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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 …

Lead-Zinc Metallotects Of The Ozark Dome, Linda Leigh Mallery

Masters Theses

"This is a regional study of the relationship between Mississippi Valley-type mineral deposits and structural features of the Ozark dome which resulted in the description and classification of lead-zinc "metallotects". A more accurate delineation of the Ozark dome was accomplished by examining the gradient and structural contour lines of its Precambrian basement. A general background on the geology, structure, and evaluation of the Ozark dome was discussed along with the stratigraphy, structure, and ore deposits of the major lead-zinc districts of the Ozark dome in order to develop the background data for the application of the "metallotect" concept. The major …

Development Of Glass Microspheres For Radiotherapeutic Applications, Thomas A. Wetteroth

Masters Theses

"Oxide glasses make excellent candidates for radiotherapeutic microspheres used in liver cancer treatment because of their generally high chemical durability and safety of manufacture. From the compositions containing ~5 wt% P₂O₅ studied, magnesium alumino silicate glass microspheres and magnesium alkali silicate glass microspheres with 4 wt% ZrO₂ had acceptably low releases of both elemental phosphorus in deionized water at 50°C, and radioactive ³²P in human blood plasma at 37°C. The relative ranking of glass compositions in the elemental phosphorus leach test shows good agreement with the rankings of compositions in the radioactive ³²P leach …

Development Of A Public Relations Program For The Newman Community Unit School District #303, Charles E. White

Masters Theses

Public relations is an important part of any school district's total program. To be most effective, a written, planned public relations program should be used. This field experience deals with the development of a written, planned public relations program for the Newman Community Unit School District #303 in Newman, Illinois.

The author attempts to provide information that could be used by other educators who wish to develop a public relations program for their school district. Reasons why educators must provide information about the schools to the public and involve the public with the schools are discussed. The reasons for developing …

A Comparison Of Active And Inactive Senior Citizens On Selected Tests Of Balance, Strength, And Flexibility, Nancy J. Daum

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Body Weight, Percent Of Body Fat, Flexibility, And Agility Among Female Athletes From Four Selected Sport Groups And Modern Dancers, Seung Ho Yoon

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Raw Water Quality In The New Charleston, Illinois Pump Storage Reservoir, Kevin G. Lookis

Masters Theses

Charleston, Illinois, a city located in east-central Illinois, recently implemented a new concept in a raw water system. Due to storage capacity-sedimentation problems in the old Lake Charleston-Embarras River raw water supply, the Charleston Pump Storage Reservoir was constructed. The new system involved building a dike separating the Lake Charleston impoundment from the Embarras River. Water to increase the storage capacity of the reservoir can now be selectively pumped into the impoundment from the river.

Raw water quality in the reservoir was monitored on a weekly basis for a full year from August, 1981 to August, 1982. The levels of …

School Effectiveness Model For Washington Elementary School, Clara Coleman Rouse

Masters Theses

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of this field study was to develop a school effectiveness model which may be implemented at Washington Elementary School in Centralia, Illinois. In 1980 this researcher was named principal at Washington Elementary School. At the same time Centralia City Schools were entering a desegregation program which included bussing. For the first time there were more than three minority students at Washington Elementary School. More than half the students at the school are from economically disadvantaged families and achievement had been low for many years. Thus, this study was deemed timely and relevant.

Procedure

Although this …

Residual Phytotoxicity Of Mon-097 In Sludge Enriched Soils, Jennifer A. Woods

Masters Theses

Aerobically and anaerobically digested sludges were added to soil at concentrations of 0, 1, 5, and 10% (v/v). Dry weights of Avena sativa var. Noble plants, harvested 28 days after planting, were greater with increased sludge concentrations. Plant dry weights were consistently greater with aerobically than with anaerobically digested sludge. MON-097, an acetanilide herbicide, was applied to these soil/sludge mixtures at concentrations of 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 ppm. Residual phytotoxicity of MON-097 was not significantly affected by sludge concentration. These results suggest that increased concentrations of sludge in the soil do not contribute to detoxification …

Glass Formation And Properties In The Gallia-Calcia System, Glenn Whichard

Masters Theses

“The critical cooling rate for glass formation for melts containing from 37.5 to 68.0 mol % Ga₂O₃ varied from 310 ± 80°C/s to 855 ± 115°C/s. The crystallization temperature, microhardness, UV and visible transmission were measured. The density increased from 4.075 g/cm³ at 37.5 3 mol % Ga₂O₃ to 4.402 g/cm³ at 56.0 mol % Ga₂O₃. The refractive index, n_D, increased from 1.778 at 37.5 mol % Ga₂O₃ to 1.802 at 62.0 mol % Ga₂O₃. The IR spectra indicate …

Control Of Rock Fragmentation Through Explosive Coupling, Timothy Wayne Warden

Masters Theses

"Both detonation pressure and borehole pressure, resulting from an explosion within blastholes in rock, perform specific functions in the fragmentation of the rock and the generation of ground vibrations. The results of previous investigations would suggest that control of these pressures in the borehole would, to some extent, control the size distribution of the blasted particles. One method of influencing detonation and borehole pressures is by varying the hole diameter in relation to a constant charge diameter, called decoupling, and by varying the medium between the explosive charge and the rock.

