Digital Commons Network^™

Reading Liksom's Short Story "We Got Married" In Post-Communist Bulgaria, Kornelia Slavova

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

Kornelia Slavova, in her paper "Reading Liksom's Short Story 'We Got Married' in Post-communist Bulgaria," discusses the intricate interrelations of texts and social practices in postcommunist Bulgaria by analysing Rosa Liksom's short story read by sixty readers. Further, Slavova proposes the study of the uses of stereotypes in fiction and their discursive hardening in extratextual practices at times of radical political and cultural change. With this notion, she focuses on two major stereotypical patterns concerning gender and the supranational opposition East/West. Slavova argues that the latter function as palimpsest structures on which earlier bipolar representations from the communist Cold-War era …

Reading Liksom's Short Story "We Got Married" In Post-Communist Estonia, Malle Järve

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her paper, "Reading Liksom's Short Story 'We Got Married' in Post-communist Estonia," Malle Järve discusses the reception of Rosa Liksom's text in post-communist Estonia. After gaining independence, Estonians became exposed to varieties of literature including avant-garde texts which did not fit easily with the expectations and rules of interpretation developed during Soviet rule. Based on data collected in 1993 and 1998, Järve focuses on the cultural repertoire (discourses, stereotypes, values, literary expectations, etc.) used by readers while constructing meaning to the text, perceived predominantly as foreign/Other. Järve's objective is an attempt to explain: 1) who/what the Other in the …

Selected Bibliography Of Textual Analysis In Cultural Studies, Xianfeng Mou, Urpo Kovala

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of The Picture Exchange Communication System, Anne Rena Cummings

Masters Theses

The Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS) is a picture-based augmentative communication method that is widely accepted and utilized across children with a variety of disabilities. Despite its extensive dissemination, there is a dearth of empirically based support to document the effectiveness of PECS. The current study is the first to experimentally evaluate the effects of training during each of the 6 phases of PECS. Results indicated that with all 7 participants, the level of PECS responses consistently increased only after training was completed in Phases 1 through 4. In addition, all of the participants showed an increase in PECS responses …

Practical Evaluation Of Psychotropic Medication, Lynne E. Turner

Masters Theses

Surveys indicate that 25-40% of students with mental retardation or other developmental disabilities receive one or more psychotropic medications, however, almost nothing is known concerning how the effects of the medications are monitored. Parents/guardians and teachers were interviewed to ascertain information regarding current monitoring procedures in the home and in the school setting. Additionally information was gathered to ascertain their knowledge regarding: 1) the reason for which their students were prescribed psychotropic medications; 2) the behavioral domains that those medications are intended to affect, 3) the current status of those behavioral domains, and 4) consumers' satisfaction with the pharmacological intervention. …

Examining The Effects Of Conducting Behavior-Based Safety Observations, Joseph R. Sasson

Masters Theses

Eleven computer terminal operators participated in a series of interventions aimed at increasing safe ergonomic performance. All participants received ergonomics training and performance feedback, and approximately one half of the participants conducted observations for safe behavior. Conducting observations of safety-related behavior is a critical component of the Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) process, yet few researchers have studied the effects of conducting observations on the behavior of the observer. This study sought to examine the effects of conducting BBS observations on the safe performance of the observer in an applied setting. A multiple baseline across participants design was used to assess the …

Longitudinal Predictors Of Weight Fluctuation In Men And Women, Kelly L. Bishop

Theses and Dissertations

Previous literature has indicated that weight loss maintenance represents a major challenge in the management of obesity (Brownell, 1995; Stunkard, 1985). The vast majority of individuals who diet lose and regain weight many times, a pattern often referred to as weight cycling.

