-Being Of Caregivers Of A Depressed Family Member, Diane K. Richardson

Masters Theses

Health professionals are interested in families who have a high level of well-being in spite of coping with the difficulties related to caring for a depressed elderly family member at home. The Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment, and Adaptation provided the conceptual framework to explore the hypothesis of a positive relationship between family social support and family well-being, and family internal system resources and family well-being. Thirty caregivers volunteered and were interviewed in their homes using the Family Crisis Oriented Personal Scale (F-COPES), the Family Hardiness Index (FHI), and the Family APGAR. Although weak, positive correlations were noted for …

Role Stress And Career Satisfaction Among Registered Nurses By Work Shift Patterns, Amy Jude Hoffman

Masters Theses

In today’s health care climate, the need to understand the effects of work shift patterns on role stress and career satisfaction of registered nurses (RNs) has never been greater. Therefore, the purpose of this descriptive study was to examine differences in the level of role stress and career satisfaction among hospital-based RNs by shift length. Data were collected through the use of standardized questionnaires from a probability sample of 208 RNs.

The results indicated that RNs practicing in 12-hour work shift patterns experienced significantly higher stress levels that RNs working 8-hour shifts. Additionally, workload issues and dealing with death and …

The Needs Of Family Members In Crisis, Melanie A. Burghgraef

Masters Theses

The needs of family members of patients with severe brain injury were investigated using a descriptive-correlational design. A convenience sample of family members (N = 23) were surveyed with the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI). Need statements from the CCFNI were rank ordered, and a total score for the CCFNI was calculated. The majority of the top ranked needs consisted of assurance and information needs, which is consistent with other research using the CCFNI. Descriptive statistics were used to compare the results from this study with Lorenz’s study (1995).

Furthermore, this investigation attempted to reveal a relationship between family …

African American Poets Of The Vietnam War, Megan Guernsey

Masters Theses

Almost 6000 African American men gave their lives in the Vietnam War. While peaceful protests, voter registration drives, and racial confrontations occurred throughout the United States, the government continued to send young Black men to Southeast Asia to preserve the "freedom" of the Vietnamese people. The irony of this situation lies in the fact that these soldiers were asked to fight a War in the name of democracy, to kill in order to secure rights that they themselves were being denied. Although many Black Americans saw military service as a means of escaping poor ghetto life, they often were confronted …

Lessing And Emerson: Conscious Evolution And Ideal Reality, Rachel Hills Newell

Masters Theses

Although Doris Lessing writes during the twentieth century in England and Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote during the nineteenth century in America, they both explore the complexity of human existence through their work. Both authors visualize the possibility of an "ideal reality," or human evolution, and believe human beings are capable of transforming ordinary, or actual, reality into ideal reality. The human potential for the creation of the ideal, however, depends on the development of that potential to its fullest extent. Lessing and Emerson believe only the individual is capable of completely developing human potential. Through a series of steps, or …

The Noble Survivor And The Sublime Victim: A Study Of Two Hardy Heroines, Elizabeth-Jane And Tess, Wei Gao

Masters Theses

In his novel-writing career, Thomas Hardy created a host of female characters struggling to survive in nineteenth-century England. Whether center stage or in the background, these women embody Hardy's insights into the conditions of the female sex--their frailties, strength, miseries, dreams, and finally, their destinies. Throughout his career as a novelist, Hardy's representation of women has not been consistent. His earlier heroines--heroines in the novels preceding The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886)--are generally depicted as faulty characters eventually subdued or destroyed. In contrast, the later heroines are portrayed with increasing emphasis on their intellectual or mental traits and moral superiority. This …

"I Am No Mean Player Myself": Games And Recreation In Irish Mythology, Julie Lynn Perenchio

Masters Theses

Superhuman heroics in myth certainly succeed in capturing our immediate attention, but it takes a more human touch of talent and fallibility to make heroes personally appealing to readers. In Irish mythology, immortals and humans engage in a marvelous variety of recreational activities, and show universally-felt emotions and tendencies, like competitive spirits, creativity, and tenacity. Far from being idle entertainment, play makes significant impacts on the lives of Irish heroes, individually, socially, and culturally. For example, chess games, even between complete strangers, can cause the upheaval of one's lifestyle and test not only the intellectual powers of players, but also …

Faculty And Student Perceptions Of Effective Clinical Teachers, Patricia Frontczak

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify ADN faculty and ADN student perceptions of the most effective clinical teaching characteristics (ECTC). An exploratory, descriptive design was implemented. ADN faculty and ADN students were surveyed using the Clinical Teacher Characteristics Instrument (CTCI). The CTCI consists of 20 characteristics of clinical teachers that are ranked on a five point Likert-type scale according to importance. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Significant differences in perceptions of the most ECTC between the two groups were identified by a Mann Whitney U procedure. A t-test was performed to identify differences of perceptions …

