Digital Commons Network^™

A Comparison Of Self-Esteem Scores For Adolescents Who Have Not Been Pregnant, Have Been Pregnant And Have A Child, Bridget Laffleur

Theses

The differences in the average self-esteem scores between adolescents who have not been pregnant, adolescents who are pregnant, and adolescents who have a child was the focus of this study. The subjects were adolescents ranging in age from 12 to 19 who were living in a residential treatment facility. The participants were administered the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory. The results found that self-esteem and pregnancy status were weakly correlated but was unable to find a significance due to the low number of subjects .

Old Chief V. United States: Stipulating Away Prosecutorial Accountability?, Daniel Richman

Faculty Scholarship

Earlier this year, in Old Chief v. United States, the Supreme Court finally resolved a circuit split on a nagging evidentiary issue: When a defendant charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm offers to satisfy one of the statute's elements by stipulating to the existence of a prior felony conviction, may the government decline the stipulation and prove the existence and the nature of that prior felony?

The question of evidence law resolved in Old Chief is not particularly earth-shattering. Indeed, while the Court divided five to four on the issue, neither Justice Souter's opinion …

Charlotte Dacre’S Zofloya: A Case Study In Miscegenation As Racial And Sexual Nausea, Diane Hoeveler

English Faculty Research and Publications

when she was 24 years old (or so she claimed) and the beautiful toast of London literary circles. Her first novel. The Confessions of the Nun of St. Omer, was written when she was eighteen (or 28, depending on what biographical source one credits) and in the grip of an infatuation with the excessive gothicism of Lewis' The Monk} Dacre's novels by 1809 were ridiculed as "lovely ROSA's prose" by Byron, who went on to mock the novels as "prose in masquerade/Whose strains, the faithful echoes of her mind,/Leave wondering comprehension far behind" (English Bards and Scotch Reviewers, 756-58). Despite …

Organizational And Social Systems, Ronald James Snelson

Theses

This project explores systems theory and practice as applied to Communications. A system is an organized or complex whole; an assemblage or combination of things, or parts forming a complex or unitary whole. A system is made up of (1) inputs, (2) operations (or processes), (3) outputs. Each interacts with, and is dependent on the proper functioning of the other. If something happens to one part the others parts are affected. Thus, within an organization, what happens to one can affect the whole.

An organization is a system. The systems approach has three goals: ( 1) to define relationships both …

Taoist Medical Practices In Taiwan, Da-Chen Sun

Theses

Taiwan has a strange combination of Taoist practices, high education rate, and quality of medical care. This thesis will explore the various, aspects of Taoist medical practices and identify the root and future of Taoist medical practices in Taiwan.

There are various types of Taoist medical methods and each one has developed its own distinctive system. We will focus on how Taoist medical practices fit the needs of the society.

Various theories including mental, classical, and superstitions, advantage and disadvantages in analyzing Taoist medical practices in Taiwan. The mental theory, which focuses on the psychological analysis, belongs to the sphere …

The Positive Effects Of Differing Communication Styles On An Organization, Julie A. Saylor

Theses

This project explores the issue of communications between people who have different educational backgrounds, experiences, and social styles, yet who are bound together as a team through membership in an organization.

A common definition of the word team is "a group of individuals working collaboratively toward a common goal" John Scott). Teamwork can be accomplished by utilizing communication, cooperation, and collaboration. An easily remembered acronym is:

Together Everyone Achieving More

This study will establish ways that people of varying communications and social styles can work together in a way that will ultimately prove to positively effect …

Opening A Child Care Facility: Tomorrow's Stars, Star E. Seeger

Theses

This thesis focuses on the child care industry and the feasibility of opening a child care center in the O'Fallon, Missouri area. It takes a look at the industry from both a national level as well as a local level, analyzing the history, business philosophy, marketing strategies, financial components, competition, management needs, and the service itself.

