Digital Commons Network^™

Relationship Of Field Dependence/Independence To Personality For Younger And Older Adults, Thomas T. Lambirth

Masters Theses

The cognitive style of field dependence/independence is a perceptual construct that relates degree of reliance on the visual field to a variety of personality variables. Among the relationships found are that the field independent individuals are less involved with other people, independent in judgment, and cold and distant in interpersonal relationships. In contrast, field dependent subjects are seen as seeking close involvement with others, conforming in judgment, and warm and accepting in interpersonal relationships. Although field dependence/independence has received much attention in the literature over the years, little interest has been shown in the relationship between field dependence/independence and personality …

Post Object Art And Sociological Influences On The Internal Processes Of Art Making, Steve Havens

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to discuss how external sociological factors inevitably have a profound effect on current art.

Much great art has been created against the flow of what is critically "popular" or "fashionable," but as these external factors become more prominent so the art work produced inevitably suffers.

The exhibition of Frank Stella's black and aluminum paintings at the turn of the 60's, in my own opinion, provided something of a landmark in the history of art. These works, in all their stark, flat, geometric nakedness denied both "form" and "content." They bare no illusions, no mythology, …

A Study Of Principals' Perceptions Of Job Stress In The Six-County Region 11 Educational Service Region, East Central, Illinois, John Neiweem

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to investigate the degree of stress principals perceive in the work environment. Specifically this study compared the actual perceived stress experienced on the job with what principals deem to be a reasonable amount of stress. The study was predicated on the research findings that indicate that the amount of stress is relative to a given individual as opposed to being an absolute quality.

A review of the research and literature revealed that few publications have been targeted towards stress and the educational administrator. The implications of job related stress, as it impacts on the …

A Delphi Analysis Of Cooperative Purchasing In Southern Illinois, Robert E. Bon Durant Sr.

Masters Theses

A preliminary study of Cooperative Purchasing, in Southern Illinois school districts, was conducted using the Delphi technique. A group of school personnel with Cooperative Purchasing experience was secured from the prescribed geographical area. These people, the experts, were asked to respond to a three round Delphi survey. The experts were to formulate their opinion from their own experiences and by reviewing the composite results of the previous Delphi round.

The experts reached a consensus of opinion on the Positive Delphi question. Ninety-eight percent of those surveyed stated that "Lower Prices" was the primary concern of a purchasing cooperative. The Negative …

A Plan And Guide For The Implementation Of A Computer Curriculum At Southeast Fountain Elementary School, Robert Joseph Baker

Masters Theses

This project was developed to provide an orderly plan for the introduction of microcomputers into the total curriculum. A computer curriculum was developed that became a vibrant part of the total experience at the elementary level. The uniqueness of an elementary curriculum has been the manner in which each subject area complemented the other. Science, for example, has not been taught as an independent content area. It has been taught as an extension of the reading program. Also computer instruction must be blended with the other disciplines.

It was the purpose of this study (1) to show a plan for …

Inflation And Taxable Capacity: Some Recent Evidence, Barbara Allison Haney-Powell

Masters Theses

Colin Clark's theory of inflation has had a profound effect on present-day economic theory concerning taxation policy. While his belief that inflation occurred when all tax revenues exceeded 25 percent of national income was rejected by his contemporaries in the 1940's, supply-side economists incorporate Clark's theory into their proposals for curing the unemployment and inflation of the 1970's and 1980's. These proposals gained popular support and resulted in the election of President Ronald Reagan who implemented such proposals. The purpose of this study is to determine the veracity of Clark's theory.

Clark's theory was tested in this study with the …

The Oral Interview As A Predictor Of Academic Performance In A Preservice Law Enforcement Training Program, M. Nicholas Meier

Masters Theses

The oral interview is a standard technique used in the selection of police officers and the prediction of their subsequent academy and on the job performance. This study attempted to construct a model that could accurately predict academic performance from oral interview performance in a preservice law enforcement training program. Previous research in the use of the oral interview as a predictor of academic performance has produced conflicting results.

The sample in this study consisted of 159 candidates accepted by an oral interview board for training in a preservice police academy. Average academic performance was correlated to scores on an …

Follow-Up Study Of 1981, 1982, And 1983 Freshman Students At Eastern Illinois University Who Scored Low On The Act And/Or Nelson Denny Reading Test, Reo John Rorem

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Revision Of The Argenta-Oreana Faculty Handbook, Grades K-8, Ralph J. Lutz Jr.

