Digital Commons Network^™

Common Higher Callings To Social Compassion: A Phenomenological Study Of Civic Praxis, Herbert J. Barker Edd

Dissertations

In recent decades there has been an increasing interest in the ethical dimensions of leadership. James MacGregor Burns' (1978) watershed work, Leadership, heralds an intellectual breakthrough for grasping the significance of a moral level of consciousness that is universal. Although Burns (1978) writes that humanistic psychology now allows for generalization about leadership process across cultures, there remains little research which frames leadership in a Global Ethic, in humanistic psychological constructs or as philosophical ideas of a universal ethical consciousness. Therefore, it is the purpose of this phenomenological study to gather and analyze narratives of altruistic leadership praxis for disclosures of …

Enter The Water Carriers: Embracing Parenting Experience In Work Teams, Christine Cecil Edd

Dissertations

Parenting experience is rarely valued or integrated with the work of a competitive society such as that of the United States. Despite the implementation of family-friendly workplace policies, institutional structures and practices continue to preclude the substantive acknowledgment of how parenting experience might contribute to the American workplace (Borrill & Kidd, 1994; Jenner, 1994; Rodgers, 1993). The dynamic complexity of parenting and the concomitant necessity to make constant response shifts and navigate incessant uncertainty, is not acknowledged as collateral for the responsiveness required by complex organizations. Familial commitments are often viewed as antithetical to productivity and profit (Bailyn, 1993): babies …

Romanticizing Leadership: A Historical And Cultural Critique, Elisa Maureen Sandra Carlson Edd

Dissertations

Romanticism, a cultural and intellectual ideology of the late 18th and early 19th century, left a historical legacy of ecstasy and disaster upon subsequent generations. Manifestations of neo-romanticism are evident in many areas of contemporary culture. These modern manifestations, which include an infusion of the spiritual into everyday life, pantheistic adoration of nature, glorification of the self, fascination with the irrational, focus on the power of the imagination, subjugation of the individual to the common good, and apocalyptic hope for a new world, are influencing, theories and practices of leadership. This research set out to find out whether leadership studies …

Teammind: A Case Study Of Collective Synergism, Team Development, And Decision-Making Under Time Constraints, Norina E. Finley Edd

Dissertations

Advances in technology are challenging our concept of time and cognitive abilities to process and digest information in a dynamic environment. To develop a quality product that meets user's needs and to perform within budget and program milestones, requires the expertise and shared understandings of an intact multidisciplinary team in design decision making. Collaboratively team members need to communicate on solutions for integrated product development, from their different disciplinary perspectives. To survive in today's global competition, time-to-market gives research and development organizations the competitive edge in new product development, using emerging technologies. Therefore, there is a need for qualitative research …

Religiousness And Adjustment In Dementia Caregivers., George David Allen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

It was the aim of this dissertation to determine if and how religiousness in family members caring for relatives suffering from dementia affects the mental health of family caregivers. To that end two theories were presented for testing in the form of path models. These theories were based on stress-process cognitive theory as adapted to the dementia caregiver situation. In this theory caregiver strain (mental distress) was thought to be mediated by cognitive appraisal, and appraisal to be influenced by contextual characteristics, personal and family resources, and stressors. Model one proposed that intrinsic religious orientation would mediate between the burdens …

Computer Programming: Science, Art, Or Both?, Sandra Trent Gum

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine if spatial intelligence contributes to a student's success in a computer science major or if mathematical-logical intelligence is sufficient data on which to base a prediction of success. The study was performed at a small university. The sample consisted of 15 computer science (CS) majors, enrolled in a computer science class, and 15 non-CS-majors, enrolled in a statistics class. Seven of the CS-majors were considered advanced and seven were considered less advanced. The independent measures were: the mathematics and the English scores from the ACT/SAT (CS-majors); a questionnaire to obtain personal information; …

A Qualitative Assessment Of Spirituality And Its Impact On The Final Life Stage For A Sample Of Older Adults., Robert P. Heck

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The problem being addressed through this study is the need to adequately understand the significance of the spiritual experience for older adults, especially as related to their resolution of the final life stage of integrity versus despair as conceptualized by Erikson (1963). Qualitative research methods were utilized to conduct and analyze structured interviews with six older adults. Interview questions were validated by past research efforts on spirituality and on integrity versus despair. Research questions addressed in this investigation include the following: (a) Does Erikson's theory of integrity versus despair adequately explain the data and provide an appropriate framework for conceptualizing …

Intensive Supervised Probation And Institutional Placements For Adjudicated Youth: A Closer Look., Cleaster Marie Jackson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With the alarming rate of school violence and teen crime public outcry demands that we look for immediate remedies to make schools and communities safe. One solution which has received public support is the current trend to solve this problem by building more juvenile facilities to house these youth. This short term fix, which has been referred to as an "out of sight out of mind mentality" creates other concerns such as loss of educational dollars to public schools and highlights the lack of commitment to provide effective programs to meet the needs of challenging students. The purpose of this …

