Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Of The Superintendency Supply Issue For Public Education In Arkansas, Virginia L. Abernathy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the replacement pool for the projected upcoming superintendent vacancies in Arkansas' public schools. The study sought to determine the number of public school administrators holding a superintendency license and who want to become superintendent in the state of Arkansas during the next five years. In addition, the study addressed factors that encouraged or discouraged applicants in seeking a superintendency position. The sample consisted of the 421 principals and central office administrators who currently held a superintendency license. Only 174 individuals indicated an interest in seeking a superintendency position during the next five …

Religiosity And Delinquency: A Test Of The Religious Ecology Hypothesis, S. Cory Harmon

Theses and Dissertations

Research testing the relationship between adolescent religiosity and delinquent behavior is inconclusive. Some studies show a significant negative relationship while others indicate no relationship. Stark (1996) asserts that the relationship between religiosity and delinquency is a function of community religiosity as opposed to personal religiosity. Thus, in areas of high religiosity, there will be a strong relationship, while areas of low religiosity will show no relationship. This study looks at the relationship between religiosity and delinquency of LDS youth in four different religious ecologies: Utah County (high religious ecology), the East coast (moderate religious ecology), the Pacific Northwest (low religious …

An Analysis Of A Case Study Of A Secondary Alternative Education Program In Brazil: Lessons For The United States, Charlene Marette Claye

Theses and Dissertations

This research study examined the effect of the Freirean Theory of Education on one alternative secondary education program for at-risk students in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. The learning theory, curriculum, and instructional methods were examined to determine the extent of the influence of Paulo Freire's Theory of Education, the extent of practice, and the extent to which faculty, students, and community members think it should be practiced. From this research, lessons were abstracted for use in schools in the United States. Brazil was chosen because of its shared history with the United States of slavery, colonialism, and oppression of people …

Student Drug-Testing Effects In Selected Arkansas Secondary Schools, David D. Bangs

Theses and Dissertations

This study was to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference in the mean number of student drug and alcohol discipline infractions among ten Arkansas high schools before and after an intervention of a mandatory random drug-testing intervention program for extracurricular activities. The assessment data used in this study were the totals of drug and alcohol discipline incidents or infractions at ten Arkansas secondary schools. The data collection was compiled from each school's administration using the state APSCN services. A survey instrument was completed with the appropriate annual data needed for the study. The annual data consisted of the …

The Isaiah Passages In The Book Of Mormon: A Non-Aligned Text, Carol F. Ellertson

Theses and Dissertations

Since the advent of the Dead Sea Scrolls, four biblical textual scholars have emerged at the forefront of the dialogue concerning textual evolution. They are: Frank Moore Cross, Emanuel Tov, Shemaryahu Talmon and Eugene Ulrich. Though there is some overlap in their hypotheses, each scholar has put forth a framework of biblical textual development in light of these new discoveries.

If a new biblical text were discovered today, how would each scholar approach it? This thesis evaluates each scholars' views and concludes that Emanuel Tov's criteria for judging a newly discovered text is the most thorough and explanatory. Tov's views …

Fame And Latter-Day Saint Youth: Value Conflicts And The Interpretive Audience, Shellie M. Frey

Theses and Dissertations

Fame is a paradoxical issue: a phenomenon that is both embraced and shunned simultaneously in American culture and particularly within many religious institutions. Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), for instance, discourage its members (particularly the youth) from seeking out fame as well as famous individuals as role models. Yet they also incorporate positive rhetoric about fame as well in terms of famous LDS people, landmarks or groups. Furthermore, various aspects of the LDS Church (worldwide televised conferences, widely distributed books written by Church leaders, etc.) are highly mediated, thus, integrated with a public venue …

Addressing Mormon Female Communities: Working Towards A Woman's Capacity, Alyssa Snow Larson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis project explores the discourse in Mormon culture addressing Mormon female communities. The discussion is sociological rather than theological and examines the functional characteristics of discourse found in the tradition regarding women. It sets out to review a paradox in the discourse addressing Mormon women that has been documented over time. I examine how this paradox in Mormon discourse establishes and limits women's roles; to do so, I use personal examples and the experience provided by thirteen women whom I interviewed.

