Digital Commons Network^™

A Comparison Of First And Eighth Grade Students' Artistic Spontaneity And Creative Expression, Mary Deborah Abel

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the students' creative expression as influenced by formal education. The problems of this study were to determine if there was a difference between the perception and use of color by students in primary grades with junior high students, and also if there was a difference displayed in drawing spontaneity related to age.

Two art classes totaling fifty-four students comprised Group A, the primary students, and one class of thirty eighth grade students made up the junior high group for Group B. Students in both groups received a common introductory lesson relating the …

A Criterion Related Validity Study Of Chapman's Elements In Art Test, Susan E. Chapman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to create and investigate the psychometric properties of a tool which evaluated fourth and fifth grade student's performance in the visual arts.

The subjects for the study included 104 fourth and fifth graders from a public elementary and middle school in southern New Jersey, comprising students from a diverse socioeconomic background and ethnicity.

The scores for the Chapman's Element in Art Test and the Clark's Drawing Ability Test were compared. Pearson product moment correlations were computed among the data for both tests. On the basis of the correlation acquired from the study, it may …

Parenting Styles And The Influences Upon The Level Of Functioning Of Adolescents, Tamiko Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to view the relationship between parenting styles and the influences upon the level of functioning of adolescents. There were 15 subjects in the study. Several characteristics were examined: level of functioning, family status, educational levels, and parenting styles.

The data was collected by a self-designed survey in order to assess the specific parenting style that an adolescent may have been subjected to and an observational rating scale was utilized to assess the level of functioning of each subject.

It was discovered that 66.6% of the subjects were reared by a care provider who favored …

Analyst Communication For Natural Gas Utilities, Randolph P. Ryerson

Theses and Dissertations

This study's purpose was to investigate whether investor relations professionals from natural gas local distribution companies effectively communicate with their industry's analysts.

Two surveys were designed to compare and contrast the opinions of analysts and LDC IR pros. Surveys were mailed to 15 leading gas industry analysts and 10 LDC IR pros. Ten analysts and 10 LDC IR pros responded. The major findings include:

Sixty percent of the analysts felt communications with IR pros were only somewhat successful while 70 percent of the LDC IR pros ranked the communication as highly successful.

Fifty percent of the analysts ranked one-on-one meetings …

Information Technology Inservice Workshops For The Teachers Of The Cooper B. Hatch Middle School, Camden, New Jersey, Frank J. Indriso

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project is to provide information technology inservice workshops for the teachers of the Cooper B. Hatch Middle School in Camden, New Jersey.

These workshops were developed in response to an ever present need to educate the teaching staff of the Cooper B. Hatch Middle School, regarding the use of the information technology found in the library. The lack of information technology skills was observed by the media specialist through working in the library with the teaching staff and their students over the course of the last school year. The media specialist will work with the teaching …

A Measure Of The Effectiveness Of A Service Improvement Video Used In The Fiscal Year 1997 Communications Plan For The Allegheny Area Of The Usps, Raymond V. Daiutolo

Theses and Dissertations

This project measured the effectiveness of a service improvement video prepared by the U S Postal Service's Allegheny Area Corporate Relations department. The video was directed at the letter carrier craft and disseminated to the ten postal districts comprising the Allegheny Area in October 1996.

Information searches for relevant literature were conducted through several databases cataloging books, periodicals, journals and articles with the use of video communication as part of an employee awareness and training strategy.

This thesis activity reported on the effectiveness of the inaugural video using information collected from interviews with South Jersey letter carriers; a survey of …

The Changing Role Of The Physician As A Consequence Of The "Gag Clause" In Managed Health Care Contracts, Emily Riley

Theses and Dissertations

In November 1995, at a meeting of the Managed Health Care Congress, Harvard Medical School professor and physician Dr. David Himmelstein, delivered a presentation that included a slide of what he called the "gag clause" in his U.S. Healthcare contract. Dr. Himmelstein explained that he was being restricted in what he could say to his patients - three days later, U.S. Healthcare terminated his contract.

