Digital Commons Network^™

Clinical Profile Of A Juvenile Delinquent, Arjan Graybill

Theses and Dissertations

This study attempted to explore the relationship that a juvenile delinquent has with three major influences: school, peers, and family. It was hypothesized that juvenile delinquents possess a poor relationship with these influences. Subjects were administered a survey which assesses the relationship with school, peers and family. 19 inmates in a juvenile detention center were administered the survey. There were 15 subjects in the control group who were administered the survey as well. Results from independent t-scores reveal a significant difference in the relationship with school, peers, and family for the two groups. Juvenile delinquents were found to have a …

Postal Workers And Stress, Bobbie A. Person

Theses and Dissertations

It is suggested that a plausible theoretical link exists between the management of change and recent killings in the United States Postal Service. The degradation of labor associated with the scientific management of technological change produces stress and frustration that weaken employee integration and undermine existing forms of social control. Certain employees reject prevailing definitions of situations provided by those in power and develop alternative meanings and patterns of behavior, including assaultive violence.

To examine this theory in more depth, 120 Occupational Stress questionnaires and rating sheets were randomly distributed to 30 Mailhandlers and 30 Machine Clerks working the "day" …

The Relationship Between Birth Order Status And Personality Traits, Michele D'Angelo

Theses and Dissertations

Alfred Adler pioneered birth order research having found that birth order had a great deal to do with how adults interact in the world and the development of personality traits. In an expansion of his theory, the relationship between birth order and personality was examined in this study. One hundred thirty undergraduate and graduate students, with ages ranging from eighteen to forty-six and different ethnic backgrounds were tested. They were group administered the BASIS-A Personality Inventory as well as a questionnaire which assessed their birth order. The BASIS-A is based on Alder's Individual Psychology and asked the participants to recollect …

A Reliability Study Of The Joseph Self-Concept Scale For Young Children, Jeffrey R. Kelly

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to establish test-retest reliability coefficients for the Joseph Self-Concept Scale for Young Children (JSSYC). This study employed a one-week duration between administrations of the test instrument. There were thirty-four sixth-grade subjects used, ranging in age from eleven to thirteen. The JSSYC is an individually administered, interview type self-concept measure. The adolescent version of the JSSYC was used in this study, which is designed for use with children seven years of age and older. The Pearson product-moment correlation statistical procedure was used to calculate the correlation coefficients for this sample. The correlations for both the …

A Descriptive Study Of The Opinions Of Fifth Through Eighth Grade Students On Addictive Substances, Denise Pierce

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine whether changes in attitudes would occur in students from Grade Five through Grade Eight in regard to addictive substances, such as alcohol and cigarettes. The study consisted of 85 students enrolled in a local Roman Catholic Grammar School. Students were given the Youth Attitude Survey, which was developed at Columbia University. The survey yielded results that were related to risk factors for future drug use. In a variety of areas, including whether marijuana should be legalized and if the student believed they would use drugs in the future, there was a pronounced …

A Validity Study For The Adolescent And Adult Self-Concept Retrospective Scale And The Tennessee Self-Concept Scale: 2, Kelly R. Fleming

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of the Adolescent and Adult Self-Concept Retrospective Scale (AASRS) by comparing it to the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale: 2 (TSCS: 2) on a population consisting of fifty-nine college students ranging in age from 18 to 20. The study also examined whether there is a significant correlation between male and female adolescents with regard to self-concept.

Two trained examiners administered the AASRS and the TSCS:2. One examiner administered the AASRS and the other administered the TSCS:2. All fifty-nine students were tested on both tests over a two-week period.

A Pearson Correlation produced …

Effects Of Divorce On Levels Of Conflictual Independence In Late Adolescence, Jill Fredricks

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of divorce on late adolescents' levels of conflictual independence during the separation-individuation process.

The sample consisted of 94 undergraduate students from Rowan University in southern New Jersey. This was a between subjects research design which involved a self-report inventory. Levels of conflictual independence were measured by the conflictual independence subscale (Cl) of Hoffman's Psychological Separation Inventory, a 138 question inventory which asks questions about one's relationships with the mother and father.

