Digital Commons Network^™

The Institutional Effects On Report Of Incidents In A Youth Correctional Facility, Jeff D. Bry

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of The City Of Danville-Pittsylvania County Annexation, Gerald A. Craver

Theses and Dissertations

An insufficient amount of evaluation research has been conducted on Virginia's annexations. This study helps to fill that void by evaluating the Danville - Pittsylvania County annexation. The thesis attempts to determine if the city of Danville benefited from the annexation and if Pittsylvania County was able to recover from the loss that it suffered as a result of the annexation.

In order to evaluate the annexation, data was collected and analyzed for seven research categories: urban services, planning, demographics, community leadership, local government cooperation, economic development, and public finance. In addition, government documents were reviewed to collect information that …

Motivations, Social Influences, And Attitudes Regarding Recyclers And Non-Recyclers : A Symbolic Interactionist Perspective, Melissa Elizabeth Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Gulf War Syndrome And The Self, Eric J. Burton

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Women's Leisure As It Relates To Work And Family Life, Brenda Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Theories Of Women's Economic Independence In The Short Fiction Of Sarah J. Pritchard, Mary Wilkins Freeman, And Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, Lilly L. Manske

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

American Indian Population With Type 2 Diabetes : Evaluation Of A Foot-Care Program, Bonita F. Conner

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Coaching Club, Darcy D. Cascaes

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Grand Forks Employers : Distributive Justice Of Employee Benefits, Kenneth Williment

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Sex Differences In Family Caregiving, Sarah M. Shimek

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Persistence And The Ethnic Immigrant Community, Linda J. Tinderholt

Theses and Dissertations

" ... a detailed examination of two ... communities in North Dakota, one settled by Germans from Germany and one by Germans from Russia"--Leaf vii

Reconsidering Solidarity In The Mormon Village, Todd L. Goodsell

Theses and Dissertations

In what became a classic rural community study, Lowry Nelson concluded in his first Mormon village series in the 1920's that the Mormon village is characterized by an extraordinary sense of solidarity. He claimed that this strong solidarity can be primarily explained by four factors of the social group: leadership, conflict, cooperation, and ideology. After resurveying the Mormon village in 1950, he concluded that solidarity had declined. However, a few problems become apparent to the present researcher looking back upon Nelson's findings. One of them is that Nelson never had a clear definition of solidarity to begin with. Another is …

Reasons, Goals, And Incentives For Corporate Philanthropy To Arts Organizations, Marsonda Mcnutt Schroeder

Theses and Dissertations

One of the methods employed by corporations to create a favorable relationship with its publics is to use philanthropy to not- for-profit organizations such as the arts. From a communication point of view, this action may be looked upon as a gesture between the corporation, the recipient, and the publics which involves messages both sent and received. Research on this communication gesture is important because arts organizations need to know how the process works in order to help secure philanthropic dollars. Corporations need to understand the results of the process so that they can more effectively achieve the goals for …

The Effect Of Biculturalism On Self-Esteem In Northern Plains Native American College Students, Mary J. Wilkie

Theses and Dissertations

The main purpose of this study was to examine the effect of biculturalism on self esteem in a sample of 51 Northern Plains Native American college students (29 females, 22 males). Subjects completed the Northern Plains Biculturalism Inventory (NPB1; Allen & French, 1994) and the Index of Self-Esteem (ISE; Hudson, 1982). Pearson Product- Moment correlations, independent t-tests, a multiple regression analysis, and an one-way analysis-of-variance was performed using the SPSS statistical package to examine, if any, the relationships between the NPBI subscales and the ISE total scores. This design tested the applicability of the Orthogonal Theory of Biculturalism (Oetting & …

An Economic/Demographic Comparison Of Air Force And Other Service Families, John C. Glover

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to compare economic, attitudinal and demographic variables for families in all branches of service to see in which areas the Air Force is ranked/rated higher and lower than other services. Analysis is broken out by officers and enlisted personnel in all main branches of service (Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marines). Two testing methods are employed to determine if there is a difference between the services: Tukey's multiple comparison procedure, and pair-wise comparisons of proportions for the different services. Results indicate that Air Force officers rate the Air Force higher for lower number of …

