Digital Commons Network^™

An Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of The Dual Principal As An Instructional Leader, Alan L. Jones

Masters Theses

This field experience investigated the effects of assigning multiple buildings to one principal. This study investigated the perceptions of the dual principals' effectiveness as instructional leaders and the impact of the dual principalship on job functions. In 1985 the state of Illinois passed school reform legislation stating that 51 percent of an administrators' time must be dedicated to instructional leadership. By developing a survey instrument to collect data from principals in Illinois serving in the capicity of multiple building principals information containing demographics of the districts, buildings, principals and perceptions of principals was tabulated. Even though the Illinois school reform …

Assessing The Impact Of Illinois Revised Statutes 122, Article 24a On The Identification And Remediation Of Unsatisfactory Performers, Teresa Lane

Masters Theses

Article 24A of the Illinois School Code was enacted in order to improve instruction in the State of Illinois. One of the underlying beliefs of the legislators who designed and passed the School Improvement Act of 1985, which contained Article 24A was that one way to improve instruction is to eliminate the unsatisfactory performers in the classroom. Since the implementation of Article 24A no data based studies have been conducted on the effects of this legislation on those teachers evaluated as unsatisfactory. This study is intended to gather data on the number of unsatisfactory performers as well as the characteristics …

Exploration Of Alternative Methods Of Providing Quality Educational Programs In Five Small Illinois Rural School Districts, Odus T. Cheek

Masters Theses

This study explored alternative methods that might be used by five selected small Illinois rural school districts to provide quality educational programs. Many Illinois school districts are facing problems that are unique to today's educational setting. Declining enrollments and decreasing farm land assessments along with small increases in state aid have compounded the problems of school districts. School board members must be aware of the condition of the school districts and what warning signs show impending problems. This study explored the enrollment projections, financial conditions and the instructional setting of five Shelby County Illinois school districts. Then options available to …

A Study Of The Administrative Agent's Role Of The Regional Superintendent Of Schools In Illinois, John E. Mcnary

Masters Theses

This work contains a study of the administrative agent's role of the Regional Superintendent of Schools in Illinois. The fifty-seven Educational Service Regions (E.S.R.s) in Illinois were surveyed to determine the number of superintendents acting as an administrative agent for a program, the educational experience possessed by each superintendent, the types of services being offered, the total number of dollars that become the responsibility of the administrative agent, the total number of jobs created, the governance structure, and the benefits and detriments of the role as reported by the superintendents. The data gathered by the survey was tabulated and analyzed …

Illinois Vocational Student Service Network Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Policy Development, Martin L. Barrett

Masters Theses

The dual purposes of this field study were to ascertain the legislative, court, and administrative rule requirements for equal employment opportunity and affirmative action for the newly created Illinois Vocational Student Services Network and to develop equal employment opportunity and affirmative action policies for the network. The findings of this field study are applicable to Educational Service Regions in the State of Illinois and projects, entities, or programs that utilize Educational Service Regions as fiscal agents. With minor modifications, the affirmative action policy could be utilized by school districts and other public agencies.

The study is divided into five major …

Collective Bargaining In Illinois Special Education Cooperatives, Wayne E. Savageau

Masters Theses

The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act (IELRA) took effect on January 1, 1984. By the 1988-89 school year, the number of Illinois public school districts with negotiated contracts had increased by nearly 68%, from 507 to 850. The effect of the Act on multi-district special education cooperatives is not as easily determined.

Directors of Illinois' 54 multi-district special education cooperatives outside Cook County were surveyed to obtain demographic data and information on the collective bargaining experiences of these cooperatives. Responses were received from 41 directors (76%).

These directors reported geographic sizes ranging from 144 to 4,000 square miles, with enrollments …

Evolution/Creation Debate: A Rhetorical Analysis, James V. Miteff

Masters Theses

During the course of human history, many social issues have come and gone. One argument that caught the writer's eye is the argument about how man came to exist.

