Digital Commons Network^™

Exploration Into The Validity Of Use Of The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test Of Motor Proficiency In Assessing The Adolescent With Down Syndrome, Robin J. Essebaggers, Wynne M. Martin, Gina E. Smies

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP) in assessing the adolescent with Down syndrome. Thirteen individuals with Down syndrome ages 13 to 20 years with an IQ of at least 35 were administered the short form of the BOTMP (BOTMP-SF). The functional abilities of these subjects were assessed using the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI). Four parts of the PEDI were utilized: 1) Self-Care Functional Skills, 2) Self- Care Caregiver Assistance, 3) Mobility Functional Skills, and 4) Mobility Caregiver Assistance. No evidence of significant correlation existed between the …

Identification Of Barriers To Adherence To Prescribed Schedules For Self-Monitoring Of Blood Glucose, Victoria E. Sawhill

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify barriers to adherence to prescribed self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) schedules. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 40 diabetic patients from a rural northern Michigan community, ages 18-84, who completed the modified Barriers to Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose Scale (BSMBG) (Jones, Remley, & Engberg, 1996). The study’s theoretical framework was the Health Belief Model (HBM) (Rosenstock, Strecher, & Becker, 1994).

The modified BSMBG scale had a reliability coefficient of 0.95 using Cronbach’s alpha. Individual barrier scores were varied indicating a need for individualized assessment of barriers to SMBG. Data analysis demonstrated …

Acute Care Nursing: Are Perceived Work Stressors Different For Nurses Working In Critical Care And Non-Critical?, Mary Jane Rolf

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine, using King’s Conceptual Framework, “stressful” nursing situations that might affect critical care (CC) and non-critical care (NCC) nurses in an acute health care setting. Similarities that existed between the two groups were evaluated using responses to Gray-Toft and Anderson s Nursing Stress Scale (NSS).

The sample of 131 included registered nurses and licensed practical nurses at a 300-bed acute care tertiary hospital in Northern Michigan representing two critical care areas and three non-critical care areas. The NSS, letter of explanation and waiver, and return envelope were sent to participants’ homes. Data indicate …

The Effects Of Prosthesis Use Versus Non-Use On Forward Reach Distance In Children Ages 5 To 15 With Unilateral Upper Extremity Amputation As Measured By The Functional Reach Test, Mary E. Weber, Scot G. Smith

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible differences in maximal forward reaching distance in children with unilateral upper extremity amputations while wearing and not wearing a prosthesis using the Functional Reach (FR) test. Trends were noted between FR scores of these children and children without disabilities.

Four children, ages 5-8, completed the FR test using the intact arm under two conditions, “prosthesis-off” and “prosthesis-on”. A paired, two-tailed t test (a = .05) was used to determine the statistical significance of the means of differences in FR scores between the two conditions.

No statistically significant difference was found …

What Are Female University Students' Perceptions Of Their Healthcare Needs?, Kathleen K. Loose

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to gain a greater awareness of the self-perceived healthcare needs of female university students. An anonymous questionnaire was sent to a random sampling of the total female enrollment at a midwest university. A Healthcare Concern Score was tabulated on 230 completed questionnaires. There were 21 items identified as concerns. Students in the 17-24 year old age bracket had a higher healthcare concern score than individuals in the 24-53 year old age bracket. Orem’s Self-care Deficit Theory (1991) was the conceptual framework for this study. The majority of identified concerns fell within the category of …

Efficacy Of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Evidence Collection: A Northern Michigan Study, Camille J. Griswold

Masters Theses

King’s Theory of Goal Attainment provided the basis for this descriptive, two group comparison study design to determine if sexual assault evidence kits prepared by sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE) would be more complete than evidence kits prepared by non-sexual assault nurse examiners. A convenience sample of 100 evidence kits (41 SANE and 59 non-SANE) were analyzed using the Evidence Kit Audit Tool consisting of 18 questions that reflect the standards for submission of evidence.

The kits submitted by SANEs were significantly (t=5.6, df=71, p<.001) more complete (mean=93%) than those completed by non-SANEs (mean=77%). Corrected Chi-square comparisons of the two groups on whether or not individual items of evidence were complete indicated significant differences in 11 out of 18 items. A higher percentage of SANEs completed each item. Therefore, the hypothesis of sexual assault evidence kits prepared by a SANE will be more complete than sexual assault kits prepared by a non-SANE was supported.