This event, coupled with Dr. Himmelstein's appearance two weeks later on the Donahue Show, sparked a flood of media attention and, in turn, a public outcry. Managed health care, designed to regulate and curtail growing …

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. …

An Analysis Of The Design, Implementation And Measurement Of A 401k Employee Communication Campaign For Checkpoint Systems, Inc. Headquarters Employees To Evaluate Their Understanding Of The Plan, Gina Marie Redrow

Theses and Dissertations

This project evaluates the effectiveness of a 401(k) communications campaign for employees at Checkpoint Systems, Inc. headquarters located in Thorofare, New Jersey.

Information searches for relevant literature were conducted through several databases cataloging books, periodicals, journals and articles. The findings of this literature search identified elements of effective 401(k) communication campaigns. These elements were used as a guide to measure the design of Checkpoint's plan.

Focus groups were conducted with managers and employees to determine their understanding of the plan and obtain feedback to be used as evaluation. The compiled data was analyzed to determine the overall effectiveness of the …

The Attention Deficit With Hyperactivity Disorder Handbook For Parents And Teachers: Birth To Age 5, Cheryl Moe-Olson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Anatomy Of A Gang Suppression Unit: The Social Construction Of An Organizational Response To Gang Problems, Carol A. Erickson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the institutional response of a mid-sized, Midwestern police department, to a perceived growing problem with youth gang activity. More specifically, this thesis analyzes both individual and organizational level variables which provide justification for the creation and existence of a Gang Suppression Unit. The evolution of the Gang Suppression Unit is traced from both formal and informal constructions of a gang problem, from the perspective of the police.

Data collection consisted of 250 hours of participant observation with both uniformed patrol officers and members of the Gang Suppression Unit, from the Cedar Springs Police Department, as well as …

Effects Of A Visual-Gestural Cuing System On The Reduction Of Phonological Processes In Children With Down Syndrome And Low Speech Intelligibility, Jennifer Barthel

Theses and Dissertations

Down syndrome, or Trisomy 21, is an autosomal dominant chromosomal aberration associated with an extra twenty-first chromosome. Down syndrome causes a variety of physical and cognitive characteristics that make speech and language problems probable Phonology is one such area in which disorders commonly occur for this population As young children acquire the adult sound system, they commonly simplify their productions through the use of phonological processes. Children with Down syndrome use phonological processes for a longer period of time than the typically developing child, often rendering their speech unintelligible.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy …

Breastfeeding Beliefs, Attitiudes, And Experiences Of Rural Native American Women, Joanne Blue

Theses and Dissertations

Breastfeeding has long been recognized as the preferred method of feeding. There is an increasing awareness of the need to return to traditions and values such as breastfeeding, which has been part of the Indian culture in the past. The purpose of this descriptive, correlational study was to determine the attitudes, beliefs, and experiences of breastfeeding among rural Native American women. Ajzen and Fishbein's (1080) Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Leininger’s theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality (1991) guided this study.

This study addressed the following questions: 1) What are the attitudes, beliefs and experiences of native American …

The Role Of The Principal In The Transition From A Graded To Nongraded Elementary School, Claudia O. Johannesson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Middle School Language-Related Risk Indicators Of A High School Dropout, Joan M. Shaw

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Annotated Bibliography Of Asian Literature, Lisa Brownback

Theses and Dissertations

Many changes have happened in the world. One change is the growing curiosity of other cultures. One way to learn about other cultures is through literature. The purpose of this thesis is to present an annotated bibliography of Asian literature for the public library. Since Asia covers a large area, this thesis will only view literature from India, China, and Japan.