Purpose of Study

The purpose of this study is to analyze an evolution/creation debate that took place at Columbus College, Georgia, on May 6, 1981. Evolutionary theory was supported by Dr. Schwinner, a paleontologist from Columbus College. His partner was Dr. Frazier, a professor of geology at Columbus College. Creation theory was supported by Dr. Henry Morris, President of the Institute for Creation Research, San Diego, and Dr. Slusher, an astronomer …

An Analysis Of The Impacts Of The Illinois Board Of Higher Education' S Admission Requirements On Selected High Schools In East Central Illinois, Stephen C. Selle

Masters Theses

The Illinois Board of Higher Education in 1985 instituted mandatory subject admission requirements for all state universities beginning in the year 1990. Subsequent legislative action by the Illinois General Assembly has moved these requirements back to 1993. This field experience investigated the possible impacts of these requirements on rural schools of under 500 students in east central Illinois. A cover letter explaining the purpose of the study and a two page questionnaire were mailed to twenty- one schools. Sixteen schools in the counties of Vermillion, Ford, Iroquois, Kankakee, and Will responded and were the focus of the study. Enrollment patterns …

Showering In Labor: An Effective Pain Management Alternative, Kathleen A. Austin

Masters Theses

Health care professionals continue to be concerned about the relief of pain and anxiety associated with childbirth. There are recent anecdotal reports in the literature which describe showering as an effective nonpharmaceutical alternative for labor pain management. The effectiveness of showering can most likely be explained physiologically by the "gate control" theory of pain.; The purpose of this descriptive-correlational study was to examine the labor patient's perception of the effectiveness of showering as a comfort measure and the relationship between showering in labor and outcome variables such as analgesia use, anesthesia use, and childbirth satisfaction. After approval by appropriate human …

Speech Synthesis Using A Digital Modulation Scheme On The Ibm Personal Computer, John Glenn Wallace

Masters Theses

"Previously the primary output interface that users of personal computers have had available to them were limited to the crt or the printer. This paper presents a method for implementing a voice synthesizer on an IBM personal computer using only the hardware already contained in the personal computer. Presented is a modulation method which can be used with the IBM to obtain good quality voice output. The method consists of 3 parts, 1) sampling and recording the voice, 2) processing and filtering these samples and 3) using these processed samples to drive the speaker. A description of the hardware used …

The Master Of Science In Education Degree In The Field Of Elementary Education At Eastern Illinois University: A Status Study, Susan E. Horath

Masters Theses

This study was designed to obtain a descriptive profile of teachers who were recipients of a Master of Science in Education degree in the field of Elementary Education at Eastern Illinois University. Specific background and attitudinal information was gathered from questionnaire responses.

The Master's Program Evaluation Instrument (MPE) was developed as the means of obtaining information on teachers’: perceptions of specific aspects of their master's program; plans for professional development; and satisfaction with the teaching profession. Questions written on the MPE instrument were carefully selected through a review of related literature and were validated through jury review. The instrument was …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Entry Time In The Military And Academic Performance In Air Force Resident Training, Ronald Denius

Masters Theses

Purpose of the Study

Do young Air Force recruits who enter the military during the winter months truly perform at a lower level than their counterparts who enlist in the summer, fall, or spring?

Design of the Study

Time frames: This was divided into quarters (three month segments) which used service entry dates close to summer, fall, winter, and spring seasons. Quarter segments were:

1. June, July, and August

2. September, October, and November

3. December, January, and February

4. March, April, and May

It was expected that the summer segment would capture the graduate from high school who immediately …

The United States And German Reunification: The Stalin Note Of 1952, Klaus P. Grillmaier

Masters Theses

This thesis discusses the American and West German reaction to the Soviet note of March 10, 1952. In this so-called Stalin Note the Soviet dictator proposed the reunification of Germany on terms of neutrality and acceptance of the Oder and Neisse rivers as the German-Polish border. By launching his proposal Stalin sought to prevent the integration of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) into the Western alliance system.

The paper starts out sketching the emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union as superpowers after World War II. It also analyzes the impact the Cold War had on Europe. …

A Curriculum Response To Budgetary And Marketing Pressures On A Two-Year Community College Engineering Technology Program (Microprecision Technology), Gerald R. Hough

Masters Theses

The process described is a program level response to institutional-wide budgetary restraints. The program in question is a two-year engineering technology associate degree program (Microprecision Technology). The major focus deals with:

1. reducing unit cost

2. improving marketability (recruiting)

3. improving transferability (as it relates to recruiting

The reductions in cost center around the ratio of contact hours to credit hours in the specialty courses as well as a reduction in the number of such courses. Issues dealing with marketability are directly related to the unique nature of the program and the difficulties involved in the public presentation of such …