The present study was a prospective attempt to understand weight maintenance and fluctuation in a general/normal sample of individuals (n = 315) and in a select group of weight loss maintainers (n = 19). Participants were assessed twice, six months apart, and weight change over this period was correlated with several predictors assessed at Time 1. These predictors …

Relational And Physical Victimization Within Friendships: Nobody Told Me There'd Be Friends Like These, Nicki R. Crick, David A. Nelson

Faculty Publications

In past research, relational and physical forms of peer victimization have been identified that have been shown to be significantly associated with social–psychological maladjustment. These forms of victimization, although studied primarily within the group peer context, also occur within dyadic relationships such as friendships. Gender differences in friend victimization and the association between friend victimization and children's social–psychological adjustment were examined. Results showed that boys were more physically victimized by their friends than were girls. Girls were more relationally than physically victimized by their friends. Friend victimization was related to adjustment difficulties for both boys and girls; however, friend physical …

The Effects Of Disclosing Childhood Sexual Abuse On An Adult Survivors' Sense Of Self-Esteem, Personal Trauma, And Interpersonal Capabilities, Susan E. Rudolph

Theses and Dissertations

Nineteen survivors of childhood sexual abuse who are receiving services from supportive agencies participated in this study. Counselors from crisis centers and university counseling centers distributed questionnaires to possible participants who disclosed childhood sexual abuse. Perceptions of the first experience of disclosure from the participants were examined, along with the duration of abuse, to find a possible correlation between these variables, current self-esteem levels, levels of trauma, and interpersonal capabilities. Instruments used included the Disclosure of Abuse Scale, Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale, Trauma Symptom Checklist - 40, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. The hypotheses of the study included 1) perception of …

Depression And Help-Seeking Behavior Of North Dakota Farmers: The Impact Of The Farm Crisis, Wanda J. Mcsparron

Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about the psychological impact of the current farm crisis. This study examined the incidence of depression and the help-seeking behavior among North Dakota farmers. A secondary purpose was to determine the relationship of economic stress, as well as demographic variables, with levels of depression and help-seeking behavior.

A sample of 500 North Dakota farm operators was randomly selected from Prairie Grains Magazine mailing list and asked to participate in a mail survey. 199 farm operators and 120 spouses/partners responded to the survey. Each participant was asked to anonymously complete and return the Personal Data Questionnaire, Financial Stress …

Time Matters: Temporally Enacted Frame-Works In Narrative Accounts Of Mediation, Erling O. Jorgensen

Theses and Dissertations

Bateson's (1979) method of double description is utilized to examine narrative accounts of participants' mediation experiences, as a way to investigate significant change events. Comparing what changes to what remains more stable suggests that temporal differences are an indicator of contextualization, providing a framework for how meaning is made meaningful. Case studies of two of these structured interview transcripts are intensively analyzed, with triangulating measures of different logical type. Specifically, these include narrative analysis of key story points, temporal analysis of the frequency and distribution of in vivo codes to yield repetitive themes, and a modified lag analysis of codes …

Transfer Trauma Following A Community Evacuation Of The Institutionalized Elderly, Marlys J. Bratteli

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impact of evacuation on the institutionalized elderly following the 1996–97 Greater Grand Forks flood. Older adults, living in two long-term care facilities, were evacuated to temporary shelters. Later moved to other long-term care facilities or to the homes of family members, they experienced multiple moves. In order to learn what impact the evacuation had on the institutionalized elderly, two major questions were studied. These were: (1) What were the experiences of the institutionalized elderly during the evacuation? (2) What were the coping strategies used by the institutionalized elderly?

Data were gathered using triangulation: interviews, observation and …

Between Fiction And Documentary: Dangerous Liaisons And The Self-Reflexive Film, Jennifer J. Bottinelli

Theses and Dissertations

As the two primary modes of filmic representation, fiction and documentary have long been separated by their distinct associations with subjectivity and objectivity respectively. Documentary film, with its ties to lived reality, has been especially hampered by a too direct connection with objectivity. Regarding the documentary film's representation of actuality, there is a tendency for the authority behind the construction of the documentary image to go unexplored and unquestioned when the documentary subject is thought to be objectively represented. Neither fiction nor documentary image are likely to be destabilized when each mode neglects to recognize its connection to an alternative …

Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting: Behaviors, Attitudes And Beliefs Among Psychologists Regarding Current And Proposed Statutes, Angela Marie Cavett

Theses and Dissertations

Child abuse is a serious societal problem that has occurred throughout history. However, only recently has society begun to formally confront child maltreatment by requiring professionals, including psychologists, to identify children who are being abused or neglected, through formal, mandated reporting. Child abuse reports are general addressed by social workers from Social Service Departments. However, this system is not always effective. Despite the mandates to report, psychologists have chosen to not report some cases, especially cases of mild physical abuse.

