Digital Commons Network^™

Growing Old On The Farm: An Ethnonursing Examination Of Aging And Health Within The Agrarian Rural Subculture, Diane Witt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this Ethnonursing study was to discover and explore the elder agrarian rural subculture in regard to well-being, health beliefs, values and practices. In depth interviews utilizing a semi-structured interview guide were carried out with eleven key and 23 general informants in a rural county in south-central Minnesota. A snowball method was utilized to recruit informants. Concurrent analysis was carried out utilizing Leininger's phases of Ethnonursing analysis for qualitative data.

Data management and analysis was facilitated through the use of QSR NVivo software for qualitative data analysis version 6. Sixteen categories, ten patterns and three themes emerged from …

There's No Place Like Home? The Effects Of Childhood Themes On Women's Aspirations Toward Leadership Roles, Janet Wojtalik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The shortage of women in leadership positions remains a far-reaching concern in all management arenas. Although the literature hints at the influence of the internal barriers of lack of self-confidence, poor self-esteem and the overwhelming attitude of instinctive male dominance, the literature fails to address the impact of early childhood themes on the development of these misconceptions. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of childhood themes on women's aspirations toward leadership as suggested by the Eccles Model of Achievement Related Choices. Early childhood gender related experiences of women in leadership and non-leadership roles were solicited using …

To Be Acknowledged As Citizens, Danielle Leigh Troia

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This paper takes another look at the displacement of lesbians and gays from civic society by being prohibited from accessing marriage rights. First, certain events in anti-gay discrimination and marriage history that contributed to the second-class citizenship of lesbians and gays are reviewed. Second, a look at how the secondclass citizenship is unique to lesbians and gays is examined. Finally, this paper looks at the marriage, fatherhood, and faith-based initiatives under welfare reform and how they reinforce heterosexual marriage and family in American society.

After extensive research, I have found that the roles of the initiatives under welfare reform have …

Authentic Dasein As Pathway To Heideggerianism As A Political Philosophy - A Political Vibration Of Being And Time, Thomas Akpen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the history of Western philosophy, Martin Heidegger is the only philosopher after Plato and Aristotle to have seriously investigated the question of being. Instead of dwelling on particulars as previous philosophers did, Heidegger probes the question of being by investigating the being of the investigator of being. This being is Dasein, understood as human existence. Dasein is not just a thinking thing (res cogitans) or a political animal (politicus animalus), but essentially a being-in-the-world. Dasein has two modes of existence in its being-in-the-world -- inauthentic existence and authentic existence.

To exist inauthentically is to reject the clarion call of …

Causal Attributions And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: The Relationships Among Dispositional Attributional Style, Trauma-Specific Attributions, And Ptsd, Sarah Reiland

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The learned helplessness model (Seligman, 1975) and its various revisions suggest that both dispositional attributional style and event-specific attributions may influence people’s responses to events. Attribution theory has been applied to the search for risk and resiliency factors in trauma survivors, but few studies have compared dispositional attributional style with traumaspecific attributions in relation to posttraumatic stress symptoms. In addition, studies of attributions and PTSD fail to take into account the importance to the individual of the events about which attributions are made. The importance of the situation is a key component of the hopelessness model. Attributions for causes of …

Telemedicine And Ptsd Assessment Of Veterans: A Study Of Equivalence Between Videoconferencing (Vtc) And Face-To-Face (Ftf) Methods, Carole Porcari

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Telemedicine systems use telecommunications technology to provide health care services to clients with distance barriers to providers. This is relevant for America’s veterans who require services for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but find that these specialty services are not always available locally. This study compared a face-to-face (FTF) Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) interview and a videoconferencing (VTC) administration of the CAPS. Participants were 20 male veterans referred to a veteran’s affairs center for a PTSD assessment. Correlations between assessments ranged from .74 - .92, and statistical equivalence was demonstrated at 90% confidence intervals. Sensitivity of the VTC interview was found …

Conditional Error Variance In The Wisc-Iv, Laszlo Attila Erdodi

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Measurement error at different ability levels in the WISC-IV was studied to empirically test the conditional error variance hypothesis. Graduate students in clinical psychology at a Midwestern university scored fictitious WISC-IV Vocabulary subtests constructed to yield actual scaled scores of 4, 10, and 16. Classical measurement theory assumes error rate will be constant across the three conditions. Modern test theories (Item Response Theory), however, predict that the precision of a measurement instrument will change as a function of the examinee's ability level. Data supported the conditional error variance hypothesis. Scorers made significantly more errors in the low- and high-abilitylevel conditions …

Family Functioning And Coping Behaviors In Parents Of Children With Autism, Matthew J. Altiere