The Trials Of Len Small, William R. Harshbarger

Masters Theses

Len Small, governor of Illinois from 1921 to 1929, was a politician associated with the Lorimer-Lundin-Thompson political machine which influenced Illinois politics from 1897 until the late 1920s. During that era, Small held offices in the county and in the state Senate. He served one appointed term as United States subtreasurer, two terms as state treasurer, and two terms as governor. Small ran six times for governor: 1912, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, and 1936. He came to the governorship in 1920 following a bitter feud between his patron, William Hale "Big Bill" Thompson and Frank O. Lowden. As a result, …

Relationship Between Actual And Perceived Physical Fitness In College Students, Barbara A. Barry

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Mastery Learning In The Secondary Schools, Eddie Joe Steffey

Masters Theses

The purpose of this field study was to develop and implement a model for the introduction of mastery learning at Chester High School in Chester, Illinois. In 1984-85 this researcher was named principal at Chester High School, which is located in a small, blue-collar community. Academic achievement was not perceived to be at an acceptable level. The researcher felt that the introduction of the mastery learning techniques suggested by Bloom and others combined with other pertinent research on effective schools could have a positive effect on academic achievement.

Although this field study was designed for Chester High School, it may …

The Ethnobotany Of Sweet Flag, Acorus Calamus L., Timothy J. Motley

Masters Theses

One of the more interesting and attractive components of aquatic ecosystems is sweet flag, Acorus calamus L., a herbaceous perennial belonging to the Araceae, a primarily tropical family. Sweet flag is one of the few extratropical members.

The primary purpose of this work is to present a compilation of the various traditional and contemporary uses of sweet flag by various cultures.

Information regarding the known ethnobotanical and economic uses of the rhizome and aromatic essential oil as a flavoring agent is given, as well as its medicinal uses and value as an insecticide. In addition, a discussion of the …

Effects Of New Science Textbooks On Selected Sixth And Eighth Grade Students At Crestwood Elementary School, Paris, Illinois, David R. Pruim

Masters Theses

This paper describes the results of a six-month field study to determine the effects of a newly adopted and implemented junior-high level science textbook series on student achievement. This study took place in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade science classrooms of Crestwood Elementary School, Paris, Illinois, from December 1988, until May of 1989. This study compared the science achievement of two groups of students in both their sixth and eighth grade years. The Normal Curve Equivalents or NCE's and letter grades as given by the junior-high level science teachers at Crestwood, were analyzed using non-independent t tests. Descriptive data …

The Relationship Of School Enrollment Size With Academic Achievement In Secondary Schools, Randy B. Steinkamp

Masters Theses

This investigation was designed to examine the relationship between school enrollment size and academic achievement. Fourteen schools in the East-Central region of Illinois formed the focus of this study. The schools were grouped according to the number of enrolled students: small-size (less than 300); mid-size (300-799); and large-size (over 800). Data for the study were obtained from the 1987 School Report Cards. Report Cards are documents that were completed by schools in the state of Illinois to review the status of their educational programs.

Data from the Report Cards included measures of academic achievement and also descriptive data on the …

The Financial Effects Of Farmland Reassessment On Rural Schools In East Central Illinois, Donald D. Morgan

Masters Theses

This field experience investigated the effects of farmland reassessment on nineteen rural schools in Illinois. These schools received fifty percent or more of their Equalized Assessed Valuation (EAV) from farmland assessment. The study demonstrated the effects of the Farmland Assessment Act of 1981 on rural schools and the perceptions of the superintendents of those schools as to the major effects of the law. The study compares data from the year before the Farmland Assessment Act of 1981 with the data for the latest year available. An analysis of the EAV for every school in the study indicated that farmland reassessment …

Perceptions Of Registered Nurses Toward Two Patient Classification Systems, Sarah J. Follen

Masters Theses

Patient classification systems provide a means of delineating nursing activities that a patient requires. The majority of patient classification systems consist primarily of delegated services or functional tasks. Two other areas of nursing care, independent and interdependent services, are not a part of most workload measurement systems.; Two patient classification systems were developed for this study. One was designed using primarily delegated services, and the second designed according to the Clinical Practice Model of Nursing (Wesorick, 1988) and consisted of independent, interdependent, and delegated services. The researcher studied how registered nurses perceived each instrument: how acceptable was each instrument to …

Chaucer's Troilus And Shakespeare's Troilus: A Comparison Of Their Declines, Laura Devon Flesor

Masters Theses

Only in the last ten years have critics worked to establish a more than superficial link between Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde and Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida. Part of the problem in this area of study was that scholars had ignored textual evidence proving that Shakespeare’s main source was Chaucer’s great poem. Current source-studies, outlined in the opening pages of this thesis, validate comparative treatments of the two texts.