Two public libraries, two college libraries, and reference books were examined to get an impression of books that should be in a public library. To be able to pick constantly the best books, a library needs a selection policy. …

A Survey Of Attitudes Toward The Proposed New Jersey Special Education Administrative Code Revisions, Michael W. Gasky

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the reaction of teachers to five proposals for reforming special education. These proposals include the achievement of the Core Curriculum Content Standards, inclusion of exceptional students in state and districtwide assessments, child study team revisions, classification changes, notice reduction, and the redefining of consent. A fifteen closed-ended question survey with five Likert-type rating scale optional answers was developed. Seventy-three graduate students in education participated in this study. The categorical data was illustrated through charts, graphs, and crossbreak tables. Survey analysis revealed that 52% supported the policy proposals, 35.9% were in opposition, 11.2% indicated no opinion, and 0.9% …

Making The Transition: Fixed To Flexible Scheduling In Elementary School Media Centers, Karen L. Enggren, Mary P. Henderson

Theses and Dissertations

Because of dissatisfaction with their programs, two Manchester Township elementary school library media specialists made a change from fixed scheduling to flexible scheduling in their media centers, This project relates the step-by-step process used to make the transformation. Extensive research was conducted and utilized to support the change and to gain endorsement from the administration. Curriculum revision, including the restructuring of research skills, was the next part of the transition. The implementation of the program was a slow, steady process which relied on cooperative planning and the support of the teachers. The last part of this paper includes evaluation and …

Practical Applications Of The Internet As A Research Tool For Students In Grades K-8, Mary Moyer

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to illustrate practical applications of the Internet as a research tool for students in grades K-8 at Logan Township Elementary School in Swedesboro, NJ, through a multimedia presentation. While there are many educational uses of the Internet for students, this study focused on E-Mail and research capabilities. Specific Internet projects that were incorporated into the elementary curriculum are highlighted and explored through HyperStudio, a multimedia computer software program. Text and graphics describing and illustrating the practical applications of the Internet, along with audio clips with student and teacher comments detailing the benefits to the …

Instructional Lessons For Online Circulation Through The Use Of A Local Area Network In The School Library Media Center, Michael Shea Dennison

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this paper was to provide the researcher with the opportunity to develop valuable experience and knowledge regarding local area networks in school library media centers.

The researcher focused on the following areas: (1) school visitations to observe and acquire hands-on experiences on how local area networks are used in school and library media center situations, (2) an analysis of the researcher's individual library media center to conduct a comparison of the districts that school visitations took place in order to determine what is necessary to further develop a more adequate local area network, (3) the design and …

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 …

Integrating Multicultural Literature Into The Curriculum At Pyne Poynt Family School, Camden, New Jersey, Corlette Mays

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis documents the importance of multicultural literature in educational environments and provides strategies for implementing the literature into the curriculum. Without the knowledge and the background of what's available in this particular genre and how it can used effectively, integration of materials into the curriculum cannot occur.

The African American and Hispanic American bibliographies were developed from the materials in the Pyne Poynt Family School Library to be used as teaching tools for the staff when developing resource based units of instruction and assignments. With this awareness, usage of the multicultural materials in the collection should increase over a …

Integrating Technology Into The Library Curriculum Of Grades Four Through Eight For The Lower Alloways Creek Elementary School, Deborah A. Wesolek

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a library curriculum guide for grades four through eight for the Lower Alloways Creek Elementary School, Salem, New Jersey.

Prior to this guide, the library curriculum for Lower Alloways Creek Elementary School consisted of an outdated skills array. It no longer met the needs of the students or the staff of the school. With the addition of an automated circulation and catalog system, as well as CD-ROM, and the Internet, it became clear that the curriculum must be redeveloped, revised and thoroughly updated to include these new technologies. This will assist in …

Integrating Library And Technology Skills Into The Curriculum Of The Thomas E. Bowe Elementary School, Carol L. Todd

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to develop a library curriculum for grades four through six for the Thomas E. Bowe Elementary School, Glassboro, New Jersey.

After many new additions of computer technology to the media center, such as CD-ROMs, the Internet and an on-line catalog, as well as changes in the New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards, it was determined that the old curriculum was outdated and in need of revision.

