Digital Commons Network^™

Leadership Assessment: A Tool For Developing Future Hospitality Leaders, Sam Carlton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this paper is to identify and confirm important key leadership behaviors and characteristics of successful hotel and hospitality leaders with the intentions of validating key leadership theories and making suggestions for future hotel and hospitality leaders. Two very relevant theories of leadership are explored- Transactional and Transformational. The traits and behaviors contained within the theories are identified and subsequently mapped against past and present hospitality industry leaders. As a result, the paper identifies the critical few traits and behaviors necessary for future leaders to be successful. Finally, a tool has been developed to be used to identify …

Association Of Various Reproductive Rights, Domestic Violence And Marital Rape With Depression Among Pakistani Women, Faridah A. Ali, Syed M. Israr, Badar S. Ali, Naveed Z. Janjua

Community Health Sciences

Background: Depression among women is common in developing countries. Gender inequality can contribute to women's risk for depression. Lack of reproductive and sexual rights is an important marker of gender inequality and women do not have the freedom to express their reproductive and sexual needs in many parts of the world. Therefore we designed this study to determine the association of depression with lack of various reproductive rights and domestic violence among married women in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: A case-control study with 152 cases and 152 controls, which included women 15-48 years, recruited from two teaching hospitals from 1(st) June …

The Influence Of Departmental Affiliation And Pedagogical Training On Faculty Adoption Of Innovative Pedagogical Methods In Georgia Technical Colleges, Linda G. Grisham

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This quantitative study used factorial design and survey research to examine the influence of departmental affiliation and pedagogical training on full-time faculty members’ (n = 2193) working in the Technical College System of Georgia. The tool for data collections was a web-survey instrument, modified with permission from the Faculty Survey on Teaching, Learning and Assessment” (Matney, 2001).

Two independent variables (departmental affiliation and level of pedagogical training in active learning practices) and three dependent variables (participation in the scholarship of teaching and learning, introduction of new teaching techniques, and active learning practices) were measured by responses on a 5-point Likert-scale. …

Women Leaders In Student Affairs: A Case Study Exploring Career Choices, Julie C. Taylor-Costello

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative, multiple case study explored what women working in student affairs reported as influences on their career choices and the impact that the type and level of student interaction has on their careers.

Data from semi-structured interviews and journal entries were obtained from ten women working in student affairs at private, four-year institutions of higher education in the Midwest. The “Stage Model of the Careers of Successful Women” (White, Cox, & Cooper, 1992) provided the theoretical framework and the basis for selecting women for the study. Two women at each of the five stages of White, Cox, and Cooper’s …

Experiences Of Community College Students With Adhd: A Qualitative Study In The Tradition Of Phenomenology, Charla N. Lawrence

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Postsecondary educational institutions of all types have seen increases in the number of enrollees diagnosed with ADHD. Despite such increases less in known about ADHD among college students because the majority of research has focused on children and adolescents. This qualitative study conducted in the tradition of phenomenology, explored the lived experiences of ten students attending a community college. Personal interviews were conducted for the purpose of gaining insight into how students with ADHD experience higher education in a community college environment; what support services were most/least useful; challenges faced and successes enjoyed; factors influencing success or failure, and the …

A Family Home Evening Based Method For Improving Physical Activity Levels In Families, Megan Maughan Wyatt

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of physical inactivity has been recognized as a risk factor for multiple chronic disease conditions in both adults and children. Recently efforts to increase healthy behaviors have been promoted through religious groups (Ken Resnicow et al., 2002). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) has a unique program called Family Home Evening (FHE) that could be used to teach and potentially improve physical activity. Six FHE lessons were designed to be taught in 6 consecutive weeks within a family environment. A total of 84 families (parents and children) were recruited for participation. Participating families were randomized …

A Career Stage Perspective To Employees’ Preferred Psychological Contract Inducements, Chin Heng (Liu Zhenxing) Low, Prashant Bordia

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The psychological contract describes employees’ beliefs regarding the reciprocal obligations between themselves and their employer. While research has examined the consequences of psychological contract fulfillment and breach, there is limited understanding of how employees’ preferences for psychological contract inducements may vary across different stages of their careers. Drawing on career stage theory, this paper develops a conceptual framework proposing that employees at different perceived career stages will prioritize different inducements from their employer. Using Super’s career stage model, the paper identifies stage-specific inducements that may be valued by employees at early, mid, and late career stages. The framework offers insights …

Association Tests Of The Opioid Receptor System And Alcohol-Related Traits, Ryan Bennett

