Digital Commons Network^™

Book Review - Conflict Of Laws: American, Comparative, International: Cases And Materials, Hilary K. Josephs

Louisiana Law Review

No abstract provided.

Five Graduate Teaching Assistants In The Upper Midwest: Their Struggles, Their Strategies, Their Strengths, Carrie B. Brouse

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to describe the first semester graduate teaching experience had by five newly appointed graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), each from different departments across a midwestern university campus. Its purpose was to gain insight into the ways GTAs might come to make meaning of their experiences, construct knowledge in their disciplines, develop their personal teaching styles and skills, and further their way into their chosen professions. The study spanned the fall of 1999 semester.

Qualitative methods, including participant observations, personal interviews, and reviews of journal entries written by the GTAs, were used to study the first semester graduate teaching …

The Victim Rights Movement: A Social Constructionist Examination, Angela Renee Evans

Dissertations

What has been termed the victim rights movement has made great progress in promoting legislative changes regarding victim rights in the United States. This research examines the victim rights movement from a social constructionist perspective by focusing on two pieces of federal legislation passed in the 1980s: the Victim and Witness Protection Act of 1982 and the Victims of Crime Act of 1984. Using the social constructionist perspective, the research examines who was involved in the claims-making activities and which claims were most likely to be heard and acted upon. Rather than seeing social movements as the result of some …

The Organizational Culture In Community Foundations, Nanette Marie Keiser

Dissertations

Because of the current and future critical roles community foundations play in their geographical areas, the limited research to inform the community foundation field, and the importance o f studying organizational culture, there was a need to study the organizational culture of community foundations. A questionnaire was sent to 179 community foundation staff members in one state in the Midwest. Responses were received from 98 of the 179 staff members.

It was found that the actual organizational culture of the community foundation “industry” was differentiated across all variables (staff overall, paid staff size, asset size, and age of foundation). Organizations …

Coping With Chronic Fatigue, Susan Lynne Jensen

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine sense of coherence in those individuals diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and to explore its relationship to age, gender, work status, duration of illness, fatigue and functional ability/ disability in this population.

This study used a combined methods approach, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. A sample of thirty individuals diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome was surveyed by means of a self-administered questionnaire, including Antonovsky’s 13-item shortened Sense of Coherence (SOC) scale. A subset of 12 participants participated in the qualitative portion of the study, and answered specific questions regarding their …

Counselor-Client Value Similarity And Dissimilarity, The Working Alliance, And Counseling Outcome, Lynn Nylund Lupini

Dissertations

Previous research in client-counselor value similarity and outcome studies has produced contradictory results. In the present study, an expanded model of Vervaeke, Vertommen, and Storms’ (1997) value similarity construct was used to measure the degree of similarity and dissimilarity of values within the counseling dyad. The first purpose of the present study was to investigate the interrelationships among the client-counselor value similarity and dissimilarity, the working alliance and counseling outcome. The second purpose was to determine if the working alliance was a mediating factor between value (dis)similarity and counseling outcome, thus, providing insight into the previous contradictory results within the …

An Examination Of Voir Dire From An Interactionist Perspective, Peter R. Stevenson

Dissertations

Trial attorneys, historically, have used both scientific and unscientific selection techniques to empanel a jury, and these methods continue to be used in contemporary courtrooms. The ability of these techniques to pick a 'good” jury has been shown to have limited utility. This ineffectiveness may be due, in part, to a false assumption about the passivity of prospective jurors during questioning. An interactionist perspective sees individuals as much more active in that they control the information given out. Most potential jurors offer genuine presentations of self during jury selection in that they truthfully respond to the questions posed by courtroom …

Capital Punishment: A New Perspective On Race And Ethnic Differences In Punishment And Death Sentence Outcomes, Martin G. Urbina

Dissertations

A review of the existing literature on death sentence outcomes (i.e., executions, commutations) shows evidence of discrimination against minority defendants (e.g., African Americans). Prior studies, however, have followed a Caucasian/African American and/or execution/commutation approach. Latino defendants have either been excluded or treated as a monolithic group. Thus, little is known about death sentence outcomes for Latinos, whose experiences differ from those of African Americans and Caucasians. Additionally, little is known about the treatment of the various ethnic groups (e.g., Cubans, Mexicans) that constitute the Latino community. And, since the focus has been on executions and/or commutations, little is known about …

Life With God

Shabbat Shalom: A Journal for Jewish-Christian Reconciliation

No abstract provided.

Peer Support As A Protective Factor In The Impact Of War On Adolescents In Lebanon, Nadine S. Fakhran

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Children exposed to situations of war have been shown to develop behavioral as well as psychological difficulties. Researchers have observed, however, that not all children manifest these difficulties in reaction to war situations. Therefore, scientists have attempted to look at resilient children, investigating protective and vulnerability factors in the child's environment. One such protective factor is social support. Although there have been several studies on social support, those studies have tended to focus on family support. There seems to be a void in the literature on the effects of peer support on post-traumatic stress reactions in children. The present study …

News From Hope College, Volume 32.1: August, 2000, Hope College

News from Hope College

No abstract provided.