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

We looked at how a child with autism affects the dynamics and coping behaviors of a family. A majority of studies on families with a child with autism collect information from the mother but not the father. Therefore, this study examined the involvement of both parents from a family systems theory approach, which compares relationships among different familial variables, to determine the contributions of each individual to the developmental outcomes of the family unit. It was hypothesized that moderate levels of cohesion and adaptability would be associated with higher levels of positive coping mechanisms. Further, the more coping strategies implemented …

Student Achievement As A Function Of Class Size And Pupil-Teacher Ratio, Robert T. Becker

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Background: The degree to which class size is able to produce positive, enduring effects on student achievement has been and continues to be vigorously debated. Comparative studies have clouded the issue with imprecise use of the terms class size (CS) and pupil-teacher ratio (PTR), making it difficult to draw clear conclusions regarding the effects of class size on student achievement.

Purpose: To assess differences, if any, in achievement between students attending classes where the class-size is approximately n = 17 and students attending classes where the class-size is approximately n = 25 and the pupil-teacher ratio is approximately …

Religious Orientation And Flow, Scott Robert Brown

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study explored the nature and extent of relationships between religious orientations, religious orthodoxy, and flow, which is an experience akin to “being in the zone” in sports. The three religious orientations examined were intrinsic religiosity, which involves shaping one’s life around religious beliefs and practices; extrinsic religiosity, which involves trying to gain rewards, such as social status, from religious participation; and quest, which involves seeking religious meaning as opposed to accepting traditional doctrines. Data analyses indicated that high scorers on extrinsic religiosity tended to have less intense flow experiences and that they tended to experience flow more often during …

Perceived Stressors, Coping Strategies, And Burnout Pertaining To Psychiatric Nurses Working On Locked Psychiatric Units, Richard A. White

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe perceived occupational stressors, coping strategies, and burnout levels of psychiatric nurses working on locked psychiatric units in southeastern Michigan (N = 46), as well as to examine the relationships among demographic factors and these variables. This study utilized a correlation design, adapting the stress, coping, and burnout theoretical frameworks of Seyle, Lazarus, Folkman, and Maslach.

The results indicated that the majority of psychiatric nurses in this study were experiencing low levels of stress and moderate levels of burnout. The findings suggested that staffing issues were an important factor in determining stress …

College Integrated Care: Effectiveness Of The Use Of A Modified Version Of The Patient Health Questionnaire For Patients In A University Health Clinic, Kevin Alschuler

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

In primary medical care settings, problems with providing appropriate behavioral care led to development of the integrated care model providing behavioral services alongside medical services. The present study explored the potential need for this model at a Midwest university health center, by investigating how two behavioral questionnaires influenced providers’ prescription of psychotropic medications and referrals for behavioral intervention. After random assignment to condition, 109 participants in the experimental condition completed the mentalhealth- oriented Patient Health Questionnaire and the college-adjustment-oriented College Health Questionnaire, and 91 control participants received treatment as usual. Results indicated significantly higher rates of discussion of behavioral problems …

The Effects Of The Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program On Reading Fluency And Comprehension Of At-Risk First-Graders, Andrea R. Van Der Laan

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this research study was to determine the impact of the Lindamood-Bell Phoneme Sequencing Program on phonemic awareness, reading fluency, and comprehension of at-risk first graders in one southwestern Michigan school district.

In the first phase of this research, baseline data in phonemic awareness and fluency scores were collected from two different first-grade classrooms to determine which students would be chosen for the study. The final study included 32 students, 16 from the experimental school and 16 from the control school. Both schools had similar demographic populations. In the second phase of the study, data were collected …

Depression, Volition, And Death: The Effect Of Depressive Disorders On The Autonomous Choice To Forgo Medical Treatment, Matthew Butkus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many contemporary models of medical ethics champion patient autonomy to counterbalance historically paternalistic decision-making processes. These models tend to suggest an autonomous agent free from cognitive bias and systematic distortion (e.g., Kantian or Cartesian rational agents). Evidence is emerging from the fields of cognitive psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience that fundamentally challenge this cognitive model, demonstrating the dependence of cognition on deeper, avolitional structures (e.g., backstage cognition, cognitive heuristics and biases, automaticity, emotionally-valenced memory, etc.), and hence, shifting the cognitive model towards reductionistic and deterministic philosophies and psychologies. Medical ethics models must adapt their sense of autonomy in light of …

How Perioperative Define, Attribute Causes Of, And React To Intraoperative Nursing Errors, Robin Chard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Errors in nursing practice are a growing concern in healthcare posing a threat to patient safety. Practitioners have been hesitant to come forward and report errors because of negative ramifications in the workplace. Few studies have approached error management through the eyes of the clinician or have studied how nurses cope or change their practice after committing an error. Studies on nursing errors have traditionally used floor/unit nurses as the sample population. This study used an often unseen and highly specialized group known as perioperative or operating room registered nurses.