Impact Of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd) On Parents And Children: What Are The Lived Experiences Of A Parent With A Child With Adhd?, Deborah K. Taylor

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to seek a fuller understanding of and to identify and describe the underlying themes of the lived experiences of a parent with a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The Husserelian phenomenological and Giorgi methods of research were utilized in this study. Four meanings emerged: 1) discovery, 2) searching for control, 3) struggling for normalization/overcoming obstacles, and 4) hope. The synthesized structural description of the experience that emerged was described as an emotional experience that progressed in stages that were cyclic and ongoing in nature. The data suggests that chronic sorrow, as it …

Does The Method Of Treating Bacterial Vaginosis In Early Pregnancy Affect The Re-Occurrence Rate Near Term?, Karen Taylor

Masters Theses

There is no significant difference in the relationship between oral or vaginal metronidazole and oral clindamycin in the treatment of bacterial vaginosis (BV) in early pregnancy and the re-occurrence rate of BV at 35 to 37 weeks gestation. Treatment of BV in pregnancy has been shown to decrease the preterm delivery rate saving millions of dollars and improving the health of infants. This was a descriptive, correlational study using a retrospective chart review. A constructed checklist was used for collecting data from 186 charts.

Age, parity, and insurance were comparable in each of the three drug groups. The re-occurrence rate …

Paraplegic Functional Ambulation With Long Leg Braces And Upper Extremity Support: Predicting Long Term Usage Patterns Utilizing The Functional Independence Measure, Karin Copenhaver, Matthew Sherman

Masters Theses

Individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI) are frequently taught to ambulate with long leg braces and upper extremity support during their post-acute rehabilitation. In many cases this training fails to carry over once these individuals return to their homes after their rehabilitation course has ended. Subsequently, these individuals rely on their wheelchair as their primary mode of ambulation. Is ambulation training an expropriate intervention for patients in these cases? The purpose of this study was to investigate whether utilization of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) may serve as a predictor of long term functional ambulation with long leg braces …

Concurrence Of Decreases In Barometric Pressure And Spontaneous Rupture Of Membranes In Term Gravid Women, Linda M. Owen

Masters Theses

A retrospective design was used to examine the relationship between spontaneous rupture of membranes in term gestation gravid women and decreased barometric pressure of ten millibars or greater in the twenty-four hours proceeding the rupture of membranes. Delivery logbooks and charts of all women who were admitted to a Midwestern Hospital in 1997-1998 with spontaneous rupture of membranes (N-533) were examined and data from the Midwest Climate Center was utilized to determine the changes in barometric pressure within the twenty-four hours proceeding the documented rupture of membranes.

No correlation was elucidated between the timing of spontaneous rupture of the amniotic …

Quality Of Life In The Hospice Patient, Sidney S. Brush

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if terminally ill patients experience a change in perceived quality of life between admission to a hospice program and after having been in the hospice program for three weeks.

A repeated measures design with a convenience sample was used The sample consisted of 56 subjects who completed the Missoula-Vitas Quality of Life Index (MVQOLI). Twenty completed the second MVQOLL Data were obtained from the scores of this self-assessment tool. Data analysis included a comparison of the relationship of the first and repeated scores. No significant differences were found between the MVQOLI scores …

Early Nursing Interventions And Their Effect On Fatigue In Patients Receiving Chemotherapy, Karla J. Baker

Masters Theses

Fatigue is the number one side effect that patients experience when they receive chemotherapy. They do not always expect it or know what to do when it effects their entire life. This study described the affect of early nursing interventions on fatigue caused by chemotherapy. This descriptive, two group comparative study used a convenience sample of patients, receiving chemotherapy for the first time, to determine the degree of fatigue they experienced. A tool by Barbara Piper RN (1997) was used to describe the effect of early intervention on fatigue experienced by cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Internal consistency of this tool …

The Experience Of Nurse Practitioners With Peer Support: A Phenomenological Study, Carol J. Prinzo

Masters Theses

As nurse practitioners move into non traditional roles they sometimes lack a social and professional support. Lack of peer support can cause a feeling of isolation and frustration for advanced practice nurses.

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to discover the lived experience of nurse practitioners with peer support. Four nurse practitioners described their experiences. These descriptions were analyzed for meaning using the Girogi method.

Four common themes emerged: support throughout the educational process, professional support, support from family and friends and frustration. The description of peer support was unique according to level of experience, practice setting and …

Fetal Infant Mortality In Kalamazoo, Lisa A. Wullschleger

Masters Theses

The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine the incidence rates of five pre-selected perinatal variables that existed within the white and non-white groups of fetal, infant deaths that occurred in Kalamazoo County between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 1997. The variables were prenatal care, birth weight, estimated weeks of gestation, and maternal, fetal, infant medical complications. The question posed was as follows: Is there a difference in incidence rates of the variables between the white and non-white perinatal deaths in Kalamazoo County?

