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The Purposeful Use Of An Object In The Development Of Skill With A Prosthesis, Hon Keung Yuen

Masters Theses

Theoretically, perceptual information from the interaction with an object and its surfaces (an affordance) facilitates the development of motor skill. This study investigated the use of an affordance in learning control of flexion and extension of an above-elbow training prosthesis. Fifty-two male college students were randomly assigned to two training procedures: two, 1.5-minute periods of a joining dots activity with a flashlight attached to the hook of the prosthesis (affordance group), and practice moving the prosthesis at the elbow joint (no-affordance group) for the same amount of time. To assess generalization of skill to a different task, each subject traced …

The Effects Of Performance Anxiety Management Training On Musicians’ Self-Efficacy, State Anxiety And Musical Performance Quality, Nancy Barnes Mansberger

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Performance Anxiety Management Training (PAMT) on levels of perceived self-efficacy, state anxiety, and performance quality of undergraduate musicians performing under stressful conditions. Nineteen undergraduate music majors were selected for this study. Ten received PAMT, and nine received no treatment. Subjects were tested immediately prior to a stressful evaluative performance jury on self-assessed measures of self-efficacy and state anxiety. Adjudicating music faculty determined subjects' level of performance quality. Analysis of variance revealed that subjects in the PAMT group had significantly higher scores on measures of self-efficacy, and significantly lower scores …

Recidivism After Youth Imprisonment In Relationship To Criminal Career: A Twenty Year Follow Up Study, Helmut F. Janssen

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of early biographical factors on the future development of the juveniles and focusses on recidivism and factors influencing the development of a criminal "career." It includes a twenty year follow-up period, studying 500 juveniles released from two juvenile prisons of West Germany in 1961.

From a data set originally created in 1966, which included 290 variables, 29 variables, including individual and social characteristics as well as variables dealing with prior experiences with sanctioning, were ultimately used for this study. In addition, some new variables were created from the variables of …

Establishing Interagency Communication Among K-12 School Districts And Government Agencies Through An Intermediate School District, Gary R. Campbell

Masters Theses

The proposed procedure for a local school administrator to establish direct interagency communication between local, K-12 school districts and other government agencies who deal with troubled youth was to: (a) examine the function and organization of the intermediate school district, (b) evaluate the role of its superintendent, and, (c) assist the superintendent in establishment of an interagency discussion group. the This group would meet regularly to discuss mutual concerns in helping troubled youth.

This experience focused on gaining an understanding of the organization and function of a Michigan intermediate school district, the role of its superintendent, and the other non-school, …

A Pilot Plant Evaluation Of Selected Hardwood Pulps For Supercalendered Grade B Paper, Devendra Kumar Srivastava

Masters Theses

The proliferation of wood free printing and writing papers suggests the evaluation of hardwood kraft and chemithermomechanical pulps for the manufacture of uncoated rotogravure paper. In this study 100% aspen kraft, 100% eucalyptus kraft, and 50% aspen chemithermomechanical with 50% kraft pulps were used to produce rotogravure paper on as 32" trim Fourdriner paper machine under alkaline papermaking condition.

The machine runnability was smooth using 100% hardwood furnish for the production of rotogravure paper. The paper produced was found suitable for supercalender grade B applications, such as Sunday magazines, inserts, and flyers. The tensile index and tear index values were …

An Investigation Of A Soil Gas Sampling Technique And Its Applicability For Detecting Gaseous Pce And Tca Over An Unconfined Granular Aquifer, Timothy J. Mayotte

Masters Theses

A soil gas sampling and analytical technique was investigated to evaluate its ability and versatility for detecting chlorinated hydrocarbons in unconfined aquifers. The technique was used successfully to delineate plumes of perchloroethene (PCE), and 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) contamination present in the vadose zone, and at the water table of an unconfined sand and gravel aquifer. Soil gas samples were obtained by concentrating PCE and TCA vapors diffusing from these sources onto a sorbent material. The samples were analyzed by gas chromatography. The data from the analysis of these samples were used to provide an initial estimate of the source areas, and …

Crime And Delinquency In Haiti: A Study Of Crime In A Developing Country, Gerard Mauze

Masters Theses

The primary intent of this study was an attempt at describing, understanding and analyzing the most common types, incidences and forces that produce crime and delinquency in Haiti. A secondary concern of this work was to do the ground work which would enable the formulation of testable hypotheses about the causes of crime and delinquency in Haiti.

Even though a number of developing nations face a rapid growth in their crime and delinquency rates, Haiti appears to maintain a relatively low crime rate.

