Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Study Of Five Factors Affecting Attitudes Of Educators Toward Career Education, Rushie Spear

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Educational practices appear to have failed in preparing many individuals to build productive, fulfilling lives. This is evident in the increasing number of dropouts and individuals who qualify neither for a job nor college. Career education has been selected as a Priority program in attempting to remedy such failures.

Theory implies that to successfully implement new educational programs, educators' attitudes and values need to be favorable toward such programs. At present, however, there is very little data available about attitude and the factors that affect attitude. An analysis of educators' attitudes appears to be a necessary first step in the …

Wisconsin Railroad Planning: A State's Perspective Of Abandonments, Barbara Busse

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Federal legislation enacted in January 1974 created federal agencies to produce a rail plan process for the Northeast United States and to monitor and evaluate the programs. A a result of the federal enactment, many states are producing rail plans. Wisconsin is presently preparing one such plan which included the elements of freight operations. The State also has produced a Manual for State Railroad Planning. Both documents have included railroad abandonment as topic of discussion. The present planning process in the State is not sufficient to determine future courses of action concerning abandonments. A case study is presented to determine …

Tobacco Farming: The Persistence Of Tradition, Eugene Umberger Jr.

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The culture of tobacco has been associated with the history of Kentucky almost from the beginning and remains to this day a vital force in the state’s economy. In this age of scientific and technological advances – of increasing automation – we find that in tobacco farming, hand labor still figures prominently in the production of a major staple crop. This has resulted in the retention of traditional method, technology and terminology, long since lost in the culture of other crops which lent themselves more easily to mechanization.

The study is divided into three parts. Chapter I deals briefly with …

Geomorphology And Land Use Of A Tropical Wet-Dry Environment Santander, Columbia, Joseph Ray

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study deals with the Holocene environmental dynamics experienced by a seasonally wet-dry landscape of tropical Columbia. In light of a high ecological sensitivity, the study area is also analyzed as the resource of man. This is done by intensive study area reconnaissance, mapping, altimeter survey, and radiocarbon dating of fluvial landforms. Also, samples of soil, pasture, and water were collected for later study, and several interviews were completed with local residents.

The study area is a tropical lowland of northcentral Columbia at about 7 ½° north latitude. A maximum local relief about 600 m is maintained by a rather …

Chester Cornett: A Study Of The Effects Of Culture Change On A Traditional Kentucky Craftsman, Roger Beatty

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The problem considered was the nature of traditional Appalachian chairmaking in a northern metropolis. The subject was an Appalachian migrant who moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Culture change was viewed through the sociological, socioeconomic, and cultural effects of urbanization. Fieldwork focused on interrelated factors of individual personality, style and creativity, and chair production. Information on the chairmaker's background was extracted from Michael Owen Jones's, "Chairmaking in Appalachia: A Study in Style and Creative Imagination In American Folk Art" (Ph.D. dissertation, Indiana University, 1970).

Dramatic changes in the folk art tradition occurred as a result of culture change. Given economic solvency and …

A Casual Analysis Of The Relationship Between Students' Expected Grades & Their Ratings Of An Instructor, Dianne Willoughby

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Is there a relationship between the grades students expect to receive in a course and the ratings they assign their course instructor? If a relationship does exist, do the students' grade expectations cause the ratings subsequently given the instructor? Data were collected at the beginning and end of a semester, and a cross -lagged panel correlational analysis was applied to two pairs of variables. The first pair of variables, a single -item assessment of instructor effectiveness and a single-item record of each student's expected grade, indicated a statistically significant relationship between expected grades and the measure of instructor performance. This …

The Role Of The Concept Of Death In Existential Psychology: From Kierkegaard To Binswanger, Lennart Belfrage

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The meaning and importance of death in existential psychology are investigated. Four major theorists are presented, i.e. Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Rank, and Binswanger Their interpretation of death in man's personal development, although with different perspectives, nevertheless is seen as having a basic common theme: It is necessary for the person to free himself from the chains of conformity in order to become an individual. By realizing one's potentialities one also must realize and understand one's finitude. Thus by facing death one may actively and courageously move through the anxiety of this life in the shadow of death.