This study was a descriptive, correlational design using a survey …

Gender Differences On Organizational Commitment Of U.S. And Japanese Firms In Thailand, Jian Sun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on gender differences on identity commitment and behavioral commitment of ten U.S. and Japanese transplants in Thailand. The study proceeds in two steps. First, the relationship between four categories of independent variables and two dimensions of organizational commitment, gender and other independent variables as well as the firms' home country and other independent variables are measured by bivariate analysis. Second, multivariate analyses are used to measure the general model and separate gender models respectively. The findings suggest that personal relationships with supervisor are the strongest indicator of two dimensions of organizational commitment for both males and females …

Ignorance And Marital Bliss: Women's Education In The English Novel, 1796-1895, Mary Tobin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mary Hays's Memoirs of Emma Courtney (1796) and Mary Wollstonecraft's Maria, or The Wrongs of Woman (1798) demonstrate the futility of educating women, given Britain's law of coverture; they expose the impracticality of ideal women presented in Jean Jacques Rousseau's Émile (1762) and James Fordyce's Sermons to Young Women (1766); and they demand educational parity between the sexes. Although novelists throughout the nineteenth century revisit and reshape all four authors' ideas, by 1895 in Jude the Obscure, when Sue Bridehead fails to achieve sexual equality despite enjoying educational parity, Thomas Hardy concludes that educating women remains futile.

This cycle begins …

Sports Science Roundtable: Does Sports Science Research Influence Practice?, David Bishop, Angus Burnett, Damien Farrow, Tim Gabbett, Robert Newton

Research outputs pre 2011

As sports scientists, we claim to make a signifi cant contribution to the body of knowledge that infl uences athletic practice and performance. Is this the reality? At the inaugural congress of the Australian Association for Exercise and Sports Science, a panel of well-credentialed academic experts with experience in the applied environment debated the question, Does sports-science research influence practice? The fi rst task was to defi ne “sports-science research,” and it was generally agreed that it is concerned with providing evidence that improves sports performance. When practices are equally effective, sports scientists also have a role in identifying practices …

Reusable And Shareable Learning Objects Supporting Students Learning Of Data Structures In University Courses, Kacha Chansilp, Ron Oliver

Research outputs pre 2011

No abstract provided.

A Koinonia Model For Building Better Marriage Relationships, Hee Man Park

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Modem Korea is experiencing family crises. Marriages are ending in separation and divorce. The purpose o f this study was to develop a program based on biblical principles o f koinonia, one that could be used to improve communication for Christian couples and enhance their communion with God.

Method

A theoretical framework for this study was established based on the literature review. The biblical overview was presented using the koinonia perspective. The principles o f koinonia are found in the creation story, the covenant between God and His people, in the life and teaching o f Christ, and the …

A Preaching Program To Instill Social Consciousness In African-American Churches In Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, Willie Edward Hucks Ii

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

In Adventist African-American churches in the Dallas/Fort Worth (D/FW), Texas, Metroplex, there has been a dearth of preaching to issues pertaining to social consciousness. This dearth is due to the utilization of preaching models that are incapable of addressing all the needs of African-Americans who are constantly buffeted by the stresses of life. The primary focus of preaching has traditionally been upon longterm salvation and spiritual formation, as opposed to community concerns—especially as they relate to preaching in the African-American communities of the D/FW Metroplex. As a result, many Blacks in this region are not being reached as effectively …

A Strategy For Strengthening Romanian Seventh-Day Adventist Families Dealing With Couple Separation Due To Economic Reasons, Mihail Baciu

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Financial challenges in Romania have prompted many Seventh-day Adventist people to leave their spouses and country to seek employment abroad. The impact of this phenomenon upon families has been significant. This situation occurred primarily between 1991 and 2000. Before 1990, generally speaking, the number of Seventh-day Adventist family separations or divorces was very low (around 30-40 families) in Romania. After 1991, this number increased dramatically to estimated 10-12,000 families. Temporary separation of spouses for economic reasons does not necessarily lead to a divorce. However, due to the complex implications of temporary separation on families, children and faith communities, this …

Mandatory Mediation: The Extra Dose Needed To Cure The Medical Malpractice Crisis, Florence Yee

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

This Note discusses the advantages and drawbacks of mandating participation in mediation in medical malpractice disputes. Part II of this Note reviews the extent of the current medical malpractice crisis. Part III examines litigation as the traditional means of resolving medical malpractice disputes and suggests that litigation's weaknesses eclipse any of its strengths. Part IV evaluates the lingering challenges to arbitration, accounting for its ineffectiveness in resolving medical malpractice disputes. Part V analyzes why mediation may be the better alternative to both litigation and arbitration in resolving such disputes, and how its hurdles can be best surmounted by mandatory mediation. …

Venting Of Vipassana? Mindfulness Mediation's Potential For Reducing Anger's Role In Mediation, Don Ellinghausen Jr.

