Digital Commons Network^™

The Director's Desk The Role Of Knowledge In Developing People Skills, Ben C. West

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of The Relationships Among Health Literacy, Social Support, And Patient Activation In Community Residing Older Adults, Brenda L. Harding Hage

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationships among the variables health literacy, social support, and patient activation. The subjects were 90 elderly, community residing adults meeting the inclusion criteria and who volunteered to participate in the study and completed three survey instruments: the Short Form of Functional Health Literacy (Parker, Baker, Williams & Nurss, 1995); the Medical Outcomes Survey (MOS) Social Support Survey Instrument (Sherboume & Stewart, 1991); the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) Short-Form (Hibbard, Mahoney, Stockard, & Tusler, 2005); and a demographic form.

A correlational design was used to test the hypotheses that social support and health literacy are positively related …

An Examination Of Teacher-Coaches, Mark Hall

Urbana University Master’s Theses

No abstract provided.

Fear Of Failure, Experience, And Division As Predictors Of State Anxiety In Usfa Epee Fencers, Elizabeth Helen Athanas

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Research looks for the sources of state anxiety for individual athletes prior to competition, which can be debilitating (Gould, 1993; Gould, Horn & Spreeman, 1983). Non-elite athletes who are high trait anxious (possibly fear of failure) have higher state anxiety than elite athletes (Conroy, 2002; Gould, Horn & Spreeman, 1983). Fencers may be prone to elevated state anxiety. No research links these variables together in fencing. The purpose of the study is to examine fear of failure, experience, and division as predictors of state anxiety for epee fencers prior to competition. Epee fencers (N = 145) who competed in the …

An Examination Of The Nursing Home Industry, Craig Labore

Master's Theses and Capstones

Quality of care remains an issue plaguing the nursing home industry. Over the next twenty years, nursing homes will become inundated with members of the "baby boomer" generation. The goal of this research project was to examine approaches to improving the quality of care in nursing homes in The United States. Three reforms were identified. First, there needs to be improved communication between CMS, regional offices and state agencies. Second, create a training program which trains surveyors and nursing home administrators in a nursing home setting. Finally; there must be collaboration between CMS and nursing home industry leaders in policy-making …

The Facilitation Of Well-Being Through Direct Contact With Family-Of-Origin For Securely Attached Children In Residential Out-Of-Home Placement, Katie Lynn Laroche

Master's Theses and Capstones

The current thesis project sought to answer the following two questions: (1) What is the relationship between emotional well-being of children in residential, out-of-home placement and the frequency of contact with their family of-origin? and (2) What is the relationship between the attachment style of children in residential, out-of-home placement and the frequency of contact with their family-of-origin?

Participants were recruited from a residential group home for abused and neglected children in New England. Limitations: Due to the nature of the population, obtaining informed consent proved difficult and the small sample size is the main limitation of this study. Results: …

The Relationship Between Variations Of Physical Activity And Psychological Well-Being In A Clinical Population, Jennifer L. Lijoi

Master's Theses and Capstones

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between engagement in physical activity in the domains of work and/or recreation, and self-reported well-being in a clinical population. The study was correlational in nature and utilized a Spearman rank order correlation to analyze the data of the eleven participants recruited at a therapeutic group private practice in a northern New England town. All eleven participants were females ranging in age from 23 to 43. It was hypothesized that all types of physical activity would correlate positively with reported well-being. The results of the data analysis were not significant; …

Gender Socialization: Implications For Gender Differences In Self-Concept Among Adolescents, Erin D. Libby

Master's Theses and Capstones

The purpose of this research study was to investigate the relationship between traditional gender socialization and self-concept during adolescence, in the domains of athletic competence, physical appearance, social competence, and close friendship.

The sample used in the study consisted of 33 eighth graders, of which 19 were female and 14 were male. Participants completed an instrument developed by the researcher to measure level of gender socialization, along with Harter's (1988) Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents (SPPA) to measure self-concept in the above-referenced domains.

The Mann-Whitney U-Test was used to test distributions of means. Results were not statistically significant and therefore failed …

Cybercounseling: A Comparison Of The Elements Of Counseling Sessions Face-To-Face And Over Instant Message, Ryan M. Long

Master's Theses and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to compare key elements of a counseling session across both face-to-face sessions and sessions occurring over cyberspace via synchronous chat such as instant message or chat room. The key elements of a counseling session compared in this study included the interview environment, physical and psychological attending, interpreting verbal communication, and interpreting nonverbal communication. The results of this study, though not statistically significant, suggest that credentialed distance counselors perceive counseling via instant message to offer less opportunity to create a facilitating counseling environment, less opportunity for interpretation of nonverbal communication, and less opportunity for psychological …

Overview Of The Methods Of Physical Improvement And The Prevalence Of Steroid Use In High School Male Student Athletes, Sarah Sable