These theories are focused …

Anxiety In Father-Absent College Males, Thomas Wilson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between father-absence and anxiety levels in male cohere students (N=59). A questionnaire was utilized to identify father-absence and four variables associated with father-absence: type or reason for father's absence, length of absence, age of onset, and availability of a father surrogate. Levels of anxiety were defined by scores on the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (AS). A t test comparison of the MAS means of the father-absent students and the MAS means of a father-present control group was not significant. Chi square analyses of M1-3 scores in the father-absence group failed …

Client Preference For Psychotherapist: Authoritarianism Revisited, Lee Kraus

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The California F Scale served to distinguish among high-, medium-, and low-authoritarian graduate students who participated in a study of client preference for psychotherapist. The subjects viewed the film series, Three anproaches to psychotherapy, and were asked their personal preference for a psychotherapist (Carl Rorers or Albert Ellis) and their perceptions on and consideration given to 12 dimensions of therapist style and behavior. Comparison of the high-, medium-, and low- authoritarian groups indicated that their choice of therapist was significantly different. Authoritarian subjects preferred the directive therapist (Ellis) whereas the nonauthoritarians chose the nondirective therapist (Rogers) at a rate significantly …

Church Attendance: Another Look, Ludwig Weaver Jr.

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis investigates the effect of nine sociological variables on church attendance in two churches in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The sample was drawn from a Church of Christ (N=135) and a Southern Baptist church (N=105). The effects of these variables were determined by using the computer program "Multiple Nominal Scale Analysis." The explanatory variables examined with church attendance were other religious activity, education, occupation, income, meaning, belonging, conservatism/ orthodoxy, a general sense of meaning, and the number of other voluntary associations belonged to. Meaning was defined as the belief that one belonged to the New Testament Church. Belonging was divided …

Governmental Policy & Stages Of Development In The Education Of Indian Americans, Janet Metcalf

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A descriptive analytical study was done of the influence of Federal government policies on the present economic and educational status of Indian Americans.

Three Perspective views underlying government actions toward Indians were identified. The policy of extermination manifested itself in open conflict and the removal of Indian tribes to reservations. This segregation intensified Indian poverty and retarded educational development. The paternalism underlying the special wardship status of Indians created a sense of powerlessness in which Indians felt alienated from the decision-making process. Assimilation policies which were in essence Anglo-conformist policies were strongly followed in many government boarding schools. Anglo-conformity techniques …

Interpersonal Communication: The Shift Toward A Student-Centered Perspective In The Basic Speech Course, Gavin Whitsett

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this paper is to describe both the conceptual and methodological changes in the basic course and to test a unique communication training program which is congruent with the rhetoric of schooling and relevant to the needs of students. Consistent with this purpose, chapter one involves a discussion of the purpose of education and a suggestion that, in light of recent findings in educational psychology, higher education may be moving away from traditional practices. Chapter two affirms the importance of communication studies to human affairs; the transition in the basic speech course is documented and paralleled to the …

The Cedar Grove Community In Oral Folk History, Ada Parker

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The thesis was originally done for the Center for Intercultural & Folk Studies which no longer exists.

The Relative Efficiency Of Traditional Wisc-R Iq’S And Wisc-R Factor Scores In Predicting Academic Achievement, Elizabeth Tulou

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the relative predictive efficiency of the WISC-R deviation IQ’s and the WISC-R factor scores in predicting academic achievement. Eighty-nine lower-middle to lower class fifth grade students were administered the WISC-R and the Stanford Achievement Test. WISC-R-IQ’s and WISC-R complete estimation factor scores were calculated for each student. Product Moment Correlations were calculated between the SAT stanines and the WISC-R factor scores. Of all of the predictor variable, the Verbal IQ was the most efficient. The results also indicated that two of the WISC-R factor variables. Verbal Comprehension and Freedom from Distractibility, were …

Predictive Correlates Of Adoption Behavior In A Social Context: A Multiple Discriminant Analysis, Robert Brady

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Working from a communication theory paradigm and from previous literature, the purpose of this study was to empirically examine significant receiver correlates which predict adoption behavior of Sigma Nu Fraternity on three campuses. Drawing from past research, the present study utilized a unique combination of social and communication variables as predictors of fraternity membership. A stepwise multiple discriminant analysis using five factors derived from the thirteen independent variables yielded a highly significant three factor discriminant function (p < .001) which explained 46.65 percent of the common variance in adoption/non-adoption behavior of Sigma Nu. The significant factors were labeled peer group behavior, parental economic support, and social attitudes. Based on intuitive interpretation features of the data, the researcher suspects that adopters are more socially oriented, have a wider variety o: friends, are less dependent on parental economic support, and exhibit higher scores on measures such as self-esteem, liberalism, conservatism, and the need for identification with groups.