The thesis is divided into three main discussions: Community, Discursive Action and Cooperation. My methodology involves a theoretical …

Mapping The Feminist Self, Erin Elizabeth Ceynar

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Spiritual Growth Resulting From The Death Of A Loved One, Jennifer L. Kane

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Neither This Nor That : Identity Formation Of Biracial People, Ronald T. Ferguson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Adoption And Safe Families Act : Foster Care Workers Impressions Of Implementation, Jody Goodell-Lange

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Y2000 Alcohol And Drug Survey: An Examination Of University Of North Dakota Students, Michael A. Seredycz

Theses and Dissertations

National and regional substance use studies suggest that college students are frequent users of alcohol, tobacco and drugs. This study examines substance use at UND, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods, examining the predictive power of Hirschi’s social control theory in response to collegiate substance use. This research will provide a profile of student activities and beliefs associated with use or non-use, as well as the prevalence of use of alcohol, tobacco and drugs.

Three focus groups were used to increase reliability and validity of the sample before a quantitative self-administered survey was administered to a convenient sample of students. …

Social Climate In The University Social System, Peter L. Groff

Theses and Dissertations

Social climate (campus climate), which is defined as "Equal Opportunity Climate, 1" has been deemed important by recent legislation requiring that federally funded institutions demonstrate a good faith effort to assess "climate" as an ongoing concern. The 1991 Civil Rights Act has expanded the working definition of social climate by including both the atmosphere and the behavior of discrimination. Social climate then becomes a legally recognized dimension of the workplace that is assumed to be a measurable concept, as an organizational level characteristic, that can be measured by individual perceptions and experiences with the social climate. One purpose of this …

The Impact Of Varying Teaching Style Techniques To Better Match Learning Styles In The Science Classroom, Karen M. Santoro

Theses and Dissertations

This paper will address the correlation between student learning styles and the mode of delivery employed for instruction, and the outcome: student test scores.

By integrating a learning style assessment with a teaching style assessment the researcher challenges the belief that science needs to be taught in a systematic, methodical fashion and varying teaching style will result in significantly higher test scores. The test scores of a class taught with traditional science teaching delivery (lecture style) and the test scores of a class taught with various teaching styles were then compared.

The method employed involved using a learning style survey …

An Introduction To Formal Sexuality Education: A Qualitative Study., Kari Lynn Berg

Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on perceptions of twelve fifth-grade boys and girls during a sexuality education unit in two elementary schools. The purpose of this study was to investigate, through open-ended questions of students and individuals involved with the puberty program planning and implementation, how students and adults accomplished a sexuality education class at the fifth-grade level. The research questions were: (1) How did classroom teachers and students perceive each other over the course of a puberty education unit? (2) What kind of learning environment was created for the puberty education classes? (3) How did the students experience the learning environment? …

Writing In A Psychology Classroom: Learning And Adopting The Apa Epistemology., Suellen Shaw

Theses and Dissertations

Each discipline has unique conventions and discourse, which new writers in that area must learn to gain entry and credibility in that discipline. Learning of a new discourse is not automatic. This dissertation explores how undergraduate students in two psychology classes have achieved that learning. In doing so it considers the following questions: “What strategies do students use to learn to write in psychology?” “How do students discern what an instructor's definitions of good writing are?” “How does that instructor convey the discourse and expectations to the students?” “What skills and knowledge are transferable from previous classes?” “What from previous …

A Factor Analysis Of Caucasian College Students' Perceptions Of Native American Women., Stephanie Larocque

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined Caucasian college students' perceptions of Native American women. The impetus of this study was the paucity of data pertaining to perceptions of Native American women. A trait scale derived from a modified Katz/Braly (1933) scale from LaRocque (1995) was presented to 478 Caucasian undergraduate college students at the University of North Dakota. The intent of this study was to scrutinize more closely this population's perceptions of Native American women via factor analytic techniques, and also to examine if participants perceptions of Native American women would differ significantly from their perceptions of women in general. The results indicated …