Meaning In Family Mealtime, Ardyth Gunnell Cannon

Theses and Dissertations

This project asks families what mealtime together means to them. The topic of family mealtime appears comparatively infrequently in academic literature, and any meaning that families associate with mealtime has seldom been studied directly. This particular research investigates meanings of the understudied mealtime event by interviewing three or four generations of family members from five different families. Attention is paid to emerging standards of rigor for qualitative research, namely applicability through the selection of families who have a history of practicing a family mealtime tradition, truth value in faithfully representing the interviewees perceptions, and auditability by including detail of the …

Factors Influencing The Decision To Withdraw Mechanical Ventilation, Deborah D. Gengerke

Theses and Dissertations

Research reveals that the decision to withdraw life-sustaining medical treatment is commonly faced by surrogate decision makers of the critically ill. Factors noted to be considered by healthcare providers when addressing the decision to withdraw life-sustaining treatment include poor patient prognosis, poor patient quality of life should the patient survive, and the patient's previously expressed wishes regarding life sustaining treatment.

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that are present in surrogates' decisions to withdraw life-sustaining mechanical ventilation from the critically ill adult. The target population was 31 surrogate decision-makers who had agreed to withdraw life-sustaining mechanical …

A Study Of Multi-Sensory Instruction On Fourth Grade Students' Reading Achievement, Kristine Carter

Theses and Dissertations

Research has supported that by accommodating teaching methods to complement student learning styles, academic achievement and attitudes improve. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of multi-learning style based instruction, specifically perceptual preferences, on the reading achievement of fourth grade students. Forty-seven students in two intact classrooms from one elementary school participated in the pretest/posttest control group design. A pretest was given to both groups to ensure initial group equivalence. An experimental group then received multi-perceptual instruction for a period of two weeks while a control group was taught by traditional instruction. Following the instruction period, a …

A Content Analysis Of New Jersey Law Firms' World Wide Web Site Home Pages, Karen Kaufman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the content of New Jersey law firm home pages on their World Wide Web sites in order to compare and contrast selected variables.

Previous studies and information on legal Web site presence on the World Wide Web was researched.

Fifteen Web sites were studied to compile an initial list of variables. The variables were adjusted based on research of the law firms and browsers' opinions. Twenty-nine variables were selected.

Major Web sites researched were the National Law Journal, the Indiana University School of Law, and the American Bar Association. None led to …

Parental Involvement And Its Impact On Student Performance In The Primary Grades, Charlene G. Bundy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if parental involvement increased the school performance of students in the primary grades. Research shows that parents who are supportive, monitor their child's activities, help their child, and participate with their child's school positively impact their child's school performance. The independent variable was parental involvement and the dependent variable was school performance. The sample consisted of 20 students in first, second, and third grade. A parent questionnaire was completed by parents who also provided their child's school grades in math and reading. The questionnaire asked parents to rate the frequency that they …

A Study Of The Correlation Between Internal Communication Programs And Employee Morale, Gary L. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzed the relationship between internal communication programs and employee morale. Fifty-three communication professionals were contacted to determine:

• whether their company had an internal communication policy
• whether supervisory staff were trained to communicate effectively
• whether supervisory staff were held accountable for communicating with their subordinates
• the perceived benefits to internal communication programs.

Telephone interviews and mailed surveys yielded the following major conclusions:

• Ninety-five percent of the respondents felt there is a direct correlation between internal communication and employee morale.
• Five percent of the respondents felt there is an indirect correlation between internal communication and employee morale.
• Seventy-seven percent of …

Pet Attachment And Health Status In Urban And Rural Families, Julia K. Senchuck

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Jazz Band Participation By Gender In Secondary High School Instrumental Music Programs, Douglas Penn Barber

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a gender inequity exists in student participation in high school jazz band.

The sample for this study consisted of students involved in the instrumental programs of high schools in South Jersey. A survey was generated by the researcher to collect data on participation. Sixty-eight surveys were mailed and forty-three were returned.

Data were converted to percentages and compared by instrument for participation in the overall program and the jazz program.

