Education Commons^™

Video Display Terminals And Psychological Stress: A Study Of The Acclimation Process, Walker Michael Parmelee

Dissertations

The acclimation process that employees of a large manufacturing company underwent after the introduction of video display terminals (VDTs) to the workplace was studied. In an attempt to understand the acclimation process, employees' mood states, perceptions of the work setting and their reactions toward the VDTs were assessed. This study followed secretaries (N = 11) through the initial phases of converting from a traditional to an automated office. The subjects were observed four weeks prior to and eight weeks after the introduction of VDTs. The secretaries' stress levels were monitored by the Profile of Mood States. The secretaries' perceptions of …

The Relationship Between The Leader Behaviors Of Pastors And Church Growth In The Lake Union Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Clinton Anthony Valley

Dissertations

The objective of the study was to determine whether pastors of high growth churches in the Lake Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists were more effective leaders than those pastors who served in low growth churches. The answer to this query was recognized as having implications for the pre-service and in-service training of pastors and in the periodic evaluation of their performance. The Lake Union Conference is an administrative body that oversees the work of the Church in five local conference units, namely, Illinois, Indiana, Lake Region, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

In the literature on effective leadership, there is consistent support for …

An Analysis Of Selected Factors Related To Predicting The Academic Success Of Black Students Attending Predominantly White Colleges, John Hair

Dissertations

In this study an analysis was conducted of the ways in which selected cognitive and demographic factors predicted whether black students were academically successful at a predominantly white (a) two year private business college, (b) two year public community college, and (c) public undergraduate/graduate university. The academic achievement of 266 black students enrolled between the fall terms of 1983-84 and 1984-85 were analyzed using analysis of variance techniques. The dependent variable was cumulative college GPA and the independent variables were (a) high school GPA, (b) college assessment tests, (c) sex, (d) type of curriculum enrolled in, (e) remedial course(s) taken, …

Experiencing Scale Discrimination Between More And Less Productive Psychotherapy Sessions, Drevis L. Hager

Dissertations

Previous studies have failed to detect differences in experiencing (EXP) between more and less productive psychotherapy sessions. This study explored the possible relationship between EXP and session productivity and examined the efficacies of the conventional versus an alternative method of applying the EXP Scale.

Six client-therapist pairs audio recorded 52 psychotherapy hours, and after each independently completed a session productivity questionnaire. More and less productive sessions were selected based on the clients', therapists', and the clients' and therapists' combined responses. EXP ratings were made of 8-minute audio recorded segments, first using conventional mode and peak scores, and then using alternative …

Self-Esteem In Elementary School Children, Joyce Carson

Dissertations

The self-concepts of 232 fourth and fifth grade students in nine classroom groups were measured by use of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI). Each student completed the SEI, and the classroom teacher for each student completed the SEI for the students who were the subjects of the study. The subjects were from a medium-sized urban school district and from a lower or middle class socioeconomic background.

Data from the administration of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory are reported as five separate scores: (a) general concept, (b) social-self-peers, (c) home-parents, (d) school-academic, and (e) total concept.

Data for the subjects were aggregated …

A Study Of The Impact Of Supervisory Style On Teachers’ Job Satisfaction In The Secondary Schools In Kuwait, Abdulaziz D-M Al-Duaij

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to answer the following questions: (1) Do the supervisory styles used in the secondary schools of Kuwait satisfy teachers' lower and higher needs? (2) When using supervisory styles in the secondary schools in Kuwait, do supervisors consider teachers' growth and development? (3) What are the effective supervisory styles used at the secondary school level in Kuwait?

The research population consisted of 400 teachers randomly selected from three educational districts in Kuwait. Two questionnaires, Teachers' Perception of Supervisors Questionnaire (TPSQ) and Teachers' Need Satisfaction Questionnaire (TNSQ), were used to gather data. Of the questionnaires distributed, …

Gender And Assumptions Underpinning Research Among Doctoral Students, Eileen F. Stryker

Dissertations

The doctoral experiences of women and men are distinguishable and different. Studies of these differences have not considered the relationship of gender to the content of the curriculum. Learning to conduct scientific research is central to doctoral study. Widely held notions of what constitutes legitimate science are challenged by those who study the relationship between gender and science. They suggest that the predominant view of science is based on a set of ontological and epistemological assumptions which are incompatible with women's experiences. Empirical studies in the psychology of science suggest that assumptions underpinning research are associated with gender and with …

An Analysis Of Conduct Disordered Boys’ And Their Parents’ Perceptions Of Their Family Social Environments, John Rolph

Dissertations

Conduct disordered behavior of male adolescents constitutes a major social problem. There are many disagreements among clinicians and researchers about the factors which cause and maintain antisocial child behavior.

