Digital Commons Network^™

Seeing The Palm Trees Again, Jie Wang

Theses and Dissertations

A translation, analysis, and commentary on Seeing the Palm Trees Again, a highly regarded novel in contemporary Chinese fiction by Chinese-American novelist Lihua Yu, are presented. The novel is about a trip home by a professor of Chinese who has lived in the United States for ten years. It depicts the attitude of common Chinese people toward sending their children to America. It also describes the life of Chinese students in the United States. In creating the character of Tianlei Moe, the author has said what many people in Tianlei's situation feel but are reluctant to express openly: the feeling …

Evaluation Of An Aerodynamic Particle Sizer With Certified Polydisperse Test Dusts, Stanley J. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

The Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS) is a near real time laser particle sizer that counts and sizes particles in the range of 0.5 /xm to 3 0 /xm, which makes it ideal for measuring the particle size distribution of fly ash from coal combustion. While the APS has proven to be a valuable instrument for measuring particle size distribution from flue gas streams, data indicate that the APS may not be providing an accurate particle size distribution over the entire range of 0.5 /xm to 30 /xm.

The primary objective of this study was to determine the ability of the …

Coping With Conflict: A Study Of Interpersonal Conflict Resolution Styles Of Adult Children Of Alcoholics And Nonalcoholics, Renae A. Myszkowski

Theses and Dissertations

Research on adult children of alcoholics has indicated that such children have difficulty with behavioral and communicative characteristics. Specifically they have difficulty with such behaviors as lying, intimacy, responsibility, and trust. Research also has indicated that adult children of alcoholics rely on coping mechanisms to escape from their chaotic environments and such mechanisms are manifested in behaviors of co-dependency and family roles. Although the literature on adult children of alcoholics suggests that these individuals may have trouble with problem solving in conflict, no apparent literature discusses the strategies of conflict resolution for such individuals.

This study predicted that adult children …

Gender Role Orientation In Same- And Cross-Gender Friendships, Mary Beth Scanlon

Theses and Dissertations

The present study was designed to investigate the relationship between individuals' gender-role orientations and the strength and rewardingness of their friendships. The study was guided by a series of questions centered around the assumption that androgynous individuals exhibit greater behavioral flexibility from one situation to another. Androgynous individuals were expected to provide a broader range of interpersonal rewards, forming stronger and more rewarding friendships than gender-typed individuals. In addition, androgynous individuals were expected to respond equally favorably to both same- and cross-gender friends, making gender-role orientation a factor attenuating gender differences in friendship.

A total of 105 women and 101 …

Individual Differences In Verbal And Spatial Memory: The Contribution Of Gender, Verbal Ability, Spatial Ability, And Sex-Role Orientation, Mary H. Sarafolean

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the degree to which reported sex differences in verbal and spatial memory performance are due to confounds between the sexes on the individual difference factors of verbal ability, spatial ability, and sex-role orientation. Specifically, college age males and females were administered psychometric tests of verbal ability, spatial ability, and sex-role orientation. The contribution of each of these factors to predicting subjects' scores on verbal and spatial memory tasks was analyzed using regression analysis procedures.

Results indicated a male advantage on spatial ability tasks, however, no sex differences in verbal ability were found. Gender of subject was …

Effects Of Chronis Consumption Of Caffeine On Memory For Prose In Young And Elderly Adults, Malva Waters

Theses and Dissertations

Caffeine is one of society's most widely used central nervous system stimulants. Most studies involving caffeine and memory have tested the recall of young subjects following acute administration of caffeine. This study was designed to determine the effects of chronic use of caffeine on memory for prose in young and elderly adults. Forty-nine young and forty-nine elderly subjects read four expository prose passages from the computer screen and orally recalled each story Recalls were tape recorded and later scored for presence of idea units Chronic consumption of caffeine had no significant effect on recall of prose passages. It is speculated …

A Survey In Hard Times: Work Attitudes Of North Dakota State Employees, Michael D. Dorsher

Theses and Dissertations

A telephone survey with a random sample of 317 is used to measure the work attitudes, experiences, and satisfaction levels of North Dakota state employees. These findings are compared to bureaucratic stereotypes and research. The data refute most negative stereotypes about bureaucrats, and support many previous research findings, such as the positive relationships between job satisfaction and income, status, and fulfilled expectations. The data also indicate state employees voted heavily for tax hikes in the Dec. 5, 1989, special election, and that support rose with the income, job status, and education level of employees. Lastly, the survey shows North Dakota …

Sexual Harassment: An Analysis Of North Dakota Personnel Policy, Sharon S. Kessler

Theses and Dissertations

A telephone survey was used to measure North Dakota state employees' experience with sexual harassment on the job. Survey respondents who reported being sexually harassed were asked an additional set of questions aimed at quantifying the experience, its effects and use of formal remedies. Expectations about survey results were generated from a review of the literature and other survey findings. While many expectations were not supported by the data, several important findings emerged. Specifically, 17.1 percent of all respondents, including 22.9 percent of women respondents and 10.7 percent of all male respondents reported being sexually harassed in state government during …

