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A Recorded Tape Analysis Of The Types And Frequencies Of Decisions Made By West Virginia School Boards From August 1990 To August 1995., Linda K. Mccall

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the relationship between the types of school board decisions identified by the Hange and Leary study (1996) and the duration of time spent on these decisions. The source of information for this study was electronically recorded minutes of selected West Virginia school board meetings during the time period of August 1990 to August 1995 and the types and frequencies of decisions identified by the Hange and Leary study (1996) of the same period. The duration of time spent on each decision type was determined by reviewing videotapes or audiotapes of meetings which corresponded to the selected written …

'Regional' Political Ecology And Underdevelopment In Appalachia: Case Studies From Two West Virginia Counties., James Todd Nesbitt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation analyzes the environmental history of Pendleton and Randolph Counties, West Virginia, as it relates to underdevelopment within the broader Appalachian region. Theories of political ecology and reconstructed regional geography are used to gain a better understanding of the intersection between cultural practice and human use of the natural environment. Specifically, three case study locales are utilized in this study to demonstrate local variability in natural resource issues within the Appalachian region. Political ecology and reconstructed regional geography are integrated to create a conceptually and contextually refined 'regional' political ecology which accounts for issues of geographic scale and alternative …

A Proposed Animal Model Of Clomipramine-Induced Posttraumatic Stress Disorder., Linda Louise Beeler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Clomipramine (CLI) administered to neonatal rats has been purported to induce behavioral abnormalities in adulthood analogous to human endogenous depression (Vogel et al., 1990). Based on recent findings (e.g., Beeler, 1994; Goodman, Beeler, & Birkle, 1995), wherein CLI animals were shown to have neurobiological correlates distinct to humans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the current study was proposed to investigate whether CLI induced alterations might be more analogous to, and a model for, PTSD. The activity of CLI and saline control (SAL) rats across late adolescence through early adulthood (i.e., 2-, 4-, and 6 months of age) was examined …

Family Firo Model Perspectives On Physical Spouse Abuse: An Exploratory Study., Antoinette Sgarlata Wiseman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Control is often a central concept in the explanation and treatment of physical spouse abuse. This study examined the usefulness of W. J. Doherty's and N. Colangelo's Family FIRO Model in explaining issues of control in physically aggressive couple relationships. The model is an adaptation of W. Schutz's Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation theory, which predicts the interpersonal fit in relationships from the satisfaction of the partners' intrapersonal inclusion, control, and affection needs. In further describing these needs, Doherty and colleagues place issues related to control in separate need areas, which could affect the initial focus of treatment. Thirty couples recruited …

Interstate Dialogue In State Constitutional Law, Patrick L. Baude

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of Principals And Teachers Regarding The West Virginia Mandated Performance Evaluation Of Teachers., Sarah Lee Brown

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare perceptions of principals and teachers concerning the West Virginia mandated performance evaluation of teachers. A comparison was made of principals' and teachers' perceived current and desired evaluation practice. Then a comparison was made between principals and teachers to find any differences in perceptions. Efforts were made to find relationships between overall satisfaction and evaluation practices and between overall satisfaction and demographic variables. Both groups were asked why teachers do not choose to enter the Phase I/II professional growth and development cycle. Surveys were mailed to 218 principals and 270 teachers, …

Involvement And Persistence: Nontraditional Student Perceptions Of The Student-College Relationship., James Leonard Butcher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study was based upon the premise that college students who perceive themselves to matter to their institutions will be more involved and inclined to persist in their educational experiences than those who perceive themselves to be marginalized. The study pursued the question of possible relationships among student perceptions of mattering, involvement and persistence with emphasis on nontraditional student issues. A questionnaire, The Mattering Scales for Adult Students in Postsecondary Education, with additional sections to measure perceptions of involvement and persistence, was administered to a sample of nontraditional and traditional students at a commuter oriented co-educational institution of 6,500 students …

Comparison Of A Pin Cam And An Inverted Pin Cam Design Based On The Parameters Used For The Axial Vane Rotary Engine (Beta Version)., Phillip Howard Burnside

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The comparison of two design variations of the Axial Vane Rotary Engine (AVRE) was done by evaluating several parameters. These two designs are called the Pin Cam and the Inverted Pin Cam designs. The first step involved developing a technique to determine the heat loads on the components of the engines since the engine is running at a steady state loading condition. The second step used this thermal data to get a final temperature profile. The third step combined the thermal data and the combustion data to perform a structural analysis of the engine components. This illustrated both the stresses …

A Study And Computer Data Base Of Innovative Compositional And Performance Techniques In Intermediate Piano Literature Composed From 1940 Through 1990., Lya Michele Cartwright