The purpose of this study was to learn more about the differences between two types of conduct disordered boys and their families: Stealers and Aggressors. The Family Environment Scale Form R and Form I were used to obtain parental and child measures of perceptions of family social climates. The Health and Daily Living Form was used to obtain measures of parental mental and physical health, social resources, and family life change …

Relationship Of University Faculty Loyalty And Faculty Perceptions Of Department Chairperson Leadership Style, Thomas A. Ongwela

Dissertations

Interest in the study of employee loyalty is present in the literature on leadership and organizations. Most studies have been focused on subordinate loyalty to immediate superiors; in education, most studies have investigated principal-teacher relationships.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of university faculty loyalty and faculty perceptions of the department chairperson's leadership style. Loyalty was defined as faculty willingness to accept, like, trust, and respect their department chairperson as demonstrated by implementing or emulating professional skills or recommendations of the chairperson. Leadership style was operationalized using seven scales: authoritarianism, emotional detachment, hierarchical independence, hierarchical influence, …

Factors Affecting Faculty Attitudes Toward The Use Of Instructional Media In Selected Public Colleges And Universities In Michigan, Abdelgader Ali El Musrati

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to answer the following questions: (1) Do the attitudes of faculty members in institutions rated as having high quality media service programs differ from the attitudes of faculty members in institutions rated as having low quality media service programs in regard to the use of instructional media? (2) Do type of institution, subject field, academic rank, degree held, length of teaching experience, formal courses in educational media, and in-service training programs in instructional media uses affect faculty members' attitudes toward the use of instructional media?

The research population consisted of 6 media directors and …

A Logistic Discriminant Analysis Of Factors Affecting The Attrition And Retention In An Outpatient Treatment Program For Female Alcoholics, James Loser

Dissertations

The study was conducted in the context of three conditions related to alcoholism which impact Western society: the destructive effects of the disease, the paucity of research concerned with female alcoholics, and the problems of early termination from residential treatment.

The specific purpose of the study was to investigate the feasibility of using demographic and personality variables of female alcoholic outpatients at a residential facility to: (a) predict probable program completion for female residents at the time of admission and (b) predict probable premature terminations at the time of admission.

The Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation Behavior Scale (FIRO-B) and the …

The Impact Of Summer Recruitment Projects On Students For The Cooperative Education Program In Design Technology At Macomb Community College, David A. Feighan

Dissertations

Cooperative Education is a vital component of higher education. This is especially true in technical fields such as Design Technology. It is assumed the students who were recruited into the co-op program are better students than those who selected the program on their own. It is also assumed that men are different than women in their overall results because of their predominance in technical fields such as Design Technology.

This study investigated the differences between students who were recruited into Design Technology at Macomb Community College, Warren, Michigan, in the Cooperative Education Program between the summer recruitment years of 1977 …

Successful Women: A Racial Comparison Of Variables Contributing To Socialization And Leadership Development, J. Baraka Love

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify variables that have contributed to the growth and development of successful women and to explore whether those variables were the same for Black and White women by comparing the perceptions and backgrounds of women who have reached top level positions in the fields of education, business, human services, and government.

Data were collected by questionnaires from 547 women respondents out of a sample of 1,500 identified in Who's Who in America (43rd ed., 1985) and Who's Who Among Black Americans (4th ed., 1985). The response rate was 38.4%; 298 (19.9%) were Black …

Teachers' Opinions Of Affirmative Action And Faculty Seniority In A Court Ordered Desegregated Public School System, Monroe Johnson Jr.

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' opinions of affirmative action and faculty seniority in a court ordered desegregated public school system.

The population investigated consisted of 725 public school teachers. Sixty-eight and three-tenths percent (68.3%) returned surveys. Significant differences of opinion were found to exist between: (a) white and black teachers as a group, (b) white male elementary teachers and black male elementary teachers, (c) white male secondary teachers and black male secondary teachers, (d) black female elementary teachers and white female elementary teachers, (e) black female secondary teachers and white female secondary teachers, (f) black female …

The Relationship Between Learning Disabilities And Juvenile Delinquency In Macomb County Juvenile Court (1983-84), Rita M. Bologna

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the link between learning disabilities and juvenile delinquency in the Macomb County Juvenile Court System. Because of the presence of several key variables, it was believed that learning disabilities was a unique trait of the detained population.