Classroom Modifications For Learning Disabled Adolescents: The Effects Of Inservice And Follow-Up Consultation On Four Regular Classroom Teachers, Lynne Chalmers

Theses and Dissertations

This study asked the question: What are the effects of an inservice on classroom modifications for secondary learning disabled students on the teaching practice of four highly able teachers? A secondary question asked was: To what extent are teachers‘ behavior and attitudes affected by follow-up consultation? The participants were four secondary regular classroom teachers representing four curricula areas (English, social studies, health, and biology). All four had been recognized as having the ability to work well with learning disabled students. The procedure used for the study was a form of naturalistic inquiry, specifically participant observation. All four teachers participated in …

Instructional Modifications For Learning Disabled Students In Elementary Classrooms, Mary Beth Geringer

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Training Manual For Direct Care Staff Of Licensed Community Residential Programs Serving Persons With Developmental Disabilities In Minnesota, Kathleen Anne Griffin Pearson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Introductory Dataperfect® Instruction, Frances Jenson Larsen

Theses and Dissertations

The project should be used in a beginning computer class. These units contain projects from simple to complex. The first instructional unit uses a database that comes with the DataPerfect® program. The students build and manipulate a small database. Reports are prepared, and finally the students design an original database. These instructional units are intended to be used in a high school classroom with the DataPerfect® computer program. DataPerfect® is a copyrighted program marketed by WordPerfect Corporation of Orem, Utah.

Comprehension And Aging: Pronoun Anaphor., Helen J. Kahn

Theses and Dissertations

The issue of whether old and young adults differ in their ability to resolve pronoun anaphors was investigated. Controlling their own rate of presentation, subjects read stories ranging in length and selected the antecedants for sentences which contained referent nouns and properties that were consistent, inconsistent or neutral with respect to general knowledge. Older adults were less accurate than young adults in noun choice with consistency of information affecting the older adults more than the young adults. Older adults also took longer to read both the first sentence containing the referent information and the final pronoun anaphor sentences in the …

Symbolic Action And Persuasion In The Book Of Mormon, Keith H. Lane

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis contends that the Book of Mormon can be profitably read from a rhetorical perspective. It employs Kenneth Burke's ideas concerning language, texts, and his method of dramatistic analysis, to reveal certain persuasive aspects of the Book of Mormon, and to urge action in response to the persuasion of the Book of Mormon.

Chapter one discusses common ways of reading scripture, and explains some of the inadequacies of these approaches. It gives a rationale of a rhetorical approach that concerns itself with action, and recommends this approach for the Book of Mormon. Chapter two applies a rhetorical reading to …

The Relationship Between Locus Of Control And Academic Success Of Post-Secondary Students In Electronics Technology, Robert D. Mccollum

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between internal locus of control and academic success in students taking courses in Electronics Technology at a post-secondary technical school. The Adult Nowicki-Strickland Internal External Control-Scale was used to determine a locus of control score for each subject, and the students' current GPA scores were used as a measure of success. The study implemented a correlational research design, and the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between the locus of control scores and the GPA scores. Results indicated a significant relationship between the internal dimension …

A Mormon Melting Pot: Ethnicity Acculturation In Cedar City, Utah, 1880-1915, Vida Leigh

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis studies the ethnicity of the five ethnic groups found in Cedar City, Utah, during the 1880-to-1915 period. Those five groups were originally sent by Brigham Young to found the Iron Mission, as a two-fold project: (1) developing the iron mining industry, and (2) building a united community of Latter-day Saints.

The demographics, kinship, ties, marriage patterns, occupations, wealth, and elites in church government and society have been examined in detail through US censuses, Iron county assessment records, marriage records, Cedar City municipal records, LDS church records, diaries, histories, and personal histories. By comparing all the ethnic groups within …

The Level And Determinants Of Burnout Of Mormon Mothers In A Utah Suburban Town, Christina Mordock

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine burnout in Mormon mothers in a suburban Utah town. Specifically the amount and some determinants of burnout among these Mormon women was studied. A random sample of 266 Mormon mothers completed a questionnaire and a modified version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) which consisted of three subscales, (Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Personal Accomplishment), and two categories in each subscale (Frequency and Intensity). The subjects scored in the moderately burned out category in each subscale. Significant relationships were found between the amount of burnout and the following: the age of the mother, …

Hospital Quality Assurance And Outcomes Of Hospitalization, Patricia A. Rowell

Theses and Dissertations

This study was undertaken to address the need of professionals responsible for assuring the quality of hospital care for a framework for understanding and evaluating quality assurance mechanisms and their impact on hospital quality of care. Primary data were collected from 70 Virginia short term acute care general hospitals on the design and resources of their quality assurance programs in 1986. Adverse outcome data for 1986 were collected from the Medical Society of Virginia Review Organization. Hospital structural data were obtained from the American Hospital Association computer data base and the Federal Register. The intermediate outcome variables are: rate of …