Theses and Dissertations

The opioid receptors and their endogenous ligands have long been implicated in a variety of traits including addiction, impulsive behaviors and substance dependence. Using phenotypic measurements collected from the IASPSAD, data from a latent class analysis and data from a SNP array and additional genotyping assays, association and regression tests were performed to determine the effects of common SNPs encoded in the genes of the opioid receptors and ligands on various traits relating to alcohol dependence. Although only one SNP can be reported as significant for substance dependence within alcoholics, there were a few results approaching significance that may offer …

Examining Job Satisfaction Online Adjunct Instructors': A Phenomenological Study, Shalyn Lapke

Theses and Dissertations

The study of job satisfaction for professors in the work place has been prevalent in the research for decades (COACHE, 2007). As online education grows exponentially each year (Allen & Seaman, 2006), this aspect of professorial teaching is emerging as an increasingly critical factor. Many professors that teach in the online sector have taught or are currently teaching in a face-to-face setting as well (Preziosi & Gooden, 2003). Also, many of the professors teaching online courses in the higher education arena are being hired as adjunct instructors. There is a lack of literature dealing with the satisfaction of the educator …

Evaluation Of The Expansion Of Behavioral Health Services In A Rural, Primary Care Clinic: A Pilot Project, Carolyn L. Donovan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The trend towards integrated behavioral health and primary care services has been supported by the literature. To meet the growing demand for such services, one rural primary care clinic initiated and evaluated a pilot program increasing the number of behavioral health providers. One additional counselor was hired for six hours a week for twelve weeks. The aim of the evaluation was to determine if there was an increase in availability of services, improved communication about referred patients among providers, and increased satisfaction among patients. While outcomes were not statistically significant, positive changes were noted in all areas. The implementation was …

Increasing Rewards And The Impact On Student Behavior And School -Wide Discipline: A Mixed Methods Study, Lorri Rumburg

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This mixed method, embedded, correlational study's aim was to make explicit the relationships between changed procedures in one elementary school's PBIS universal program and student behavior as measured by office discipline referrals. A secondary aim was to use student and faculty responses on surveys to interpret participants' reactions to the increases in rewards, recognitions, and self-charting of daily behavior.;The type of data collected consisted of office discipline referrals generated over the course of the study year. Numerical data analysis also incorporated student totals for earned coupons, earned rewards and earned behavior points. Students surveys completed in October and May gauged …

A Process Examination Of The Framing Effect In Younger And Older Adult Medical Decision Making, Erin L. Woodhead

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Older and younger adults are susceptible to a decisional bias when faced with medical decisions, which results in different treatment decisions when presented with survival or mortality data. Although this bias, termed the framing effect, has been demonstrated in multiple studies, no published studies have attempted to determine the decisional process older and younger adults engage in when presented with different information frames. The current study used a think-aloud procedure to examine decisional process differences in younger and older adults who did and did not demonstrate a framing effect. All participants were presented with two data formats (interval and cumulative …

Examination Of The Use Of Assessment By Accredited Business Schools, Tracie M. Dodson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Assessment and accreditation are common topics in the literature of higher education. These two practices can impact an institution's ability to produce high quality students, graduates, and general success as an institution. Outcomes assessment is a method of measuring student learning as a result of the educational process. Accreditation seeks to provide external validation of the quality of a program and ensure that the public and other external constituents are aware of, and can depend on, a certain standard quality level.;In academic business units, there are three accreditation agencies. These organizations include the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business …

Historical Response Rates, Reinforcement Context, And Behavioral Persistence, Chata A. Dickson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In several studies, historically lower-rate responding has been found to be more persistent than historically higher-rate responding (e.g., Lattal, 1989; Nevin, 1974). In these studies, historical response-rate differences were generated by reinforcement schedules (e.g., fixed-ratio [FR] and differential-reinforcement-of-low-rates-of-responding [DRL]) that directly affect response rate. The current study was conducted with pigeons pecking keys to determine whether this finding would hold when response-rate differences were generated by the context of reinforcement, such as a concurrently available source of reinforcement or schedule of response-independent food. In each of 3 experiments, a history-building condition was followed by a history-testing condition. In Experiment 1, …

The Influence Of International Service-Learning On Cultural Competence In Baccalaureate Nursing Graduates And Their Subsequent Nursing Practice, Roxanne Amerson

All Dissertations

A series of research studies was completed over 3 years to evaluate baccalaureate nursing students' transcultural self-efficacy following the completion of service-learning projects. A quantitative pilot study was completed in 2007 with a convenience sample of students (n=60) enrolled in a community health nursing course. Several clinical groups worked with local communities and one clinical group took part in a one-week program in Guatemala. The Transcultural Self-Efficacy Tool (TSET) was administered at the beginning and completion of the semester. A paired-samples t test demonstrated a significant increase for pre-test to post-test total and subscale scores.
A follow-up field study was …