Taking Writing On-Line: The Intersections Of Rhetoric, Technology, And Community In The Composition Classroom, William C. Archibald

Theses and Dissertations

Discourse constructs individuals in community and by analogy constructs students (and teachers) in the networked-writing classroom. This work of constructing subjects moves us alternately toward the group (centripetal) and away toward becoming more individual (centrifugal). In order to understand this coordinate but opposite movement within on-line communication, the dissertation brings together the two strands (within the social) of technology and rhetoric. This rhetoric of technology is defined as the invention, arrangement, and delivery of computer-mediated language for the purpose of evoking action upon the part of an audience. The dissertation presents—among others—the discourse theory of Patricia Bizzell, Joseph Harris's ideas …

The Power Of One: The Effect Of One Athlete's Behavior On A Sport, Jennifer L. Field

Theses and Dissertations

This is a study of whether or not the effects of one athlete's behavior are broad enough to be felt throughout a sport. The researcher focused on three athletes whose behavior was thought to have left a permanent scar on the three sports involved. The athletes were: (1) Pete Rose, who was part of the Philadelphia Phillies 1980 World Series team and later became the manager of the Cincinnati Reds, who was accused of betting on baseball games, (2) Mike Tyson, former undisputed heavy weight champion of the world, who was convicted of rape and bit the ear of opponent …

Recognized Nonverbal Behaviors Of Leaders: Appearance Graphocentrism, Kinesics, Object Language And Proxemics, Carrie D. Hall

Theses and Dissertations

This study shows nonverbal behaviors adult students recognize as those leaders in classrooms use to convey their position of leadership.

The field of Public Relations is involved with clear, truthful two-way communication between senders and receivers of messages. It is desirable that all communication exchanges be complete with positive understanding of messages, especially those where one represents others with messages s/he delivers.

Existing research was reviewed to determine nonverbal behaviors leaders use in the five areas studied. A questionnaire was designed and administered to a non-probability quota sample. Semantic differential scales determined attitudes and beliefs students had about nonverbal communication …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Self-Esteem, Academic Achievement, And Popularity On Fourth And Fifth Grade Students, Carolyn M. Arata

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to find two relationships. The first relationship is between academic achievement and self-esteem and the second relationship is between self-esteem and popularity among fourth and fifth grade students.

The population used for the purpose of this study was a multiage classroom consisting of both fourth and fifth grades. The classroom was located in southern New Jersey. The population consisted of both male and female students. The students were given a questionnaire to measure personality and the Nonsexist Personal Attribute Inventory for Children which measured self-esteem. Academic achievement was measured by averaging grades, from mathematics, …

Understanding Students With Diabetes: A Communication Handbook For High Schools, Karen M. Ferguson

Theses and Dissertations

Effective communication between students with diabetes and school personnel is essential to the well-being of the student. The author conducted this study to identify the needs, feelings, and behaviors of students with diabetes.

The author performed literature searches and conducted informal, qualitative research techniques to obtain information for the handbook. The author conducted telephone interviews with seven nurses from selected counties in Southern New Jersey. The author asked the nurses questions about diabetes management in their schools. The author also questioned 15 students with diabetes regarding communication efforts with the school, signs and symptoms of high and low blood sugars, …

The Effects Of Acute Alcohol Intoxication On The Cognitive Performance Of Adult Children Of Alcoholics And Controls., Stephanie Marie Fuller

Theses and Dissertations

A decreased sensitivity to the effects of alcohol has been consistently demonstrated in adult children of alcoholics (ACAs) and has been hypothesized as a predictor of future risk of alcoholism. The present study investigated whether family history of alcoholism would influence response to alcohol on a number of cognitive tasks. ACAs and controls were administered either a dose of alcohol in the form of 1.25 ml/kg body weight of absolute ethanol or placebo and subjected to the FAS test of word fluency, the Sternberg memory scanning task, a reaction time task, a test of prose memory, the WAIS-R Digit Span …

A World Of Difference: A Multicultural Program, Newton Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to develop aggregated understandings of bias and how it affects violence in a school's culture using action research. The study, through A World of Difference Program's Anti-Bias Study Guide and peer interventions, will result in improved cultural relations. At this stage in the research, bias is studied and acknowledged.