The population consisted of 517 male and female detained and adjudicated delinquents that were admitted to the facility during the 1983-84 school year. Biographical and crime related data were gathered by hand searches of the legal file. The learning disabled or non-learning-disabled classification resulted from interpretation of the scores on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Oral Communication Apprehension And Cognitive Restructuring In High School Speech Class, Lolita Fox Balch

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a cognitive restructuring unit in the reduction of oral communication apprehension (CA) and the enhancement of semester grades in high school speech class. The unit was designed to raise self-acceptance, and thereby, self-confidence, especially in oral communication.

The experimental treatment method, cognitive restructuring (plus skills training), was compared with the skills training only traditional speech class method. Both treatment methods were reviewed, as well as inappropriate treatment methods for classroom and clinic.

Subjects registered in four different speech courses were randomly assigned by computer to classes which were then …

An Investigation Of Variables Related To Successful Foster Care Of Juvenile Delinquents, John Charles Weiks

Dissertations

This research was designed to investigate the outcomes of foster care placements involving delinquent youth placed by a juvenile court in regular foster family homes and more specialized treatment group homes (TGH). Forty predictor variables were identified through a survey of probation officers and a review of the literature. The major research question was to determine which of these variables were significantly associated with outcome of foster care placements. A second research question was to determine whether there were different variables related to foster family placement outcomes as compared to TGH placement outcomes.

The case records of 233 youth removed …

The Christian As Leader: A Study Of Technical, Human And Spiritual Behaviors In Leadership Theory, Nicholas Velthuis Kroeze Iv

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to formulate a theory of leadership that would be appropriate in the context of Christian organizations. The basic premise of the theory was that in order for Christian organizations to attain higher degrees of excellence they need to account for and work with three principal variables: technical orientation, human orientation and spiritual orientation. The review of literature and expert opinion gathered in the study further substantiated the advisability of organizations in general taking into account the influence of spirituality and performance on the job. The purpose of the theory was to provide the foundation …

Relationship Of Admission Variables To Success For Licensed Practical Nurses In Associate Degree In Nursing Ladder Program, Sally Kathryn Johnson

Dissertations

The problem and challenge for nurse educators in Practical Nursing/Associate Degree Nursing (PN/ADN) ladder programs is to identify admission criteria for Licensed Practical Nurse (PN) applicants entering the advanced standing level. The selected admission criteria should include those which are most likely to indicate success in the program and on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nursing (NCLEX-RN). Identifying such criteria would promote the most efficient use of scarce educational resources and help avoid loss of time, energy and financial resources for potential nursing students.

The records of 79 LPNs who entered a PN/ADN ladder program at the advanced …

An Analysis Of The Correlation Between Coping Factors And Clinical Symptoms, Justin Morgan Wilson

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between coping skills and clinical symptoms in the context of a stressful situation. The study gave support to Lazarus' cognitive model of stress. This conceptualization of stress is based on the dynamic relationship between intertwining variables.

The sample consisted of 336 male recruits ranging in age from 17-34 who were beginning basic training on March 11 and 12, 1986. Coping style was measured by the Ways of Coping Checklist Revised and clinical symptoms were measured by the Cornell Medical Index Health Questionnaire. Both questionnaires were given on the second day …

Field Testing Of An Instrument For Measuring Educator Knowledge Of Laws Of The State Of Michigan, Barbara A. Souve

Dissertations

In this study, educator literacy about selected laws of the state of Michigan pertaining to education is examined. Literature related to laws and litigation have often included assertions that educators are not familiar with laws and court decisions related to their workplace.

The purpose of this study was to develop and field test an instrument for measurement of educator knowledge of laws of the state of Michigan related to education and judged important as laws about which educators should be knowledgeable. A test was developed from three sources: the Michigan School Code of 1976, Michigan Laws Relating to Education, and …

A Comparison Of Perceptions Related To School District Consolidation, Grace A. Peapples

Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between perceptions regarding school district reorganization and the role of persons in a school district. Perceptions were solicited from community members, teachers, administrators, and board of education members in five Michigan school districts. The objective of this study was to provide insights that would assist the development of a strategy resulting in cooperative and united efforts toward reorganization. The major issues were the neighborhood school concept, board member status, administrator/teacher concerns, and financial planning and curriculum.

A self-designed instrument sought perceptions on the major issues via eighteen sub variables. These surveys were delivered to superintendents …

A Study Of Wage Differentials Between Females And Males In Administrative Positions In A Michigan University, Barbara S. Liggett

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the wages of administrators at Western Michigan University to answer the following questions: Are there wage differentials between men and women in administrative positions at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan; and, if differentials exist, what are possible explanations for such wage differentials?