This investigation examined the effects of geometric coupling, which …

Defect Chemistry Of La-Doped Strontium Titanate, Brian Keith Flandermeyer

Masters Theses

"Thermogravimetric measurements as a function of oxygen activity were performed in the temperature range of 1200°C to 1400°C on a series of La-doped SrTiO₃ compounds. A model postulating the crystallographic accommodation of ionic defects induced by the donor under oxidizing conditions is assumed. Thermodynamic calculations were performed to compare this model to the experimental results with reasonable success"--Abstract, page iii.

The Teaching Of Music Theory In The Piano Lesson: A Survey Of Methods, Donna R. Hood

Masters Theses

"The Teaching of Music Theory in the Piano Lesson: A Survey of Methods" is a functional study for piano teachers designed to demonstrate that most instruction books do not contain enough music theory. Methods included were selected on popularity and availability to piano teachers of beginning students.

Each of the sixty-six methods reviewed are listed with a general description, the intended age level, and the purpose of the course. A list of the theoretical strengths and weaknesses follows . The theoretical areas considered for the survey include rhythm/meter, melody/intervals, harmony, tonality/scales/keys, analysis, ear training, composition, and improvisation.

No single method …

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.

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 …

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, …

A History Of Bronson Park, Kalamazoo, Michigan From 1829 To 1940, Carol Knauss

Masters Theses

Bronson Park is a 3.6-acre tract of land in the center of downtown Kalamazoo. For over 130 years the city has used this land for a public park. The land originally was donated to the county for a school and a jail by the men who owned and platted the area. Interested citizens converted the two squares into a park which, in the following years, was improved with trees, walks, and a fountain. This park became an important meeting place for the villagers who held political rallies and celebrations there. From 1829 to 1940 both the appearance and the way …

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 …

Analysis Of The Prehistoric Settlement Pattern Survey Project In The Lower Kalamazoo River Valley: The 1978 And 1979 Field Seasons, Deborah K. Rhead

Masters Theses

Western Michigan University's Settlement Pattern Survey, Implemented in the Spring of 1978 under the direction of Or. Elizabeth Garland, is an intensive problem-oriented survey aimed at discerning patterns of prehistoric settlement in Allegan County, Michigan. This thesis is based on the analysis of the Settlement Pattern Survey data for the 1978 and 1979 seasons. The use of sampling strategies in archaeology and corresponding problems with analytical statistics is examined with particular reference to the Settlement Pattern Survey Project. The application of cluster analysis to the Settlement Pattern Survey project 1s also discussed. As a result of this analysis, distinct patterns …

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. …

The Development Of A Curriculum Model For Undergraduate Education Of Manufacturing Engineers, Mark Allen Curtis

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research was to identify course work that could be used to develop a specific unified undergraduate curriculum in manufacturing engineering technology, that both satisfies existing academic constraints and thinking, as well as industry's desire for a practical, yet highly qualified engineer.

The population surveyed was a combination of educators and industrial people with a vested interest in manufacturing engineering, from across the United States. The survey results, rating the relative importance of ninety seven different courses, were used to develop a model undergraduate curriculum in manufacturing engineering.

The findings supported the original hypothesis by showing that …

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 …

Religious Education In South Australian Public Schools, David I. Kumnick

Masters Theses

In 1972 the Education Act of South Australia was revised so as to make compulsory the teaching of religion in public schools. The major church leaders in South Australia held pro-Christian views about the form the new religious education should assume. Certain factors, most obviously a vigorous humanist campaign conducted during 1974 and 1975, wrought a dramatically different religious education syllabus. Convinced that the Christian religion was not being accorded its proper place, the church leaders finally lodged a united complaint with the Education Department of South Australia in 1979. The problem confronting all concerned South Australian Christians in 1982 …

Acquisition And Transfer Of Behavior Management Skills: An Empirical Functional Analysis Of Staff And Client Gains, Elaine Bellis

Masters Theses

A multiple baseline design across instructional conditions was used to assess the effects of a s ta ff training package consisting of written rules, daily monitoring, public posting of performance data, and allotments of contingent break-time privileges on the behavior management skills of tutors in suppressing the stereotypic behavior of retarded individuals. The intervention package was sequentially introduced in three different instructional conditions in the following order: a group session, a one-to-one session, and a transition period. Following baseline, three tutors were trained to apply consistent and accurate consequences to varying rates of self-stimulatory behavior exhibited by three impaired subjects. …