Research shows there is a definite lack of quality child care centers to care for the number of children in the United States who are between the ages of six months and twelve years. This is also the case in the O'Fallon area where …

Cultural Transformation: Desire To Change?, Arthur L. Seaman

Theses

Gaining knowledge about what motivates people working in an environment afflicted with laws, statutes, policies, regulations, procedures, standards and jobs threatened by political movements is considered valuable information. This thesis is a focused study of human motivation theory, with the intent of learning why past attempts to change the culture of the United States Army Aviation and Troop Command (ATCOM) and the co-located Aviation Program Executive Office (PEO) organizations have failed to produce lasting results.

It is theorized that past attempts to bring about lasting change to the culture of ATCOM and the PEO organizations have failed in part because …

Caring For Our Elders: An African-American Perspective, Wilma Virginia Saunders Schmitz

Theses

Wilma Virginia Saunders Schmitz's study explores the caregiving networks that support African American elders, emphasizing the intersection between informal and formal care. Informal care, often provided by family, friends, and faith communities, remains a primary means of elder support within African American culture. The thesis examines how cultural traditions, religious involvement, historical factors, and socioeconomic barriers shape caregiving practices. Schmitz highlights the importance of the extended family concept, the "village" approach, and the critical role of faith communities in providing both emotional and practical assistance. The study also addresses challenges such as limited access to formal care services, economic disparities, …

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Gender Differences Among Washers And Checkers, Jennifer Leigh Siervo

Theses

This research project thoroughly examines Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to see if there are any gender differences between compulsive washers and checkers. The null hypothesis is that there are no gender differences between the compulsions of washing and checking. Thirty-one subjects from a local self-help group voluntarily participated in this study. Of the thirty-one participants, thirteen were men and eighteen were women. The Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Inventory was used to obtain total obsessions scores, as well as washing and checking scores. The mean scores for men and women for the total obsessions scale were compared. The women reported a higher number of compulsions …

Parental Perceptions On Full Inclusion For Children With Sensory And Cognitive Disabilities, Marsha Sledge-Bryant

Theses

This investigation was designed to compare the perceptions of parents who have children with sensory, cognitive or multisensory disabilities in relationship to full inclusion within the educational setting. Eighty-one parents participated in the study by completing a questionnaire designed by the researcher. It was hypothesized that parents of children with sensory impairments would have greater resistance to the practice of full inclusion for their own child(ren). Results indicated no significant differences between the three groups' perceptions about full inclusion. In fact, all parents supported the concept of full inclusion, but did not agree that it was an appropriate educational service …

A Study Of Stress In The Workplace In The 1990s, Reva Carol Mays

Theses

This study was conducted to determine if there was a significant difference in the intensity and frequency of organizational stress and job risk stress perceived between salaried, white-collar (N=37) employees and skilled blue-collar, union employees (N=35). 59 of the subjects were male and 13 were female.

The respondents completed two self-administered questionnaires. One was a work stress instrument, and the other was a demographic data sheet. The stress instrument contained 40 items, with scoring based on a 5-point Likert-type scale, that measured intensity and frequency of stress. The demographic data sheet contained 13 items.

Major findings of the research concluded …

The Place Of Automation In National Healthcare, Ted J. Macinski

Theses

This cumulating project will focus on the development of the current U.S. healthcare system and the involvement of government, especially the federal government in this process.

The focus is on the proposal to use advanced information systems technology to establish cost control for the healthcare sector of the economy.

The issues which are addressed are what role the federal government plays in the current healthcare system, the proposed use of a comprehensive federal health data bank which would include data on all U.S. residents, and alternative applications of systems technology which are operational or under development by private and state …

Gender Differences In Career And Educational Decisions, Anita Melton

Theses

Differences in male and female self-reported interest and ability in occupations were examined. The researcher studied participants' interest and ability scores on 7 occupational categories of the Campbell Interest and Skill Survey : influencing, analyzing, producing, adventuring, organizing, helping, and creating. Thirty-nine subjects, age 17 to 23, completed the 320 item survey. The sample included 26 female and 13 male subjects. The survey utilized a 6 point response format requiring the subject to determine to what degree they share the interest or ability mentioned. To determine gender differences in response scores, descriptive statistics and one way analysis of variance ( …

