Digital Commons Network^™

Loneliness: Do Living Arrangements Make A Difference?, Judith N. Moore

Masters Theses

This study is an exploratory secondary analysis of loneliness experienced as a serious problem by the elderly. The secondary data were from the Davis (1986) national study conducted by Harris & Associates (1987) for the Commonwealth Fund Commission on Elderly People Living Alone. The independent demographic variables of living arrangements (living alone or living with others), age (65 to 85 and over), marital status (married, widowed, divorced, separated, and never married) and sex by the dependent variable of loneliness (a serious problem or not a serious problem) were measured by chi-squares and Cramer's V test for statistical significance. Results indicated …

Toward A Theory Of Gendered Reading, Larry Edward Schoenholtz

Masters Theses

Sociolinguistic studies have long acknowledged that men and women sometimes read, write, speak, and view differently. This is often recognized as a cultural phenomenon, but there are increasing reasons to suppose that biology may play a larger role in these differences than was suspected two or three decades ago. Over the last fifteen to twenty years, in particular, evidence has continued to mount in that direction from studies in neurophysiology, endocrinology, and infant behavior. In addition, sociobiological perspectives first proposed in the 1970s seem to have met with large success in being confirmed by cross-cultural studies done in the 1980s. …

An Examination Of The Assimilation Process Of Japanese Americans Living In Michigan, Junko Onuma

Masters Theses

Japanese Americans are regarded as one of model minority groups recently in American society. Through the war experience, the Japanese Americans are likely to become upper middle class people and to assimilate into the Caucasian groups.

The purpose of this research is to investigate Japanese method to assimilate into American society. The research focuses on the Michigan area as a particular area of Japanese American assimilation process. The interview research was conducted with 14 people who live in Michigan. These people are classified into the three groups to distinguish differences, historical, and social factors on assimilation. Consequently, Japanese Americans living …

Acculturation To A Work Force Of Diversity: Two Case Studies Of Japanese-Owned Companies Operating In The United States, Jun Nagasawa

Masters Theses

This paper explores the acculturation processes associated with Japanese companies corning to the United States, especially focusing on race and gender issues. This was done by related literature review and two case studies of Japanese-owned companies operating in the Midwestern region. Data were obtained using unstructured interviews with workers of the two companies.

Accusations of discrimination against Japanese companies operating in the U.S. of discrimination based on race, gender and nationality are introduced. Japanese and American social backgrounds relating to race and gender, especially in employment area are reviewed. Also Japanese and American management styles are contrasted for analytical purposes. …

Sense Of Coherence, Stressors, Perception Of Stress And Drinking Patterns Among College Students, Jeanne C. Debruyn

Masters Theses

This research examined the protective qualities of Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence (SOC), a social-psychological dispositional concept, in relation of the daily hassles associated with the transitory college years of students, perceived stress, quantity/frequency and patterns of alcohol use. This cross-sectional study (n=103) was site-based in the classroom. Data were collected by survey questionnaire administered by the primary researcher. Results indicated that SOC affords protection to students possessing a strong SOC by allowing them to perceive the hassles associated with college life as less stressful and in ameliorating the negative consequences of heavy drinking. Significant problems with alcohol were found in …

The Impact Of School Climate On Self-Reported Alcohol And Other Drug Use, Karen R. Humes

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of dimensions of the school climate upon twelfth grade self-reported alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use. In order to do this, social bond theory and its elements of attachment, belief, and commitment were tested. Data involving peer pressure to use drugs, perception of school drug policy enforcement, and college boundness were utilized in examining their relationship with drug use.

The data which were chosen for this study involved 141 Michigan public school districts and were based on the responses of 17,211 high school seniors collected during the 1993-1994 school year. Due …

Question Block Order Effects In A Telephone Survey, Peter Montague Meyers

Masters Theses

Question order effects in a repetitive questionnaire was the focus of the study. A dataset was constructed based on results involving seven different organizations where the institutions were rotated into seven different blocked placements to test for order effects. This analysis used the Arts and Culture Survey conducted by the Kercher Center for Social Research at Western Michigan University in 1994.

