Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

The Development Of The Metacognitive Elements Of Study Scale, Tiffney Jo Yeager

Theses and Dissertations

Current theories suggest that metacognitive skills are an important aspect of effective studying. However, few learning and study questionnaires assess the metacognitive components of studying and those that do often assume that certain strategies are more appropriate than others, regardless of the person or the task. The questionnaire developed in this research was designed to measure the metacognitive elements of study strategies, regardless of the type of strategies used. This questionnaire should provide additional information regarding a person's metacognitive skills, beyond what is assessed by other measures of studying ability.

The new questionnaire (Metacognitive Elements of Study Scale; MESS) was …

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 …

The Dna Sequence From A Cloned 15 Kilobase Fragment Of The Chlamydomonas Acidophila Mitochondrial Genome And Rna Transcript Production In Response To Cadmium, Scott A. Hoffman

Theses and Dissertations

Chlamydomonas acidophila is a unicellular green alga of the order Chlamydomonadales. Our research efforts were allied along two lines: (1) Characterization of the C. acidophila mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) and (2) Elucidation of any molecular events responsible for C. acidophila's heavy metal tolerance. The mitochondrial genomes of the protists have been underrepresented in the sequence databases. Among the protists, the alga genera Chlamydomonas shows a reduced mtDNA content with a highly rearranged gene structure. It was decided to sequence C. acidophila's mtDNA to further elucidate the evolutionary paths among the Chlamydomonads and add to the protist sequence database. A 15 kb …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Implementing A Peer Mediation Program To Reduce Discipline Problems In Pine Hill Schools, Pamela Bates Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to explore the effects of Peer Mediation, mentoring and counseling techniques on sixth grade males in order to improve behavior and reduce discipline problems. The population was a selected group of males from the sixth grade who had experienced significant disciplinary actions. The population was studied for approximately three marking periods while receiving a combined program of counseling with a male counselor, male mentoring and Peer Mediation. The sample size, although small, was totally representative of the socially unacceptable behavior population. The data gathering procedures consisted of individualized interviews with each participant determining the …

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 …

Promoting Staff Development At Midway School, Noreen C. Glading-Hill

Theses and Dissertations

Midway School loses forty percent of its teaching staff on a yearly basis. The purpose of this study was to identify specific factors and their relationship to the absence of a professional development program. The study was designed to answer the questions of how professional development affects the attitudes and outlook of teachers, and was staff development the most effective way of achieving positive attitudes or enthusiasm for the teaching profession.

The researcher used six teachers from three distinct groups, all with at least ten years in the teaching profession. All six teachers had experienced either traditional or individual forms …

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, …

An Analysis Of Spacetime Numbers, Nicolae Andrew Borota

Theses and Dissertations

The familiar complex numbers begin by considering the solution to the equation i² = -1, which is not a real number. A two-dimensional number system arises of the form z = x + iy. Spacetime numbers are based upon the simple relation j² = 1, with the corresponding two-dimensional number system z = x + jt. It seems odd that anything useful can come from this simple idea, since the solutions of our j equation are the familiar real numbers +1 and -1. However, many interesting applications arise from these new numbers. The most useful aspect of spacetime …

Peer Observation: A Supplement To Formal Evaluation, William K. Hanley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the benefits of peer observation as it affected the teaching staff of Woodbury Junior/Senior High School (New Jersey).

A survey was administered to a group of 13 teachers in the Woodbury Public Schools after they had experienced peer observation. The original sample included 28 teachers who had been selected by the intern in an attempt to guarantee diversity in age, experience, gender, and teaching discipline. Participation was voluntary and those who volunteered were permitted to select their partner and choose their role in the process. Twenty-four teachers wished to participate but almost …

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 Use Of Computer Technology By Students With Special Needs, Debra A. Mercincavage

Theses and Dissertations

A study was conducted to investigate the use of computer technology during the instruction of students with special needs. The study examined how computer technology was used during instruction by special education teachers and by students with mild disabilities and students with severe disabilities. The relationship between the category of student with special needs, the academic areas of Language Arts and Mathematics and the computer application used during instruction were the focus of the research. Special education teachers of students with mild and students of severe disabilities teaching in a variety of classroom setting were surveyed. Teachers of students with …

Behavioral Change Encouraged Noncoercively: An Effectiveness Study Of Riverside Middle School's Time Out Room, Dennis S. Perry

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the newly implemented time-out room in changing the negative behavior that is exhibited by some middle school children. The time-out room is similar to the traditional in-school suspension room. The rooms differ in the duration of time that a student spends in the room and the services that the child receives while there. The student who was sent to the time-out room for behavior deemed unacceptable developed a plan to prevent any future reoccurrence of a similar offense. The student who spent time in the time-out room also received …

The Infusion Of Service-Learning Into The Curriculum Of Cinnaminson High School, Robert A. Krastek

Theses and Dissertations

This study was done to determine the effect of service-learning on the students of Cinnaminson High School. This was the first phase of a long-range project that would lead to every Cinnaminson High School student being introduced to service-learning, during his or her high school career.

The study was conducted with a limited student population that included students in the Advanced Placement United States History II classes. These were homogeneous classes of about fifty-one students who were given the option of creating a service-learning project. They were required to produce a portfolio on their experience.