Attitudes Of Student Nurses Toward Domestic Violence, Phyllis Jean Messing

Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if student nurses needed more education about domestic violence. Nurses, more than any other profession, are frequently in a position to identify and assist the victims of abuse. Presently, however, rather than addressing the hidden problem of family violence, nurses may inadvertently contribute to it, due to their lack of awareness and knowledge. Nurses, including student nurses, need to fine tune their knowledge in order to recognize the signs and symptoms surrounding family violence. Once identified, it will take an expanded level of awareness and enhanced skills to deal effectively with this …

A Study Of Body Dissatisfaction And Drive For Thinness Between African-American And Caucasian College Women, Suzanne M. Monroe

Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the similarities and/or differences in body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness between Caucasian and African-American college women. The Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2) as well as questions measuring hours spent reading women's magazines and family, close friends, and significant other's view on the importance of physical thinness was distributed to 18 to 25 year old African-American and Caucasian college women at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE). The EDI-2 is a self-report questionnaire that consists of 91 questions which generate 11 independent subscales. Only 3 of the II subscales were analyzed: I) Drive …

The Link Between Established Psychological Type Preferences And Academic Achievement In Elementary School Students, Shelley Nacke

Theses

Sixty-four third through eighth grade students from a rural parochial school were tested using the Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children (MMTIC). Students were divided into three groups on the basis of the MMTIC scores: those showing no undetermined preferences, those showing one undetermined preference and those showing two or more undetermined preference. Grade point averages (GPA) were used to determine academic achievement for these students. Mean GP A scores for the three groups were compared using the t-test. Those students with two or more undetermined preferences showed significantly lower mean GP A scores than those students with no undetermined preferences.

The Integration Of The Long Term Care Continuum Into A Seamless Health Delivery System, Viriginia E. Moseley

Theses

A seamless continuum of healthcare services is necessary to serve older adults, caregivers and the community. Personal knowledge and experience of the author, a nurse and skilled nursing facility administrator, is combined with a literature review to determine a vision for serving older adults and caregivers. A vertical integration of long term care into a health delivery network traditionally focused on acute and primary care is proposed.

Marital Status And The Parent-Child Relationship: Contentment With The Parent-Child Relationship Of Single Parents And Married Parents, Jennifer Marie Reinsch

Theses

A study was completed looking at marital status as it relates to parental contentment with the parent-child relationship. This varied from previous studies which looked at the quality of the marital relationship or measured the child's satisfaction with the parent-child relationship. A total sample of 48 parents participated, comprised of 34 married parents and 14 single parents. All participants were Caucasian, had children ages five to 14 attending a Midwest, urban, Catholic elementary school, and were between the ages of 27 and 49. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. The Index of Parental Attitudes (IP A) was utilized to measure parental …

Examining The Parental Authority Style Of Fathers Within Various Family Configurations, Michael E. Laws

Theses

The discipline style of one's parents is often discussed as a factor toward various behavioral outcomes of their children. In some literature, certain types of families, "step"- families for example, have been labeled as exhibiting a particular parenting style perhaps more than some other type of family. In this project 3 parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive) are reviewed and examined in relation to 3 types of families (blended families, single parent families, and families with 2 biological parents present in the home). In particular, the parenting style of the fathers or stepfathers was examined. Parenting style was determined in …

Perceptions Of Touch In Psychotherapy: A Survey Of Clients Recovering From Substance Abuse And/Or Childhood Sexual Abuse, Deborah Harmann Harris

Theses

Differences in perception of touch in psychotherapy were studied among clients with childhood sexual abuse and/or substance abuse issues. Forty clients from the general context of the "recovery community" were recruited to fill out an eleven item Revised Touch in Therapy Survey. Participants also gave narrative responses to a single open-ended question asking what meaning their touch experience held for them. The researcher adapted this current instrument from the longer, 1995 Touch in Therapy self-report questionnaire developed by Horton, Clance, Sterk-Elifson and Emshoff. A mail back system was used, with swveys returned to a local post office box.. The Llkert …

Strange Snow: A Director's Approach, David A. Quinn

Theses

This thesis examines Strange Snow, a play by Stephen Metcalfe, through the lens of a director's approach. It delves into themes of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Vietnam War veterans and the challenges of reintegration into society, as portrayed through the experiences of the play's central characters. The author provides an in-depth analysis of the script, casting choices, rehearsal process, and production challenges, emphasizing the emotional depth of the story and the interplay between the characters. The thesis also reflects on the director's strengths, weaknesses, and personal growth, offering insights into the process of bringing a poignant narrative to …

Golden Rules For Transboundary Pollution, Thomas W. Merrill

Faculty Scholarship

Environmental law is becoming ever more centralized. In the United States, state and local pollution laws have been eclipsed by federal regulation. In the European Community, and to a lesser degree under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), national controls have been supplemented by regional regulation. And the growing importance of treaties regulating particular aspects of the global environment has reinforced calls for more general regimes of international environmental regulation.

