Digital Commons Network^™

An Exploration Of Critical Thinking And Processing In Cardiac Nurses' Practice, Nancy Phoenix Bittner

Open Access Dissertations

The need and demand for critical thinking in cardiac nursing and practice in general is well documented in the nursing literature. However, little attention has been given to solidifying a definition or describing critical thinking as it occurs in practice. In an initial fieldwork project of one experienced nurse in a cardiac rehabilitation setting, an eight-phase process (reference point, congruency check, active questioning, additional gathering, cueing congruency, weighing and selection, action and follow-up/self-evaluation) was identified. It involved both mental and behavioral activities and prompted the renaming of critical thinking to critical processing, as a more encompassing label. The aim of …

Movin' On Up To The 21st Century: Multiculturalism… Making The Abstract Applied, Vonda Dionne Jones-Hudson

Open Access Dissertations

The following evaluative study looks at a psychology department's organizational development and change process. Using the Multicultural Environment Inventory (MEI) (Pope-Davis & Liu, 1995), the Departmental Cross Reference to the MEI (DCR-MEI) (Jones-Hudson, 1997), and a short version of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (Reynolds, 1982), this research assessed the psychometric properties of the surveys and the effects of the 3-year intervention designed to assist the University of Rhode Island's Psychology Department in its journey towards multicultural proficiency. Using information from an initial consult in 1995, data was collected in 1998 to measure change specific to the environment and curricula …

An Analysis Of Rhode Island Child Opportunity Zones Through The Lens Of Whole-School Change, Susan Patricia Casey Torrey

Open Access Dissertations

This study investigated Rhode Island Child Opportunity Zones (COZ), a school-linked service integration initiative that provides students and their families' links to health, mental health, and social services. Twenty-one elementary and three middle COZ schools were compared to twenty-one and three middle matched schools on a whole school level utilizing the High Performance Learning Communities Assessment, which is a comprehensive measure of school change. Comparison schools were matched on student demographics of gender, ethnicity, and free lunch status. Schools were compared on hundreds of variables across various stakeholders, including parents, school staff, school administrators, and students. The study found limited …

Cultural Conditioning And Mother/Daughter Conflicts In The Development Of Identity And Voice: The Autobiographical Fiction Of Dorothy Allison, Wan-So Pak, And Maxine Hong Kingston, Eunjoo Woo

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation examines the fictionalized autobiographies of three women writers from different cultures and ethnicities and analyzes the development of female identity, subjectivity, and voice through the mother/daughter relationships in Dorothy Allison's Bastard Out Of Carolina, Wan-So Pak's The Naked Tree and Mother's Stake 1, and Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior. These three women writers introduce the mother/daughter conflicts and suggest ways to reconcile with each other or to solve their problems in their particular and cultural contexts. Also, in spite of their cultural differences, all three women writers share their belief that the process of the daughter's search …

Integrating The Transtheoretical Model: A Quantitative Analysis In The Area Of Sun Exposure, Janet L. Johnson

Open Access Dissertations

The constructs involved in the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) have been shown to have similar relationships to the Stages of Change across a variety of behaviors. While much work has been done investigating the way the constructs interact cross-sectionally and longitudinally, a completely integrated look at all the constructs of the TTM has not yet been successful. This study integrated all constructs of the TTM related to increase of sun protective behavior across three time points.

The sample used in this study is a portion of a sample collected for three larger, multiple behavior intervention studies. Assessments were collected at baseline, …

Effects Of Reading Disability In Adolescents On Self-Concept And Future Expectations, Miriam I. Meyer

Open Access Dissertations

This study investigated whether reading problems affect adolescents' self-concept and examined adolescent opinions regarding the consequences of reading ability. Three groups of adolescents participated: 68 special education students (SE), 41 regular education poor readers (REP), and 164 regular education students (RE). Two surveys were administered to the participants, the Multidimensional Self Concept Scale (MSCS) and the Meyer Reading Opinion Survey (MROS), along with standardized measures of reading ability and intelligence.