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study lists and analyzes serious intermediate piano literature written from 1940-1990. The purpose of this study is two-fold: (1) it identifies pieces which could be used to introduce contemporary styles and techniques to students at the intermediate level of piano study; and (2) it contains a data base listing 418 additional pieces which may be used for further study. Bartok's Mikrokosmos is a model collection for introducing piano students to the style and performance of early twentieth-century music. Since today's piano methods do not adequately prepare students to perform more recent repertoire, this study identifies and analyzes styles and …

Faculty Stance Toward Multiculturalism And Multicultural Education: A Qualitative Study., Jane Sheridan Cardi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Studies indicate that the implementation of multiculturalism into university general education course requirements such as introductory American literature is sporadic. Furthermore, although research suggests that faculty are more frequently including multicultural literature in their courses, there is little research concerning what faculty believe about multiculturalism and multicultural education and how faculty actually teach multiculturalism in higher education. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the knowledge of why faculty do or do not implement multiculturalism into their curricula and if they do, how they implement it. This study uses phenomenological and hermeneutic research methods to explore the stances, …

Parent Perceptions Of Accreditation Standards In Early Childhood Education., Lori Elizabeth Casto

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A major problem in the development of a profession in early childhood education is the lack of recognized research data relevant to practice. Parents supply an ongoing demand for the education of their children, and researchers need to determine what dimensions of quality parents find most important. The present research investigated parents' perceptions of the National Association for the Education of Young Children's (NAEYC) Accreditation Standards. Seventy-six licensed preschools and daycare centers were randomly drawn and stratified by type and size of center (NAEYC Accredited, Head Start, Large, and Small). Surveys were sent to the director of each center for …

Nationbuilding And The Military: The Life And Career Of Secretary Of War Henry Knox, 1750-1806., Michael Darryl Carter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The following dissertation is an examination of the life of Henry Knox and his rise from a small bookstore owner in colonial Boston to a major general commanding the entire Continental artillery in the Revolutionary War through his tenure as Secretary of War in President George Washington's cabinet. A symbol of the vast majority of common men throughout America, Knox sought opportunity during the Revolution to rise above his position, fought with stubborn determination to win American independence, and struggled to bring his visions for the new nation and its military into being. He forged bonds of loyalty with George …

An Advocacy Coalition Approach To A Study Of The Politics Of Education In Tennessee., Patricia Ehle Ceperley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This was an instrumental case study that examined the extent to which the politics of education in Tennessee that resulted in the passage of the Education Improvement Act of 1992 and related tax increases conformed to the assumptions of the Advocacy Coalition Framework as articulated by Sabatier. The framework viewed education policy change as the result of the interaction of (a) competing advocacy coalitions within a policy subsystem over a decade or more, (b) changes that are external to the policy subsystem, and the (c) effects of stable system parameters. The researcher used a snowballing technique to identify 12 key …

Defining Developmentally Appropriate Practice In Physical Education., Nigel Davies

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purposes of this study were to: (1) define developmentally appropriate practice and identify practices within planning, instruction, content, evaluation and management which will enhance the facilitation of developmentally appropriate practice; and (2) compare and analyze the five participant sub-groups, to identify similarities and differences among these groups. The sample was randomly determined from the current AAHPERD membership list, categorized, via self-designation, into teacher educators, motor developmentalists, physical education teachers, graduate students, undergraduate students. One hundred and eleven participants (n = 111) completed and returned the Developmentally Appropriate Practice Inventory (DAPI). In phase one, each statement was analyzed utilizing the …

The Relationships Between West Virginia Early And Middle School Principals' Leadership Style And School Culture As Perceived By Faculty., Donna K. Davis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study was designed to investigate the relationships between early and middle school principals' leadership style and school culture, controlling for demographics including: enrollment, school type, age, gender, years experience and county. The sample population for principal's leadership style was faculty from 97 early and middle schools, in one district from each of the eight West Virginia regions. Each principal of the same schools was surveyed for demographic data. Data were obtained through the faculty completion of a 40-item Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire, a 38-item School Culture Survey, and a research designed questionnaire. Means, standard deviations, and multiple regression correlation …

There Was Something In The Water: Parallels In Paradigms In English And Physics, 1880 To 1940., Tracy Joan Demars

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study posits that a paradigm is a shared vision of reality that governs how practitioners define and relate to the many and varied components that make up that reality. Using this definition, the author presents a visual model using concentric spheres of increasing abstraction that rearrange T. S. Kuhn's four components of a disciplinary matrix that he articulated in the 1969 Postscript to The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Based on this model and D'Amico's criteria for a coherent narrative, the study assesses the two primary paradigms, labeled the Object-Oriented paradigm and the Subject-Oriented paradigm, that existed in the fields …

