Education Commons^™

Weaving The Threads Of Relational Connectedness Between Women: Exploring How Women Make Meaning In Their Lives Through Relationships With Other Women, Lee Ann Alley Jolley

Doctoral Dissertations

The dearth of research on women's female friendships might suggest that a woman's relationships with her girlfriends are less important than her relationships with her partner, children, or parents. Few researchers have focused on the closeness of female friendships despite the fact that those studies that have been conducted have found those friendships to be significant, and over the course of a woman's life, of great importance to her growth and development.

This study took a phenomenological approach in order to understand the lived experiences of women regarding their female friendships, focusing on how women make meaning in their lives …

Screening Mammography Compliance In Rural And Urban Women In Tennessee, Kathleen Conroy Brown

Doctoral Dissertations

Between 1990 and 2002, breast cancer mortality rates decreased by over 2% each year. Regular screening mammography is largely credited with the decline as it permits detection of breast cancer at its most treatable stage. In the United States approximately 75% of women over forty years of age report mammography screening within the past two years. However, rates vary by age, income, education, and residence.

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of screening mammography compliance in women living in rural and urban areas of Tennessee; as well as the associated risk factors with special emphasis on …

The Effects Of Consumer Perceived Value And Subjective Norm On The Adoption Of Mobile Data Services: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of American And Korean Consumers, Kiseol Yang

Doctoral Dissertations

Despite the explosive growth of mobile phone subscribers and rapid adoption of mobile data services worldwide, the usage of mobile data services is highly variable across countries. This study attempted to reveal the differences in mobile data service adoption behavior between American and Korean consumers since it has been reported that the national culture and usage of mobile data services between the two countries is different, but mobile penetration rate is similar between the two countries. This study attempted to explain the differences in mobile data service adoption behavior between American and Korean consumers in regarding the effects of consumer …

Teachers' Classroom Food-Related Practices And Perceptions Of The School Nutrition Environment, Marsha Lynn Spence

Doctoral Dissertations

Objective: This research project consisted of three studies designed to investigate intermediate school teachers’ classroom food-related practices and perceptions of the school nutrition environment

Setting: The setting for this project was a rural county in the southern region of East Tennessee

Design: This project used a mixed-methods approach to investigate teachers’ food-related practices and perceptions of the school nutrition environment, including grounded theory methodology, secondary data analysis, and a cross-sectional survey.

Analyses: For the first study, the transcribed data were coded using open, axial, and selective coding and constant comparison of data. For the second study, descriptive and inferential statistics …

Relationship Of Service Coordinators’ Family-Centered Service Delivery And Maternal Empowerment In Tennessee’S Early Intervention System, Fred W. Coulter

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to assess mothers’ perceptions of family- centered practices and how these practices influenced their feelings of empowerment. The review of literature included examining the basis for family-centered practices and the conceptualization of empowerment. Twelve studies that reported a relationship between family-centered practices and empowerment were reviewed in detail.

The current study was conducted as a component of the Pathways to Family Empowerment Project, whose purpose is to evaluate service delivery and family empowerment of Tennessee’s Early Intervention System. The collected data were responses of 370 mothers to the Family-Centered Program Rating Scale (FamPRS) …

Teachers’ Awareness Of Making Decisions For Their Classrooms, Mary Kathryn Fitzgerald

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to achieve an understanding of the lived experiences of teachers’ awareness of making decisions for their classrooms, by using phenomenological methods involving dialogic interviews and hermeneutic analysis of the resulting texts. Eight early childhood teachers participated in open-ended interviews during which they were asked to describe specific times when they were aware of making decisions for their classrooms. The findings indicated that the teachers in this study were aware of (1) the multiple facets of the process of deciding, (2) the self as decision-maker, and (3) the constraints and possibilities found in individual teaching …

Measuring The Safety Climate Of Steel Mini-Mill Workers Using An Instrument Validated By Structural Equation Modeling, Michael Edward Hall

Doctoral Dissertations

The research study entitled "Measuring the Safety Climate of Steel Mini-Mill Workers using an Instrument Validated by Structural Equation Modeling" created and field tested a new theory based safety climate instrument validated by structural equation modeling. The study also established an employee safety climate profile at three steel mini-mill locations in the United States. The safety culture of the employees and subcontractors at three locations was measured using the newly created Hall Safety Climate Instrument. The instrument was designed to measure safety climate of an organization where employees are required to practice a high level of safety skills and consistently …

The Child Fatality Review Process: A Tennessee Profile, Charity Sue Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

The Child Fatality Review Process: A Tennessee Profile examines the perceptions of Tennessee’s judicial district child fatality review team members concerning the team members’ participation in child fatality review, the preventability of specific causes of childhood fatalities, the effectiveness of the Tennessee child fatality review process, and current educational initiatives used to prevent childhood fatalities. The study was completed using the new instrument entitled “Tennessee Child Fatality Review Team Members: Role in the review process.”

The research study was designed to 1) develop a valid and reliable survey instrument to assess Tennessee judicial district child fatality review team members’ perceptions …

Effects Of Balance Training On Falls Efficacy For Older Adults Residing In Assisted- Living Facilities, James Norman Hurtubise

Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the impact of a four-week foam-support balance training program on falls self-efficacy in assisted-living older adults. A Falls Self-Efficacy Scale (FES) and four balance performance measures (single-leg stand, tandem stand, functional reach, and eight-foot up-and-go) were completed to measure functional status and fear of falling. The sample consisted of fifteen older adults from two separate assisted-living facilities. Participants (N = 8) from one facility served as the control group, while those (N = 7) from the other facility represented the intervention group. There were 6 females and 2 males in the control group ranging in age from …

Pessimistic And Optimistic Personality Traits Among Tennessee Adult Tobacco Smokers And Nonsmokers In Selected Worksites, Kandi Delyn Qualls

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine pessimistic and optimistic personality traits and an adults’ tobacco smoking status.

The study population consisted of three Tennessee worksites that gave written permission for data collection. The worksites were comprised of both blue and white collar employees. A convenience sampling technique was used to collect the data. The study sample consisted of 152 employed adults. The sample included adult smokers, nonsmokers and former smokers. Data was collected using a valid and reliable instrument called “Optimism/Pessimism Instrument” (Dember, Martin, Hummer, Howe and Melton, 1989), and a data sheet which included questions about age, …

Alcohol And Analgesic Use In The Baby Boomer Cohort, Martha B. Rider

Doctoral Dissertations

If the population bubble known as the Baby Boomers continue to consume alcohol at higher than expected levels as they age into the middle and older adult categories it could have a substantial impact on future health care needs. This problem will be compounded if Boomers also take analgesic (pain-relief) medications when consuming alcohol. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of alcohol and analgesic usage in the Baby Boomer cohort and to ascertain whether there is an association between alcohol, analgesics, and pain. Drinking alcohol while also taking analgesics can have serious health consequences and, depending …