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

American culture is suffused and infatuated with anger. Politicians strive to placate the "Angry White Male," whose antagonisms also find expression in road rage, overheated talk radio, violent video games, and players-fans skirmishes at professional sporting events. American media churns out alarmingly vivid images of violence, and the ominous tendency for teenagers, in particular, to act out these lurid fantasies of "righteous wrath" dramatizes the nexus between this potentially toxic "consumption of cultural items" and anger. Vietnamese expatriate monk Thich Nhat Hanh observes that Americans "cannot speak about anger, and how to handle our anger, without paying attention to all …

The Role Of Citizens And The Future Of International Law: A Paradigm For A Changing World, Avnita Lakhani

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

Time is on our side and security is to be found, only if we would have a change of heart about the role that citizens can play in the future of international law. True, citizens do play a role in the development and enforcement of domestic laws, especially in more democratic and Western societies. Citizens have also had significant influence in the development of international law. However, citizens (i.e. non-state actors) have not had a direct hand in the enforcement of international law through private action as accorded to state-actors (i.e. governments). This means that citizens, in most cases, have …

The Changing Relationships Of Women Helping Women: Patterns And Trends In Domestic Violence Advocacy, Jennifer Rose Wies

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This research explores the themes of participation and professionalization as they intersect with power in domestic violence advocacy by using a case study from one region in Kentucky. Throughout this dissertation, I investigate the ways political and economic pressures influence local domestic violence advocates and the ways these macro-level pressures influence 1) an advocate's level of participation in the organization and 2) a transition in social service provision to a professional model of advocacy. The research illustrates that the nature of domestic violence service provision is changing in the United States as a result of the increasingly privatized nature of …

The Integration Of The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Altruism, And Self-Construal: Implications For Designing Recycling Campaigns In Individualistic And Collectivistic Societies, Rungrat Chaisamrej

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This study was an effort to uncover four major facts: (a) the predictive power ofthe proposed integrated model, which posits the influence of attitudes (ATT), subjectivenorms (SN), perceived behavior control (PBC), altruism, self-construal, and paperrecyclingknowledge on behavioral intentions; (b) the moderating effects ofindividualism-collectivism (I-C) on the attitudes-intentions relationship and thesubjective norms-intentions relationship; (c) the comparison of the predictive power ofthe TPB model and the proposed integrated model; and (d) the relationship between twointentions measures: behavioral intentions and implementation intentions.This cross-sectional research consisted of two phases: the TPB elicitation researchand the main study. Participants were undergraduate students recruited from two majorpublic …

Intergenerational Communication About African American Women's Health: The Sharing Of Health Messages Between Diabetic Mothers And Their Non-Diabetic Adult Daughters, Angela F. Cooke-Jackson

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The prevalence of type II diabetes is high among African-American women but research that emphasizes black mothers and their adult daughters is rarely studied in social sciences or communication research. Though existing research addresses various domains of the mother-daughter relationship scant information addresses the significance of talk or the transmission of health information between African-American diabetic mothers and their non-diabetic adult daughters. For that reason, this dissertation investigates information sharing among a sample of African-American mothers with type II diabetes and their non-diabetic adult daughters.This study's two primary research objectives were to: 1. describe whether and how African-American type II …

Where Should The Action Be - Inside The Classroom Or Outside The Classroom? A Comparison Of The Action-Learning Outcomes In Singapore, China, Korea, New Zealand And Australia, Jens Mueller, Wee Liang Tan, Hanjun Hu, John Thornton

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

No abstract provided.

Constraints To Youth Participation In The Current Federal Political Environment, Judith G. Bridgland Sorenson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research explores the constraints to youth participation through the mechanism of the National Youth Roundtable. In 1999 the National Youth Roundtable was established as the centrepiece of the Federal Government's `Voices of Youth' initiative, designed to go to the grass roots of the youth population and seek their participation on matters of policy development. This was to be the new interface between young people and the Australian government, replacing the peak body for youth affairs as a more effective participation mechanism.