Digital Commons Network^™

Towards A Pragmatics Of Poetic Metaphor, Catherine C. Kidwell

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Gangs : Myth Or Reality : An Examination Of The Gang Phenomenon In A Metropolitan City In A Rural State As Presented By The Regional News Print Media, Gerard Kottenbrock

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

How To Be Popular In Six Easy Steps And Other Lies They Told Us: Creating A Script Collaboratively, Andrea Nichelle Harris Weir

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this creative thesis was to examine the process of cooperatively creating and performing an original nonlinear play script with an all woman company. Several theories of post-modern theatrical scripting and staging were incorporated into the production. All participants--actors, director and designers--worked on creating a script for performance in a studio space. Media images of women in the late 1950s and early 1960s provided the subject matter for the script. The performance was evaluated by three women from different fields of study. By virtue of their written responses, the production's outcome was viewed as successful in both process …

An Interview Study Of Native American Philosophical Foundations In Education, Vivian Delgado

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to focus on oral Native American world views or philosophies. Native world views and philosophies and epistemology deal with the foundation of knowledge of and about aboriginal peoples. In most cases oral traditions are thousands of years old and have maintained their philosophical value. Prior to the establishment of Western education, narratives among indigenous people were used to teach and educate in the most formal sense. Today it serves as a credible and authentic source in Native American education and is weighted with the same importance that it has always had. The re-discovery of …

Jewels Of Promise, Carolyn L. Smitley

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Interdisciplinary Public Relations: A Curriculum For Undergraduate Study At Oakwood College, Patrice Thomas Conwell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to create a public relations curriculum for undergraduate study to prepare students as effective practitioners and communicators in the 21st century.

Public relations education has changed over the years to meet the needs and trends of the industry, and today is no exception. The continued rise of Integrated Marketing Communications, and the desire to strengthen the counseling and management functions of public relations make it necessary to evaluate undergraduate curricula to ensure students are being properly prepared to enter the workforce.

The undergraduate curricula of 11 schools were analyzed and compared for subject matter …

Abroad Again: Explorations Within The Genre Of Travel Writing., Marielle Risse

Theses and Dissertations

Travel writing is a critical subject of study as it is a place where so many fields overlap, including autobiography, fiction, historical records, geography, political science, sociology, and anthropology. From early writers, including the European pilgrim Etheria c. 385 C.E. and the Muslim contemporary of Marco Polo, Abdallah ibn Battuta, to present day authors, travelers have written interesting and important books about areas new to them.As the starting points to my discussion of the genre of travel writing, I use two of the most important studies within the field: Paul Fussell's Abroad: British Literary Travel Writing between the Wars (1980) …

College Students' Perceptions Of The Efficacy Of Writing Assignments., Joan Ilene Hawthorne

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined student perceptions of how teaching with writing affects undergraduate students. The focus was on upper division students, usually seniors, who were enrolled in majors where writing activities were incorporated into most or all of the classes in their fields. Questions about the value of writing and the development of a writer, both in the context of a writing-intensive major, were addressed.Data were gathered primarily through in-depth and open-ended interviews with students; classroom observations and document analysis supplemented the interviews. Themes in the data were elicited by a process of coding and reducing data until the major patterns …

An Assessment Of The Sister Cities International Program As An International Public Relations Entity, Laura A. Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations

Going global is the business perspective for the 21st century. Unfortunately, global perspective from American business and organization is limited. With the world shrinking at an astonishing pace, organizations need to find their communication channels to their international publics.

The purpose of this study was to learn if the techniques used in the Sister Cities International Program are effective for international public relations. The findings of this study would prove helpful to international public relations professionals in planning their own programs based on the effectiveness of the Sister Cities Program.

Five cities were evaluated based on their activities, public relations …

The Effect Of Radio Distance Education On Rowan University's Image, Gregory C. Potter Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This study determined the effects a distance education course on Rowan University's campus radio station has on the image of the institution. The study also examined how a distance education program could enable Rowan to reach the goals of its strategic plan.

Four focus groups of Rowan University students revealed their attitudes about the university's image, distance education, radio as a medium for distance education and what effects distance education has on collegiate image. The focus groups included traditional and non-traditional students, students enrolled in the radio distance education course at Rowan University and students not enrolled in the course. …

Effectiveness Of Conflict Resolution Programs In The Schools: A Study Of Students’ Coping Skills Before And After Participation In A Conflict Resolution/Peer Mediation Program, Tammy Hobbs

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to evaluate students' coping styles before and after a conflict resolution program intervention. The 6th grade middle school class was administered the Coping Response Inventory (CRI) prior to receiving the conflict resolution training. The conflict resolution/peer mediation program was designed to empower students by giving them the tools to challenge and solve problems. The program focuses on the following areas: affirmation, communication, conflict resolution, cooperation, and bias awareness/appreciation of differences.