The Biphobia Scale: Development And Validation, Patrick S. Mulick

Masters Theses

Sexual orientation is generally assessed as a dichotomous variable, rather than a continuous variable. According to this classification the concept of bisexuality does not exist and there is a dearth of research for the construct. Some theorists believe that this lack of knowledge has led to fear and discrimination of bisexual individuals (Ochs, 1996; Rust, 1993). Biphobia, defined as negative attitudes about bisexuality and bisexual individuals, is a psychological construct that is not well understood. There has been a recent resurgence of interest in bisexuality and biphobia but there are currently limited empirical investigations examining the constructs. And, no scale …

Discriminative Stimulus Effects Of (+)-7-Oh-Dpat In Rats: Importance Of D3 Receptors, April J. Christian

Masters Theses

Despite the reported relatively high binding affinity of 7-OH-DPAT to dopamine D₃ receptors, results of recent investigations with the highly selective 03 receptor antagonist, PNU-99194A have questioned the importance of 03 receptors in the discriminative stimulus effects of 7-OH-DPAT. In the present study, sixteen male Sprague- Dawley rats (N=8/group) were trained to discriminate (+)- 7-OH-DPAT (0.03 mg/kg, sc) from saline in a two-lever operant procedure using a fixed-ratio 20 schedule of water reinforcement. After stable performance was established, substitution tests were conducted with the D₃-prefering agonist, (+)-PD-128907 and the psychostimulant cocaine. Additionally, antagonism were conducted with the …

Stress At A Juvenile Detention Center: Identifying Stressors And Examining The Coping Process, Matthew J. Schmid

Masters Theses

In the examination of the literature dealing with stress as it relates to corrections, normally "juvenile corrections workers are not considered, due to the dearth of stress-related research" (Huckabbe, 1992, p. 479). This thesis is a qualitative project designed to analyze detention workers' views on stress. I was interested in finding out the following two things: (1) the workers' identification of the major stressors in their job, and (2) the ways the workers coped with the stressors identified.

Structured interviews were conducted with one third (12) of the detention staff that worked at a forty bed juvenile detention center in …

Components Related To Occupational Stress Or Burnout Among Music Therapists Working In Hospice/Palliative Care Arenas, Dorothy Virginia Pienta

Masters Theses

Music therapists who work in hospice/palliative care settings are susceptible to burnout as well as others who work in health care settings. In this descriptive correlation study, the components of occupational stress or burnout among music therapists working in hospice/palliative care settings were studied. A mail survey was sent to 300 music therapists who worked in hospice/palliative care settings and were members of the American Music Therapy Association. Of the 181 surveys that were returned, 106 were acceptable for use in this study. Their responses to the Maslach Burnout Inventory, Work Environment Scale, as well as information from the demographic …

Dermatoglyphic Analysis Of Male Criminals, Jeremy Matyas

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between genetics and criminal behavior. Using specific dermatoglyphic features of 100 Caucasian male criminals, comparisons were made to a comparable control group of noncriminals. Dermatoglyphics are known to be, in part, genetically determined. Differences between the non-criminal and criminal samples would support the belief that certain criminal behaviors are genetically determined.

Statistical tests were performed on the dermatoglyphic pattern types and ridge counts of the criminal and non-criminal samples. There were three tests of the total ridge counts (TRC) that were found to be statistically significant. The principal difference was …

The Lived Experience Of Bosnian Refugees Who Have Suffered As A Result Of Genocide, Gazelle Raven Animalia

Masters Theses

In 1992, Bosnian Serbian and Serbian forces launched a campaign of genocide against Muslim and Croatian civilians in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This nightmarish odyssey ended for many non-Serbians when they escaped to other countries. Many of these families chose to come to the United States.

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experience of Bosnian refugees who suffered as a result of genocide. The research method used for this study was a phenomenological method based on Husserlian philosophy. Four Bosnian refugees, who escaped to a midwestem state during and after the war, were asked to answer the following research …

Behavior-Based Safety And Working Alone: The Effects Of Self-Monitoring On The Safe Performance Of Bus Operators, Ryan Olson

Masters Theses

Experimental evaluations of Behavior-based Safety (BBS) processes applied with lone workers are scarce. Further research is needed to determine the power of self-monitoring based interventions for improving safe behavior, and to explore the best practices for improving safety when employees work alone. In the current study,· four male bus operators (ages 40-50) self-monitored their safe performance and initialed feedback graphs based on their self-monitoring data at the end of each day. Experimental data collectors observed each participant by riding buses as passengers. A multiple baseline design across performances was used to assess the effects of the intervention on four target …

Creativity Or Collusion?: Representations Of Women In Music Videos, Jan E. Urbina

Masters Theses

There is a need in the field of sociology to expand our knowledge about how media-generated representations of women impact our lives. This research was designed to explore participants' perceptions of music video representations of women. Using a pre- test (survey), treatment (educational video) and post-test (survey), I analyzed participants' perceptions of how women were represented in music videos. The educational video exposed the techniques, which are used by the male-dominated music video industry, that present women in demeaning ways. The post-test proved useful in my attempt to determine whether the educational video impacted participants' understandings of the ways in …

The Significance Of Shape-Shifting And Transformation In Medieval Welsh And Icelandic Literature: The Ingenuity Of Medieval Writers, Samantha J. Cairo

Masters Theses

The folk-motifs of shape-shifting and transformation are an important mechanism in both Medieval Welsh and Icelandic literature. To better understand these motifs it is important to consider the ideas behind and the belief in these concepts. The role of the shaman and the separable soul, the Double, and the psychological projection all form a basis for shape-shifting in Medieval literature.