The law-abiding behavior of Haitian youths is due to a number of factors: (a) the strong family …

Factors That Relate To Job Retention For Former Welfare Recipients, Lisa Spadafore

Masters Theses

This descriptive study attempted to determine the factors that relate to job retention for former welfare recipients. Welfare recipients (15 women and 17 men), who were participating in a job club program, completed the Wonderlic Personnel Test (Wonderlic, 1985), the 16 Personality Factors Test (Eber, Cattell, & IPAT Staff, 1985), and a Background/Monetary Questionnaire. Thirty-two clients who obtained jobs were divided into two groups, those who retained their job for 90 days (n = 21) and those who did not (n = 11). Of the 31 factors analyzed, four showed a statistically significant relationship with job retention; amount of jail …

Summer Migrant Program Internship, Jacqueline G. Ladwein

Masters Theses

The proposed procedure for an elementary school teacher to gain entry level experience, skills, and knowledge required to assume a summer migrant program assistant directorship was to examine the scope of duties of a summer migrant program assistant director and to acquire knowledge, skills, and experience by assisting a summer migrant program assistant director as he performed his daily responsibilities.

The experience focused on all procedures necessary to establish a summer migrant program. This focus included: goals of the program, staffing, interpersonal relationships, disciplining, community and peripheral organization relationships and administrative leadership styles.

The experience provided on-the-job awareness of the …

The Effects Of Group Incentive Plans On Individual Performance, Karen Geralyn Stoneman

Masters Theses

A simulated work environment was utilized to study the effects of group incentive plans on individual performance on an assembly task. The subjects in the study were college students who worked in groups of a small size, a medium size, or a large size. A reversal design was utilized in which the first condition was an individual incentive condition, the second was a group incentive condition, and the final was the return to an individual incentive condition.

The results showed: (a) individual performance did not significantly change when individuals were switched from an individual to a group incentive plan; (b) …

An Analysis Of Early Woodland Pottery From Southwest Michigan, James W. Cogswell

Masters Theses

Significant amounts of Early Woodland pottery have been recovered from excavations in southwest Michigan. Radiocarbon and thermoluminescence assays date this pottery from 590 B.C. to A.D. 10. This pottery is analyzed in great detail, providing evidence for attributes heretofore unreported in the Great Lakes area. Selected vessel attributes are presented in a chronological framework, and potential trends in the regional development of Early Woodland pottery are discussed.

Reductive Stripping Of Iron(Iii) From Di(2-Ethylhexyl) Phosphoric Acid, Byron G. Belew

Masters Theses

"Unwanted impurities, present in raw materials, are often coextracted along with desired constituents during leaching. If left unchecked, impurity levels may increase in hydrometallurgical process streams until their presence has deleterious effects upon subsequent unit processes. Due to its abundance and ease of extraction, the presence of ferric iron in solvent extraction circuits has always been a problem. The technique proposed herein constitutes a novel approach to remove iron from zinc hydrometallurgical circuits; but the principles employed may find a variety of applications.

This research investigated the reduction and stripping of ferric iron from di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid into a …

Thermal, Mechanical And Interfacial Characterization Of A Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic Composite, Theodore J. Williams

Masters Theses

The effects of a glass fiber reinforcer on the properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) were evaluated. A silane coupling agent (M8550 Petrarch Systems, Inc.) was employed to promote adhesion between the materials. FTIR analysis, ESCA/Auger and SEM techniques were used to characterize the silane coating.

The mechanical properties, such as bending strength, improved with an increase in the volume percent of fiber. The addition of the M8550 silane directly into the monomer solution showed the most improvement, 23 percent increase, when compared to the uncoated glass fiber. The glass transition temperature as measured by DSC and the heat distortion temperature (HDT) …

Packaging Engineering Education Qualitative Need Assessment, M. Douglas Sachs

Masters Theses

"Packaging engineering is an interdisciplinary field which has no formal degree program to support it. While there arc packaging engineers in industry, there are no packaging engineering degrees presently being offered by our nation's colleges and universities. In order to lay a foundation upon which a degree program could be based, this thesis has investigated the needs of packaging engineering education by seeking the input of the packaging industry. This qualitative comparison has been quantified, resulting in a list of prioritized classes and topics upon which a degree program could be based"--Abstract, page ii.