A sample size of 50 cases was studied. Kotelchuck's instrument tool (1994), the Adequacy of …

Needs Of Families Of Severe Traumatic Brain Injured Individuals During The Critical Care Experience, Victoria L. Meyers

Masters Theses

Traumatic brain injury occurs without warning, disrupts the life of the individual and family, causing stress. The purpose of this descriptive study was three part: to identify the needs of families of severe traumatic brain injured (TBI) individuals during the critical care experience, to identify who met those needs, and to obtain qualitative data regarding nursing care. Family Systems Theory provided the theoretical framework to support this study.

A convenience sample from a large Midwestern teaching institution consisted of 28 family members of severe TBI individuals. The sample received by mail a demographic profile, a questionnaire (Critical Care Family Needs …

The Relationship Of Selected Health Beliefs And Exercise Adherence 8 To 12 Months After A Cardiac Event, Jill Stone

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine differences between health beliefs and cardiac exercise adherence at 6-12 weeks after a cardiac event as compared to 8-12 months post event. Twenty five subjects participated at time one and time two by answering mailed questionnaires designed to measure perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, exercise adherence, and demographic data.

Data analysis did not reveal a significant difference in exercise adherence or perceived benefits, but results did support a statistically significant difference in perceived barriers (p=.02) and self-efficacy (p=.03) from time one to time two. Subjects perceived higher levels of barriers related to …

Connecting Threads: Quilts As Symbols In Adolescent Literature, Anita L. Beaman

Masters Theses

Quilting is a functional art form that has been practiced by generations of American women. In the past, quilting provided women with an outlet for personal expression. Learning to quilt acted as a rite of passage from childhood to adulthood. Quilting provided women with a means of recording their personal histories as well as an opportunity for socializing: quilting bees were social occasions that allowed women to gather together and establish connections with each other as they connected their quilt pieces.

Feminist history has recognized the quilt as an important symbol for women. Quilts represent strength, resiliency and the creative …

L.I.F.E., Omar Merideth Headen

Masters Theses

I've written my creative thesis in support of the Chicago Public School (CPS) System's "Character Education" initiative. This initiative is composed of a teaching curriculum designed to develop instructional lessons and activities for students, training for teachers and CPS staff, and information for the community that will serve to reduce racial, ethnic and/or religious intolerance and increase sensitivity, cooperation, and understanding. The purpose of this thesis is to give teenage students valuable lessons in character building and allow them to come face to face with various realities of life (i.e., peer pressure, divorce, death, etc.). But more importantly, this thesis …

I Was A Teenage Necrophiliac: A Screenplay, Walter Howard

Masters Theses

The critical essay that introduces this thesis pays homage to three people in the movie business who have most influenced my original screenplay, I Was a Teenage Necrophiliac. Also included is a section that briefly explains the impetus for this project, and a closing argument that examines the intentional use of cliche as a creative tool.

The zany style of writer/director John Waters is the first major creative influence described. Although my story is not as graphically extreme as some of Waters' earlier work (it would be easy to make a comedy about necrophilia a vile exploitation film), it does …

Garbage Picking With Salman Rushdie, Tara Hubschmitt

Masters Theses

Salman Rushdie's voice is one of the most powerful in postmodern and post-colonial literature. He stands as a primary spokesman for the displaced personality of those caught between the conflicting influences of traditional cultures and the contemporary west. In Midnight's Children (1980), The Satanic Verses (1989), and The Ground Beneath Her Feet (1999), Rushdie appears to reveal himself as a proponent of a garbage aesthetic. The garbage metaphor, as explained by Ella Shohat and Robert Stam in Unthinking Eurocentricism (1994), develops from Brazilian filmmakers of the 1960s and is generally used to highlight the omnipresent influence of western culture upon …

Door To Door, Bryan Levek

Masters Theses

My creative thesis consists of four short stories and my author's introduction to them.

In my introduction, I discuss my primary literary influences; not only the author's whose approaches to short fiction that I share, but also those I feel indifferent towards. Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio is admirable for its sketches of common people and ordinary life events. James Joyce is highlighted as the originator of literary epiphany, a moment of revelation or profound insight, and both A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Dubliners provide examples of the device. Hemingway's stripped down language is appreciated for …

Parental Grief Responses To Perinatal Loss, Lisa M. Peacock

Masters Theses

An exploratory, descriptive design was used to examine parental grief and coping responses to perinatal loss. Florence Selder's Life Transition Theory (1989) was used as the conceptual fiamework. A survey approach was used for data collection. This included basic demographic questions, the Perinatal Bereavement Scale and the Jalowiec Coping Scale. A convenience sample was obtained, consisting of 24 women and 6 men in northern Michigan communities who had experienced a perinatal loss at some time in the past. Data were collected by an anonymous mailed survey. The results of the study revealed that all parents in this sample did exhibit …

Crisis Communication And Organizational Image: A Study Of The Nasa Challenger And Exxon Valdez, Amy O'Connor