The Influence Of Decision Aids On User Behavior: Implications For Knowledge Acquisition And Inappropriate Reliance, Steven M. Glover, Douglas F. Prawitt, Brian C. Spilker

Faculty Publications

Structured decision aids are widely used in many organizational settings, and their influence on judgment consistency and accuracy have received considerable attention in the literature. While two benefits commonly associated with decision aid use are improved judgment and enhanced expertise development, relatively little attention has been directed toward the potential influence of decision aids on decision maker behavior. In particular, we argue that the use of structured aids may influence relatively inexperienced decision makers to approach aided tasks mechanistically, without becoming actively involved in the task or judgment. Such passive decision behavior may, in some situations, threaten gains in performance …

Comparison Of Male And Female Osteopathic Student Perceptions Of The Status Of Women In The Osteopathic Medical Education Environment., Carolyn Bailey Thompson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to compare the perceptions held by female and male osteopathic students in regard to the status of women in the osteopathic medical education environment. Three general categories were examined: family/career conflict, professional representation, and gender discrimination. A sample of 576 students finishing their second year of education at five osteopathic medical schools in the United States was surveyed with a final return rate of 69.44%. Schools were selected by purposive sampling and data were analyzed using general linear models. The focus of the analysis was to compare the perceptions females and males reported regarding …

University Of San Diego News Print Media Coverage 1997.01, University Of San Diego Office Of Public Relations

Print Media Coverage (1947-2009)

Printed clippings housed in folders with a table of contents arranged by topic.

Selection And Assignment Of Georgia Teacher Support Specialists (Mentors): Perceptions Of Principals And Beginning Teachers, Nelda Rose Anvik Bishop

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

The results of this study provided insight into the priorities that Georgia principals and beginning teachers place on interpersonal and professional characteristics used to select experienced teachers to serve as mentors for beginning teachers. This study further identified the processes which principals use in the identification process for potential mentors and examined the priority Georgia principals and beginning teachers provide for concerns used in assigning mentors to beginning teachers.

All public schools in Georgia are eligible to participate in providing mentor support for beginning teachers through the Georgia Mentor Teacher Program. Monies made available annually from the Georgia Department of …

Non-Representational Jurisprudence: A Centennial Reading Of "The Path Of The Law", Robert E. Rodes

Journal Articles

This paper analyzes particular passages in Holmes's famous lecture, and notes important inconsistencies and failings in his approach. After arguing strongly that moral considerations should not enter into legal judgments, he criticizes legal judgments in the light of moral considerations. After defining law as a prediction of what the courts will do, he seems to criticize courts for getting the law wrong in their decisions. His advice to learn the legal profession by studying law from the standpoint of a bad man leaves out of account the numerous potential clients who wish to be law abiding citizens and to seal …

The Good Of Marriage And The Morality Of Sexual Relations: Some Philosophical And Historical Observations, John M. Finnis

Journal Articles

This article examines the morality of sexual relations, referencing the views of many other scholars on the subject including Acquinas, Grisez, Noonan, and Koppelman.

Bulletin Of The University Of San Diego Graduate Division 1997-1999, University Of San Diego

Graduate Course Catalogs (1971-)

103 pages : illustrations, photographs ; 27.5 cm

1997-1998 Usd Facts, University Of San Diego

USD Fact Books (1985- )

No abstract provided.

Cost Measurement, Roger A. Lohmann, Nancy Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This article, which originally appeared in the 1997 Supplement to the Encyclopedia of Social Work is an overview and introduction to cost concepts as they are used in social work and human services. A few important ideas and concepts that have come into the picture since the original publication have been added to this version.

Managed Care: The Questionable Triumph Of Financial Management, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Managed Care is a generic term for a broad and constantly changing mix of health insurance, assistance and payment programs which seek to retain quality and access while controlling the cost of physical and mental health services. The introduction of managed care fundamentally transforms the traditional “agency” relationships on which modern social work was built. Little research on its impact on social services is currently available. The managed care model, with its distinctive external patterns of accountability, raises serious questions about the continuing viability of the “social agency” model of practice to which social work has been committed for most …

Indicated Silences In American Novels, Catherine Adamowicz

Open Access Dissertations

Studies have tended to focus on implied, not indicated, silences and/or to define the silence as the opposite and inferior condition of speech, reproducing and reinforcing the man/woman hierarchical binary.