A fifty thousand-dollar grant was awarded to Atlantic City's Board of Education, with one school piloting the program. The A World of Difference Program focuses on training, education, and interactive activities. Student and teacher volunteers who do the work will recognize and realize, through communications, …

Predictor Of Gender Role Attitudes: Family Composition Or Subject's Gender, Viviann F. Olmedo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate what would be the greater predictor of gender role attitudes: family composition (dual vs. single parent households) or the subject's gender on a population consisting of sixty-three college students ranging in age from nineteen through fifty-six.

Subjects were given a packet that contained four questionnaires related to: family composition/general information, parental responsibilities, subject's responsibilities and BEM inventory. All sixty-three subjects completed this survey to the best of their abilities.

The relationship between family composition (dual vs. single parent households), the subject's gender and their gender role attitudes (BEM scores) went unsupported.

Comparisons Between Add/Adhd Diagnosed And Non-Diagnosed Boys, Pre-Kindergarten Through Grade Eight, Daniel Del Vecchio

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of the Conners' Teacher Rating Scale-Revised: Short Form (CTRS-R: S). The CTRS-R: S is an instrument used for the assessment of attention-deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) and related behavioral problems in children and adolescents. The study included 225 boys in grades Pre-Kindergarten through eight. The subjects were divided into two groups. Group one consisted of 165 boys who were not diagnosed with ADD/ADHD; Group two consisted of 61 boys who had been previously diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. A second analysis regrouped the sample by grade-groups that were consistent …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Locus Of Control, Behavior And Academic Achievement In 5th Grade Students, Dawn Zuber

Theses and Dissertations

This study attempted to investigate the relationship between locus of control, academic achievement and behavior in 5th grade students. It was hypothesized that locus of control would be more internalized with high academic achievement and less behavior problems. A total of 40 subjects participated. Data was collected using the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale, the Devereux Behavior Scale-School Form and the Metropolitan Achievement Test. Using this data, a relationship was measured using the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient (r). The results demonstrated significant correlations between all of the variables. The results were interpreted to mean that 5th grade students with an …

Gender Identity And Course Selection, Michele Nasife-Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Differences between males and females in cognitive skills during adolescence are trivial, but despite this absence of differences females are less likely to pursue advanced courses in math and science, and those who do are more likely to drop out before finishing. This has implications, because some females may have personality characteristics that lead them away from stereotypical careers. The consensus of the research is that females are not encouraged to pursue careers in math and science because they are seen as masculine careers. This study examined gender identity and how it correlates with academic major and career choice in …

How The News Media Tell The Story Of The Yanomami: A Qualitative Study Of Narrative Coherence And The Ideal Audience, Tania H. Cantrell

Theses and Dissertations

The news media link anthropological discovery and the communications discipline. In this study, press stories about the Yanomami Indians of northern Brazil and neighboring Venezuela have been studied and narratively analyzed according to Narrative Paradigm Theory. While not an audience study, plausible interpretations of ideal audience member values and insights into the question of human identity are presented. It is argued that the media are storytellers who tell the audience about itself by telling it about others recursively.

Press coverage of the Yanomami is divided into eight general categories. These include the environment, effects of "civilization," warfare/violence, massacre, gold miners, …

An Intelligent User Interface To Support Air Force Weather Product Generation And Automated Metrics, Darryl N. Leon

Theses and Dissertations

Air Force pilots require dependable weather reports so they may avoid unsafe flying conditions. In order to better gauge the accuracy of its weather products, Air Force Weather has established the requirement for an Air Force-wide automated weather metrics program. Under the guidelines for this program, forecasts will automatically be compared to observed weather to determine their accuracy. Statistics will be collected in the hopes of determining forecast error trends that can be corrected through education and training. In order for the statistical data produced by such a program to draw reliable conclusions about forecast accuracy, however, the correct format …