To determine what changes should be made in this curriculum, students and teachers were surveyed to assess their current and future needs. Several schools with successfully integrated library media …

Involvement Of The Amino Terminal Of Actin In Actin-Aldolase Interactions., Tim Jeffrey Keith

Theses and Dissertations

Interactions between glycolytic enzymes and cytoskeletal proteins are electrostatic in nature. Studies conducted with derivatizing agents show that the amino side chains of basic amino acids on aldolase interact with carboxyl side chains of acidic amino acids on tubulin. In this study we used the techniques of covalent cross-linking, non-enzymatic cleavage and enzymatic cleavage to determine the amino acids in actin which are involved in the actin-aldolase interaction.Actin and aldolase were covalently cross-linked using the zero length cross-linker 1-ethyl-3- (3-dimethylaminopropyl) -carbodiimide to form a direct covalent link between the two proteins. The cross-linking procedure resulted in the formation of one …

Bullying: Perceptions Of Students In Grades 4-6 In A Mid-Sized Midwestern Public School District., Karen Berthold

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess self-reported perceptions of students in grades 4-6 in a mid-sized midwestern public school district in relation to bullying. Research questions addressed frequency of bullying, types of bullying behavior, relationships between bullying and demographic variables, and relationships between bullying and selected risk behaviors.Data were gathered using three forms of a survey developed by a local task force and administered by classroom teachers to 591 students in grades 4-6 in five selected elementary schools. Frequencies and percentages were used to analyze demographic variables and types of bullying behaviors. The chi-square test for independence was …

Electromagnetic Scattering From A Cavity In A Ground Plane: Theory And Experiment, William D. Wood Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The electromagnetic scattering from an arbitrarily shaped open cavity embedded in a perfectly conducting, infinite ground plane is examined. The cavity is filled with a linear, isotropic, homogeneous material. The fields in the cavity interior and above the ground plane are expressed in terms of the tangential fields on the cavity surface and aperture. A coupled set of three integral equations is developed governing the tangential fields on the aperture and cavity surface. The support of the unknown tangential fields is finite. A moment-method based algorithm to approximate the solution to the integral equations for axisymmetric geometries is developed. The …

Automatic Digital Processing For Calibration Data Of Open Skies Treaty Sensors, Donna D. Keating

Theses and Dissertations

The Open Skies Treaty provides guidelines allowing participants to fly in air space over other participants' countries to monitor strategic military placement and development. The treaty restricts the ground size of the smallest detail recorded by these aerial imaging systems to any size larger than 30 cm. This restriction is enforced by placing a lower limit on the altitude at which a participating aircraft can fly and it is computed as the value of Hmin. Current techniques rely on human photographic interpreters to select the value of Hmin for every calibration pass and is very resource intensive. The Open Skies …

A Cercla-Based Decision Support System For Environmental Remediation Strategy Selection, Brian J. Grelk

Theses and Dissertations

The Idaho National Environmental Engineering Laboratory (INEEL), operating in conjunction with the Department of Energy (DOE), faces with the complex decision of selecting an environmental remediation strategy for the Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA) of the Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC). This research uses value-focused thinking and multiattribute preference theory techniques to produce a decision analysis model to aid the decisionmakers as they select a remediation strategy. A deterministic analysis using expert opinion and the best available engineering data demonstrates the model's capabilities. The model ranks 27 specific remediation strategies based on how well they meet CERCLA's five balancing criteria: implementability, …

Advances In Time-Domain Electromagnetic Simulation Capabilities Through The Use Of Overset Grids And Massively Parallel Computing, Douglas C. Blake

Theses and Dissertations

A new methodology is presented for conducting numerical simulations of electromagnetic scattering and wave propagation phenomena. Technologies from several scientific disciplines, including computational fluid dynamics, computational electromagnetics, and parallel computing, are uniquely combined to form a simulation capability that is both versatile and practical. In the process of creating this capability, work is accomplished to conduct the first study designed to quantify the effects of domain decomposition on the performance of a class of explicit hyperbolic partial differential equations solvers; to develop a new method of partitioning computational domains comprised of overset grids; and to provide the first detailed assessment …