‘Motivation In Action’ In A Collaborative Primary Classroom: Developing And Sustaining Teacher Motivation, Veronica Morcom, Judith Maccallum

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper examines how the process of scaffolding students to solve their social issues developed mature participation for both the teacher and students. A sociocultural perspective framed the research as the underlying assumption is that students learn from each other, mediated by the teacher or more capable peers. The study provides evidence that teachers play a significant role in mediating positive relationships amongst peers, which in this case, sustained the teacher’s motivation to engage in the challenging and at times exhausting process. The teacher used weekly class meetings to negotiate with students how to share ‘power’ and model democratic decision-making. …

Interrupting The Workplace: Examining Stressors In An Information Technology Context, Pamela Galluch

All Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the negative and positive outcomes of information and communication technology (ICT) in facilitating and reducing stress. The goals of this dissertation are twofold: 1) to deepen our understanding of how ICT-enabled interruptions influence individuals' episodic stress and 2) to examine whether ICTs may also be used to diminish stress evoked by ICT-enabled interruptions. Originating from psychology, the demands control model (Karasek, 1979) is used as an overarching theoretical lens to explain this technology-based duality, where technology serves as both a problem causing and a solution alleviating stress. The demands control model suggests that stressors have their …

Perspectives Of Parents Who Have A Child Diagnosed With An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Lori Ann Kalash

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the experiences and perceptions parents of a child with an autism spectrum disorder have had. The study addressed the following research question: What were the parents' experiences and perspectives with regard to their child's diagnosis and treatment options?

For this interview study, 12 parents of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder were ultimately selected and interviewed. The audio recorded interviews were transcribed and then examined for "significant statement" sentences. Next, clusters of meaning were developed into themes. These "significant statements" and themes were then used to create the formulated meanings …

Feeling Comfortable With Pluralistic Diversity: Using Common Organizational Strategies To Get Uncommon Results In Higher Education Voluntary Service Organizations, Ruth Sessler Bernstein

Student Scholarship

Diversity is a goal of the majority of America's institutions of higher learning. These colleges and universities have made great strides in achieving representational diversity through aggressive recruiting and retention efforts. However, on campus, students infrequently engage in pluralistic diversity. This paper examines a national voluntary service organization at two pluralistically diverse universities. Semi-structured interviews with members and alumni of the association provided insight into the characteristics of the interactions they have had with those who are different from them. These insights enabled us to examine the specific organizational strategies this nonprofit adopted that promoted enriching intercultural interactions.

From Esteem To Stigma: The Effect Of The Financial Crisis On Banker Engagement, Glen Weaver

Student Scholarship

Absent from a quickly accumulating literature on job engagement is a focus on professionals in the financial industry. There is, in particular, little research on the organization or industry identity of bankers as a discrete group. Nor has the literature explored the relationship of these identities with job engagement or environmental duress. We seized an opportunity to study the effects of the 2007-2009 financial crisis on bankers' identities and passion for their jobs. Semi-structured interviews with 28 mid-level bankers at five prominent US banks that accepted Toxic Asset Relief Program funding (TARP) captured insights about "normal state" (pre-crisis) versus mid-crisis …

The Role Of School Leadership In Student Achievement In Kenya, Renson Muchiri Mwangi

Student Scholarship

Despite ample documentation that mathematics mastery can affect national development and notwithstanding long instituted formal government initiatives to improve it, student mathematics performance at the secondary school level in Kenya has deteriorated. Studies on mathematics achievement in Kenya have primarily focused on teachers’ classroom practices neglecting the potential influence of school leadership. We conducted a qualitative study involving Kenyan school principles and other administrative and instructional staff to construct an account of how school leadership is enacted and experienced in the day-to-day practices and how it affects student mathematics mastery. Our findings suggest that principals’ leadership and engagement, demonstrated commitment, …

The Role Of Knowledge Management In Achieving Outstanding University Performance (Applied Study In The Faculty Of Management And Economics / University Of Kufa), Saad Ali Al-Anzi, Ali Razzaq Chyad Al-Abedi, Faik Jawad Kadhim

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

The research aims to determine the role of knowledge management to measure performance on a sample of faculties of Administration and Economics the University of Kufa, and to achieve this goal through a researcher from the theoretical literature and research and studies related to the construction of the scheme shows the hypothetical relationship between the variables, which was adopted by the independent variable knowledge management, distributed four variables are: (knowledge generation, knowledge storage, knowledge dissemination, the application of knowledge), as well as four variables representing the variables adopted for the performance of the university are: (to reduce costs and increase …

Set And Light Design For “Con Mis Manos/With My Hands”: A Play In Two Acts By Misael Martinez, Lawrence Andrew Lopez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

An examination and analysis of the process of creating and executing a set and light design for a new show in a new space. This thesis will delve into the problems and solutions that helped to create the set for Con Mis Manos/With My Hands, a play by Misael Martinez, for production in the Albert L. Jeffers Theatre at the University of Texas-Pan American.