The Welsh literature will include: Pwyll, Prince qf Dyfed, Manawydan Son of Llyr, Math Son of Mathonwy, Lludd and Llefelys, Culhwch and Olwen, Peredur Son of Efrawg, The Hanes Taliesin,/em>, and the transformational poetry of Taliesin. The Icelandic literature …

Sociological Analysis Of Gambling Behavior: A Subculture Perspective, Robert W. Wright Iii

Masters Theses

This study examines the effects of gender, socioeconomic status and age first gambled on rates of problem gambling among adult residents of Michigan and interprets those effects through the application of subculture theory. The data used in this study are from the 1997 Michigan prevalence survey on gambling. The data were collected to estimate the prevalence level of gambling among adult Michigan residents. Data obtained from 2,111 female and 1,776 males indicated that (1) males have a higher rate of pathology than females; (2) respondents who start gambling earlier will be more likely to be classified as pathological gamblers; (3) …

The Relationship Between Vocabulary And Reading Comprehension In Junior High Aged Students With Learning Disabilities, Harvey Burkhour

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the reading ability, particularly in the area of reading comprehension and the level of reading vocabulary possessed by junior high aged students with learning disabilities. Reading is a complex process involving the simultaneous integrated application of the four cuing systems: (a) graphophonic, (b) syntactic, (c) semantic, and (d) schematic. While most people learn to utilize these systems rather easily, this is not true for everyone. Failure to effectively employ any one or more of these cuing systems can spell disaster for the reader both in school and in many …

School-Based Functional Assessment For Adolescents With Adhd: Procedural Issues In General Education Settings, Pamela M. Radford

Masters Theses

Functional assessment is a structured problem-solving process that has been found to be an effective method for guiding the selection of classroom intervention for students who present a variety of problem behaviors (O'Neill, et al., 1997), including Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; American Psychiatric Association, 1994). This study evaluated the utility of school-based functional assessments with 2 adolescent boys diagnosed with ADHD in general education settings utilizing resources typically available to school personnel to document information relevant to behavior function. Descriptive information (i.e., interviews, observations, record reviews) led to the development of potential intervention strategies that were implemented and evaluated by …

Effects Of Methylphenidate On The Sensitivity To Reinforcement In Children Diagnosed With Adhd: An Application Of Matching Law, Laura Kay Murray

Masters Theses

This experiment evaluated the effects of methylphenidate on sensitivity to reinforcement of children diagnosed with ADHD using matching law.

Four children (2 males and 2 females) between the ages of 6 and 10 who were previously diagnosed with ADHD completed easy math problems to earn tokens under four different variable-interval (VI) schedules of reinforcement presented in random order. The rate of completed math problems was plotted against the mean frequency of obtained reinforcers at each schedule value in tokens per minute. The data were fit to the following single-rate hyperbolic equation (Herrnstein, 1970): R = kr/r+r₀.

Results show …

A Three-Choice Drug Discrimination Procedure Differentiates The Stimulus Effects Of D-Amphetamine And Mdma, Amy K. Goodwin

Masters Theses

(±)-3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) produces effects in humans that are reportedly similar to those of CNS stimulants. However, drug discrimination studies in nonhumans have yielded inconsistent results regarding the similarities between MDMA and d-amphetamine. Sixteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to discriminate d-amphetamine, MDMA, and saline in a three-lever drug discrimination procedure. In addition, differential outcomes were employed during drug discrimination training with eight of the rats but this did not appear to facilitate the acquisition of the discrimination. Cocaine (0.25-10.0 mg/kg) produced dose dependent increases in d-amphetamine-appropriate responding with complete substitution at the highest dose administered. LSD (0.02-0.16 mg/kg), produced dose …

A Comparison Of Rhythmical Abilities And Behaviors Between Typical Children And Children With Williams Syndrome, Laura Grafton Pawuk

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the rhythmical abilities and testing behaviors of children with Williams syndrome (Ws) to typical children. Forty-three children took part in the study, including 9 children with W s and 34 children of the typical population.

The MRL Test of Kinesthetic Response to Music and a Behavioral Checklist identified rhythmical ability and testing behaviors respectively. The former indicated that typical children scored significantly better than Ws children in 9 of 11 exercises at the .05 alpha level. Two Ws children were tested in optimum environments. Compared to their typical peers, there were no …