Results indicated that on the MSCS, RE students had significantly higher academic self-concept than REP and SE students; differences were not noted between the latter two groups. RE students also …

The Electronic Fishbowl As A Community Of Inquiry: Management Passion In The Xxist Century, Matthew Eriksen

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation presents a new pedagogy called the Fishbowl that employs experiential learning based on reflection (Dewey, 1928, Rodgers, 1969, Schön, 1983, Torbert, 1973, 1976, 1991, Siebert & Daudelin, 1999), learning cells (Goldschmid, 1970 & 1971), and the fishbowl technique (Villalba, Lemmond, & Baymiller, 1998). It is an attempt to create a community of inquiry. The question addressed is what cognitive characteristics, communication skills, and affective characteristics of learners are related to learner satisfaction with the Fishbowl pedagogy. Communication factors are taken into consideration because the Fishbowl is a cooperative form of learning and it represents a novel communication episode. …

Death And Identity: Consumer Behavior In Asante Death Rituals, Samuel Kwaku Bonsu

Open Access Dissertations

Poorer societies have been ignored in scholarly dialogue on consumer behavior and consumption. The globalization of markets and consumption makes it imperative for marketing and consumer researchers to pay attention to these societies. This dissertation, therefore, explored the dynamics of consumer product decisions and how choices are used by the bereaved to negotiate identities for themselves and the deceased among the Asante people of Ghana. The study focused on the increasingly important role of the ritualized consumption of death ritual products among the Asante people of Ghana. West Africa, and examined the socio-cultural sources of influence on death product choices …

Dialogue In The Development Of A Consilience Index: A Quantum Approach To Integrating Qualitative And Quantitative Practices In The Social Sciences, Kathleen S. Cady-Webster

Open Access Dissertations

The social sciences are seeking expanded methodological models that go beyond significance testing for the assessment of theoretical efficacy (Cohen, 1984; Harlow, Muliak & Steiger, 1997; Meehl, 1997). Faust and Meehl (1992) contend that the social sciences are lacking in the integration of data, while Miller and Burbank, (1994) call for models that offer congruency in theory and practice. In response, this dissertation presents an ontological model that embraces the epistemological views of both quantitative and qualitative researchers. It builds on a previous longitudinal study (Webster, 2000) involving outcomes for 32 juvenile delinquents in Alaska. Results from a qualitative thematic …

Development, Validation And Factorial Invariance Of Transtheoretical Model Measures For Recovery From Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa, Patricia Janet Jordan

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to advance understanding of the self-change process in recovery from anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) through: (a) development of a staging instrument for recovery from BN; (b) development of TTM-based measures, including decisional balance, self-efficacy, and processes of change; (c) invariance testing of these measures across AN and BN subsamples; and (d) characteristic description of individuals at each stage of change. The sample (N = 427) was composed of AN subgroup (n = 278) and BN subgroup (n = 149) who completed questionnaires measuring all constructs of the TTM, as well as …

The Speed Of Money: Investment As Consumption In Age Of Computer-Mediated Communication, Detlev Zwick

Open Access Dissertations

Using the tools of interpretive consumer research my dissertation explores individual online investing in stocks and mutual funds. Investing in the stock market means more to the individual than the pursuit of a rational financial strategy. Approaches to study investment behavior developed by disciplines such as finance and economics have produced subject-specific but from a marketing perspective empty knowledge. An analysis informed by marketing and consumer theories is able to construe investing as consuming and bring into being a richer and more contextualized description of the lived experience of online investing. Based on a hermeneutic reading of 30 in-depth one-on-one …

The Relationship Between A Sense Of Community And Social Disorganization And Neighborhood Deprivation, Sharon Kingston

Open Access Dissertations

Empirical work on conditions in economically deprived neighborhoods, suggest that neighborhood conditions can exert negative effects human development even after accounting for individual characteristics of neighborhood residents. One of the most important theories regarding the ways in which neighborhood conditions impact behavior is the theory of social disorganization. Social disorganization posits that poverty and disorganizing social conditions interfere with the ability of neighborhood residents to form and enforce common social norms, leading to social problems (Byrne & Sampson, 1993, Sampson & Groves, 1989). Despite the utility of theories such as social disorganization, the measurement of important mediating variables between structural …

School Psychologists' Knowledge Of Family Violence And Their Identification Of Children From Violent Homes, Anne Maile Lamoureux

Open Access Dissertations

This study assessed school psychologists' knowledge of family violence. Three major questions were addressed: (1) Does a school psychologists' educational, specialized training and perceived experience level affect their knowledge about family violence symptomology, risk factors and facts? (2) Does a school psychologists' educational, specialized training and perceived experience level affect their assessment of a child's risk level and choice of an intervention? (3) Do the age, gender, and behaviors of a child influence participants' assessment of the child's risk level and their choice of an intervention? A random, national sample of school psychologists was mailed the instrument. Information was collected …