Comparisons of means were used to determine whether fatigue from question repetitiveness affected respondents when responding to questions with fixed response questions, multiple responses, "don't know" responses, and open-ended responses. The issue of popularity was also examined to see …

Patterns Of "I Don't Know" Responses In Telephone Surveys, Christine Lewerenz Hinkle

Masters Theses

The question of how best to handle "don't know" responses continues to be a troublesome problem to survey researchers. There are no guidelines for handling "don't know" responses because little systematic investigation for the problem has been made. This research addresses the characteristics of those who answer "don't know" in social surveys. I am focusing on four independent variables, sex, age, income, and education. Included in this research will also be an independent variable of interviewer gender. The fact that most survey research does not record the sex of the interviewer has caused this research to be somewhat limited. I …

Planning For Change: Feminist Standpoint Epistemology Informing The Program Planning Process, Laura Nichols

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the process by which social programs are developed and explores how feminist standpoint epistemology may inform the process. A peer education program developed for college women is used as an example to illustrate the planning process. Secondary data collection, focus groups and a self-administered survey were the research techniques utilized in this planning approach.

The specific steps involved in program planning are identified and explained based on the program planning process presented and literature about this topic. The thesis concludes by exploring how certain ideas in feminist standpoint epistemology can be applied to the planning process in …

The Effects Of Site Design On Neighboring Patterns And Safety Perceptions Among Residents Of University Apartments, Julie L. Steinbacher

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationships among site design, neighboring patterns and safety perceptions of residents of living in university housing communities at Western Michigan University.

Many previous studies have examined the impact of site on neighboring patterns and safety perceptions among residents of housing communities. However, most of these studies have been conducted to communities outside of university housing complexes. This study was developed because the college environment offers a unique perspective to occupants living in university sponsored apartments. Furthermore, residents in college housing communities tend to be diverse and transient and the impact of …

An Extended Year Program For At-Risk Middle School Children, Karen Patrice Flanigan

Masters Theses

At the beginning of this century only 6% of the American population even received a high school diploma. Now that diploma is so necessary that our society can no longer support or afford any undereducated citizens. Every year there is less and less room for them in the work force.; The states and school districts are reacting to this by trying to identify these at-risk children and to pose interventions to keep them in school. This is one account of an extended year program that was implemented for at-risk middle school children. The research focuses on the characteristics of these …

Social Interaction Among Fifth Graders, Dawn Michelle Hinton

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the social isolation of black girls as compared to the social isolation experienced by black boys, white girls and white boys. One fifth grade classroom was chosen as the population of interest. There were twenty seven students in the classroom. Of those there are: six black females, nine white females, five black males and seven white males. Two methods were employed to collect and analyze the data for this investigation. The first method was sociometric surveys which were used to measure social isolation among those being studied. The second method utilized was …

Housing Satisfaction In The Suburbs: A Racial Comparison, Amonda Stokes

Masters Theses

The primary focus of this study was to compare African Americans' and European Americans' satisfaction with housing in the suburbs. Previous literature suggests that African Americans are living in older suburbs, close to the central city, and in lower quality housing than European Americans.

The population of this study consisted of black and white households living in the suburbs. This was a national sample taken from the American Housing Survey (1991). Cross-tabulations were conducted to determine differences by race of affordability, age of housing unit, ownership, neighborhood satisfaction, and housing satisfaction. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine which variables …

Students Against Driving Drunk (Sadd): Testing The Organization's Effects On Students' Behavior And Attitudes Toward Alcohol Use, William Post Jr.

Masters Theses

This research examines the influence of Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) chapters on the reported behavior and attitudes towards alcohol use of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students in 208 public school districts in Michigan. This research is conducted at the intersection of social movement theory coupled with self-help group issues; theoretical approaches to explaining adolescent alcohol use; and SADD's etiological assumptions about adolescent alcohol use as derived from the organization's activities. These lead to comparing two types of SADD chapters (active and inactive) to school districts without SADD chapters, using students' (N=92,257) responses to the Michigan Alcohol and Other …

Gophers, Ghosts, And Electronic Dreams: A Feminist Critique Of New Literary Forms, Jennifer Sue Boyers

Masters Theses

New literary forms was used as a method to show that women writers construct notions of objectivity, subjectivity, reflexivity and privilege fundamentally different than do males who are writing new literary forms. A narrative new literary form construct was employed and epistemological issues were explored in a self-referentially reflexive way.