The demographics include the following: The sample group consisted of 6th grade suburban middle school students. There were 21 subjects. 57% were male and …

Burned Sugar Pie: Women's Cultures In The Literature Of Food, Traci Marie Kelly

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Qualitative Study Of A College Visual Arts Course: A Multicultural Perspective, Jacqueline A. Badman

Theses and Dissertations

The United States is a multicultural place. With its ever increasing cultural and ethnic diversity, multicultural education is important. Since the visual arts have always been produced and perceived within cultures and offer students unique opportunities to explore human expression and experience, the analysis of an introductory art course taught within a multicultural context at a Midwestern university was a sensible starting point. This was especially timely since little research exists in relation to the visual arts taught from a multicultural perspective at the higher education level, and more theoretical works regarding multicultural visual arts exist than do actual studies. …

African American Children's Literature: Past And Present, Annie L. Freeman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines and analyzes the history of African American children's literature, which began in the 1890s, and highlighted negative stories written by whites about African Americans. It progresses to the 1990s, and highlights warm, rich, stories with similar background experiences, written by and about African Americans.

This thesis discusses the lack of African American children's literature, and the difficulty in finding it in quantities: in libraries, bookstores, or book reviews.

Because of the lack of cultural literature in abundance for African American children, social portraits experienced by African American children in children's literature are generally representative of those expressed …

The Influence Of Out-Group Network Ties On The Television Usage And Attitudes Of Mormon Women, Lois D. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Analysis of survey data collected from more than 400 LDS women (n=429) indicates that as the number of non-LDS or inactive LDS network associates increases, so does the women's identification with modern female TV characters. The frequency of network conversations about television also correlates to several television behaviors and attitudes such as watching entertainment and informational TV programming, identifying with modern characters, and regarding TV as useful. Mirroring the national trend, LDS women who are more educated use television less. A model is presented which details the flow and impact of personal network influence on the television habits and attitudes …

In Search Of The Meandering Absolute: The Prints Of Mitzi Humphrey, Mitzi Humphrey

Theses and Dissertations

Art is more than just a bridge to (or a reflection of) the natural world; it is a natural force in itself. The author is a strong advocate of "artist's prints," prints which are conceived and printed by the artist. She believes that there is a natural sequence of actions and thoughts which cannot be approximated by the substitution of an artist/printer collaboration unless the artist is truly involved with the printer or assistant in every step of the decision-making and mark-making processes.

The prints of this series are not about realistic pictorial space; they are about interior space--that of …

Within-Year Persistence Of Students Enrolled In Graduate And Professional Programs: The Influence Of Background, Graduate/Professional Experience, Academic Aspirations, Expected Earnings, And Student Financial Aid, Susan Clark Deangelis

Theses and Dissertations

The implications of graduate and professional student attrition are felt by many--the individual, the institution, business and industry, the education system, and society as a whole. Yet, very little research has been conducted on the factors which influence the persistence of graduate and professional students. Such data could reduce graduate and professional student attrition through the development of educational programs, institutional and public policy, as well as to identify types of students for whom specific policies should be developed to encourage persistence. To address this need, a new logistic model of graduate and professional student within-year persistence based on the …

A Descriptive Study Of Motivation Factors Leading To The Selection Of A School-To-Career Transition Curriculum By High School Students In Arkansas, Virginia Stevenson Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of the study was to identify elements that encourage high school students to select the school-to-career curriculum. The study included elements from successful school-to-career programs, background of the history of vocational legislation, and an examination of motivation theories including goal-setting, needs satisfaction, and choice. A survey was administered to 175 students in four districts in Arkansas. Students were given open- and closed-response questions to determine their present interest in the school-to-career curricula and elements they considered motivational. A univariate analysis was conducted. Responses were placed in a frequency distribution. The responses from the surveys indicated enrollment would increase …

The Power Of Prayer And Healing, Marlene S. Buchner

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Acculturation On The Cree And Ojibwa Indians As A Result Of The Fur Trade, 1760-1820, Lucinda Glisson Schumann

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Physicians' Perceptions Of The Nurse Practitioner Role Versus The Physician Assistant Role, Kami L. Doubet

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Toward The Universal, Jennifer Bracy

Theses and Dissertations

This creative project is concerned with archetypal forms expressed in art, design and communication, from Neolithic rock carvings and native American Indian petroglyphs to individual graphic languages that look to the 'primitives' like those of Joan Miro and Neville Brody. It is my belief that through the study of this diverse collection of graphic signs and archetypal forms, one can develop a system of signs that cross barriers of language and culture. A morphology, a collection of possibilities, derived from such archetypal forms, could provide designers with a foundation for the development and use of symbol signs and sign systems.