Masters Theses

The development of a faculty handbook for the Argenta-Oreana School District grades K-8 was the subject of this field study. A faculty handbook had been issued previously, but it was outdated, lacking in detail, and had not been distributed for almost ten years. The high school had a recently revised faculty handbook, but the distinct differences between the high school and the lower grades would not permit the use of the same handbook by all teachers in the district.

The creation of this handbook was brought about mainly to answer the numerous questions the faculty had about board policies, grading, …

Dreamworlds And The Art Of Illustration, Donna Crotchett

Masters Theses

While I was growing up, illustrations made deep impressions upon me. An illustration is a picture that explains and adds interest to the written part of a printed work such as a book. Often overlooked by others, for various reasons, this means of communication played a significant part in my life and art.

The history of illustration is a history of men and women, serious artists, who have produced an enormous amount of high-quality work. Many of their illustrations had their origins in fine art such as early religious painting and mythological themes. A large number of fine artists have …

The Effects Of A Cumulative Review Procedure Upon The Acquisition And Retention Of Basic Addition Facts Under Mastery Learning Conditions, Michael Jeffrey Harshman

Masters Theses

The effects of cumulative review upon the acquisition and retention of basic addition facts were examined within a modified multielement baseline design. Subjects were two second graders enrolled in a tutorial program. After training (memorization to specific criteria) involving drill with flashcards, facts were practiced according to one of two procedures. One procedure (Interspersal Only) involved practice of newly trained facts mixed with facts known on a pretest. The other procedure (Cumulative Review) involved practice of newly trained facts mixed with facts learned during prior training sessions. The Cumulative Review condition was found to be more effective in terms of …

The Perceived Effectiveness Of The Borgess Human Assistance Program As Measured By A Checklist Of Key Components, Kevin G. Clark

Masters Theses

This study investigated the success and perceived effectiveness of an employee assistance program. Phase I consisted of interviewing representatives of the ten companies that were the most frequent users of the program. Phase II examined the program's annual report. The results were tabulated and compared to a checklist of key components which gauge the effectiveness of a successful employee assistance program (Egdahl and Walsh, 1980). The evidence indicated that the program operates in accord with Egdahl and Walsh's checklist.

The Support And Maintenance Of A Behavioral Teaching Methodology In The Public Schools, Sheryl M. Rippee

Masters Theses

A contract study center was the site for two experiments involving the modification of teacher behavior. The Center was located in a rural high school of 300 students and 15 staff members. The Center was school-wide and utilized contingency contracting and peer tutoring in order to help students on individual academic assignments. Experiment I was conducted to examine the effects of using teachers to support and maintain the behavioral teaching methodology used in the Center. Results of Experiment I indicated that teachers were not as effective in supporting and maintaining the Center on a half time basis as University Personnel. …

Research In The Use Of State Diagramming As A Communication, Diagnostic, And Descriptive Tool In Applied Educational Programs, Roger S. Coates

Masters Theses

State diagramming is a schematic communication tool used to present experimental designs or educationally-significant conditions in applied settings. In applied situations, public school teachers and students, and college students used state diagramming as an effective communication and diagnostic tool for educational programming. Four of five teachers showed rapid comprehension of classroom programs when the use of diagramming was compared to written narratives. College students described antecedent events present in familiar educational systems at a higher percentage of accuracy and total information presented almost doubled when diagrams were utilized. Training public school students in drawing state diagrams was initially successful. This …

A Survey Of Graduates Of A One-Year Clerical Office Block Class —1976-1981— With Recommendations For Curriculum And Course Content Revision, Audrey Lee Watson

Masters Theses

Data were collected by means of a questionnaire sent to 92 Maple Valley Office Block students who graduated in the years 1976-1981 to determine if students are adequately prepared to acquire entry-level clerical/secretarial positions and to adjust to positions in business. Sixty-five questionnaires were returned for a 70% return.