An Analysis Of Ability Grouping Of Mathematics Students At The Argenta-Oreana Middle School, Steven L. Mitchell

Masters Theses

This field experience investigated the effects of ability grouping mathematics students at the Argenta-Oreana Middle School in Oreana, Illinois. This study investigated the perceptions of teacher attitudes toward abilty grouping mathematics students, the effects ability grouping has had on grades assigned to eighth grade students and the effects ability grouping has had on eighth grade student achievement test scores. A two tailed t-test for the difference of means at the .05 level of significance was used to analyze the data collected. The perception survey information collected from 11 teachers determined that no statistically significant differences existed between the perceptions of …

Effects Of Instructional Television In Math, Science And Language Arts In Two Small Elementary Schools, Delbert Maroon

Masters Theses

This field experience investigated the effects of instructional television on academic achievement of fifth and sixth grade students in two small elementary schools in Bond County. A two tailed t-test for the difference of means at the .05 level of significance was used to analyze the data collected. A self assessment survey collected from nine teachers determined that no significant differences in opinion existed between members of the teaching staff regarding instructional television usage. An analysis of student grades determined that no significant increase in student grades was found in the comparisons made. Results of this study indicate that the …

The Development Of A School Emergency Plan For The Blue Ridge School District #18, Farmer City, Illinois, Robert D. Hooker

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to devise an emergency preparedness plan handbook for the Blue Ridge School District #18, Farmer City, Illinois. The handbook was designed to aid the school administration and staff by defining definite administrative action in carrying out the steps necessary to protect students and staff in the event of an emergency situation. A data base was formed from several sources. Information was received through a review of the literature; a review of organizational materials; a review of information from school districts through a questionnaire; interviews with individuals from professional agencies; and a review of school …

An Analysis Of Factors Associated With The Change In Graduation Requirements At Champaign Centennial High School, David H. Pike

Masters Theses

The graduation requirements for the students at Champaign Centennial High School, Champaign, Illinois, changed effective with the class of 1988. This field experience investigated the possible effects of the new and more stringent graduation requirements. A comparative analysis using students in the classes of 1985, 1986, and 1987 for the baseline data with the students in the classes of 1988 and 1989 was completed. Specifically, the evaluator designed a procedure to statistically study the students' American College Test and SRA Survey of Basic Skills Test scores. A two tailed t-test for the difference of the means at the .05 level …

School Effectiveness Model For Enterprise Elementary School, Lloyd A. Moma

Masters Theses

The purpose of this field study is to develop a school improvement model for use at Enterprise Elementary School, District #61 in Decatur, Illinois based on effective schools research. There has been a slow, steady change in the student population of this school in the past twenty years. The influx of hard to educate children, combined with the loss of some services, such as Chapter I, required that staff adjust teaching practices to maintain the high level of achievement that past test results have indicated. Because of the increased awareness of effective schools research and an increasing demand for school …

Administrative Field Experience: Educational Service Center #17, Olney, Illinois, Joyce A. Carson

Masters Theses

Being the Director of an Educational Service Center is a position of challenge, responsibility, and leadership. The internship consisted of managing the day-to-day operations of the center and completing two major projects. The first project had been implemented in the center's Full Service Plan involving the recognition of exemplary programs. The second assignment was directed by the General Assembly in regard to family life-sex education.

The day-to-day operations involved managing the Educational Service Center #17's summer staff. The staff consisted of the bookkeeper and two secretaries. Leadership and management skills were necessary. Being punctual, being productive, setting goals, praising staff, …

A Model For Determining Attitudes Towards School District Reorganization, James A. Voyles

Masters Theses

The focus of this study is to provide a model for determining current attitudes toward school district reorganization so that a school board can gain local community data. The small rural school districts of central Illinois are finding fewer and fewer options when considering maintaining or increasing the quality of education in their communities. Illinois school reform legislation of 1985 included a section on school district reorganization which was an effort to reduce the number of districts and increase the quality of education. However, the sentiment was so strong against forced reorganization that the plan for reorganization died a political …

Communication Through Athletic History At Eastern Illinois University: 1899-1988, Michael H. Chron

Masters Theses

This study is divided into 14 chapters, with an introduction, the 12 different sports categories and the year-by-year results, and a conclusion. The sports are arranged into chapters in accordance with the scheduling of the academic year.

The method of research involved collecting and classifying source materials, and interpreting and presenting these facts and findings. This method is critical in synthesizing the development and history of intercollegiate athletics at Eastern Illinois University.