The Relationship Between Brain Hemispheric Characteristics And Leadership Style Of School Superintendents In West Virginia., Theodora Sinicrope Farmer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study was designed to examine the relationship between the self-perceived preferred brain hemispheric processing of West Virginia public school superintendents and their self-perceived leadership styles. Respondents completed the Hermann Brain Dominance Profile, the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire, and a demographic sheet. Data were analyzed using the General Linear Model of the Statistical Analysis System (SAS). Two hypotheses guided the study. West Virginia public school superintendents who perceive themselves as preferring predominantly left hemispheric processing will have significantly higher Initiating Structure scores than superintendents who perceive themselves as predominantly right hemispheric. West Virginia public school superintendents who perceive themselves as …

Challenges Facing Colleges And Schools Of Pharmacy Over The Next Ten Years: A Survey Of The Deans., Jerald Wayne Fisher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine what pharmacy deans believed to be the major internal and external challenges facing schools of pharmacy over the next ten years. The instrument for data collection was a descriptive opinion survey, consisting of two questions, that was sent to all U.S. school of pharmacy deans (n = 79). The deans were asked to provide what they believed to be the five major internal and external challenges facing their schools, and to provide two strategies for hastening the desirable or delaying the undesirable effects of each challenge. A response rate of sixty-percent (47 …

A Prospective Self-Monitoring Investigation Of Naturally Occurring Reinforcement Of Exercise Behavior., Leighann Hock Forsyth

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present investigation was based on operant theory. A prospective six-week self-monitoring design was utilized to examine naturally-occurring reinforcing and punishing effects of cardiovascular exercise in a college-aged sample of healthy women. The sample consisted of exercise initiators ({dollar}{dollar}6 months of regular exercise). Seven rewarding exercise effects emerged from factor analysis of the self-monitoring form (i.e., mood improvement, goal achievement, physical performance enhancement, exercise "high", praise from others, social affiliation, and appearance changes). Results indicated that both groups produced similar ratings for the exercise reward factors, but some factors were significantly more rewarding than others to the sample as a …

The Relationship Between The Method Of Selection And Length Of Service Of Department Chairs And Degree Of Subordinate Faculty Support., P Michael Ditchen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study was designed to examine the relationships between the method of selection and length of service of department chairs and degree of faculty support as measured by the Department Evaluation of Chairperson Activities for Development (Decad) instrument. The database contains rankings of all chairs (n = 1312) rated with the Decad from 1977-1991. The database contains departmental evaluations from over 120 institutions located throughout the United States and Canada. After all identifying characteristics were removed from this database, the database was analyzed using the Statistical Analysis (SAS) program to calculate departmental mean scores of perceived initiating structure and consideration …

Influence Of Two-Age And Clearcut Timber Management Practices On Songbird Abundance, Nest Success, And Invertebrate Biomass In West Virginia., Jeffrey Peter Duguay

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study was conducted in the Monongahela National Forest of West Virginia during the summers of 1995 and 1996 to assess the influence of two-age and clearcut timber management practices on breeding songbirds and invertebrates. Examination by guild (nesting, foraging, habitat, migratory) revealed little difference in breeding bird abundance among harvested and unharvested treatments, this is presumably due to the developmental stage of the harvested treatments (9-15-years post-harvest). Parasitism rates by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) were generally low (8.66%). Most parasitized nests, however, were associated with two-age stands or the uncut forest adjacent to these stands. Cowbirds appeared to use …

The Use Of Simplified English To Improve Task Comprehension For Non-Native English Speaking Aviation Maintenance Technician Students., Douglas Eckert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this research was to determine if the use of Simplified English (SE) improved task comprehension of non-native English speaking aviation maintenance technician students in a non-English speaking environment. A background questionnaire, one test, and four controlled language instruments were administered to each subject. The test, Accuracy Level Test (ALT) by Ronald P. Carver, measured the Spanish subjects English reading ability by grade level. The four instruments were aviation maintenance task cards and tests developed by Boeing Aircraft which measured subject comprehension of maintenance procedures. The participants were 148 Mexican aviation maintenance technician students, mechanics, and instructors from …

The Medical Treatment Preferences And Values Of Nursing Home Residents., Natalie Dawn Staats

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study was designed to accomplish seven goals. First, the preferences of nursing home residents for life-sustaining treatments and less acute medical problems were examined. Second, analyses were conducted to determine whether specific variables differentiated between participants' patterns of treatment preferences. Third, participants' medically-related values were examined. Fourth, the factors believed to play a role in the formation of participants' treatment preferences and values were examined. Fifth and sixth, the temporal stability of participants' treatment preferences and values was examined. Seventh and eighth, factors associated with the instability of participants' treatment preferences and values were studied. To accomplish these goals, …

Cascade Radical Cyclizations Via Biradicals Generated From (Z)-1,2,4-Heptatrien-6-Ynes And ((Z)-2-Alkynylethenyl)Ketenes., Anna Tarli