The Work Orientations Of Social Work Recruits: A Study Of Pre-Professional Socialization, Lillian Rogers

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In the past, sociological literature has focused on the effects of professional socialization and its influence in the development of work orientations and its conduciveness to homogeneity within a profession. The "process model" served as the conceptual framework for this thesis which proposes that professions are segmented. The present author considered the social work profession as being segmented and was concerned with possible factors which contributed to such segmentation.

The focus of this thesis is to explore the influence of various sociodemographic variables such as age, sex, social class, marital status and parenthood, in addition to work and educational experiences …

Effects Of Intervention Programs On The Self Concept Of Rural Preschool Children, Virginia Miller

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The effects of intervention programs on the self concept of rural preschool children were examined using 86 children, ages 5 to 6 1/2 years, who had and had not had preschool experience. The relationships between the Total Self Concept and the subscales of Body Image, Competence, and Social Interactions to the variables of socio-economic level, sex, and preschool experience were determined. Significant differences (p <.001) were found between the different population variables and the Total Self Concept score, and the subscale scores of Body Image, Competence, and Social Interactions. The locations of these differences were determined by a Newman Kuel analysis. Significant effects (p<.05) on sex differences were found on Total Self Concept scale and on the Competence subscale. There were no significant (p <.05) interaction effects. Implications of these findings were discussed.

Cognitive Reflection-Impulsivity & Susceptibility To A Primary Illusion, Maureen Murphy

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The relationship between the reflection-impulsivity dimension of cognitive style and susceptibility to the Mueller Lyer illusion was investigated in nine year old children. Forty-four subjects, classified as either impulsive or reflective on the Matching Familiar Figures Test, were presented the Mueller Lyer figure under two viewing conditions, unrestricted exposure time and restricted exposure time of .1 second. It was expected that reflective children would be less susceptible to this illusion under the unrestricted condition than the impulsive children. Less difference between reflective and impulsive children was expected when exposure time was restricted. Results confirmed earlier studies that restricted exposure time …

Performance Attitudes Toward Read Or Imagined Events In “Scenes Of Passion And Despair” By Joyce Carol Oates, Bruce Creed

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The object of this study is to examine the diction of “Scenes of Passion and Despair” by Joyce Carol Oates in an attempt to discover performative attitudes for the interpreter. The discussion centers on the theme of illusion and reality as it manifests itself in the story. Because this theme superimposes itself on diction, it becomes necessary to examine words in detail, searching for the manner in which words are used to create a certain degree of reality for each character of the story. The discovery of these realities reassures the interpreter that his is a faithful rendering of one …

Influence Of Sex Role Stereotypes On Ratings Of Male And Female Behavior, Constance Barclay

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An attempt was made to investigate the extent to which individuals are unknowingly influenced by a sex role stereotype in their evaluations of men and women. It was hypothesized that subjects would describe a character in more potency-related, “masculine” terms if that character had been identified as a male than if the character had been identified as a female. Subjects taking part in this study were an equal number of male and female students in introductory psychology classes. The semantic differential technique was employed as a descriptive tool for the subjects’ evaluations of a character they read about in a …

Toward A Typology Of Riotous Behavior Studies: Relationships Between Conceptual Areas & Methodological Techniques In Sociological Research, Maryline Glover

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A typology was developed to demonstrate the relationship between the diverse theoretical explanations prevalent in riotous behavior research and the mode of data collection utilized for studying these theoretical explanations. The two principal variables identified are conceptual areas and methodological techniques. Conceptual areas consist of five categories and these are defined as structure: underlying social. economic and political preconditions which lead to riotous behavior; belief-motives: underlying predispositions of individuals or groups which lead to riotous behavior; setting: immediate determinants (assemblage process. ecological arrangements and socio-demographic factors) which lead to riotous behavior; action-behavior: actual behavior patterns and general characteristics found in …

The Effects Of Manipulation Of Examination Results On Locus Of Control Beliefs, Douglas Doyle

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The present study investigated the effects of manipulated feedback concerning examination performance on locus of control beliefs. Brecher and Denmark (1972) found that students given manipulated feedback concerning results of a recent examination exhibited a significant increase in their I-E scores. In the present study, 84 students enrolled in one of three classes of a lower level, undergraduate Psychology course at Western Kentucky University, taught by the same instructor, were used as subjects. These subjects were administered the I-E Scale and about one month later took a regularly scheduled examination over course material. The first clans session after the exam, …

