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Self-Esteem In Relation To Gender, Socioeconomic Status, Ethnic/Cultural Origin, Family Characteristics, And Academic Achievement In Middle School Students, Constance Black Kalanek

Theses and Dissertations

Adolescence is a time of rapid developmental change and transition. It is crucial stage in the process of building self-esteem and preparing for adulthood. It is during this period that adolescents will develop a positive or negative perception of themselves.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between self esteem and the variables of gender, socioeconomic status, ethnic/culture background, family characteristics, and academic achievement. The survey population consisted of 13,373 participants from 15 states. Nine middle school students were selected to participate in in-depth interviews. The majority of students were White (54.%), followed by Black (18.2%), Hispanic …

Statistical Comparison And Evaluation Of Analytical Techniques For Measurement Of Trace Elements In Coal, Catherine A. O'Keefe

Theses and Dissertations

Rapid technological advances in industry, transportation, energy production, and agriculture have resulted in increased environmental pollution of toxic materials. Following the passage of federal pollution regulations beginning with the first Clean Air Act Amendments in 1977, industry has become more aware of the environmental consequences of these technological advances. In recent years, there has been an increased effort to improve the quality of life by minimizing pollution on a global scale.

The utilization of fossil fuels is one source of toxic materials in the environment. A necessary step to understanding the emissions of toxic metals from combustion and gasification of …

The Faculty Writing Seminars As A Means Of Faculty Development: Enhancing Faculty Writing, Improving Instructions, And Fostering Collegiality, Joyce A. White

Theses and Dissertations

University faculty are charged with three major responsibilities: research, teaching, and service. While universities have developed various strategies to assist faculty in balancing these professional demands, minimal institutional effort has been devoted to nurturing faculty writing, despite the fact that scholarly research productivity is in reality the primary criterion for decisions regarding promotion and tenure. In the last ten years, however, several faculty writing support groups have been instituted to address this aspect of faculty development.

This study examined the University of North Dakota Faculty Writing Seminar to determine the effectiveness of the Seminar as a means of increasing scholarly …

The Educational And Cultural Experiences Of Children Born To African Parents In Selected American Public Schools: The Bicultural Dilemma., Kate Uchechi Onyeneho

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to examine and describe the educational and cultural experiences of children born to African parents in selected American public schools. It was also designed to identify the educational needs and expectations of these children and their parents. The results of this study will assist schools, parents, communities, and other government agencies to form ties with the original homelands of children born to African parents to prepare these children to function properly in both American and African cultures. The results of the study will also provide useful recommendations to the American Embassies in African countries to orient …

The Effect Of Fiction On Nursing Students' Attitudes Toward Woman Abuse, M Tracy Gallagher

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Attitudes Of Undergraduate Students Toward Racial/Ethnic Issues And Groups At The University Of North Dakota., Marlene Ibrahim Bengiamin

Theses and Dissertations

A key goal of multicultural education is to help students attain more positive racial attitudes. Racial incidents on college and university campuses in the United States attracted national attention. The schools in Western societies need to act decisively to help students acquire more democratic attitudes and values. The literature suggests that schools can help students become less prejudiced and acquire more democratic attitudes and values.The purpose of this study was to examine students' attitudes toward racial/ethnic issues and groups and to identify predictors of attitudes among undergraduate college students (N = 583). Data were gathered using a three part survey …

Threads Of Time: Technique, Structure And Iconography In An Embroidered Mantle From Paracas, Mary Anne Dyer

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the structure, technique and iconography of an embroidered burial mantle from Wari Kayan Necropolis on the Paracas Peninsula, Peru, which dates between approximately 100 B.C. and A.D. 100. The mantle is currently in the collection of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City (Accession no. 41.2/632), and will be referred to subsequently as the AMNH mantle. This study will consist of a structural analysis of the burial mantle, addressing the design of the textile and the iconography. In addition to examining the origin and iconography of the double-headed bird motif which appears throughout the …

The Brigham Young University Folklore Of Hugh Winder Nibley: Gifted Scholar, Eccentric Professor And Latter-Day Saint Spiritual Guide, Jane D. Brady