The research population was 439 non-bargaining unit administrative employees; 241 females and 198 males were included.

The data were gathered from university records, using a computerized system developed by the researcher. In addition to gender and salary, the variables of experience, education, occupation selection (grade) and performance were studied. Descriptive …

The Validation Of And The Need For Administrative Computer Competencies In Michigan, Larry Joseph Ivens

Dissertations

Purpose. Capable management of a school system requires the manipulation of massive and ever-growing amounts of information. As the information burden increases, school administrators have the availability of new technological tools. Using the computer competencies developed by Mims (1983), this study examines the knowledge and skills and the degree of training school administrators need to meet the challange of this new technology. Once identified, these competencies and the degree of training necessary to effectively perform them could be helpful to universities, colleges, and all persons involved in the preparation and in-service of school administrators.

Methods and Procedure. In this research …

The Effects Of Mentoring Of The Career Paths Of Administrators In Community Colleges In The State Of Michigan, Marianne Adam

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine the extent to which mentoring affected the careers of community college administrators. The study was undertaken to determine if there was a difference between the perceptions of men and women regarding the importance of mentoring on career advancement and if there was a difference in the perceived impact that mentors made on the careers of male and female administrators. Additional comparisons were made between the assistance provided by male and female mentors. The influence of role models in early life on mentoring relationships during the careers of men and women administrators was …

The Use Of Microcomputer Programs To Improve The Reliability And Validity Of Content Analysis In Evaluation, Richard D. Frisbie

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to advance the body of knowledge about how practicing evaluators can use microcomputer programs to obtain reliable and valid content analyses of responses to open-ended survey questions. This is important because practitioners often analyze such responses as part of larger evaluation efforts. To address this general problem, content analysis experts have developed methods of survey and discovery to help delineate new category systems and obtain codes for responses based on existing categories. Fortunately, some of the methods can be implemented with general purpose microcomputer programs. For example, key words out of context--word lists--can be …

Executive Personality Types: A Comparison Of Military And Civilian Leaders In A Single Organization, John Edward Dewald

Dissertations

Differences between comparable military and civilian upper-level leaders in a single military organization were examined in terms of personality types. The survey instrument used was the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which was developed for use in personality assessment of normal individuals through the practical application of C. G. Jung's (1921/1971) theory of psychological types. Thirty pairs of executives were surveyed. Each participating pair consisted of a chief and his deputy, one military and one civilian, who shared the same office, authority, and responsibilities. Response to the survey was 100 percent.

Two sets of findings emerged from this study, the first …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Michigan Public School Principals' Perceptions Of Self-Actualization Needs And Their Perceptions Of Satisfaction With Their Job, James Mervyn Cambridge

Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between perceptions of fulfillment of self-actualization needs and job satisfaction among Michigan public elementary and secondary school principals. The general conceptual hypothesis was stated: "There is a positive relationship between public school principals' perceptions of how well their needs of self-actualization are being met and their perceptions of satisfaction with their job." Eight of the study hypotheses subdivided the population by dichotomies according to gender, age, length of experience as principal, and level of school administered. Four hypotheses tested for significant differences in correlation coefficients between dichotomy halves.

The population that was studied consisted of …

A Preferred Interpersonal Leadership Style: Perceived By A Chief Board Officer As Compared To A Chief Executive Officer In A Hospital Setting, Nelson Alward

Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship of preferred interpersonal leadership style of chief board officers (CBOs) as compared to chief executive officers (CEOs) in hospital settings. Futher, the study explored the comparison of preferred interpersonal leadership styles of CEOs in selected areas of position, size of facility, age of the individual, years of experience, and time of last formal education degree. One hundred participants, 50 CEOs and 50 CBOs of hospitals, were surveyed in the study.

The interpersonal leadership style was identified using the four quadrant approach of leadership as reflected by Blake and Mouton (1964), Reddin (1980), and Hersey and …

School Consolidation As Viewed By Michigan Public School Superintendents, Dennis Owen Mcmahon

Dissertations

This study was conducted to determine the attitudes and opinions of Michigan public school superintendents toward school consolidation.

Data analysis provided an accurate description of the K-12 public school superintendent's attitudes regarding school consolidation and demographic information relative to selected characteristics of the respondents and their districts.

The population for this study was all 529 K-12 Michigan public school superintendents. The sample size determined was 106. Of the 106 superintendents selected 103 or (97%) participated in the study.

The research instrument, a questionnaire of 25 questions was administered by telephone by the researcher.

The analysis provided: (a) a description and …