A Preliminary Investigation Of The Acceptability And Effectiveness Of Computer-Based Adjunctive Parent Training For Child Noncompliance, Dwayne M. Munneke

Dissertations

Noncompliance with parent requests is a commonly reported behavior problem for clinic-based child referrals. Parent skills training has been empirically demonstrated as an effective treatment for helping parents increase positive child behaviors and decrease negative behaviors. Unfortunately, many therapists and agencies are unable to implement parent-training programs due to limited therapist training, limited economic resources, or long waiting lists.

Adjunctive, computer-based, treatment programs have become increasingly popular in both research and clinical settings for facilitating psychological assessment and intervention. This project involved the development and preliminary investigation of the effectiveness and acceptability of a computer-based program designed to supplement therapist-delivered …

People's Liberation Army After Next, Susan M. Puska Colonel

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

The 1999 PLA Conference, which was hosted jointly by the American Enterprise Institute and the U.S. Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute, convened September 10-12, 1999, at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. The goal of this conference was to comprehensively examine Chinese military modernization efforts. The meeting drew together leading experts on the PLA army, navy, air force, missile forces, and national defense industries and included PLA experts with opposing views on the pace and likely success of Chinese military modernization. Lively debate continually probed analytical differences and prejudices, as well as the sources of information upon which conclusions were based. The …

Toward A Provident Working Class: French And English Social Reform Rhetoric, 1880-1914, James R. Gavan

Masters Theses

This research examines the rhetoric of belle epoque English and French middle class social observers. Addressing the "social question," they engaged in a debate on how best to appease an impoverished, alienated, and increasingly militant working class. Historians cite this discourse, and the meager legislation it fostered, as a transition from the unbridled nineteenth century laissez-faire to the welfare democracy characteristic of the twentieth century.

Central to the "social question" was the issue of improving social relations without altering existing class hierarchies (which favored the middle classes). Many social commentators shunned the passage of legislative safety nets in favor of …

A Descriptive Study Of The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Depression By Nurse Practitioners, Polly T. Vick

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine whether family and adult nurse practitioners were able to diagnose and treat the depressed patient in the primary care setting. The sample included 28 adult and family nurse practitioners who had been practicing as NPs for at least one year and who were currently employed in the primary care setting. The researcher used five case studies that were developed by the investigator to portray different levels of depression. The study demonstrated a fair ability to diagnose depression. but not to recognize the different levels of depression. It also demonstrated a lack of …

The Benefits Of Observational Learning On The Mathematics Achievement Of Fourth Grade Students Involved In Peer Tutoring Sessions, Trisha R. Parish

Masters Theses

Many students struggle with mathematical concepts and operations. This leads educators to search for the most effective and efficient means of improving their academic performance. The present investigation sought to determine if a triadic peer-tutoring program would increase the acquisition of basic multiplication facts for fourth grade students. Secondly, this investigation assessed the extent to which students would benefit from observational learning opportunities within the peer tutoring sessions. A multiple baseline design across two peer-tutoring triads was utilized with student performance being assessed by measuring responses to flashcard presentations and completion of three types of mathematics probes. The first type …

Development Of Commitment In Young Children's Best Friendships, Andrea L. Kelp

Student Work

Although the amount of research conducted on children’s friendships is large, the specific characteristic of friendship commitment has received little attention to date. At what age and to what extent commitment is present in children’s friendships is the main focus of this study. Students in grades 2 through 7 completed a demographic questionnaire, the Commitment and Satisfaction Scale, the Children’s Self-Efficacy for Peer Interaction Scale, The Network of Relationships Inventory, and they also responded to hypothetical vignettes. Of particular interest were the effects of children’s age, gender, friendship reciprocity, self-efficacy and friendship satisfaction on their friendship commitment levels. Analyses of …

August 2000 Commencement Program, Bowling Green State University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Protecting Against The Gray Market In The New Economy, Alvin G. Galstian

Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

Dispute Settlement Under The 1997 Convention On The Law Of The Non-Navigational Uses Of International Watercourses, Ruth Lapidoth

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

The Initiation, Suspension, And Termination Of War, Yoram Dinstein

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Designing A Needs-Based Mentoring Program For New Pastors In The Free Methodist Church Of North America, Mike Edward Conkle

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Meta-Analysis On Relationship Modeling Accuracy: Comparing Relational And Semantic Models, Qing Cao, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah, Keng Siau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Semantic data modeling, such as entity-relationship (ER) modeling and extended/enhanced entity-relationship (EER) modeling, has emerged as an alternative to relational data modeling. The majority of research in data modeling suggests that the use of semantic data models leads to better performance. However the findings are not conclusive and sometimes inconsistent. In this research, we investigate modeling relationship correctness in relational and semantic models. The meta-analysis carried out in this research is an attempt to alleviate inconsistent results in previous studies.