Psychologists make decisions regarding whether or not to report. This study elaborates on and extends what is known about psychologists' …

Using Research Methods To Evaluate Your Extension Program, Keith G. Diem

Journal of Extension

For Extension practitioners, research is typically considered an ominous practice reserved for ivory tower academics, and evaluation is nearly as mysterious. Therefore, Extension agents often shy away from using scientific methods to evaluate educational programs. However, research is simply a methodical way of finding answers to questions used to discover new information or prove scientific theories. And research methods can also be useful to effectively evaluate an educational program or its participants in the most objective way. This article presents an overview of research methods that Extension agents can use in program evaluation. It includes a bibliography of helpful resources.

Beyond Knowledge: Guidelines For Effective Health Promotion Messages, Joye C. Gordon

Journal of Extension

Knowledge does not always result in the adoption of recommended behaviors that can prevent or detect illness. This article synthesizes the research of psychologists, health advocates, and other social scientists to identify the factors other than knowledge that influence decisions regarding healthful behaviors. The article also presents guidelines to help Extension personnel optimize messages and programs designed to encourage preventive health behaviors based on findings concerning (a) perceptions of risks; (b) perceptions of self; (c) environmental conditions, both physical and social; and (d) perceptions of costs and benefits of recommended behavior.

A Measurement Of Job Satisfaction Indicators Of North Dakota Long Term Health Care Givers, Deborah Moreno

Theses and Dissertations

Long term care facilities in North Dakota and across the nation are experiencing a shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), and Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs). This shortage is significant as it directly affects the quality of care provided to long term care residents. As long term care is labor intensive, recruitment and retention efforts are critical to these facilities. In a highly competitive labor market, although recruitment is important, retention of current employees is crucial. An integration retention strategy is necessary for the retention of employees. Numerous studies have suggested that job satisfaction is directly related to …

Social Capital And Adolescent Student At-Risk Behaviors, Jeffrey M. Schatz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between six at-risk behaviors of adolescent students in relation to levels of social capital of 9–12 grade students. Data were gathered from the Youth Risk and Protective Factors Survey (YRPFS), administered to ninth through twelfth grade students in a school district located in a medium size midwest city. Factor analysis reduced the 114 questions on Survey A and B to two independent factors. Independent Factor I, Family Social Capital, was the sum of issues pertaining to the parents' educational background, rules at home, and educational expectations for their children. Independent …

Family Functioning, Parenting Practices, And Psychological Outcomes In Children With Diabetes As Compared To Children Without Diabetes, Lisa Leadbetter

Theses and Dissertations

The aims of this study were to identify what family environment and parenting practices are related to diabetic adherence and healthy psychological adjustment in children with diabetes as compared to children without diabetes. Participants included 60 families, including 30 families with children with diabetes and 30 age- and gender-matched controls without diabetes. Questionnaires were administered to the target child (the child with diabetes or the control child without) that assessed symptoms of depression, anxiety, self-concept and coping strategies. Additionally, one parent from each family completed questionnaires measuring family environment, parental stress, and parenting practices, as well as symptoms of his …

Experiences Of Older Women Following The 1997 Flood In Grand Forks, North Dakota, Mary Jean Formati

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the effect of a natural disaster on women 65 years and older. It was a qualitative, open-ended, non-emergent, exploratory study designed to understand the issues faced and the continued responses of older women to natural disaster. Data consisted of individual written narratives and individual interviews. The constant comparison method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Lincoln & Guba, 1985) was used to explore emerging themes and sub-themes. The purpose was to discover what difficulties older women experienced, how or if their lives changed, and how or if they continue to be impacted by disaster. Four main themes emerged from …