This documented data will serve as a public relations project for the athletic department as a recruiting tool for prospective athletes and coaches who contemplate coming to Eastern …

A Study Of The Use Of Student Perceptions For Counselor Evaluations, Accountability And Recognition, Judy Edmundson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to gather information from students in order to measure student perceptions of the counselors' role and the counseling services provided in ten rural school districts. Of the total student population of 1,277 students, 1,150 surveys were administered and completed for 100% response. The respondents represented students from grades nine through twelve. The survey gathered information by having the students respond to 25 statements as: Are the counseling services for your school satisfactory? Do you need more? Do you need much more? All data were tallied by hand for each respondent in each district. The …

Age And Sex Differences In The Responses Of Adolescents To The Hand Test, Sonya R. Castle

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to investigate age and sex differences in the responses of adolescents to the Hand Test (Wagner, 1962). This instrument was administered to 44 14-year olds (26 males and 18 females), 40 15-year-olds (23 males and 17 females), 45 16-year-olds (19 males and 26 females), and 34 17-year-olds (13 males and 21 females) who were enrolled in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 of a public high school. Data for the 24 Hand Test variables was normalized using a Z-score transformation on the group mean of all subjects to allow for simultaneous analysis of …

Use Of Circadian Rhythms To Screen For Fever: A Replication, Michele S. Heckman

Masters Theses

There are inconsistent guidelines for, and consequently, inconsistent practice in the screening of hospitalized adults for fever. Using the predictive knowledge of circadian thermal rhythms, the purposes of this study were to identify (1) the hour of the day in which most fevers occurred and (2) the necessary frequency of measurement to detect fever. The sample consisted of 35 subjects, ages 22-62. Temperatures were measured at 6 p.m., 10 p.m., 6 a.m., 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 6 p.m. for 24 hours. Eighteen (51.42%) of the 35 subjects had fevers during the 24-hour measurement period. Fourteen (77.78%) initial fevers were …

Promoting Adaptation Of The Young Child During An Outpatient Surgical Admission Assessment, Mary C. Mitus

Masters Theses

This study used an experimental design to investigate whether the timing of a child's admission physical assessment, either before or after an interview with the child's parent(s), had an effect on the upset and cooperation behaviors exhibited by the child during the physical exam.; Thirty-two children, age 12 to 36 months, who were scheduled for elective outpatient surgery were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups.; The hypothesis of the study was that children who were examined after the interview would exhibit less upset behaviors and be more cooperative with the examining nurse. It was hypothesized that these children would …

Deduction Of A Functional Dependency From A Set Of Functional Dependencies, James M. Richardson

Masters Theses

"This paper describes an algorithm called the Deduction Tracing Algorithm (DTA) which utilizes basic properties of functional dependencies from database systems and a modification of a tree search algorithm from artificial intelligence. The algorithm takes a set of functional dependencies, F, along with a specific functional dependency L→R as input and produces a list of functional dependencies from F that can be used to deduce L→R. The resulting algorithm is easily automated to provide relational database users with a tool for organizing their queries"--Abstract, page iii.

Intensity Blending Of Computer Image Generation-Based Displays, Elizabeth Scheppler Reidelberger

Masters Theses

"State-of-the-art combat simulators require a 360 degree field of view, allowing the pilot and radar intercept officer to have the same visibility in the simulator that they would experience in the aircraft. The sky/earth display must be computer - generated and displayed with a minimum of two channels to provide the most realistic display possible. The two channels of display come together in the dome, forming an equator, that must be as indiscernible to the aircrew as possible. To accomplish this, an algorithm has been developed for controlling the video output which makes the two separate channel displays appear as …

Glass Formation And Properties In The Sm₂O₃·Al₂O₃·Sio₂ System, Erik M. Erbe

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this investigation was to develop a samarium containing aluminosilicate glass with properties suitable for use in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Microspheres made from these compositions would be neutron activated to produce radioactive Sm-153 which has beta-particle energies suitable for treating rheumatoid arthritis as well as appropriate gamma-ray emission for nuclear imaging. The properties of Sm₂O₃ · AI₂O₃ · SiO₂ glasses containing 10 to 25 mole% Sm₂O₃ were evaluated as a function of composition. The density, refractive index, thermal expansion coefficient, and microhardness increased with increasing Sm …

Fractals With Arbitrary Segment Lengths, Daniel Michael Doerer

Masters Theses

"Work in the area of fractal geometry has generally focused on a specific facet of the discipline at the expense of other interesting features. This approach often generates more questions than answers for the general audience due to the lack of unification across all views. It appears that a common thread to relate all aspects of fractal characteristics is missing. This paper addresses this question and presents some new and fascinating results. For example, in-depth mathematical analysis often defers to the intriguing and attractive graphical displays produced by mapping the complex plane to the pixel field on a CRT. Both …