Masters Theses

This study examines the communication activities of two crises: the NASA Challenger and Exxon Valdez and investigates the effect of accommodative and defensive statements attributable to each crisis on organizational image. The survey design queried respondents about organization image with questions about trustworthiness, responsibility and willingness for future involvement with the organization, based on statements provided. Results indicated that when organizations issue accommodative statements during a crisis, participants rated overall organizational image more positively than when defensive statements were given. Research findings are discussed based on the symbolic approach to crisis communication and the investor response theory. The implications for …

The Identification Of Domains And Competencies For Community Practice Occupational Therapy, Lisa Anne Werner

Masters Theses

Literature shows evidence of a shift in occupational therapy from traditional institutional settings to community-based settings. As increasing numbers of new and expert occupational therapists enter community-based practice, the need for competency identification for practice, education, and reimbursement becomes paramount. This qualitative research study sought to identify domains and competencies of community-based occupational therapy practice by interviewing three expert occupational therapists using the critical incident method in which each therapist described one therapeutic intervention with a client. This method, as seen in nursing studies (Benner, 1982, 1984), serves to elicit competencies embedded in expert practice. Thirty-nine competencies were described in …

Post-Secondary Retention Of The Non-Traditional Student At The Davenport College Career Center, Sheryl Roslund

Masters Theses

In order to increase understanding regarding the factors contributing to student attrition at the Davenport College Career Center, a survey was undertaken to determine how those elements over which the school has control impacted its students' decisions to discontinue pursuing their educational goals. The survey of 600 non-returning students asked questions on the following attributes of the college: admissions, advising, academics, support services, and facilities. Survey recipients were divided into two categories: those students who had intended to take a full program of study and those students who had come to college to update their skills with only a few …

Spiritual Formation Through Residential Living, Michelle Kay Northcutt

Masters Theses

Higher education institutions are continuing to advance in the area of educating students through the residence hall experience. Educating through the residence halls deals with a variety of facets, including spirituality. This study was able to ascertain what college students believe about their own spirituality, determine that peer groups and personal experiences are the greatest influencing factors that play a role in the spiritual formation of college students, determine that these factors can either have a positive impact or act as hindrances to their spiritual formation, and discover that college students believe it is important to incorporate their spirituality with …

The Origins Of Greek Cypriot National Identity, Elena Koumna

Masters Theses

Discussions of Greek Cypriot identity have conventionally been dominated by primordial arguments, contributing to the creation and maintenance of stereotypes and mythologies about the ethnic conflict between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. In order to examine the validity of the primordial thesis, modernist and constructionist approaches on nationalism and identity are considered (Gellner 1983; Hobsbawm 1990; Anderson 1991; Hroch 1985; Smith 1991). Nationalism and identity formation are analyzed in the context of"stages," where the social composition of each stage and the degree of modernization are examined. The findings of the thesis largely support the hypotheses that pinpoint the articulation of Greek …

Re-Cycling The Menstrual Cycle: A Multidisciplinary Reinterpretation Of Menstruation, Heather H. Rea

Masters Theses

This thesis offers a reinterpretation of the human female menstrual cycle that understands the process as positive, functional, and practical experience. Standard western definitions and understandings of menstruation use negative terminology and focus on menstrual blood as an indicator of failed conception. This view contributes significantly to the negative perception women have of menstruation in general, their own menstrual cycles, and ultimately of their femaleness. This fundamental, physiological process that symbolizes femaleness, the menstrual cycle, has been defined both, bio-medically and culturally, as a negative experience. I propose a reconceptualization of the menstrual cycle that is not only a tool …

The Effects Of Phonological Awareness Activities On At-Risk First Grade Readers, Kimberly L. Van Belois

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to look at a variety of phonological awareness studies and their impact on students with reading difficulties and to implement a program to develop student's reading abilities and look at its impact on student's knowledge of vowel and consonant recognition, vowel sounds, and sight words. Phonological awareness can be defined as one's sensitivity to, or explicit awareness of, the phonological structure of words in one's language. A number of researchers (eg., Libennan, Shankweiler, & Liberman, 1989) have concluded that adequate awareness of the phonological structure of words helps to make learning to read words …

Effect Of Concentrated Carbohydrate-Electrolyte Gel On Moderate-Intensity Intermittent Exercise, Sarah M. Handlogten

Masters Theses

The researcher compared the effects of a carbohydrate-electrolyte (CE) gel and water ingested 5 min before and after 20 min of moderate-intensity running for I hour. Six dependent variables were measured: heart rate (HR), VO₂, blood glucose, respiratory exchange ratio (R), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and timed exercise performance. Independent variables were condition, trials (2), and sample time. On 4 days, subjects completed a 60-min training run at 65% of maximal oxygen consumption in 20-min bouts with 3-min rests between bouts. A timed 200-m sprint followed each run. Two trials were completed with each condition. Water was …