The history and epistemological assumptions of new literary forms was explored in order to provide a context for the study. The feminist critique examined the use of autobiography in sociological writing, looked at women writers in the area of science studies, and explored essentialist and non-essentialist feminist epistemologies.

It was …

The Crisis Of Perception In Education: The Scientific And Historic Evolution Of Systemic Educational Reform, Cynthia C. Phillips

Masters Theses

This study presents a literature synthesis that pertains to the evolution of systemic reform. A hermeneutic and heuristic template illuminates the historical tapestry of educational reform. Examination of the antecedents of four waves of educational reform, indicates that an impending paradigmatic shift parallels and perhaps prompts the evolution of systemic reform. The learning organization metaphor builds the synthesis for the following supposition: the history and philosophy of science drive the construction and deconstruction of mental models held by society. The crisis of perception alludes to the possibility that current mental models, established under the Newtonian paradigm, serve to motivate dysfunctional …

The Influence Of The Local Community Upon Economic Development And Employment: A Case Study 1991-92, Daniel R. Boone

Masters Theses

Leaders in local communities can influence economic development and employment. This paper reviews positive as well as preventative approaches local leaders can use to ensure vital urban employment.

We look at Albion, Michigan, a small industrial community, as a case study. The city was experiencing the threat of a loss of approximately 700 foundry related jobs during the period of the "study visit." We had the opportunity to observe the community act and react. We learned not only the tools and processes employed but we gained insights into the economic developments in the American industrial society.

The Nature Of Law And Its Effects On Certain Criminal Acts: A Comparative Study Of Saudi Arabia And The State Of Michigan, Abdulrahman Almejel Alfaraj

Masters Theses

The nature of law and its effects on certain criminal acts was the focus of this study. In this study the researcher compared the effect of two laws: (1) Saudi Arabia law which is a sacred law, and (2) the State of Michigan law which is a secular law. This comparative was on three criminal acts: (1) Homicide, (2) Rape, and (3) Theft. The data for this study were based on secondary data obtained through records available to the public. The purpose of this study is to examine and to compare the nature of punishment for crime and its effects …

Race And Language On A College Campus, William H. Dozier

Masters Theses

This research was used to measure the attitudes of students toward African American English at a predominantly European American University. It was hypothesized that significant differences would be found between the responses of the African American and European American students. Using a random telephone survey of the population, three (Language Legitimacy, Language Acceptance, and Cultural Value) of the four hypotheses were found to be significant. The fourth hypothesis (Employment Inhibition) was rejected indicating that both groups felt language was used as an employment stratification device. The data showed that although there were significant differences in the attitudes by race over …

Effects Of Witnessing Domestic Violence On Children, Theresa L. Bundy

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of domestic violence on children. The main questions explored were the effects of domestic violence on the self-perception and behavior of children. The children at a shelter for domestic violence completed the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children and the Self-Perception Profile for Children, depending on the child's age. The children also completed a questionnaire on their views of relationships and their future. The mothers of the children completed a standardized scale that paralleled the scale completed by the children, along with questionnaires on the …

Gender, Waking Personality, And Sexual Behavior In Dreams, Jeffery W. Willis

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Codependency, Alcoholism, And The Family Of Origin, William Ansara

Masters Theses

This study examined the relationship between the construct of codependency, family alcohol consumption patterns, degree of family dysfunction, and gender. It was proposed that codependent behaviors, feelings, and attitudes would be present in persons regardless of the reported degree of family alcohol abuse if dysfunctional patterns of relating exsisted in the family of origin. It was further hypothesised that women would evidence higher codependency scores than males in all groups. The Spann-Fischer codependency assessment instrument was use to measure subjects feelings and attitudes. Subjects were divided into four groups based on their report of family dysfunction and family alcohol consumption …

Pynchon, Dionysus And America: In Search Of The Pig That Got Away, Andreas Gerling

Masters Theses

This work seeks to analyze Western thought as a system. As a case study representative of this system, I have chosen the United States of America, as it started as a strange experiment in purely Apollonian thought, which has largely remained a closed system and has become the primary engine of cultural change in the twentieth century. As the tools for my analysis, I have chosen the dialectic represented in the mythical opposites Dionysus and Apollo and the counter cultural reaction by a number of post World War II authors, most notably Thomas Pynchon, to the "American Dream."