Master's Theses and Capstones

Two questionnaires, eight demographic questions and The Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS) were administered to 19 high school male student athletes to determine their attitudes and behaviors around steroid use. The intent of this study was to research this sample to add to the literature in order to develop more effective steroid prevention measures. Steroid use of this group, 5.2% was found to be consistent with the national average. As indicated by the DMS, risk factors that might lead to or indicate steroid use include; wishing to be more muscular, lifting weights, taking protein/energy supplements, taking weight gain/protein shakes, feeling …

Proving Lost Profits Under Daubert: Five Questions Every Court Should Ask Before Admitting Expert Testimony, Robert M. Lloyd

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Gender Role Beliefs, Condom Attitudes And Negotiation Efficacy As Predictors Of Condom Use And Number Of Sexual Partners Among African American College Women, Angela Y. Fitzgerald

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined gender role beliefs (i.e. assertiveness and compassion), condom attitudes and negotiation efficacy as predictors of condom use and number of sexual partners among African American college women. The participants were 190 African American women attending a college and universities in the southeast region of the United States. Significant regression analyses revealed that: 1) increased levels of assertiveness and relationship length contributed to decreased likelihood of condom use, 2) positive condom attitudes predicted increased likelihood of condom use, 3) increased condom negotiation efficacy contributed to increased likelihood of condom use, and 4) condom negotiation efficacy strengthened the effect …

The (Boundedly) Rational Basis Of Trademark Liability, Jeremy N. Sheff

Faculty Publications

This article argues that trademark infringement and dilution are best understood as commercial behavior that manipulates the cognitive biases of consumers, and as such threatens to render their heuristic judgments persistently inaccurate. In this view, trademark liability—whether imposed under the label of infringement or dilution—serves neither to protect property rights of trademark owners, nor to protect them against the unfair trade practices of competitors, but to shape consumer markets in such a way as to conform to the innate cognitive processes of boundedly rational consumers. The trademark regime can thus be understood as a legal apparatus designed (albeit perhaps unconsciously) …

Women As Architects Of Peace: Gender And The Resolution Of Armed Conflict, Margaret E. Mcguiness

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

Any attempts to redress the harms women experience as a result of armed conflict must include a role for women in peace processes. The many excellent contributions to this symposium help us understand the complex ways in which gender affects, and is affected by, armed conflict. The end to a conflict may come too late to heal or adequately redress many gender-specific injuries: the psychological fall out and physical damage of sex-related war crimes, the permanent displacement of women and children from their homes, the destruction of families and livelihoods. Moreover, peace processes—the informal and formal mechanisms through which …

Front Matter, Deborah Bainer Jenkins, Adrian Rodgers

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

Front Matter

Using Internet Technology To Apply And Extend Research From The Past: Reviving Work On Instructor Notes And Review Questions, Mark Grabe

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

The theme of the 2006 MWERA conference, Teaching and Learning in an Electronic Era, offered an opportunity to reflect on opportunities and challenges created by new technologies. This paper focuses on applied educational research and identifies a set of interrelated research opportunities enabled because of the Internet. While these opportunities are explored using two specific examples (Instructor Notes and Review Questions), it seems reasonable that similar opportunities exist with other topics.

Front Matter, Deborah Bainer Jenkins, Adrian Rodgers

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

Front Matter

Evolutionary Systems Theory, Universities, And Endogenous Regional Economic Development, William M. Bowen

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

Universities today are increasingly being viewed in terms of serving the purpose of economic development. This paper postulates that their chief purpose is to advance knowledge and that in doing so they effectuate regional economic growth and development through processes specified in the endogenous economic growth model. To achieve this purpose and to contribute optimally to regional economic growth and development arguably requires coherent educational policies. The central proposition is that to formulate coherent educational policies for endogenous regional economic development requires placement of a theory of the advancement of knowledge at the center of related policy deliberations. An evolutionary …

Front Matter, Deborah Bainer Jenkins, Adrian Rodgers

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

Front Matter

Using Research To Inform Fledgling Professional Development Schools: Data-Driven Decision Making, Sharon J. Damore, Katherine Kapustka

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

The Urban Professional Development School (PDS) Network represents a group of professional educators from a large, urban university and six public and private schools in the same metropolitan area committed to providing progressive models of professional development for teachers across the lifespan. This paper demonstrates how participants in this initiative have used existing research literature and their initial research to inform their PDS work and create a sustainable and informative research agenda that can inform the work of all PDS participants.

Transcending The Body: The Role Of Divine Mind In The Practice Of Christian Science Healing, Sarah L. Gibb

Master's Theses and Capstones

Christian Science has been largely ignored in sociological inquiries of modern religious institutions. This research project aims to uncover how Christian Science practitioners understand their world in terms of the origins of illness, the gender division of labor, and their role as healers within the Christian Science community and the world. I distributed questionnaires to practitioners in California and the New England region, analyzing the responses using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The practitioners in this sample (N = 33) are overwhelmingly white, middle-aged to older women with higher-than-average levels of educational attainment and income. Thematic analyses reveal that in …

Perceptions Of A Generation Gap By Contact And Perceptions Of Intergenerational Responsibility, Michelle L. Stransky