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the stories which revolve around folk legend Hugh Winder Nibley and what those stories mean to the people of Brigham Young University. Folklore reveals who we are and what is important to us. But, interestingly, folklore tends to reveal more about the person telling the story than about the subject of the story itself. People can't remember every story they hear. The ones they do remember are important to them. The stories are important because they fulfill basic needs of the teller. Such needs are a desire to look up to a hero, a need to fit …

Unraveling An Ancient Peruvian Tapestry Sampler: A Study Of Weaver Education In The Ica Valley, Peru, Elizabeth Sara Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

A tapestry from the Ica Valley of Peru (A.D. 900-1476), in the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, is the subject of this study. This thesis is an attempt to demonstrate that the tapestry is an example of a textile form known as a "sampler." Woven as a learning tool and template by an apprentice and an expert weaver within the style and reflecting the iconography of Ica art.

A three-part approach is taken to examine the Ica tapestry. First, it is necessary to prove that the piece is a sampler, woven in an apprenticeship situation, …

Induction Into Academia: The Experiences Of New Occupational Therapy Faculty, Catherine R. Acre

Theses and Dissertations

The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) estimates the number of therapists in the nation's occupational therapy workforce at 46,357. Silvergate (1994) estimates a 71% shortage based on the actual vacancies for occupational therapy personnel currently exists. In response to the growing demand for occupational therapists, the number of academic programs in occupational therapy has increased. Currently there are 85 accredited occupational therapy programs and 30 developing programs in the United States. In addition, for every newly available student space in professional-level programs, there were a reported 3.4 applicants. With only five doctoral programs in occupational therapy in the United States, …

Reading The Cultural Landscape Through Necrogeography: A Study Of Graveyards And Ethnicity In Polk County, Minnesota, Verna Mae Kentner

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a necrogeographical account of the effort to ascertain, through studies of historical geography, settlement patterns, government census records, and church and cemetery records, the ethnicity of the population of Queen Township in Polk County, Minnesota. The total census population was compared to the total cemetery population to determine the percentages of Norwegians, Swedish, and other ethnic groups for the years 1900-1940. The problem was to find numerical affirmation that the percentage of ethnicity of the deceased should reflect the living population of this period.

The literature review focuses on the ethnicity, cultural landscapes, social values, visual symbolism, …

U.S. Security Assistance To Latin America, Valerie S. Payne

Theses and Dissertations

The United States employs security assistance as an instrument of foreign policy. This thesis examines how security assistance was used to achieve U.S. foreign policy objectives in Latin America since the end of World War II. Qualitative analysis was used consisting of historical and archival research of government documents and secondary sources. A literature review was conducted to discover general trends concerning security assistance to include its establishment as an arm of foreign policy, its problems, and its purpose. Presidential policies toward Latin America are analyzed during and after World War II, to include Kennedy's Alliance for Progress, Nixon Doctrine, …

Minority Social Work Educators' Perspective On Minority Issues In Higher Education, Ranae Dummermuth Bickett

Theses and Dissertations

The data set utilized for this exploratory research was the result of a survey sent by the Commission on Minority Group Concerns to minority members of the Council on Social Work Education. Members who identified minority status on their Council on Social work membership form were mailed a survey in January of 1994.

The intent of this qualitative inquiry was to offer the respondents the opportunity to express their concerns regarding minority issues in social work education and provide suggestions to improve services to the Council on Social Work Education. In response to the surveys, the commission will be able …

Entrepreneurship Education: Beliefs And Experiences Of North Dakota Vocational Secondary School Teachers, Dianne Potter Wood

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate North Dakota secondary school teachers’ beliefs about and experiences with teaching entrepreneurship education to secondary students. The study attempted to describe teachers’ perceptions of their experiences teaching entrepreneurship education to secondary school students.