This study, defining silence as the complement of speech, analyzes the significant of silences indicated by words and/or punctuation. Its purpose is to illustrate that the author's uses of silence reflect her subject position during a particular historical moment, that trends in uses evolve gradually, and that their direction can be predicted. The principle novels and authors used as examples are At Fault and The Awakening by Kate Chopin, …

Variations In Attention As Measured By Accuracy And Reactions Time Over The Course Of A Continuous Performance Task, Kevin J. Smith

Open Access Dissertations

This study developed and examined new methods to identify and quantify moment to moment fluctuations in attention as measured during an auditory Continuous Performance Task (CPT). The study had three major components. The first was the investigation of methods to describe and quantify fluctuations of good performance in CPT data. The results of that investigation were two different techniques, one which examined the number and length of hit runs (one or more consecutive successful target detections) in the data, and the second which examined response data via a spectral analysis process. Where applicable, the methodologies were thoroughly tested to assess …

A Quantitative And Qualitative Assessment Of Adolescent Hiv-Risk Predictors, Michelle A. Lang

Open Access Dissertations

HIV-risk was assessed, and staged by the Transtheoretical Model, among 239 adolescents, ages 13-19 (mean age 15), with a 163-item self-administered questionnaire, supplemented with qualitative data from 28 focus groups. Thirteen psychometrically reliable scales were isolated and validated with 457 youth pooled from previous samples: factual, transmission, and perceived AIDS knowledge, misconceptions, perceived susceptibility, self-efficacy, homophobia, substance use and abuse, communication assertiveness, condom use assertiveness, and risk histories for self and partner(s). AIDS risk was defined by frequency of unprotected occasions and number of intercourse partners. Sexual activity was indicated by 54 percent of the sample. Young men reported significantly …

Individual Differences In Timing Measures: Continuation Tapping, Relaxation Time, Reaction Time, And Critical Flicker Fusion, Anna S. Klevak

Open Access Dissertations

In order to investigate human time sense individual differences in timing were studied in a sample of 39 healthy adults at rest. Fast Muscular Relaxation Time, Preferred Muscular Relaxation Time, Critical Flicker Fusion Threshold, Continuation Tapping, and Simple and Choice Reaction Times were examined with the aim of determining both linear and non-linear relationships among the measures. Several significant linear relationships among the variables were obtained. Subjects with higher Critical Flicker Fusion threshold exhibited significantly less overall variability in timing, (p < 0. 001) and showed a slower increase in variability with increasing interstimulus interval. The Simple Reaction Time was positively correlated with the Fast Relaxation time (p < 0.05). The finding of a positive association between Choice Reaction time and Simple Reaction time (p < 0.001) was replicated in the present research. Subjects whose scores were located in the middle of the Preferred Muscular Relaxation Time (PMRT) distribution of scores exhibited less overall variability in Continuation Tapping (p < 0.05) in comparison with subjects who were located at both ends of the PMRT distribution of scores. The effect was attributed to the mechanism of a biological clock.

Some evidence for a relationship between the continuation tapping task and the single-response tasks was found. There was a …

Training Caregivers To Intervene In The Exploratory Play Of Young Children With Developmental Delays, Susan L. Curley

Open Access Dissertations

Play, particularly exploratory play, can be viewed as the arena in which a series of interactions between a child and the environment occur. However, children with developmental delays appear to be less able to fully engage in exploratory play and utilize the environmental information that such play provides (Krakow & Kopp, 1983). There is also preliminary evidence that caregivers can be trained to use behaviors that facilitate exploratory play when engaged with their children (Belsky, Goode, & Most, 1981). The purpose of the present study was to explore the potential of training caregivers to facilitate the exploratory play of developmentally …

Oral Contraceptive Use: The Application Of The Transtheoretical Model, Sara Suzanne Johnson

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

"The Freiris Of Berwik": A Critical Edition, Edward-David E. Ruiz

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Variations In Attention As Measured By Accuracy And Reaction Time Over The Course Of A Continuous Performance Task, Kevin Joseph Smith

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Effect Of The Degree Of Newness Of A Discontinuous Technological Innovation On Individuals' Judgments, Paschalina Ziamou

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Fay Weldon: A Contemporary Critical Voice, Victoria Pickett Kirby

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

On Two Eras Of African Archaeology: Colonial And National, Clea Koff

Nebraska Anthropologist

This paper examines the role of archaeology in the political agendas of both colonial and post-colonial African governments. Both forms of government have utilized selective interpretations of the archaeological record to further their political goals. The marriage between archaeologists and colonial administrations is examined in light of the temporal coincidence between the international rise of professional archaeology in the 18908 and the zenith of colonial occupation in sub-Saharan Africa. The concurrent nature of these two phenomena resulted in employment within colonial administrations for the majority of professional archaeologists. The archaeology of the post-independenoe era reflects a shift in paradigm, as …

Coming Home: An Investigation Of The Enfolding-Unfolding Movement Of Human Environmental Energy Field Patterns Within The Nursing Home Setting And The Enfoldment Of Health-As-Wholeness-And-Harmony By The Nurse And Client, Judith Treschuk Carboni

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.