Master's Theses and Capstones

As the Baby Boomers begin to retire in 2011 and federal monies become more strained, it will be useful to determine whether there are actual divisions or points of agreement between grandparents and grandchildren in regards to value differences. Cross-sectional data from the Longitudinal Study of Generations are used to examine the differences in perceptions of intergenerational responsibility and a generation gap between grandparents and grandchildren. Variations in these potential differences as a function of grandparent-grandchild contact and caregiving are also examined. Findings indicate grandparents perceived more responsibility toward younger generations while grandchildren perceive more responsibility toward older generations; grandparents …

Knowledge And Perceptions Of "Cyberterrorism", Andrew J. Van Hoogenstyn

Master's Theses and Capstones

While the threat of terrorists utilizing the Internet to execute a cyberterrorist attack is of prominent concern there exist great misconceptions and factual errors in the media as to the nature of this threat (Conway, 2002; Embar-Seddon, 2002; Weimann, 2005). This thesis examined media exposure, knowledge of cyberterrorism, fear of terrorism and perceived seriousness of cyberterrorist events in a sample of college students. Generally, participants had little knowledge of cyberterrorism. Women were found to be more fearful of terrorism and cyberterrorism than men. A positive relation was found between media consumption and fear of terrorism among women. Finally, fear of …

The Effects Of Knowledge And Integrative Complexity On Acceptance Of Federal Wilderness Designation, Sean Mclaughlin

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study explores relationships between (1) knowledge and acceptance of federal wilderness designation and (2) increased knowledge and acceptability of federal wilderness designation with integrative complexity. Integrative complexity describes the structure of thoughts people have about an issue such as federal wilderness designation. Breaking traditional qualitative measurement techniques, a new scalar instrument was tested in this study to measure integrative complexity. Data were collected from undergraduate students at the University of New Hampshire (N=102), utilizing a pretest-posttest comparison group research design. As hypothesized, increased knowledge resulted in increased acceptance of federal wilderness designation. Conversely, integrative complexity scores decreased slightly as …

Utilization Of Evidence Based Practice Principles To Implement Organizational Values, Catherine Z. Curtis

Master's Theses and Capstones

Nursing job satisfaction is related to nursing retention. During this current nursing shortage, nursing leaders need to investigate ways to improve work environments to increase nurse satisfaction. Research has shown nurse job satisfaction greatly impacts the quality of patient care and nurse retention. This research project implemented a nursing model of practice that included organizational values that could be linked to improved job satisfaction. A nursing model derived from The Whole-Person Caring Model (Thornton) and using principles of Shared Governance, Empowerment and Crucial Communication was the independent variable used to measure changes in nurses' perceptions of work environment and job …

Stunning Trends In Shocking Crimes: A Comprehensive Analysis Of Taser Weapons, Shaun H. Kedir

Journal of Law and Health

In 2001, Westminster, Colorado police officers were dispatched to the home of a suicidal thirteen year-old girl who had barricaded herself in a bathroom. The young girl was mutilating her wrist with two butcher knives. When police officers forced their way into the bathroom, the emotionally disturbed girl charged at them with the two butcher knives while screaming, "Kill me! Kill me!." One of the officers deployed a Taser M26, a hand held conductive energy weapon, which fires two barbed darts up to a distance of thirty-five feet that then deliver an electric shock of 50,000 volts. The officer's Taser …

Authentic Leadership Style And Its Implications In Project Management, Shamas-Ur-Rehman Toor, George Ofori, Faisal Manzoor Arain

Business Review

Project leader/manager is vital for project management organization. Project manager should be able to influence the followers positively, manage several activities together, communicate with various stakeholders at the same time, manage conflicts, take difficult and risky decisions, deal with several socio-economic and cultural challenges, handle several deadlines, control the resources, solve disputes, and finally achieve the project objectives. To accomplish these jobs, the project leader must develop an appropriate leadership style which can be employed under such circumstances for effective performance outcomes. Moreover, leadership researchers have argued that current frameworks do not suffice the need to develop future leaders who …

Investigating Technicist-Managerialism In The Values Endorsed In Mba Programmes, Sara Khan

Business Review

This article investigates the incidence of technicist-managerialism in two MBA programmes of Pakistan by inquiring into the values endorsed in them. Findings about values found in the two schools are presented in the form of quotes from interviews and excerpts from official publications of these two business schools. Consequences of such thinking are then discussed in the light of management literature.

Forced Medication And The Need To Protect The Rights Of The Mentally Ill Criminal Defendant, Emily C. Lieberman

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

The note argues that the current legal framework for forcibly medicating mentally ill criminal defendants, particularly pre-trial detainees, often violates their constitutional rights. It contends that the reliance on "dangerousness" as a criterion for forced medication is too vague and easily abused, leading to inconsistent and unconstitutional applications. The analysis advocates for stricter standards, clearer definitions of dangerousness, and heightened judicial scrutiny to protect the rights of mentally ill defendants.

The Safety Net Revisited? The Continuing Impact Of Welfare Reform In New York City And Nationwide, Laura R. Goldin

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

No abstract provided.