This thesis steps beyond the issue of indebtedness into the realm of characterization, particularly the elements of Chaucer’s characterization of Troilus that Shakespeare chose to present to his Elizabethan audience and …

Mainlining, Philip L. Simpson

Masters Theses

Mainlining is a collection of six original stories and a prose foreword. The six stories, each of which can stand on its own but when read together form a unified whole, divide into two sections. The first section introduces three main characters, and the second section details the various fortunes (and misfortunes) of these three main characters and additionally introduces a wide range of secondary characters. When analyzed as a group, these characters provide some insight into the collective experiences and emotions of the people living in Mainlining's fictional community of Lincoln.

Lincoln is a small city bearing more …

Angelman's Syndrome Case Study And Appropriate Educational Curriculum, Allyson Lesly Hatt

Masters Theses

The purpose of this professional paper is to provide Special Educators with information on a presumably rare type of Mental and Physical Retardation that has been diagnosed as Angelman's Syndrome.

In order to assist this presentation, a previously unpublished case study of a nineteen year and four month old female who has been categorized as having Angelman's Syndrome, will be discussed. This case study will aid in the understanding of the syndrome.

Secondary to informing, it is the author's goal to provide teachers of special education with practical lesson curriculum that will assist the teachers who have a student with …

A Study Of The Development Of A Second Language Program Proposal For Decatur Public Schools, Linda L. Iciek

Masters Theses

The development of a second language proposal for Decatur, Michigan, Public Schools, was undertaken as a result of an established board goal for the 1985-86 school year. Chairing the committee which investigated the possibility of implementing such a program was undertaken to fulfill the requirements of a Specialist in Education degree through the Department of Educational Leadership, Western Michigan University.

The committee met on a weekly basis to study and develop the proposal by completing the following tasks: (a) identify and visit schools within the state implementing such programs; (b) research the effects of immersion language programs; (c) survey the …

A Review And Evaluation Of Research On Suspension And Expulsion Of Handicapped Students In Public Schools, Debria D. Young

Masters Theses

The purpose of this report is to review and synthesize findings of research studies about suspension and expulsion of handicapped students as a disciplinary procedure in public schools.

The first chapter begins with a glossary of frequently used terms and definitions to assist the reader in understanding the terminology used in this paper.

Chapter II reviews literature relevant to suspension and expulsion of handicapped students.

Chapter III cites statutory and mandatory provisions set forth by the .Michigan State Board of Education on suspension and expulsion.

Chapter IV explores the historical content on suspension and expulsion of handicapped students.

Chapter V …

An Evaluation Of A Student Orientation Pilot Project And Counseling Services As Retention Activities At Grand Valley State University, Mary T. Gustas

Masters Theses

The field experience was completed in the Counseling Center in affiliation with the Dean of Students Office, and the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs, spring of 1986 through spring of 1987. An objective of the experience was to determine if an increased orientation program and counseling service impacted the retention of freshmen students at Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI.

Data were gathered and compiled which supported an extended orientation program at other institutions. Recommendations for implementation were prepared and presented to the Retention Committee at Grand Valley State University.

Additional data collection was done for the …

Gay Masquerade: Male Homosexuals In American Cities, 1910 To 1940, Steven L. Lewis

Masters Theses

Prior to 1900, American scientists struggled to formulate a sexual norm. Their categorization of sexuality ironically led to the creation of a label (homosexual) by which individuals created and expressed a sexual identity at variance with the newly created norm.

By 1910, the climate of moral reform (Progressivism) led to the discovery (and documentation) of a homosexual subculture in larger American cities. With Chicago and New York City as examples, the author documents the growth of this sexual underground in the period between 1910 and 1940. Using primary sources such as diaries, letters, autobiographies and novels, the world of the …

Archaeology And The Public: A Survey Of People's Knowledge Of The Archaeology Profession, Heidi Stoneman

Masters Theses

Archaeologists have an obligation to communicate the significance of data and research results to a fascinated but often uninformed public. How much the public understands about the field of archaeology is important to the profession. Through the media, people learn about the discovery of spectacular artifact treasures. This information often fosters the practice of treasure hunting, the looting and destruction of important archaeological sites. Via treasure hunting, along with land alteration and traffic in the sale of antiquities, the field of archaeology loses vast amounts of valuable information.

An interview questionnaire was given to 232 people with varying levels of …