The Utilization Of Antenatal Clinic Services On Remote Manitoba First Nations Reserves : A Descriptive Study, Shirley Hiebert

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Haitian Mormon Converts Dwelling In New York City: A Cross-Cultural Perspective In Understanding, Interpreting, And Experiencing The Mormon Subculture, Yvon Milien

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the roles played by understanding, interpretation of practices, and experience in Mormon culture when Haitians convert to Mormonism. In relationship to their previous cultural practices, this thesis explores whether Haitian converts develop one of three types of behaviors: discard old practices, retain elements of old practices, or seek to establish a balance between former and new religious practices. In-depth interviews with twelve subjects living in New York City suggest that most active converts discarded their old cultural traditions. This study suggests that only interpretation influences developing types of behavior. However, it was not expected that most converts …

Race And Birthweight: The Influence Of Socio-Economic Status And Utilization Of Prenatal Care, Lena C. Frennborn

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine how much of the variance in birthweight can be explained by socio-economic status and utilization of prenatal care in Blacks and Whites. Rather than defining race in genetic terms, race was understood here as a social construction. The methodological approach was an analysis of the National Survey of Family Growth Cycle IV, 1988. The first, singleton, live birth for each interviewed woman was included, resulting in a sample of 911 women, of whom 313 were Black women and 598 White women.

Consistent with previous research, Black mothers were twice as likely to …

Status Passage Of The Science Fiction Fan: Becoming A Member Of The Science Fiction Fan Subculture, B. Diane Miller

Theses and Dissertations

In the 1930's a middle class subculture developed around the popular culture genre literature known as science fiction. This subculture calls itself "Fandom" (Sanders, 1994; Bloch, 1962). I have chosen to investigate the status passage of the science fiction fan (Glaser and Strauss, 1971); or to phrase this as a question: What is the process of becoming a member of the subculture of science fiction fandom? Throughout this monograph, I refer to the members of the science fiction fan subculture as SF Fandom to distinguish them from other “fandoms” that have grown and branched off from the original group.

In …

The Use Of Literature In Teaching Equality In The Primary Classroom, Frances Dvorak

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Native American Indian Perspective Of Euroamerican Therapists' Behaviors, Jayne M. Lokken

Theses and Dissertations

The American Psychological Association has identified three areas of skills for cross-cultural competency for psychologists. Those areas are knowledge of self and one's own culture, historical and current knowledge of other cultures and specific technical skills. This study addresses the area of technical skills in a cross-cultural situation, Euroamerican therapists working with Native American Indian clients. Many authors have theorized that individual counseling is not a useful modality to Native American Indians. The method used in this study was a role-play counseling situation between Native American Indians and Euroamerican counseling and clinical psychology doctoral students followed by a post-session interview. …

A History And Bibliography Of The Lenni Lenape, Theresa Doyle

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this history and bibliography is to promote knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the Lenni Lenape. This goal will be accomplished by increasing the public's awareness of the availability of materials concerning the Lenape. Through this awareness it will become possible for people to access previously unknown sources.

The historical data covers what is known of the Paleo-Indians up through the arrival of the first European colonists and the final migration of the Lenape people. This coverage includes the controversial Wallum Olum. The bibliography and appendices are divided into sections in order to allow the reader to locate …

The Effects Of Premenstrual Syndrome On Women With Mental Disabilities, Richard H. Doughty Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Studies have shown that P.M.S. has a negative effect for women on many aspects of life. P.M.S. seems to affect social situations, family life, stress, mood, substance abuse, and crime. The purpose of this one way analysis study is to evaluate the effects of P.M.S. on women with mental disabilities with non-compliant behaviors. Fifty women, whose intelligence quotient levels range between severe and profound, who reside in an institution for individuals with mental disabilities were selected for this study. Each woman has some type of non-compliant behavior. Each female has been placed on a behavior modification program plan to reduce …