One inevitably given justification for this centralizing trend is that pollution is a transboundary phenomenon. Air and water pollution, and to a lesser extent groundwater contamination, can cross political …

Recent Legislation: Constitutional Law – Congress Imposes New Restrictions On Use Of Funds By The Legal Services Corporation – Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions And Appropriations Act Of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104-134, 110 Stat. 1321, Benjamin L. Liebman

Faculty Scholarship

Fierce political battles have raged about the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) for much of its twenty-three year history. Critics have attacked LSC for pursuing a "radical agenda" and for "engaging in dubious litigation that is of no real benefit to poor people," while supporters have termed LSC "the one program in the entire war on poverty that made a difference" and have decried the "campaign to deny the right of legal representation to the poor." Last year, in the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996 (OCRAA), Congress reduced LSC funding by thirty percent – to $278 million in …

Prisms: A Study Of Color As Light, Form And Motion, E. Deloras Bauer

Theses

Unavailable.

A Study Of The Relationship Between Optimism, Pessimism, And Depression, Brian E. Elledge

Theses

The relationship between optimism, pessimism , and depression was investigated . Graduate counseling students (N=44) currently enrolled in school were recruited by a sample of convenience to participate in the study . The subjects were administered three questionnaires measuring optimism, pessimism, and depression, as well as a data sheet to help describe the sample. Correlational analyses only showed significant relationships between gender and optimism, and between race and depression. No significant relationships were found between optimism and depression, or pessimism and depression . The implications for these findings are discussed.

The Impact Of Community Violence On African American Children And Families, Simeon J. Williams

Theses

This thesis will attempt to increase awareness of the significant impact of community violence on the social and emotional development of African American children and families and to examine the role that mental health and maternal and child health agencies could play in the implementation of effective prevention and intervention strategies.

The purpose of the study is to give an overview of the scope of the problem, identifying the extent, prevalence, and nature of the community violence in African American communities. Additionally, the study will review the theoretical and conceptual frameworks that have guided research in the area of violence …

The Effects Of Organizational Culture On Employee Motivation, Vickie R. Newman

Theses

This thesis will focus on the study of organizational culture and the effect of the organization's beliefs and value systems on employee behavior. Current research has focused on the organization as the unit of analysis, rather than on the individual . Measuring individual behavior at t he organizational level is a challenging endeavor . However, the measurement o f organizational behavior, in its individual components, must be assessed for each individual within the organization.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the internalization of organizational culture by individuals and the resultant outcome behaviors. It is hypothesized that organizational culture, …

Effects Of Training And Contact On Decreasing Ageism In Mental Health Professionals, Kristen Lyn Nachtmann

Theses

Advances in research on attitudes towards older adults can productively be applied to the problem of professional ageism. In this study a group of 50 mental health professionals ranging in age from 19-65 with 21 being male and 29 being female responded to a questionnaire entitled Aging Opinion Survey. This survey requested the subjects' opinions concerning three topics: stereotypic decrement, personal anxiety towards aging, and social value of the elderly. This was matched with their level of training in gerontology and contact with this population. ln general, subjects with higher levels of contact and training had a more positive opinion …

The Integration Of The Long Term Care Continuum Into A Seamless Health Delivery System, Virginia E. Moseley

Theses

A seamless continuum of healthcare services is necessary to serve older adults, caregivers and the community. Personal knowledge and experience of the author, a nurse and skilled nursing facility administrator. is combined with a literature review to determine a vision for serving older adults and caregivers. A vertical integration of long term care into a health delivery network traditionally focused on acute and primary care is proposed.