On the basis of these data there is a gender inequity in the participation of jazz band. The difference is a …

Factors That Influence Academic Achievement, Leah Georgene Shaffer

Theses and Dissertations

Does environment affect academic achievement? The dispute over environmental influences has been the topic of numerous debates. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between academic achievement and the following environmental factors: family structure, ethnic background, socioeconomic circumstances and family size. The 1,500 participants of this study were collected from a large, extremely diverse elementary school population. From this general population, 134 students were selected for the control group based on participation in the Basic Skills Program. Data was collected using teacher surveys and parent contact information. State and federal guidelines were used when identifying children for Basic Skills …

The Effect Of Higher Education On Attitudes And Values: Gender And The Academic Environment, Gayle Robbins

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of exposure to a post-secondary educational environment on attitudes and values was assessed utilizing a cross-sectional research design. Four hundred sixty-two participants completed the Schwartz Value Survey and a social distance scale. Of these, 56 were first and second year undergraduates, 57 were third and fourth year undergraduates, 85 were masters level graduate students, 77 were doctoral level graduate students, 96 were non-tenured faculty and 91 were tenured faculty. It was hypothesized that students and entry level faculty would undergo a socialization processes which would include changes in attitudes and values consistent with established tenured faculty. Oneway ANOVAs …

Impact Of The 1997 Red River Valley Flood On Marital Relationships, Karen M. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the gains in disaster research on families, there is little research on the impact of disasters on marital relationships. This study addresses this under- researched area through the examination of the effects of the 1997 Red River Valley Flood on marital relationships.

Data was collected through in-depth interviews with ten heterosexual married couples. The results indicate that the 1997 Red River Valley Flood did have an impact on marital relationships. However, the impact of the flood appeared to be mediated by the state of the couples' relationships prior to the flood. Couples who reported strong relationships prior to the …

The Organizational Climate Of Eastern Regional High School, Kirk Martin Rickansrud

Theses and Dissertations

This study was done on the premise that a school's organizational climate affects employee morale, behavior, and motivation. This study was conducted in order to communicate to all administrators and faculty the status of Eastern Regional High School's organizational climate. The essence of this type of study was to create new avenues of open communication, coupled with the push for a more reflective practice, between the faculty and administration. The results have allowed individuals to make suggestions to improve the educational quality and effectiveness of the entire school.

The design of the study was to conduct a survey of employee …

The Effects Of Tactile/Kinesthetic Instructional Strategies In The Biology Classroom, Janice Batten Sees

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the addition of tactile/kinesthetic instruction to the biology classroom could significantly increase learning. Various kinds of tactile/kinesthetic lessons were taught to three experimental groups who also received visual and auditory instruction. These tactile/kinesthetic lessons included task cards, task puzzles, manipulatives, total body movement, and large floor games. The control group only received visual and auditory instruction. The subjects were 84 College Biology students from Buena Regional High School, a school in rural South Jersey. The classes varied in gender and race. The same instructor taught all classes and the length of …

Nationalism In Spain: Is It A Danger To National Integrity?, Fernando Pastor Villar

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years there has been a worldwide resurgence of ethnic nationalism as ethnic minorities have seen in this ethnic differentiation a better way to increase their political power within the states where they reside. Spain is a complex country divided into a number of contrasting regions with widely varying economic and social structures as well as different historical, political, and cultural traditions that includes different languages. This extreme complexity is related to its national diversity and also to the political and social articulation of nationalist claims within the state. This study arrives at five conclusions. First, Basque and Catalan …

Oral Performances As Ritual: Animating The Invisible In Mormon Women's Miscarriage Stories, Kristin Leifson Ballif

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is comprised of ten Mormon women's miscarriage stories and it is their stories that are used as the text for my analysis. The purpose of the study is to provide a space for these women to share their experiences and to reveal their cultural values and beliefs. Because the women are all Mormon, there are some distinctive cultural and religious values that are shared within their stories and it is these aspects that are analyzed and discussed within the text.

Women need to be able to share their miscarriage stories so as to alleviate feelings of isolation and …