This study included North Dakota secondary school teachers who had taught at least one stand-alone course in entrepreneurship education during the 1994-95 school year. Data were collected through a mail survey instrument and through personal interviews. The data from the 22 usable survey instruments were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A card-sort technique and open-ended questions were used during ten …

Rahq: The Evolution Of A Script Through A Rehearsal Process, Nita K. Ritzke

Theses and Dissertations

RAhq is an experiment in script creation. The intent of the work was to craft a script from research and rehearsals which would reflect the personalities of all involved. After initial research and preliminary scripting, the cast and writer/director worked together to develop scenes and characters collaboratively. The initial script was then altered to incorporate the work from rehearsals. The final script was given full production. The process was evaluated by cast, selected respondents and the writer. RAhq, when performed, is a series of rituals and images which explore the beliefs and uses of rites associated with human death. These …

The Role Of Compulsory Heterosexuality In The Abdication And Queen Christina, Becky Beth Benedict

Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary playwrights, Ruth Wolff and Pam Gems, create portrayals of Queen Christina of Sweden in Wolff’s The Abdication and Gem’s Queen Christina, both of which can be perceived to contain the issues of culturally- encoded gender and sexual roles.

To compare and contrast the influence of these culturally-encoded gender and sexual roles within these plays, I have applied Adrienne Rich’s theory of “compulsory heterosexuality," which serves as a critical tool to clarify the similarities and differences of these issues within the selected dramatic texts. According to Rich, “compulsory heterosexuality” refers to the ideas that male-female coupling is the preferred choice …

Influence Of Cultural Values On Diabetes In American Indians, Sarah Jane Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Aural Side Of Stanley Kubrick : An Interpretive Discussion Of The Unique Integration Of Music And Sound In Five Of His Films, Joseph L. Amirault

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Qualitative Analysis Of The Non-Lds Experience In Utah, Jesse Smith Bushman

Theses and Dissertations

Utah's foundation under the influence of the LDS church, and the continued influence of the majority LDS population in the state make this area unique in the United States. This situation makes life for the non-LDS in Utah somewhat different than in other areas. Through a series of interviews with members of the Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist (National Baptist Convention), Buddhist, and Jewish faiths, this thesis produced a large body of qualitative data concerning the non-LDS experience in Utah.

The experience of non-LDS people in Utah can by typified, with a few exceptions, as a traditional majority/minority interaction. Elements of …

An Exploratory Study Of Spirituality, Religion, And Value Orientation Among North American Indian Students Attending A Midwestern University, Joni Rae Carrier

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of The Tau Mutation On Reproductive Function In The Golden Hamster, Eliza Leake Thomasson

Theses and Dissertations

The tau mutation affects the circadian system of the golden hamster primarily by decreasing the period of the activity cycle from 24 to 20 hours. To study the effect of this mutation on reproductive function in the golden hamster, 3 experiments have been designed. In the first experiment, wild-type and tau female hamsters will be maintained in conditions of 14:10 LD and 11.7:8.3 LD, respectively. Blood samples will be taken and analyzed by radioimmunoassay (RIA) to determine the timing of the proestrus LH surge. In the second experiment, wild-type and tau males will be transferred to shortened photoperiods of 10:14 …

Who's Speaking Whose Language? A Study Of Contact Signing Between Deaf And Hearing Co-Workers, Marilyn K. Plumlee

Theses and Dissertations

This study documents signed communication between a deaf woman and five hearing co-workers who have worked together for periods ranging from two and a half to twenty-three years.

The study has two primary foci:

(1) to describe the linguistic features observed during contact signing between deaf and hearing interlocutors, all fluent in English, who communicate in a manual, visual channel, and

(2) to identify the dynamics affecting the linguistic choices made by both the hearing and deaf signers during contact signing.