Over 70% of the respondents were employed at the time the survey was conducted. Over 90% indicated the use of keyboarding equipment on the job. Almost 60% of the respondents used shorthand or machine transcription on the job. Frequent job responsibilities included filing, business machine usaqe, telephone usage, receiving visitors, and …

The Differential Effects Of Three Job-Related Manipulations On The Task Performance Of Movie Theatre Employees, Raymond Douglas Bennett

Masters Theses

This study examined task checklist use (self-recording with accuracy monitoring and performance standards with performance monitoring) in a program designed to increase task performance of movie theatre employees. A multiple baseline design across tasks was employed. Accuracy of self-recording averaged 68% when the checklists were first introduced alone and increased to an average of 93% when feedback for task performance and recording accuracy was implemented. Employee task performance averaged 48% for Baseline and 92% for the final condition. The introduction of task checklists alone was followed by a mean performance increase of 18%. The introduction of self-recording and supervisory comments …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of Participation, Expected Payment, And No Expected Payment On Clerical Performance, James Theodore Austin

Masters Theses

Seventeen psychology students participated in a group comparison of the effects of participative decision making, defined as subject decision making in three areas of the experiment, expected payment, and no expected payment on performance of a repetitive scanning task. Measures of performance quantity and quality were assessed directly, while satisfaction and manipulation checks were evaluated via selfreport. Clerical pretest scores were used as covariates in an analysis of covariance, which revealed no significant differences on the quantity dimension but-highly significant differences (p = .03) for quality (error) performance. The findings, which may have been biased by an experimenter "instruction" effect, …

Performance Feedback And Its Relationship To Goal Setting, Douglas A. Nicola

Masters Theses

This study illustrated the effect of information feedback and goal setting on production efficiency. Two male machine operators (ages 29 and 54) working on a low efficiency press were selected for the study. Operators were initially given efficiency information following individual production runs. The next phase involved providing efficiency information and a request that they set efficiency goals for each run. These goals were noted by the researcher and compared with the actual results. In a final phase, high efficiency goals were prompted by the researcher, compared to actual results, and shown to the subjects following each run. Results showed …

The Design And Evaluation Of An Information System For Assessing Performance Appraisal Practices, James Michael Naughton

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Use Of A Job Model With Self-Recording And Performance Information As An Alternative To On-Site Supervision, Mark Kevin Forbes

Masters Theses

The action goal of the study was to reduce performance deficits of relief employees who operated a Group Home, though use of a Job Model, self-recording, and performance information. The research goal was to ascertain if generalization occurred from performance accomplishments targeted by the intervention to accomplishments not targeted. Overall performance means increased over 34 percentage points for subjects following the Job model intervention and rose further after self-recording and feedback were introduced. The use of a partial Job Model resulted in performance improving or maintaining in five of six nontargeted accomplishments. When Subject A received the Job Model, self-recording, …

Parental Foraging In Chipping Sparrows (Spizella Passerina), Dora Elisa Perez

Masters Theses

During the breeding season of 1982, the population of Chipping Sparrows ( Spizella passerina) that inhabits the Western Michigan University's campus was chosen to study the use of foliage and other foraging sites. Three pairs were selected to be observed intensively.

During the time the female is foraging and when the male is either foraging or in territorial advertisement activities both sexes choose needleleaf trees out of proportion to their availability.

It is also likely that in the later stages of caring for young, when food demands were highest, the birds become less selective and forage on needleleaf trees as …

An Investigation Of The Instructional Communicator Style Expectations Of Nontraditional And Traditional Male And Female Undergraduate Students, Chryl Irvine Snyder

Masters Theses

Increasing numbers of nontraditional students, many of them women, are enrolling in college and university classes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the instructional communicator style expectations of nontraditional and traditional male and female undergraduate students. Students were asked to rate their own preferences on a variety of items designed to reflect instructional communicator styles. The researcher looked for differences in student expectations of their "ideal teachers" based on age and sex.

Nontraditional students rated the precise style of instructional communication higher than the traditional students who gave higher ratings to the friendly, open, dominant, and contentious styles. …

Vantage Level Analysis: A Potential Tool For Reducing Conflict In A Labor Union, Pamela S.F. Shevchik

Masters Theses

Intra-group conflict among employees can cause a break in the organizational communication which could affect productivity. A major problem is locating the specific disagreements among the coworkers to find the source of conflict and increase the likelihood that a basis for reducing conflict can be found.