Secular & Ministerial Counseling In Bowling Green, Kentucky, Henry Darke

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Samples from two populations, community ministers and secular counselors, were surveyed to develop and analyze a description of the perceptions between and among these groups concerning their roles as counselors in the total community. Five questions were the focus of the research. The results of these questions may be summarized as follows: 1) both sample groups agreed that there seemed to be a need for additional ministerial counselors; 2) almost unanimously, the secular counselors indicated that they would welcome a more active ministerial counseling involvement within the total community setting, although a considerable portion (41%) of the ministers expressed doubts …

A Study Of Elementary Guidance Programs In University Laboratory Schools In The United States, Joann Walker

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This project is a study of the role and functions of the elementary school guidance counselor in the laboratory schools of universities in the United States. It was intended to gain data on the status of the role at the present, functions performed by the counselors in these schools, and information which could be used as a basis for projection of the future role of the elementary school counselor. The laboratory schools were surveyed, the data compiled and an analysis was made. The results were not as future oriented as was expected from the population studied. Techniques and functions were …

Relationship Of Elderly Subjects' Death Attitudes & Existential Meaning In Life, Thomas Sowder

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A study of 100 subjects over the ape of 60 was reported which investigated the correlation between purpose in life as defined by existential philosophy and death anxiety. It was designed to examine the effect of group affiliation and sex on subjective self-appraisal death anxiety and purpose in life questionnaires. The results indicated that: (a) the greater perceived purpose in life, the lower the death anxiety, (b) females in the socially oriented group had a greater negative correlation between death anxiety and purpose in life, (c) there were variables associated with the occurrence of both sex and group affiliation which …

The Role Of Extraversion And Introversion In An Instrumental Avoidance Task, Steven Finkelstein

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An instrumental avoidance conditioning task was used to test Eysenck’s theory of personality and conditioning, which is based upon levels of cortical inhibition and expectation, characteristic of extraverts and introverts. Based upon Eysneck’s theoretical stance, it was hypothesized that introverts would condition more effectively than extraverts. Several criteria defined by Eysenck Personality Inventory was administered to 125 undergraduates at Western Kentucky University for purposes of separating personally types into classification groups of extraverts, introverts, and ambiverts. Thirty-six subjects were presented a series of 48 index cards on which were typed for pronouns and three verbs of neutral impression level. Each …

Migration To A Small Urban Place: An Examination Of Migration Histories In Creel, Chihuahua, Mexico, Donald Adamchak

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Migration histories of a sample of the population in a small urban place--Creel, Chihuahua, Mexico were analyzed and compared to the results from studies of several large urban places in Latin America to see if patterns of migration and factors associated with the migratory process are similar or different. Seven basic hypotheses obtained from prior theoretical works and empirical studies were investigated.

The examination of migration to Creel and of Creel migrant characteristics revealed both similarities to and differences from previous examinations of larger urban areas in Latin America. Generalizations concerning reasons for migration, return migration, the northern push tendency, …

Cockfighting: The Social Structure Of A Deviant Subculture, Gary Foster

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis, being one of exploratory research initially because of a paucity of research of a professional and academic nature, examines cockfighting in its social entirety, focusing upon its social structure. The lack of such previous research on cockfighting necessitated the collection of data through primary as well as secondary sources. Thus, a combination of research methods was employed to facilitate the investigation. A combination of data collection strategies also proved necessary for the realization of the total research objective, that being the presentation of cockfighting as a complete social structure involving a history and tradition, the activity as a …

The Cartographic Design Of Highway Symbolization On State Road Maps: A Discussion & Critique, Peter Momcilovich

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study concerns the inherent problems of cartographic design in regard to road symbols on official state road maps. The generalization and selection of proper road symbols is considered the most importantelement of cartographic design. Relevant to cartographic design are knowledge of color science and the problems involved with the lack of scientific literature on the psychological responses from map symbols.

The methodology followed along normal lines of a survey of cartographic literature, data gathering from opinion polls on road map usage, and correspondence with state highway departments and commercial mapping companies concerning map design of state road maps. Elementary …

A Statistical & Cartographic Analysis Of The Size-Distribution Of Retail Grocery Stores In Bowling Green, Kentucky, Luke Hall

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the spatial distribution of retail grocery stores in Bowling Green, Kentucky using the formal element of store size as a controlling theme. This purpose was behaviorally accomplished through a cartographic analysis of the city wide arrangement and a statistical analysis measuring the degree and intensity of selected variables. A survey of pertinent literature was undertaken to discover locational trends and to uncover sixteen specific variables suggested to provide association with grocery store distribution. One general and six specific hypotheses were presented! all were rejected. The cartographic displays did, however, yield promising similarities …