The primary data base for this study were videotaped recordings of conversational dyads consisting of the deaf woman and …

The Lived Experience Of Caring And Knowing In Senior Nursing Students, Sherry Neil-Urban

Theses and Dissertations

Caring is identified as a central and defining feature of professional nursing. Yet, there is little explicit emphasis on the philosophy and substance of caring in the traditional nursing program. Rather, caring is subsumed by the pressing need to stay current with expanding definitions of nursing competence and increased knowledge required by licensing boards. The purpose of this phenomenological investigation was to better understand the lived experiences of caring and knowing as expressed by senior nursing students near completion of the nursing program. Eighteen sen ior nursing students, within one month of graduation, participated in this interview study in which …

Reflections Of Public Accounting Interns: A Qualitative Analysis Of Experiential Learning., Victoria Knapp Beard

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to capture the meaning and value of the public accounting internship experience from the perspective of the interns themselves and to broaden our understanding of the educational component of the internship experience. The goals were to complement prior research efforts and to contribute to improved implementation of internship programs.Research on the educational benefits of public accounting internships is incomplete. Past studies, primarily empirical, have focused on measuring the educational benefits of internships in terms of subsequent achievement. Insights and opinions of the interns themselves have been under-utilized, and the learning environment--at the accounting firms …

Risk-Taking Predispositions Among Mormon Women: Improving Communication About Health And Environmental Risks, Shelly Nicholls

Theses and Dissertations

This study measures risk-taking predisposition among a conservative religious population of women, in this instance Mormon women. Risk taking is defined as a recognition of some probability of negative consequences to an action, which can include the loss of a potential reward as well as a punishment. A risk-taking predisposition results when individuals are not risk aversive but, in fact, enjoy risk taking.

Survey research collected at two conferences in Utah reveal the likelihood of moderate levels of rebellious and adventurous risk-taking predisposition among the over 500 Mormon women respondents. It is suggested that religious affiliation or economic and educational …

Criteria-Based Content Analysis Of Children's Statements About A Mock Crime Compared With The Evaluations Of Naive Subjects, Marcus Jacques Choi Tye

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Predicting Missionary Service, Bert Burraston

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to test the antecedents of religiosity on religious commitment. Specifically, what dimensions of religiosity predict if a young-adult Mormon male will serve a mission. Both Logistic Regression and LISREL were used to examine data from the Young Men's Study, in order to predict Mission. The six variables, Religious Intention, Public Religiosity, Religious Negativism, Family Structure, Tithing, and Smoking were found to have direct effects on missionary service. Four more variables were found to have important indirect effects on Mission. The four variables are Parents Church Attendance, Home Religious Observances, Agree With Parents' Values, and …

Mere Babes In The Woods: Teaching And Learning In The Native American Classroom, Scott Lyons

Theses and Dissertations

There has been a good deal of talk about "'multicultural education" in the past few years; at the center of these discussions are issues of ethics, politics, and values. What does it mean to be "multicultural"? How does one's culture figure into pedagogical situations—as a teacher? as a student? How should these complex social and historical backgrounds be utilized at the university? Finally, what are the cultural costs of a university education for students, especially those students from historically oppressed cultural backgrounds?

This study specifically examines the situation of Native American students in the university writing classroom. Drawing upon many …

Multiculturalism In Predominantly White College Composition Classrooms: A Reconsideration Of Teaching Approaches And Rationales, Doreen Staerke-Meyerring

Theses and Dissertations

The thesis explores the problem of multicultural education in predominantly white college composition classrooms. As a rule, proponents of multicultural education in the composition class envision ethnically and racially diverse learning environments. Since multiculturalism in these learning environments tends to reflect the life experiences of the students and thus is likely to enhance their learning experience, multiculturalism is approached as an intrinsic part of the students' experience. The teaching methods for multiculturalism in composition developed on the basis of these ethnically and racially diverse learning environments are then often transferred to predominantly white classrooms. However, this study finds that in …

The Dynamics Of Change From The Perspective Of Participants In A Women Studies Course, Michelle Eckart

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the teaching and learning experience in an introductory Women Studies course. It was of specific interest to explore how people acquire and transmit counter-hegemonic information and to describe their perspective regarding the dynamics of change.

Using a conceptual framework of education, anthropology, and feminism, a qualitative research study was conducted over a four-month period. The context of the study was a course in Women Studies. The participants involved in the study included the course instructor and five older-than-average undergraduate students enrolled in the course. Specific methods used were participant observation and audio-taped …