Political Culture And Women's Political Activity In Post Communist Ukraine A Case Study Of The 1994 Elections, Tonja M. Wilt

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This research identifies and examines two distinct political cultures in post-communist Ukraine, characterized by the presence of Soviet and non-Soviet influences. Soviet political culture is associated with East Ukrainian regions where Soviet policies of Russification, collectivization and urbanization were deeply entrenched. The non-Soviet political culture is present in Western Ukraine where said policies were least successful and the Ukrainian culture is more established.

The question posed in this thesis is: To what extent, if any, do regional political cultures influence women's political activity in Ukraine? This study focuses on the Soviet practice of appointing hundreds of women to the Supreme …

Accounting For The Complexity Of Causal Explanations In The Wake Of An Environmental Risk, Lee Ann Kahlor, Sharon Dunwoody, Robert J. Griffin

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

In 1993, Milwaukee-area residents experienced a nationally publicized outbreak of cryptosporidium, a parasite, which infested the metropolitan drinking supply and sickened some 400,000 people. Using survey data gathered from 610 adult residents in the wake of that outbreak, this study looks at predictors of the complexity of people’s understanding of two causal components of the outbreak: 1) how the parasite got into the water supply and 2) how it causes illness once in the human body. Analysis of open-ended data indicated that, consistent with the knowledge gap hypothesis, socioeconomic status is a significant predictor of differences in explanatory complexity. And, …

The Relationship Between Tenure And Non-Tenure Track Status Of Extension Faculty And Job Satisfaction, Patrick I. Nestor, Pat Leary

Journal of Extension

This study examined the relationship between tenure and non-tenure track status of Extension faculty and job satisfaction. Data were collected through questionnaires mailed to West Virginia University Extension faculty (85% responding). Analysis revealed non-tenure track faculty reporting significantly more intrinsic job satisfaction than tenure track faculty. Significant relationships also exist between age and intrinsic job satisfaction and years at the institution and intrinsic and overall satisfaction. Respondents ages 23-33 and 46-50 are more satisfied than those 34-45 and more than 51 years old. Those with 21+ years at the institution are more satisfied than faculty with 1-5 and 6-9 years.

Occupational Therapy Treatments And Upper Extremity Motor And Self-Care Outcomes Of Patients Post-Cva, Jan E. Stube

Theses and Dissertations

Cerebrovascular accident (or stroke) afflicts approximately 550,000 Americans per year. It is estimated that three million U.S. citizens live with the disabling effects of strokes, which can limit function in one or more of the following areas: mobility, basic activities of daily living, bowel or bladder control, cognition, emotional functioning, among other disabling conditions (Gresham et al., 1995). Occupational therapists, as rehabilitation professionals, provide sensorimotor and basic activities of daily living assessment and intervention to promote recovery of function post-stroke. Upper extremity neuromuscular electrical stimulation is one strategy that may be used to promote motor recovery.

This study's purpose was …

Faculty Interests - Faculty Needs: Creating Meaningful Critical Thinking Training, Patricia Wilber

Theses and Dissertations

Helping students improve their critical thinking and writing abilities is a challenge for university instructors. Although they are experts in their specific disciplines, most of them struggle when it comes to developing appropriate and successful critical thinking activities for their students. They have limited knowledge of instructional methods that improve student thinking, and often rely on professional development programs on their campuses to assist them. The Writing Across the Curriculum Program at a mid-western university offered assistance to faculty and provided a place to examine this process.

A qualitative study employing workshop observations and follow-up interviews was used to determine …

Adult's Perceptions Of Children's Aggressive Play With Advertised And Non-Advertised Toys., Lori J. Klinger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined adults’ perceptions of aggression in toys and toy commercials targeted toward young boys. The subjects, 262 undergraduate psychology students, completed the Buss/Perry Aggression Questionnaire and rated either a videotape of 10 boy-oriented toy commercials or slides of 10 non-advertised boy-toys. Parental status, exposure to an advertised versus non-advertised toy, and level of self-reported aggression were assessed to determine their relationship to perceptions of aggressiveness in a toy’s image and predicted play with the toy.

Univariate analyses of variance and paired sample t-tests were conducted. The results indicate that toys advertised in commercials are judged to portray more …

Internet Marketing – Marketers’ Perception Of Ethical Issues, L.. Najjar, Keng Siau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Many businesses have been attracted to marketing on the Internet, but little attention has been given to the potential ethical issues regarding Internet marketing. Although some ethical behavior models have been proposed, relatively few have been empirically validated. This study's main objective is to assess the perception of ethical issues on Internet marketing among a sample of 150 marketing executives from a Midwest business community. Results and recommendations regarding ethical issues related to Internet marketing are discussed.