The statistical test used to analyze the data in this study was a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) as …

Comparative Study On The Incidence Of School-Related Violent Crimes In Urban, Suburban, And Rural Locales, Trina C. Ragsdale

Theses and Dissertations

Concern about school violence, crime and victimization has been a pressing issue since the 1950's. Only recently have the many facets of the complex social issue of school violence been thoroughly investigated, particularly, the high rates of violence among middle and elementary school students, and the upsurge of violence in suburban and rural school districts. Due to the increasing rate of school related violent crimes, Congress mandated districts to track the rate at which violent crimes occur in their school and develop intervention plans aimed at ameliorating the problem. Results of the study suggest school violence is not constrained by …

An Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of The Glass Analysis Method Of Word Decoding With Second And Third Grade Disabled Learners, Leanne Bernosky

Theses and Dissertations

Glass Analysis for Decoding Only is one of the many methods available for teaching decoding skills to students with disabilities. This study was designed to examine the effectiveness of Glass Analysis for Decoding Only on the reading achievement of primary age students with learning disabilities. A convenience group of eight second and third grade students receiving instruction in the self-contained special education classroom served as subjects. For a period of five months, students received Glass Analysis as the primary method of decoding instruction. Research examined the effect of this instruction in the areas of word recognition, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, …

A Validity Study Of The Revised Joseph Pre-School And Primary Self-Concept Screening Test, Angela Lee

Theses and Dissertations

In order to identify students with low self-concept accurately, a valid test must be developed and administered. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of the revised Joseph Pre-School and Primary Self Concept Screening Test (JPPSST). The alternate hypothesis investigated in this study was that the revised JPPSST is a valid test when compared to the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale. Both tests were given to 34 African-American students at a Philadelphia elementary school. An additional research question was investigated to determine whether the test scores could be used to predict academic performance. The results of both tests were …

Depression, Self-Care, And Coping In Persons With Diabetes, Paula Schuler-Tillmann

Theses and Dissertations

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disorder of the endocrine system that affects virtually every system of the human body. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates there are over 16 million persons with diabetes in the United States alone. Hyperglycemia, which is sustained over a long period of time, can lead to heart disease, nephropathy, neuropathy, and blindness. To avoid hyperglycemia and its associated ramifications, several self-care activities and life-style changes are necessary.

Depression is present in 8-32% of people who have diabetes. Poor glycemic control is often the result when depression and diabetes are concurrently present in …

Time-To-Degree And Credits-To-Degree Of Baccalaureate Degree Graduates, Cathie A. Weissman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to a;sess two measures of accountability (i.e., time- to-degree (TTD) and credits-to-degree (CTD)). A total of 800 University of Wisconsin- Stout (UW-Stout) graduates, 200 from each graduating class from 1990 to 1993 were surveyed to determine the obstacles to four year degree completion and to determine why they completed excess credits beyond what was required to complete a degree program. Four hundred and twelve graduates returned the survey. Data were obtained from student transcripts and from the Bursar’s Office for only those graduates who returned the survey. The data were segmented in order to …

Perceptions Of American Indian Students Of Their Experiences And Factors Related To Retention In Selected Institutions Of Higher Education, Donald R. Day

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of American Indian students regarding higher education and to examine factors that contribute to or create obstacles to their retention and graduation. The sample of American Indian students was selected from five Upper Midwest institutions of higher education and was stratified by age and by gender. A total of 100 students participated in the study, with 20 from each institution representing equal numbers of traditional age females (18–24 years of age), traditional age males, females older than average (25 years of age or older), and males older than average.

All …

Attitudes Toward Higher Education And Acculturation Amongst Native American College Students, Darlene Marie Wilcox

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to investigate attitudes and acculturation levels at a tribal community college to see if they differ from those at a four year state institution. In this study, the NACSAS (Native American College Student Attitudes Scale), and the NPBI (Northern Plains Bicultural Inventory) were administered to Native American college students at both types of colleges.

Results show that there were significant differences between the schools on the subscale of the NPBI, in the “European American Cultural Identification” (EACI) category, and on the NACSAS, on the “Perceived Racism” category. There were more students classified in EACI subscale at …

The Suburban Middle Class At Risk: A Profile Of Students Who Are Referred To The Office, Carole Joyce Pearson

Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this study was to identify the at risk students at a suburban high school based on the frequency of referrals to the office, and to determine why these students continue to misbehave. A list of students called down to the office was provided daily. Using the Call Down List, names of students who were referred to the office most frequently were compiled. A random sample of 23 students frequently on the list was used to develop a profile of the nature of the misbehavior, and the administrative action taken; patterns of attendance, lateness, and academic standing …

A Community Wide Study Of The Hospice Referral Process, Jarilyn K. Gess

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to understand the decision making process when seeking hospice care. The objectives were to identify the decision maker for the patient when seeking hospice care, why they were seeking hospice care, who initiated the referral, if the decision maker was aware they can self refer to hospice care, and the benefits of hospice care for the patient and family.

