Digital Commons Network^™

The Crisis In American Education: The Impact On Vocational Education, Barbara Ann Quade

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This thesis is an interpretation and evaluation of the problems in the American education system which is failing American citizens by annually producing thousands of illiterates. Moreover, schools are failing to provide an adequate number of skilled workers for government, the military, and business and industry, and that trend will continue unless a drastic restructuring of the entire school system takes place; The paper examines reports on the crisis in education, reviews problems of illiteracy and the impact on technical skills, details concerns of the military, business and industry, and interested individuals regarding the quality of education in the U.S. …

An Instructional Sequence In Music Education Using Vocal And Instrumental Music Of Five World Cultures., Sophronia Lois Thomas

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The music of five non-Western cultures was incorporated in an instructional sequence for elementary grades (K)1-6. Traditional music of the Australian Aborigines and the Akan and Ewe tribes of Ghana, classical music of India, the music of the Indonesian gamelan, and Gagaku music of Japan were examined for the presence of musical concepts, the way each culture handles the concepts that are present, and the interrelationships that exist among the concepts. The music is described in terms of the musical concepts of dynamics, timbre, texture, rhythm, melody, harmony, and form. All of the concepts and their related percepts are organized …

A Handbook For Orientation Of First Year Teachers In The Walla Walla School District, Robert C. Maib

All Graduate Projects

The transition from student teacher to becoming a professional teacher can be a very trying experience. Research, interviews and studies were done to point out problems beginning teachers have in their first year of employment. Due to these problems, beginning teachers need to know where to go for help. Administrators, secretarial services and custodial services can be very beneficial to aid the beginning teacher in the first year of employment. The aim of this project is to create a handbook for beginning teachers in the Walla Walla School District with the research discussed.

An Analysis Of The Special Education Services For Children And Youth In Costa Rica, Beatriz Villarreal Edd

Dissertations

An analysis of Costa Rica special education services was developed with the objective of analyzing its school programs, its university teacher training programs and the quality overall of services provided in the country. Program indicators of quality special education services were delineated with the purpose of comparing the degree to which these indicators were present in the special education programs of Costa Rica. Questionnaires, interviews, observations, and a review of literature were used to obtain a comprehensive description of special education services in Costa Rica. A quality special education school was subsequently designed based on the quality educational programs indicators …

Factors Related To Turnover Intentions Of Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service Agents., Bonnie Carolyn Gaddis Carter

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to expand the theoretical knowledge of the March and Simon (1958) "decision to participate" model as modified by Jackofsky (1982, 1984) and examined by Jackofsky and Peters (1983). Specifically, the study examined the relationship between employee turnover intentions and various predictors of turnover, including (a) desirability of movement (organizational commitment); (b) ease of movement; (c) the interaction of perceived desirability of movement (organizational commitment) and perceived ease of movement from the organization; (d) job satisfaction; (e) central life interest; and (f) selected employee demographic variables. Two-hundred forty Extension agents employed by Louisiana Cooperative Extension …

The Effect Of Personal Journals On Fourth-Grade Students' Attitudes Toward Reading And Writing., Nancy B. Cothern

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between belief systems and attitudes toward reading and writing and the effect of personal journal writing on those attitudes and beliefs. By combining three established areas of research (the affective component of attitude, the reading-writing relationship, and the self-defining nature of personal narrative), the use of personal journals was tested as an effective means for contributing to the development of positive attitudes. Subjects were 95 fourth graders enrolled in four intact classes which were randomly assigned to experimental or control conditions Pre-/post-assessments included administration of reading and writing attitude scales …

Readability Of Mass Mailing Written Material Produced At The County Level Of The Alabama Cooperative Extension Service., Earl Crawford Johnson

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The objectives of this study were to assess the readability of the mass mailing written material produced at the county level of the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service, and to determine the variance in readability explained by selected variables. A mail questionnaire to 100 randomly selected county agents was used, with a 98% response rate. Readability of agents' mass mailing written material was assessed using the Fry Readability Graph. Descriptive statistics and correlation coefficients were calculated. Stepwise multiple regression at the.05 level was used to develop a model which explained readability of material. Findings indicated that respondents spent about six hours …

Children's Ability To Utilize The Mnemonic Keyword Method: An Educational Application Within Fourth-Grade Classrooms., Nancy Lynn Williams