Wisc-Iii Performance Patterning Differences Between Native American And Caucasian Children, Teton W. Ducheneaux

Theses and Dissertations

Native American children are sometimes inappropriately assessed, diagnosed, and labeled using Western European standardized intelligence measurements. The use of these measures with Native American children leads to questions regarding appropriate placement issues. Many clinicians are unfamiliar with these unique cultural differences. Some studies suggest the possibility of a “Native American Pattern” on the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (McShane & Plas, 1982). Mishra (1982) also found cultural bias with Information, Similarities, and Vocabulary subtests on the WISC-R when comparing Anglo and Navajo children with matching Full Scale IQ's. The present study investigated the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III; Wechsler, …

The Disinhibition Effect: An Experiment Using Chat Technology With Sixty Sixth Graders, Jeremy J. Sims

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Linking The Heuristic-Systematic Model And Depth Of Processing, Robert J. Griffin, Kurt Neuwirth, James K. Giese, Sharon Dunwoody

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This study draws a nexus between heuristic-systematic information processing and the theory of planned behavior through a model of risk information seeking and processing. The model proposes that the form of information processing individuals apply to risk information from the media and other sources affects beliefs, evaluations, and attitudes considered important to making judgments about performing risk-reducing behaviors. This study found that deeper, more systematic processing of risk information is positively related to evaluation strength, attitude strength, and the number of strongly held behavioral beliefs actively considered by respondents when thinking about environmental hazards. The relationships were consistent, appearing across …

Genetic Services In Ontario: Mapping The Future, Roxanne Mykitiuk

Commissioned Reports, Studies and Public Policy Documents

No abstract provided.

Homophobia And Academic Freedom, David Moshman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Addressing homophobia and heterosexism as a teacher raises issues of respect for the intellectual freedom of your students. The central thesis of this article is that these issues are best addressed on the basis of general principles of academic freedom-that is, intellectual freedom in educational and research contexts. Three cases are analyzed on the basis of principles developed by the Academic Freedom Coalition of Nebraska (AFCON). These principles permit advocacy, rather than requiring neutrality, but do not permit indoctrination. That is, instructors may express and justify their own ideas relevant to the curriculum and try to convince students to adopt …

Soundings 2002-11-29 (V.15 No.23), N/A N/A

Soundings

No abstract provided.

The Cord Weekly (November 27, 2002)

The Cord

No abstract provided.

Flouting The Law: Does Perceived Injustice Provoke General Non-Compliance?, Janice Nadler

Law and Economics Papers

What happens when people's common sense view of justice diverges from the sense of justice they see enshrined in particular legal rules and legal outcomes? In particular, does the perception of one particular law as unjust make people less likely to comply with unrelated laws? This article reports an experiment that empirically tested the Flouting Thesis - the idea that the perceived justice of one law can influence the intention to comply with unrelated laws. Participants who were exposed to laws they perceived as unjust were more willing, as a general matter, to flout unrelated laws, compared to participants exposed …

Stolen Generations And Vanishing Indians: The Removal Of Indigenous Children As A Weapon Of War In The United States And Australia, 1870-1 940, Victoria Haskins, Margaret D. Jacobs

Department of History: Faculty Publications

As a central component of the assimilation agenda in the United States and of absorption plans in Australia, child removal became a systematic government policy toward indigenous peoples in both countries in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Using the rhetoric of protecting and saving indigenous children, reformers and government officials touted child removal as a means to "uplift" and "civilize" indigenous children. Modern-day historians, until very recently, have characterized child removal in similar ways: as a well-intentioned, though ultimately misguided, alternative to warfare and violence against indigenous peoples.

If we turn our attention to the perspectives of the indigenous peoples …

Ucc Minutes November 26, 2002, Kutztown University Curriculum Committee

UCC Minutes

No abstract provided.