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Four acyclic enyne-allenes were synthesized for subsequent chemical elaborations through biradical intermediates. When (Z)-7-methyl-3-propyl-3,5,6-octatrien-1-yne, (Z)-3-butyl-7-methyl-3,5,6-octatrien-1-yne, (Z)-7-methyl-3-(3-methylbutyl)-3,5,6-octatrien-1-yne, and (Z)-9-ethynyl-13-methyl-1,9,11,12-tetradecatetraene were stirred at rt for 18 h in benzene, they underwent facile Myers cycloaromatization reactions to provide {dollar}\\alpha{dollar},3-didehydrotoluene biradical species. Subsequent 1,5-hydrogen shift led to new biradicals species which afforded 7-(dimethylmethylene)spiro (3.5) nona-5,8-dienes via intramolecular radical-radical combination by attacking the ipso carbon of the benzene ring. Seven acyclic enediynyl ethyl ethers were prepared by the Pd(PPh{dollar}\\sb3)\\sb4{dollar}-catalyzed cross coupling between enynyl iodides and 2-ethoxyethynylzinc chloride. On heating to reflux in chlorobenzene for 3 h, the enediynyl ethyl ethers underwent an elimination of a …

In Search Of Status: An Empirical Study Of Writing Centers In Four Academic Settings., Tracey Jane Johnson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study sought to determine the overall status of writing centers in four academic settings: secondary school, two year college, four year college, university. To determine that status, this study examined the characteristics of writing centers in these settings and the issues faced by writing centers in these settings. To achieve these ends, the researcher engaged in survey research and open-ended interviews. The survey population came from the National Directory of Writing Centers. A 50% sample yielded 146 writing centers in all four settings. These centers received a survey instrument that examined seven areas of importance to writing centers: physical …

Measuring The Benefits Of Air Quality Improvement: A Spatial Hedonic Approach., Chong Won Kim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The United Nations Environment Programme and the World Health Organization (1994) reported that Seoul has serious problems with sulfur dioxide. The primary objective of this study is to improve the methodology for estimating hedonic price functions when the data are inherently spatial in nature. The secondary objective is to estimate the marginal value of air pollution abatement in the Seoul metropolitan area. The hedonic property value model is employed to achieve this goal. To attain the primary objective, this study explicitly considers the spatial effects of housing prices in estimating the hedonic property value price function. Spatial weight matrices are …

Concluding Address: Culture And Worship, Once More, Marva J. Dawn

Institute of Liturgical Studies Occasional Papers

(Excerpt)

The organizing principle I needed to pull together the events of this week became clear quite early in the institute. It became clear because of the great wisdom of the people who attended my discussion session after the opening keynote. They raised some critical issues and pulled many things into the dialectical tensions of which, for lack of time, I had been able to explicate only one side. In response, I found myself again and again saying, "This gets us back to the necessity for community, doesn't it?" All of the worship issues, especially the wars, arise because our …

Recruiting Retirees For Economic Development: A Public Policy Perspective., Michele Louise Kreidler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This paper examines retiree recruitment as a strategy in state economic development policy. The study employs a theoretical framework of policy adoption and lesson-drawing to answer the questions (1) why would a state adopt the policy of retiree recruitment and (2) how is the policy adopted. Three states in different stages of retiree recruitment policy adoption were selected as case studies. Results show that different strategies in policy adoption were operating in each case study state. In each state development of retiree recruitment was in response to a need to diversify the state economy. The idea of retiree recruitment originated …

Portrayal Of Teacher Image: An Exploration Of Perceptions And Behaviors Of Healthcare Educators., Carole Shockey Thomassy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the image healthcare educators believed they portrayed as a teacher and the behaviors they believed actualized the image. A pilot study was completed to evaluate the data collection techniques. A purposive sample of healthcare educators participated in one-to-one semi-standardized interviews and was observed in a teaching situation for demonstration of self-identified behaviors they believed actualized their image. Thematic analysis of the data resulted in five categories: coming to the role, perceptions held by subjects regarding image, people who may have influenced the image, behaviors that actualized the image and self-perceived …

Burnout And Depression Among Roman Catholic Secular, Religious, And Monastic Clergy., Stephen Gerard Virginia

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Burnout and depression among Roman Catholic secular, religious order, and monastic (Cistercian) priests was investigated using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. Additionally, a Self-Report-Inventory was included (SRI) requesting information on demographics as well as four categories of predictor variables (vocational satisfaction, social support, spiritual activities, and physical environment) associated with burnout and depression. All participants were randomly selected from the National Catholic Director. The survey yielded a return rate of 90.67% with 63.11% completing the survey. Secular clergy reported significantly greater emotional exhaustion than did monastic clergy. Secular priests also had significantly …