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Research has shown that the mnemonic keyword method is an effective study strategy under controlled laboratory-type situations with subjects learning decontextualized facts. Very few studies have actually tested the mnemonic keyword method within the context of a normal fourth grade classroom and learning situation. The purpose of this study, then, was to demonstrate the viability of the mnemonic keyword method as a study strategy when compared to notetaking/outlining, a common study strategy recommended by fourth grade curricula. The subjects were 106 fourth graders enrolled in four classes at a rural elementary school. Data were collected over a four week period …

Cognitive And Affective Outcomes Of Varying Levels Of Structured Collaboration In A Computer-Based Learning Environment., Judith Lavine Repman

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated cognitive and affective outcomes resulting from the use of varying levels of structured peer collaboration (unstructured, structured, and structured with training) in a computer-based learning environment. The study was designed to apply research findings showing a positive relationship between giving explanations and achievement into classroom practice. The sample consisted of 190 students enrolled in nine sections of seventh grade social studies at two middle schools in East Baton Rouge Parish, LA. The schools were selected because they contained large percentages of students at-risk of school failure. Intact classes were randomly assigned to receive one of the three …

Factors Associated With The Production Of Export Quality Fruit By Small Banana Farmers Of The Rio Grande Valley, Portland, Jamaica., Terrence W. Thomas

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The study was aimed at determining the relationship between two production variables--technology use, and production of export quality fruit--of small banana farmers in the Rio Grande Valley, Jamaica and selected socioeconomic, personal characteristic and opinion variables, assessing the amount of variance in production explained by the latter, and identifying variables that moderate or mediate the relationship between production variables. The target population was 120 farmers selling bananas to a public boxing plant. A random sample of non-banana farmers was used as a cross-validation check to make inferences to all farmers. Farmers were personally interviewed using a pretested schedule. Stepwise multiple …

History Of The School Of Business Churchlands College / Western Australian College Of Advanced Education, Western Australian College Of Advanced Education

Research outputs pre 2011

The contents of this document, entitled "History of the School of Business", covers the significant events and statistics relating thereto experienced by the School of Business during its existence from 1975 to 1989 inclusive.

An Investigation Into The Use Of Prolog For Chinese-English Translation, J. W. L. Millar

Research outputs pre 2011

In order to undertake machine translation from Chinese to English, it is necessary to accomplish three tasks. Firstly, the Chinese characters need to be handled on the computer system in use - in this case an IBM PC/XT. Secondly, the grammar for the language has to be represented and here Prolog has been used with a Definite Clause Grammar. Finally, the lexicon must be stored in a manner that facilitates efficient retrieval. Arity Prolog provides a hash table that achieves this task. This report describes the current state of a project aimed at producing a Chinese English machine translation system.

Aspects Of The English Legal System, Geoffrey Bennett

Journal Articles

The object of this article is to point out some of the more obvious features of the English legal system for the benefit of people with no legal training. Teachers, school governors, and parents are all increasingly called upon to have some insight into the way the law affects their activ­ities, but the natural tendency is perhaps to concentrate only on those discrete areas that are of immediate concern. Sometimes, however, a broader perspective on how the parts articulate with the whole is essential to understanding what can be done with the system or why a certain result or procedure …

Parenting Style And Family Environment Of Caucasian-American Versus Malaysian Families, James Eric Davison

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to determine whether functional Malaysian families differed from functional Caucasian-American families in family environment, parenting style, and marital adjustment, in terms of behavior-rating measures of family problem-solving and self-report measures of family environment and marital adjustment. Variables for the sample of 38 families were assessed using the Family Problem-Solving Behavior Coding System, the Problem-Solving Efficiency Scale, the Beavers-Timberlawn Family Evaluation Scale, the Family Environment Scale, and the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test. Significance was determined by comparing ratings between Malaysian and American families. Malaysian and Caucasian-American families were not significantly different regarding parenting style and family environment variables. …

Social Learning Therapy For Families With Aggressive Boys: Individual Family Versus Parent-Group Treatment, H. Alan Reid