Integrating A Kodaly Music Curriculum Into A Developmental Early Childhood Program, Phyllis Entin

Theses and Dissertations

Nye (1975) states that the music teacher in a developmental early childhood program needs to have a "fundamental understanding of music in order to plan and organize music experiences based on reliable theories of how children think and learn" (p.41). The Kodaly approach is based on theories of child development and learning. Its specific sequential organization and developmental presentation of material separates it from other early 110 childhood music programs. The teacher trained in the Kodaly approach has a sound understanding of the musical elements presented in the song material. Both musical analysis and teaching techniques enable the teacher to …

Adolescent Pregnancy And Loneliness, Estelle M. Brodeur

Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive study explored loneliness among pregnant adolescents in a southeastern metropolitan area. Numerous psychosocial variables of the special population of pregnant teens remain to be studied. One such variable is loneliness, a feeling often experienced by adolescents. The present study hypothesized that loneliness may occur during adolescent pregnancy. To date, one study exists (Diiorio & Riley, 1988) of loneliness and adolescent pregnancy.

The problem statement was: Does loneliness exist among pregnant adolescents? Three research questions were addressed:

Within this sample:

1. To what extent does loneliness exist?

2. Is loneliness more frequent during certain ages?

3. Do pregnant black …

Stress And Social Support Of Parents With An Adult Mentally Retarded Child, Nancy Patricia Kropf

Theses and Dissertations

Parent-child caregiving is the most basic caregiving situation. However, parents who continue to provide care to an adult mentally retarded child have been an unexamined group of caregivers. This study compared stress levels and social support constellations among these caregivers and two other groups of parents.

The study tested two major hypotheses. Parents who were caregivers for an adult child with mental retardation were predicted to report higher stress levels and smaller social support constellations than the other groups. Two comparison groups were included in the study. One group was parents of an mentally retarded child who did not live …

Age, Gender, And Religious Differences In Moral Perspective, Samuel L. Clay

Theses and Dissertations

An investigation was conducted to see if age and gender are related to a preference for a caring versus a justice morality. The World View Questionnaire with 40 word pairs was used to measure a preference for a caring morality. It was found that there was a significant gender difference in the caring score, with the females scoring higher than the males. There also was a significant religious difference in the caring score with religious and especially Mormon subjects scoring higher than non-religious subjects. There was not, however, a significant age difference as was predicted.

Expression Of An Expectation Of A Future Desire To Move By Older Community-Dwelling Adults, Brenda K. Goodman

Theses and Dissertations

Empirical evidence in the gerontological literature supports the commonly held belief that older adults, overwhelmingly, prefer to remain in their own homes. Despite this fact, older adults residing in the community often express an expectation that they will move in the future.

There is a paucity of empirical findings on those factors which are most influential on the expression of an expectation of a future desire to move. Logistic regression was used to analyze data from the third wave of a longitudinal study of elderly Massachusetts residents residing in the community to identify possible antecedents to the expression of an …

Measuring Cognitive Appraisal : The Development Of The Dakota Cognitive Appraisal Inventory, Cheri L. Hexum

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Analysis Of 3-Channel "Vector" Visual Evoked Potentials And Possible Neuroanatomical Correlates, Lance Mitchell Siegel

Theses and Dissertations

he use of evoked potentials to evaluate the functional integrity of neuronal pathways has become a useful and accepted practice in clinical medicine. The use of visual evoked potentials for assisting in the diagnosis of such diseases as optic neuritis and multiple sclerosis is also well recognized. However, the visual evoked potential, unlike the auditory evoked potentials, lacks a well defined electrophysiological to neuroanatomical correlation; especially that of a significant non-cortical component. Currently, visual evoked potentials rely principally on the measurement of a cortical (occipital) positive peak of activity at 100ms (P100), recorded with a single channel electrode system, to …

A Prospective Study Of Cancer Patients Developing Nausea And/Or Vomiting In Response To Chemotherapy., Marc W. Haut

Theses and Dissertations

Two of the most common and distressing side effects of chemotherapy for cancer are nausea and vomiting. Nausea and/or vomiting that follows treatment is thought to be pharmacological in nature, while nausea and/or vomiting experienced in anticipation of treatment is hypothesized to be a conditioned response.Few studies have examined nonpharmacological, psychological factors in the development and experience of postchemotherapy nausea and/or vomiting. While much research has been conducted on psychological factors associated with the development and experience of anticipatory nausea and/or vomiting, the vast majority of these studies have been retrospective in nature. The purpose of the present study was …

The Relationship Of Transportation Effort To Level Of Anxiety In Radiotherapy Patients, Margaret E. Yerkes

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Competency For Execution : A Study Of Forensic Psychologists, Marty Paul Witucki

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Characteristics Of Potential Adopters Of Sustainable Agricultural Practices, Cordell A. Fontaine

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Practice Behaviors Of Alberta Soccer Coaches, Mary B. Dyck

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.