Open For Learning: The Cms And The Open Learning Network, Jon Mott, David Wiley

Faculty Publications

The course management system (CMS) reinforces the status quo and hinders substantial teaching and learning innovation in higher education. It does so by imposing artificial time limits on learner access to course content and other learners, privileging the role of the instructor at the expense of the learner, and limiting the power of the network effect in the learning process. The open learning network (OLN)—a hybrid of the CMS and the personal learning environment (PLE)—is proposed as an alternative learning technology environment with the potential to leverage the affordances of the Web to dramatically improve learning.

Impact Of Microfinance And Remittances On The Livelihood Of Nepali People, Bishal B. Kasu

Theses and Dissertations

This research is about the impact of microfinance and remittances on the livelihood of Nepali people. The research has adopted a quantitative approach and used the Nepal Living Standard Survey 2003-04 dataset. The research shows that microfinance and remittances have a clear effect on percent of expenses made on food, health, education, and the housing quality of Nepali people. Out of four dependent variables, microfinance is significantly associated with percent of expenses on food, health and housing quality. Amount of microfinance loans received is negatively associated with percent of expenses on food and quality of housing but positively associated with …

Automotive Technology Student Learning Styles And Their Implications For Faculty, Mark D. Threeton, Richard A. Walter

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

In an effort to provide Career and Technical Education (CTE) professionals with additional insight on how to better meet the educational needs of the learner, this study sought to identify the preference for learning of postsecondary automotive technology students. While it might appear logical to naturally classify auto-tech students as primarily hands-on-learners, the results suggested that the sample was a diverse group of learners with specific educational preferences within the automotive technology program. With a lack of learning style research within the trade and industry sector of CTE, findings may be useful to trade and industry teachers and or teacher …

A Cross-Case Analysis Of Gender Issues In Desktop Virtual Reality Learning Environments, Lynna J. Ausburn, Jon Martens, Andre Washington, Debra Steele, Earlene Washburn

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

This study examined gender-related issues in using new desktop virtual reality (VR) technology as a learning tool in career and technical education (CTE). Using relevant literature, theory, and cross-case analysis of data and findings, the study compared and analyzed the outcomes of two recent studies conducted by a research team at Oklahoma State University that addressed gender issues in VR-based training. This cross-case analysis synthesized the results of these two studies to draw conclusions and implications for CTE educators that may assist in developing or implementing successful virtual learning environments for occupational training. The cross-study findings suggested that males and …

Crosscutting Issues In International Transformation: Interactions And Innovations Among People, Organizations, Processes, And Technology, Derrick J. Neal, Henrik Friman, Ralph Doughty, Linton Wells Ii

Books

This book is a compilation of papers presented at the International Transformation Conference in Stockholm, Sweden on June 2-3, 2009. The conference was hosted by the Swedish Defence Research Agency, FOI. The papers are organized according to the categories of culture, interagency, transformation initiatives, leadership, and adaptive organizations.

The complexities of the task make definitions of transformation a challenge and often open to debate. The unpredictable nature of the future international security environment defies a tightly bounded definition so the International Transformation Chairs have adopted an inclusive description: “Transformation is a process that shapes the changing nature of competition and …

The Impact Of After School Learning Centers On Low Achieving African American Elementary Students, Jorja Lockhart Scott

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of after school learning centers in a rural school district in South Carolina on Measures of Academic Progress achievement scores for low achieving African American elementary students. The researcher collected and analyzed Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test data administered in the Spring of 2008 from the state database and identified 419 African American low achieving fourth and fifth grade students for the study. The Educational Accountability Act of South Carolina requires that schools develop individual academic plans and provide remediation for students in grades three through eight who score Below Basic …

European Union Food Law Update, Emilie H. Leibovitch

Journal of Food Law & Policy

In June 2009, citizens of the European Union elected a new European Parliament. Some Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were reelected while some were not. The majority party is the EPP, the Group of the European People's Party, and the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats has the second majority of the seats. The elections were still governed by the Treaty of Nice, since up until very recently, the future of the Treaty of Lisbon was still uncertain. The Treaty of Lisbon was up until now rejected by a few Member States, who, by their reluctance …