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effectiveness of a time-limited, parent group therapy model for reducing aggressive and disruptive behavior in seven- to thirteen-year-old boys. Comparative differences between an individual counseling versus a parent group implementation of a social learning family counseling model were studied. Twenty families completed the parent group treatment program offered by the Family Therapy Project at Indiana State University. These families completed pre- and post-treatment assessments in order to determine treatment gains in the areas of child behavior, family environment/relationships, family problem-solving abilities, and marital adjustment/satisfaction. These treatment results were then statistically compared using an analysis of covariance …

A Survey Of Computer Usage In Year 11 And 12 Accounting In Western Australian Secondary Government Schools, Grazyna Critch

Theses : Honours

Computer technology has changed the process of accounting and as a result computer usage has become an essential skill for the accountant. Consequently, computer applications are advocated in the accounting curriculum, the vocational rationale verified by virtue of the fact that the accounting profession itself is calling for computer training as part of accounting education. Although there is widespread agreement about the need for computer usage within accounting education, there is often a dichotomy between the educational goal and its application in practice. This is because computer usage in accounting is not without problems; while there are many factors which …

From Parent To Child: The Effects Of A Home Learning Program On Attitudes And Achievements, Linda Linstrom Baker Edd

Dissertations

Literacy is shared value in our culture, yet many adults are unable or unwilling to read. Research indicates that the beginnings of literacy occur long before formal education. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the Preschool Reading Experience Program on the attitudes and pre-reading skills of four- and five-year-old children. The subjects were 96 children enrolled in four San Diego preschools, and their parents. The methodology was quasi-experimental with a treatment and a control group. Interactions of sex, age, and type of preschool were also considered. Results of the quantitative data indicated that children who …

A Study Of An Educational Practice In The Church Of God (Holiness), Gayle Woods

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Freewriting On High School Students’ Attitudes Toward Writing, Dana L. Thomas

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper investigates the hypothesis that freewriting, when used as part of the writing process, will lead to more positive attitudes toward writing in a sample of advanced tenth grade students. An additional issue focuses on the level of positive attitudes of males when compared to females. Two intact classrooms taught by one teacher wrote weekly papers. The experimental group wrote freely, while the control group was restricted in topic choice, length and form of their writing. The experimental group received positive comments on the content of their writing, but the control group received standard error corrections on their writing. …

Computer Use In Educational Presentation Systems, Randy J. Malta

Theses

Computer based Interactive Multi-Media has many uses in creating educational presentations. Apple's HyperCard has unlimited applications for use in Interactive Video presentations. Basic Interactive Video terminology and the five levels of Inter active Video Programs are defined. The process of producing an Interactive Videodisc, as well as the necessary production equipment is described. Interactive computer programs have an exciting future of use and expansion in the many and varied aspects of education.

Leader Behavior, Organizational Effectiveness And Job Satisfaction Of Vocational Teachers In Malaysia., Ahmad Mohammad Sharif

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purposes of this study were to identify the relationships of the perceptions of both leader behavior and organizational effectiveness to the job satisfaction of vocational teachers in vocational schools in Malaysia. Nine social and demographic characteristics of respondents were also investigated. The study was also aimed at determining the relative influence of the selected factors on the job satisfaction of respondents. A simple random sample of 250 teachers was selected, of whom 225 responded. The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) - long form was used to measure job satisfaction, while the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire and the Index of Perceived …

The Influence Of Psychoeducational Psychosocial Discussion Groups On Foster Care Adolescents, Joseph Roy Biggs

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The effectiveness of psychoeducational-psychosocial discussion groups, which focused on cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses to foster care, in helping pre-emancipated foster care adolescents meet intra- and interpersonal needs of impending exit from care, was investigated. Fourteen females and 16 males, ages 14 to 19, who had experienced histories of impermanence, were referred by child welfare personnel. A selected sample, pretest-posttest-follow-up, waiting list control group design was utilized. The eight-week treatment focused on variables of career decision-making strategy certainty, family environment perceptions, depression, self-perceptions and school-related behaviors with regard to teachers, peers, and academic tasks. Participants' responses to the Career Decision …

A Study Of Three Specific Family Populations: Functional, Distressed, And Abusive, Brian A. Glaser