The Effectiveness Of Transitional Bilingual Education On The Reading Performance Of Cape Verdean Students From Crioulo-Speaking Homes, Kay Helene Wood

Open Access Dissertations

This research examines the reading performance in English of Cape Verdean students who received three years of Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) in comparison to the performance of Cape Verdean students who did not receive TBE or other bilingual language services. It also compares the performance of Cape Verdean students in grade five to their performance in grade six. Lastly, it compares the students' performance with that of the district-wide population at the same grade levels. Results on the reading subtest of the California Achievement Test, Fifth Edition (CAT/5) administered in grades five and six are used for comparisons. ANOVA is …

The Potential Clinical Utility Of Methods For Estimating Prior Standing In Specific Cognitive Domains: A Feasibility And Illustration Study, Stephen Correia

Open Access Dissertations

This study evaluated the viability of a potential strategy for improving the detection of cognitive decline over currently available IQ-based methods. The proposed strategy makes use of differential cognitive effects across different neurocognitive disorders. It involves examining estimated/obtained difference scores (D-scores) for the specific cognitive domain(s) (SCDs) most affected by a disorder. The current study undertook a broad feasibility test of the strategy as a preliminary step in the development of specific cognitive domain estimation methods (SCDEMs). Clinical and control group score distributions were reconstructed from IQ and SCD test (SCDT) means and standard deviations reported in previously published studies …

Childhood Trauma, Family Functioning And Adult Health: Protective Factors As Mediating Variables, Jennifer Ann Morrow

Open Access Dissertations

The current study looked at the plausibility of two theories: Social Cognitive Theory and Survivor Theory to explain the interrelationships between childhood trauma, family functioning, protective factors, and adult health. The interrelationships among these constructs were explored with a sample of 451 undergraduate students . Structural equation models revealed that there is a mediational relationship between childhood trauma and health through social support. This relationship was similar for men and women. Cluster analysis and multivariate analysis of covariance revealed that individuals with high levels of all the childhood traumas (physical, psychological, and sexual abuse) have significantly more physical and psychological …

The Relationship Of Community And Prevention Coalition Characteristics To Rates Of Adolescent Substance Abuse, Ilene Klein

Open Access Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between community and coalition characteristics in predicting community-wide rates of adolescent substance use. Coalition characteristics (i.e., ratings of the quality of prevention plans, key informants ratings of the perceived effectiveness of the coalition in the community) and characteristics of 20 different communities in Rhode Island (i.e., median family income, amount of funding each community received for prevention) were examined to determine which were better predictors of the community-wide variability in eighth grader's self-reported alcohol use between 1993 and 1995. Due to the multilevel nature of the data used in this study the Hierarchical Linear Modeling …

The Relationship Between Teacher Perceptions Of Self, Others, And Instructional Methods And Intentions To Teach Hiv/Aids Prevention, Lindsey Knight Pineo

Open Access Dissertations

This study was designed to investigate the potential relationships between elementary school teachers' perceptions about curriculum content and methods of instruction and teachers' decisions to teach, or not teach, about HIV/AIDS prevention behaviors as part of a required school health education curriculum for students in grades kindergarten through five. The Elementary School Health Education Profile (ESHEP), a teacher self-report survey was used to assess teachers' perceptions about curriculum and methods of instruction. Mailings of the ESHEP were sent to all public elementary school teachers in one of the northeastern United States with the request that participation be restricted to teachers …

Embedded Impediments To Joint Venture Success: A New Institutional Theory Perspective On Negotiating With Russian Principals, Valentin H. Pashtenko

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation challenges the current prevalent view (found in the research literature) that learning does not occur during periods of economic upheaval. In particular, it examines the various types of negotiating behavior that Russian business executives have developed during a period of rapid social change. Using a qualitative methodology, this research project has distilled three different mindsets about negotiating at the bargaining table that Russian business executives have developed. This dissertation then uses a quantitative methodology to examine whether New Institutional Theory (NIT) offers the best possible explanation of why these three executive mindsets have emerged during this time. The …

The Effects Of The Intensity Of Conflict And Commitment On Marketing Channel Partnership Survival, Elizabeth F. Purinton