America began …

A Brief Discussion Of The History, Role, And Function Of The School Psychologist In The Former Soviet Union And Russia, Todd W. Knutson

Masters Theses

School psychology in the former Soviet Union and Russia had its beginnings as the field of Pedology which thrived in the early 1900s in Europe and in the former Soviet Union. School psychological services, in Western psychometric sense, have been virtually dormant since Pedology's downfall following ideological conflicts with Communist leaders in 1936 when standardized testing was banned in the U.S.S.R. This paper sketches a brief history of school psychology in the former Soviet Union and Russia, outlines the educational system, reviews the Soviet research on mental retardation, and calls for the sharing of general information related to international school …

African American Nurses' Perceptions Of Social Support Available During Graduate School, Jacquelyn Denese Pettis

Masters Theses

This study examined African American nurses' perceptions of social support available during graduate school that contributed to their completion of graduate studies. A descriptive correlational research design using a mailed questionnaire was employed for the study. The sample consisted of 91 African American nurses who were women and had completed graduate studies within the United States. A modified Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (Norbeck, Lindsey, & Carrieri, 1981) was used to collect the data.; Data analysis consisted of reporting means, standard deviations, and range of scores for perceived social support available. Pearson's correlations and t-test were used to examine significant differences …

Low Income Women's Perception Of Preparedness For Self Care And Infant Care Following Discharge From A Less Than Forty-Eight Hour Hospitalization For Birth, Patricia M. Ritola

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to describe perceptions of preparation for self care and infant care of new mothers of low income following a short hospitalization for childbirth. Orem's nursing model was used as the conceptual framework for the study. A descriptive correlational, cross sectional design was used to examine preparedness for self care and infant care. The sample (N = 50) consisted of women who were served by Michigan Medicaid, 18 years or older and were hospitalized less than 48 hours. A telephone interview was conducted seven days after discharge.; Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings identified …

A Descriptive Study Of The Needs Of Family Members Of Trauma Patients, Sally Laur Sutkowi

Masters Theses

This study examined the perceived needs of family members of trauma patients using Molter's (1979) Critical Care Family Needs Inventory. The ranking of needs of major and minor trauma patients family members were analyzed to determine differences between these two groups.; A convenience sample of 41 family members of trauma patients were surveyed. They included family members of 17 minor trauma patients and 24 major trauma patients. Minor trauma patients were those patients with Injury Severity Scores 12 or less. Major trauma patients had ISSs scores of 13 or greater. All 45 needs were considered very important by at least …

Caregiver Wellness Following Interventions Based On Interdisciplinary Geriatric Assessment, Julie A. Smith

Masters Theses

The study purpose was to examine the effect on interventions based on interdisciplinary geriatric assessment on family caregiver's wellness. A pretest-posttest research design was used, including a sample of 35 family caregivers of frail older adults. Neuman's Systems Model provided the theoretical framework. Care recipients and caregivers were evaluated by an interdisciplinary geriatric team and interventions for that family were developed and implemented. Paired t-tests and Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test were performed to compare scores of pretest and posttest scores on self-rated health, the Burden Interview and Life Satisfaction, before and after the intervention. Results indicated that there was …

Perceived Needs Of Parents Of Critically Ill Children, Linda D. Scott

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to (a) identify the perceived needs of parents of critically ill hospitalized children, (b) identify parental needs as perceived by critical care nurses, and (c) identify the differences in these perceptions.; A descriptive research design with a non-probability convenience sample was used. The sample consisted of 30 parents or primary caretakers of critically ill children and the responses of 30 pediatric critical care nurses. Data were obtained by a structured interview technique. Data analysis included a comparison of the relationship of parental total scores and the nurses' total scores. No significant differences were found …

What Are The Perceived Needs Of Parents Of Critically Ill Neonates?, Linda B. Corliss

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify needs of parents during the hospitalization of their critically ill neonate. Studies indicate that parents of critically ill neonates are under a certain degree of stress and that sources of stress are identifiable by parents and equated to needs and the importance of those needs.; This study used an exploratory, descriptive design to document the needs of parents while also identifying variables that influenced those needs. Parents of 29 critically ill neonates (n = 53) were interviewed using a revised version of the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI) designed by Molter …