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined psychological processes which distinguish three specific parent/family populations: abusive, distressed, and functional. Variables were examined in the following areas: parent and child cognitions and attributions, parent and teacher perceptions of child behavior, child perceptions of parent behavior, and family problem-solving, interactions, and environment. A continuum of family functioning was predicted with functional families being the most healthy, distressed families next, and abusive families being the most dysfunctional. The sample consisted of 48 poor single parent, mother-headed families (15 abusive, 16 distressed, and 17 functional) with a child between the ages of six and eleven. Families and teachers …

Re-Inventing The Public Sphere: Critical Theory, Social Responsibility, Schools, And The Press., John Pace Konopak

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the contemporary discourses of journalism and pedagogy from the standpoint of critical theory to assess the impact of technocratic rationality and instrumental logic on the practices of communication and education. It is premised on the observation that, spurred by the imperatives of trans-national capital accumulation, privatization inimical to democratic interests has begun to colonize public education. The study represents an effort to reactivate a concept and rhetoric of "social responsibility" that would animate a project of reclaiming cultural space to be occupied by a "public sphere," in a struggle analagous to that waged against feudalism and monarchical …

Visual Arts Teacher Education: A Study Of Current Practices In Louisiana Universities., Eloise Mcclendon Murchison

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In this study, the researcher investigated visual arts teacher preparation programs at universities in Louisiana with particular emphasis on the curriculum component. The research was designed to survey teacher training programs and to compare the findings with delineated National Art Education Association standards. This study included only public institutions of higher education in Louisiana with visual arts education teacher preparation programs. The researcher conducted interviews at each of the 13 universities. Two of the universities worked together in a joint art education program. An interview guide was prepared and used to facilitate the interviewing process. Records and documents were also …

The Effect Of An In-Service Lecture On Diabetes On Nurses' Attitudes To Diabetes Patient Education, Jennifer A. Walters

Theses : Honours

Patient education has been shown to be a major factor in improving the compliance and self-care skills of diabetic patients, thereby improving the quality of life for the patient. Nurses have an important role in diabetes patient education. Research has indicated, however, that barriers such as lack of knowledge and negative attitudes may prevent nurses from effectively delivering this care to their patients. The purpose of this experimental study was to determine whether increasing the knowledge of registered nurses through an in-service lecture on diabetes would improve their attitudes towards diabetes education. The conceptual framework for the study proposed that …

Angelman's Syndrome Case Study And Appropriate Educational Curriculum, Allyson Lesly Hatt

Masters Theses

The purpose of this professional paper is to provide Special Educators with information on a presumably rare type of Mental and Physical Retardation that has been diagnosed as Angelman's Syndrome.

In order to assist this presentation, a previously unpublished case study of a nineteen year and four month old female who has been categorized as having Angelman's Syndrome, will be discussed. This case study will aid in the understanding of the syndrome.

Secondary to informing, it is the author's goal to provide teachers of special education with practical lesson curriculum that will assist the teachers who have a student with …

Perceived Training Needs Of Principals In Northeast Tennessee: Analysis Of Data In Two Selected Years, Ann M. Little

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem of this study was to compare perceived training needs of public school administrators at two points in time and to analyze those needs as to age, sex, educational degree, and experience of respondents. The survey population consisted of public school principals in the 14 systems of the First Educational District in Northeast Tennessee. A descriptive research design was chosen for the study. A follow-up questionnaire was developed based on the 1986 Brown Survey which surveyed the same population for demographic and professional characteristics in addition to the perceived training needs of principals, superintendents, and school board members. Respondents …

Interventions Used By Special Education Teachers For Conduct Problems, Ulrich Kapfer

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to investigate interventions teachers use when dealing with three types of conduct problems; disobedience, fighting, and profane language. A total of 50 teachers selected interventions for male and female students with high and low socioeconomic status displaying conduct problems.

A Demographic Evaluation Of The Certification Qualifications Of Secondary Science Teachers With Implications For School Administrators, Joan S. Bowen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This population study of the certification qualifications of the secondary science teachers of the Upper East Tennessee region in 1984-85 was conducted to determine if there was a qualification shortage in any science-teaching area at the beginning of the Comprehensive Education Reform Act (CERA). Data were obtained from the Tennessee State Department of Education Preliminary Report Forms for Staff. Subject certification data and 1984-85 teaching assignment were analyzed to find percentages of infield, out-of-field teaching and the size of the internal pool of active certificated science teachers who were not teaching. Results of these analyses were presented for each system …