Open Access Dissertations

The survival of marketing channel partnerships is important to both the buyer and the seller. Dissolution would entail loss of sales and partnership-specific assets, and would require outlay of time, money and effort to find and invest in a new partnership. Unfortunately for both practitioners and academicians, little is known about the maintenance and dissolution of partnerships despite the call for research put forth by Frazier (1983, 1999), Dwyer, Schurr and Oh (1987), and Ping (1993). The intent of this paper is to examine several relationships within partnership dynamics. First, are the roles of commitment and conflict and their potential …

Development And Initial Validation Of A Structured Interview For The Detection Of Malingered Mild Head Injury, Margaret Anne Ackley

Open Access Dissertations

Neuropsychologists often assess individuals involved in litigation, and who may be in a position to obtain significant financial compensation. Malingering measures are often employed in these assessments, however, the accuracy of these measures may be less than satisfactory. Most malingering measures are not targeted to mild head injury, a very common type of claim. The goal of this research was to begin the development and validation of a measure specifically designed to detect malingering of mild head injury symptoms. More accurate assessment can help identify false claims, and also establish the merit of genuine claims.

A 472-item questionnaire was developed …

African American Identity, Experience With Racism, And Meaning In Life Among Black College Students, Brian L. Ragsdale

Open Access Dissertations

Experience with racism and its relationship to meaning in life (i.e., the degree to which a person feels the world is a safe and caring place), African American identity, and African American acculturation were explored in a sample of Black college students (N = 48) who attended a predominately White, public, state university in the Northeastern United States. Black men and women who have Black nationalistic ideals and were immersed in Black culture reported more lifetime racist experience than those students who were less immersed in African American culture. As a group, Black women who were under the age of …

Regulating Tempo In A Continuation Finger-Tapping Task, Arthur Allen Little

Open Access Dissertations

It is well known that people can produce regular rhythms, such as clapping or finger tapping-what is not well known is how such rhythms are maintained over time. One of the simplest activities to measure human rhythms is "continuation finger tapping," in which subjects are first asked to copy an audible rhythm by tapping along with their finger, and then attempt to maintain that tapping rate after the pacer tones stop.

The purpose of this study was to learn more about how tempo is regulated in continuation finger-tapping. In this context, "regulated" refers to the rules, both empirical and hypothetical, …

Studies Of Grief: Narratives Of Incarcerated Women Who Experienced The Death Of A Significant Person While In Prison, Ginette Gosselin Ferszt

Open Access Dissertations

One of the most important issues that an individual confronts during one's life is the death of a significant person. Given the contextual nature of grief, incarcerated women are faced with unique challenges when the death of a person occurs during their imprisonment. Yet, little is known about grief experiences under these circumstances.

The research questions guiding this qualitative study were: What are the meanings of the grief experience of incarcerated women? How does their grieving process compare with images of grief depicted as a normal process? To what extent do the women perceive incarceration influencing their grief? In-depth interviews …

Recovered And Continuous Memories Of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Quantitative And Qualitative Analysis, Linda Ribble Stoler

Open Access Dissertations

This study is an in-depth examination of women who reported childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Among a non-clinical sample of 26 women, ages 22 - 65, 11 reported they had always remembered CSA (continuous memories) and 15 reported they had forgotten CSA for some period of their lives (delayed memories). Participants completed a questionnaire which included demographics, abuse history, therapy history, symptom checklists, Family Functioning Scale, Dissociative Experiences Scale, and the Adult Sexual Victimization Scale, and were then interviewed. Eighty-six percent of women with delayed, and 46% with continuous, memories reported corroboration. Only one woman reported a therapist was the first …

Integrating Theories And Methods In Assessing Longitudinal Change In Heterosexual Hiv Risk Among Women, Gary J. Burkholder

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Teacher Opinions About The Nature And Treatment Of Reading Deficits In Adolescents, William Vincent Catone

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Emergent Readers' Joint Text Construction: A Descriptive Study Of Reading In Social Context, Mary Lee Prescott Griffin

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Boundedness, Global Stability, And Periodicity Of Some Difference Equations, Norman Ray Prokup

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Efficacy Of The Rhode Island Teen Dating Violence Prevention Program (Tdvpp): A Process And Outcome Approach To Determining The Success Of Both Primary And Secondary Prevention Projects, Amy Beth Silverman

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.