Data was collected through the …

The Quality Of School Life Scale As A Predictive Indicator Of Student Disengagement From School, Sandra M. Lazar

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this ex post facto, action research project is to test the hypothesis that the Quality of School Life Scale (Epstein & McPartland, 1976) has the predictive capability to identify students, early in a school year, who later in the school year manifest traditional disengaged behaviors. If the hypothesis is supported and students who, as a group, score lower on the QSL Scale display significantly more traditional disengaged behaviors than higher scoring students, the finding would support using the QSL as a proactive assessment tool to identify students who are at-risk for disengagement.

This study has several phases: …

The Effect Of An Alternative In-School Suspension Program On The Suspension Rate Of Special Education Students As Compared To A Program Of Out-Of-School Suspension, Kelly Brydges

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if an alternative in-school suspension program will reduce the suspension rate of special education students as compared to an out-of-school suspension program. Thirteen special education students were selected to be the subjects of this research. The discipline records of these thirteen students from the 1997-98 school year were compared to the 1998-99 school year. The alternative in-school suspension program for the 1998-99 school year differs from the 1997-98 school year. The discipline policy for the 1998-99 school year includes a Learning Center which is attended from three in the afternoon to seven …

Professional Development Through The Use Of Technology, Joan M. Geraci

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to introduce the Gloucester County Special Services School District educators to the concept of using technology for the purpose of professional development.

A descriptive research method was used in the study that included a Technology Survey of the Compensatory Education Teachers. Surveys were distributed prior to and following the inservice component of the study. The technology survey instrument utilized was developed by the Intern and pretested by administrators and educators in the district. The frequency of responses were recorded and calculated into percentages for purposes of data analysis.

After experiencing exposure to the Internet …

A Study To Determine Whether An Integrated Reading And Language Arts Program Will Improve The Attitudes And Performance On Writing Of Second, Third, And Fourth Grade Students With Learning Disabilities, Cheryl Mccauley

Theses and Dissertations

A large majority of classified students have difficulties with reading and writing. There has been much debate among professionals regarding the best practices in teaching reading and writing to these students. One such practice, integrated instruction, has received increased attention over the past decade. This study was an attempt to find out whether an integrated reading and language arts program would improve the attitudes and performance on writing of second, third, and fourth grade learning disabled students. Sixteen subjects who attended either a resource room or a self-contained classroom for reading and language arts instruction served as subjects. The study …

Discipline That Builds Student Self-Discipline, Lory O'Brien

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness of a discipline method that builds student self-discipline in the interaction of high school teachers and their students using an action research design. Implementing a discipline system that builds student self-discipline means increasing the effectiveness of teacher management of disruptive students and decreasing the number of disciplinary referrals that are sent to school administrators.

A strategy for training seventeen volunteer teachers in a new disciplinary technique was planned, implemented and evaluated. The teachers involved in the study participated in three workshop sessions designed to teach them a discipline strategy that …

A Quantitative Study Of The Relationship Between Academic Achievement And The Developmental Study Of Vocal And Instrumental Music, James R. Ponter

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a quantitative relationship existed between academic achievement as measured by California Achievement Test scores and the involvement of high school students in the developmental study of vocal and instrumental music.

The California Achievement Test Level 20 (CAT-5) scores of a cohort of 170 students were evaluated from grades nine and ten. Students were grouped according to whether they were involved in developmental vocal music, instrumental music, vocal and instrumental music programs, or no music study.

Reading, Language, and Mathematics scores for students in music programs were compared to non-music students using …

The Multiage Classroom, Gertrude E. Ward

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain a thorough understanding of the multiage classroom and to compare the academic and social performance of students in the traditional type classroom to students in a multiage classroom.

The subject of this study were 24 students in the traditional fifth grade classroom at the Hurffville Elementary School and the 30 multiage students in the fourth and fifth grade multiage classroom at the Thomas Jefferson School.

The academic performance was evaluated through the use of curriculum based tests in the area of Reading and Math. Student surveys were used to compare the development …

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 …

The Use Of Performance Assessment In The Middle School Resource Room, Kimberly Ann Powell

Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on the use of performance assessment in the middle school resource room. I hypothesized that formally stating criteria used for evaluation would increase student performance and positively affect students' finished products. The size of the subject sample was ten students, ranging in age from 10 to 15 years and enrolled in grades four through eight. The students were all designated as Eligible for Special Education. Methods included observation, creation of materials, data collection, and formal evaluation through the use of rubrics. There were two phases of research throughout this study with results compiled for each term. Students …

The Use Of Social Skills Training And Its Impact On The Behaviors Of Elementary Students With Multiple Handicaps, Stephanie L. Winkler

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the use of social skills training and its impact on the behaviors of elementary students with multiple handicaps. The two main areas of focus were to improve social conformity and ego strength. Deficits were discovered in these two areas after a pre-test was given to the eleven subjects using the Burk's Behavior Rating Scale and after reviewing the students' Individual Education Plans (lEP's). The students then underwent a ten lesson unit that attempted to increase their social and peer interactions and therefore their self-esteem. The students were taught through modeling, prompting, discussion, direct instruction, role-playing, and discovery. …

Technology: An Imperative In Schools Today, Maria Malanga

Theses and Dissertations

This study identified, prioritized, and fulfilled technological needs of faculty and staff at an elementary school. A list of technological skills in ascending hierarchical order was devised. From the list, a needs analysis was devised. Through the use of the survey, the intern was able to glean a holistic view of the needs of the faculty. Due to financial constraints, the intern provided workshops to fulfill the needs. A comparison of skills both before the workshops and again afterward, showed a significant increase in computer competency in five of the eight indicators-specifically the ability to recognize hardware components, power up …