This study used the Gilbert (1978) vantage level analysis as a method of sorting agreements and disagreements in a conflicting labor union. The setting was a clerical union in a public school system which was subdivided into three conflicting subgroups. There were 70 female support personnel involved. Data collected demonstrated that it is possible …

Increasing The Work Rates Of Visually-Impaired, Mentally Retarded Adults Through The Treatment And Prevention Of Overselectivity (Overshadowing) And Masking, John Schwade

Masters Theses

In Experiment 1, three legally-blind, mentally retarded adults were given 10 to 12 applications of discrimination training between pairs of sequential compound stimuli with immediate tactile and delayed (3- 3.5 sec) visual elements. Sorting responses were brought under the control of these stimuli. In 29 of 33 applications, discrimination training resulted in reduced sorting rates concommittant to overselectivity (overshadowing), such that stimulus control was acquired by only delayed visual elements. Single-stimulus discrimination training (SSDT) between the previously-overshadowed immediate tactile elements produced expression of stimulus control by those elements of compound stimuli in 5 of 6 cases. SSDT with novel stimuli …

A Comparative Analysis Of The Training, Internships, And Job Opportunities For Clinical And Counseling Psychologists, Mary Theresa Zirpoli

Masters Theses

Recent literature indicates that clinical and counseling psychologists are trained in very different ways, work with very different populations, and perform different skills. The literature also shows this traditional exclusivity to be vanishing. Three studies were conducted to determine similarities and differences in the training, internships, and types of jobs that clinical and counseling psychologists obtain. Data for the three studies were obtained from the curricula of 7k American Psychological Association approved graduate programs, six job opening lists from the American Psychological Association Monitor, and the American Psychological Internship Centers Manual. Variables included specific types of coursework, settings, patient population, …

The Effects Of Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales As Antecedent And Consequent Stimuli Upon Instructional Behaviors In A Special Education Setting, Dennis L. Van Hartesvelt

Masters Theses

The present study was an attempt to determine the effects of the Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS) upong three distinct instructional behaviors when presented before instructional sessions and when presented after instructional sessions. A multiple baseline design across behaviors was used with four subjects with a reversal element used with one of those subjects. A slight positive effect of BARS presentation upon instructional behaviors occurred. No significant differences were observed between preinstructional and postinstructional BARS presentation. The relevance of the present study is explored in relation to previous BARS studies, along with the implications of the present study.

Quality Control: A Behavioral Perspective, Cathy L. Thorne

Masters Theses

Because of the high costs of quality, many disciplines have developed techniques to assist in its control. This paper examines quality control from a behavioral perspective by analyzing how behaviors affecting may be acquired and maintained and examining some common quality interventions. It is concluded that the application of the principles of behavior analysis can assist in providing an effective quality control technology which can benefit individual employees and the organization as a whole.

A Staff Training Program To Change Target Behaviors: Acquisition, Transfer, And Effects Of Behavior Management Training With Paraprofessionals, Patricia D. Foster

Masters Theses

This study assessed the direct and transferred effects of a training package consisting of written rules, modeling, role playing, and vocal verbal feedback on the behavior management skills of three paraprofessional staff and evaluated the resulting impact o f these techniques on the maladaptive behaviors of severely multiply impaired adults. A multiple baseline across three instructional situation types (a transition period in which staff were not assigned to a particular pupil, a group instructional session in which one staff was assigned to three pupils, and an individual instructional session in which each staff was assigned to one pupil) was utilized. …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Among Rhetorical Sensitivity, Communication Apprehension, And Nonverbal Decoding Ability, Mary Aileen Palanca

Masters Theses

This study explored the potential relationship which might exist among rhetorical sensitivity, communication apprehension, and nonverbal decoding ability. Three measuring instruments, the Rhetorical Sensitivity Scale, the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension, and the Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity, were administered to 109 participants, 68 females and 41 males. Gender and age were examined to see what effect they might have on the potential relationship. No relationship was found among rhetorical sensitivity, communication apprehension, and nonverbal decoding ability. In addition, no relationship was found between gender and the three variables or between age and the three variables. However, it is important to …

Effects Of Contingency Contracting On The Academic Performance Of Special Education Students, Carolyn Marie Nock

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of contingency contracting between parent and child on improving the academic performance of three special education students, ages 14-16, enrolled in a mainstream English class. Two of the subjects had been certified as emotionally impaired, the third as learning disabled. A multiple baseline across-subjects experimental design was employed. The completion of three academic contracts per week entitled the subjects to receive a contract consequence which the parents delivered. The parents determined contract completion based on specified criteria. Academic performance was measured by grades the subjects received on homework, tests, and …