The study is a qualitative and quantitative descriptive study utilizing a telephone survey design as described by Dillman (1978). One hundred patients who had been referred to Hospice of the Red River Valley (HRRV) …

Pregnancy-Related Hypertension In North Dakota: Incidence, Outcomes, And Nursing Care Practices, Karen S. Reed

Theses and Dissertations

Preeclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension complicate 6 to 7% of all pregnancies in the United States with the incidence varying among different regions, counties, and states. For improved perinatal outcomes in high-risk pregnancies there must be adequate care given in a timely and appropriate manner. Very little has been written on the incidence and trends in rural America and even less is known about incidence and trends in the rural Native American population. It is unknown how effective small rural hospitals are in the nursing care of the hypertensive pregnant women they encounter.

This project was an epidemiological retrospective cohort study …

The Lived Experience Of Graduate Nursing Students In Distance Education, Nancy L. Mosbaek

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the lived experience of graduate nursing students enrolled in an interactive television course offered through distance education. Areas of focus were the technology of distance education, instructional strategies, the learning community, and communication. The qualitative research methods of interviewing, observation, and artifact/documentation review were employed. Students reported returning to school for both personal and professional reasons; self-satisfaction was most frequently mentioned. The need to work in a changing health care system was the major professional reason given. Due to multiple role responsibilities which made the participants time- and place-bound, distance education was reported to be the only …

The Integration Of Military Adolescents In A Civilian High School, Terri L. Eide

Theses and Dissertations

This study identifies those factors that affect the integration of military and civilian adolescents in a public high school. The convenience sample includes 85 students from military families and 129 students from civilian families. They range in age 13 to 18 years of age. Subjects completed a questionnaire about their sense of belonging to the school environment, individual attachment to the school and others, and peer group association. The analysis revealed that adolescents from military families experience a slightly lower level of integration within the public high school studied than students from civilian families. Additionally, race, as well as military …

The Effects Of Thought Suppression On Later Recall Of Valenced, Self-Referenced Adjectives, Danial S. Sturgill

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of thought suppression on later recall of valenced material. According to Wegner's (1994) theory of ironic mental processes, effortful attempts at thought suppression result in an increased accessibility of the to-be-suppressed thought under conditions of high cognitive load. Participants (N = 180) received an induced-sadness manipulation before being asked to concentrate on associations between visual images (either a white bear or an brown rabbit) and 28 adjectives (14 positively-valenced, 14 negatively-valenced). After a five minute period of suppressing thoughts of one of the visual images, participants were asked to remember as many of the 28 …

Image Fusion Using Autoassociative-Heteroassociative Neural Networks, Claudia V. Kropas-Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

Images are easily recognized, classified, and segmented; in short, analyzed by humans. The human brain/nervous system; the biological computer, performs rapid and accurate image processing. In the current research the concepts of the biological neural system provide the impetus for developing a computational means of fusing image data. Accomplishing this automatic image processing requires features be extracted from each image data set, and the information content fused. Biologically inspired computational models are examined for extracting features by transformations such as Fourier, Gabor, and wavelets, and for processing and fusing the information from multiple images through evaluation of autoassociative neural networks …

A Study Of Teacher Burnout At Archway Programs, Scott D. Bates

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to research the rate of burnout amongst special education teachers. Using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach 1981), the intern will give the survey to special education teachers over a period of time. This study will result in the intern having a better understanding of the factors that cause burnout and who is most susceptible to burnout.

The teaching staff of 64, representing a variety of classifications, will serve as the subjects of the research study. The researcher will determine the relationship between such educators and their degree of burnout, and the correlation between burnout …

Gender Bias And Women In Leadership, Rose Mary Judge

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to describe and evaluate the effectiveness of implementing a stronger equity plan to career major areas whose students have experienced inequity in a vocational program that perpetuates gender bias and harassment of female students. This particular sample involves twenty-two students who are in non-traditional career major areas.

Interviews involved the Building Principal, the Affirmative Action Officer, a Guidance Counselor, and two Career Major teachers. Surveys were used to collect data from students in non-traditional career majors. Questionnaires were given to all academic teachers. Data analysis consisted of using the information from the interviews, surveys, …

A Study Of The Shamong Township School District's Middle School Program At The Indian Mills Memorial School, Caroline Elizabeth Kerfoot

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the present middle school program at the Indian Mills Memorial School, and create a new program. The program was based on research that enumerated the best practices in exemplary middle schools and the needs and characteristics of young adolescents.

The sample was the 51 teachers of the IMMS, five administrators, parents, and one class each from fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades.

The survey used was Middle Grades Assessment Program from the Center for Early Adolescence, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There were different surveys for students, parents, teachers, and …

A Study Of The Educational Climate Of A Suburban Middle School And The Effects Administrative Decisions Have On That Climate, Joseph C. Beierschmitt

Theses and Dissertations

Statement of Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to discover the organizational climate of Collingswood Middle School by using a survey of the students and the staff to evaluate the institutional climate. The data was used to target specific behaviors to make institutional changes that would hopefully improve the climate of the school. The result of these changes were then evaluated with a second survey to determine the effectiveness of the organizational changes.

Description of Methodology:

The study for the assessment of the organizational climate involved surveying the views of the school's administration, the staff, and the students of …

Transition Services For Students With Severe Disabilities, Valerie A. Gardner

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine transition services that schools provide students with severe disabilities and their parents prior and beyond the students' high school graduation. The researcher hypothesized that local educational agencies provide an adequate curriculum and instruction for transition from school to adult life, but once the students graduate, the funds and services diminish, therefore providing inadequate service to support transition planning. The research involved informal interviews and surveys with public and private schools and the parents of students with severe disabilities. A total of nine public and private schools, and four parents who had a …

Increasing The In-Seat Behavior Of A Third Grade Boy With Adhd Using Positive Reinforcement And Self-Reinforcement, Michael J. Miltenberger

Theses and Dissertations

An ongoing challenge for all teachers, especially special education teachers, is developing intervention programs to control the behavior of their students. The author of this research project attempted to improve the in-seat behavior of a third grade boy with ADHD by implementing a behavior modification program using positive reinforcement and self-reinforcement. The author used positive reinforcement for five weeks before moving on to the self-reinforcement portion for an additional twelve weeks. The purpose was to increase the subject's in-seat behavior while also having him become actively involved in his behavioral program. The results show that the subject's in-seat behavior did …

Changing Destinies: An Overview Of The Human Genome Project, Jennifer Lynne Watson

Theses and Dissertations

The Human Genome Project was initiated in 1988. Its purpose being to sequence the entire human genome, including the noncoding regions by 2005. Through the research conducted, due to the project, several genes associated with specific diseases have been identified. This paper is a review of the Human Genome Project and genes that have been associated with the onset of specific diseases. Cystic Fibrosis, a disease affecting the respiratory system, has been isolated to a gene on chromosome 7. Alzheimer's Disease, the disease which is most responsible for dementia, has several genes associated with its onset. These genes lie on …

A Computer Assisted Study Guide For Viral Hepatitis, April, 1999, Diana Hullihen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to design a computer assisted program that would enhance the effectiveness of instruction in a clinical laboratory science program. Computer assisted instruction has been proven to be a beneficial and effective method of meeting educational objectives.

The topic of viral hepatitis is a complex and difficult one to teach. The instructor decided to supplement traditional lecture using computer assisted instruction. The goals and objectives of the lesson would be reinforced through this method as well as help the student to master the subject content.

The computer assisted study guide was designed to enhance the …

Retesting Parent Training: Does Parental Training Increase Parents' Self-Concept, Ronald G. Stockwell

Theses and Dissertations

Similar to studies by Gordon and others, the purpose of this study was to retest and reinvestigate whether parent training increased the self-esteem of participants. Two groups (sample (n = 15) and control (n = 10)) were pre- and posttested (at 10 and 9 weeks respectively), using the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale: 2. Both groups showed high educational achievement and were Caucasian/White; the sample was 13 women, 2 men, while the control was 9 men and 1 woman; and, most reported above average incomes. The scores were analyzed using a repeated measures t test and non-parametric analysis, which did not find …