Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Kierkegaardian Understanding Of Self And Society: An Existential Sociology, Chris L. Jakway

Dissertations

In examining the history and development of existential sociology, it becomes clear that in its initial phases it was not intended to oppose traditional sociological research, but to complement it. I intend to show that the contemporary chasm between the methodologies can be narrowed with a reconsideration of their common roots in the work of G.H. Mead and the symbolic interactionists. Existential sociologists today offer a practical synthesis that combines that theoretical heritage with philosophic ontology dating back to the writings of Soren Kierkegaard.

My conceptual goal is reveal how the existential philosophy of Kierkegaard, while not irrational or solipsistic, …

The Relationship Of Gender Role Conflict To Male College Students' Receipt And Use Of Violence In Heterosexual Dating Relationships, Brady R. Harnishfeger

Dissertations

This dissertation assessed the relationship of attitudes toward aggression, dating relationship seriousness, and aspects of men's conflicted beliefs and expectations about the male role to involvement in physically violent dating relationships. Grounded in conflict theory, which states that conflict is an integral part of all close relationships, this research hypothesized that more accepting attitudes toward aggressian, more serious dating relationships, higher levels of concerns with success, power, and competition, and greater tendencies toward restrictive emotionality would be related to, and would combine to represent significant predictors of, men's receipt and use of physically violent conflict tactics while dating.

The sample …

The Influence Of Promise Keepers On Fathers’ Involvement With Their Children, Michael J. Walcheski

Dissertations

This study explores the influence of Promise Keepers (PK) on fathers’ involvement with their children. The large numbers o f men involved with PK and the anecdotal success of fathers and their families have created considerable dialogue in the popular press. However, there have been no empirical studies to date that contribute data about the influence of PK on father involvement.

The conceptual framework informing this study combined father involvement and postmodern feminist perspectives. A father involvement perspective emphasizes fathers’ presence, their capability and strengths, the moral dimension to fathers’ responsibility for their children, and factors that establish responsible fathering. …

Disruption Of The Discriminative Stimulus Effects Of (+)-3, 4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Mdma) By (± )-Mdma Neurotoxicity: Protection By Fluoxetine, Thomas B. Virden Iii

Dissertations

It is well established that repeated, high doses of 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) result in the long-term depletion of serotonin levels and destruction of serotonergic terminals in various locations in the brains of a variety of species. Further, it is also well known that concomitant injections of the serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine, prevents this deterioration. It has recently been noted that such MDMA neurotoxicity disrupts stimulus control in rats trained to discriminate MDMA from saline in a drug discrimination procedure (Schechter, 1991a).

In order to extend Schechter's findings to the optical isomers of MDMA and to explore the potential of fluoxetine …

The Comparison Of Selection-Based And Topography-Based Verbal Behavior Across Populations, Carl T. Sundberg

Dissertations

Michael (1985) distinguished between selection-based (SB) and topography-based (TB) verbal behavior. Several studies comparing the ease of learning the two systems have shown conflicting results. The data indicate that subjects with fewer lower verbal skills have done better with TB systems (subjects with developmental disabilities in studies by Hodges & Schwethelm, 1984; Sundberg & Sundberg, 1990; Weirmanski, 1984; Wraikat, 1991; Wraikat, Sundberg, & Michael, 1991; and the bottom half of subjects in Cresson, 1994). The higher functioning subjects have done better (or have not shown a difference) with SB systems. (Bristow & Fristoe, 1984; Stratton , 1992; Tan, Bredin, Poison, …

Preparation For The Gre, Corina Groeger

Dissertations

The present research consisted of two empirical studies and a literature review. The first study was a systematic replication of the studies by Miller, Goodyear-Orwart, and Malott (1996) and Vunovich and Malott (1997). Fourteen undergraduate students and one graduate student participated in four intensive, extensive, structured Graduate Record Examination (GRE) preparation courses that met for seven weeks and lasted between 99 and 140 hours. The courses offered a monetary reward for students who met a minimum of 92% for attendance and participation during the course. The results of this study showed statistically significant mean improvements of 145 points for the …

Toward Sustainable River Basin Management In China: The Challenge Of Institutional Reform And Capacity Building, Ke Chen

Dissertations

Throughout human history water has been a key determinant for national development and human welfare. Existing river basin management (RBM) institutions and practices in China are incapable of fully meeting current needs. much less the challenges of sustainable development. Conceptual and institutional reforms will be needed to meet these challenges. New interdisciplinary thinking about the complex interactions between ecological. socio-economic and technological systems is reviewed to provide an ecosystemic perspective on RBM problems. An analytical framework which is interdisciplinary. systemic. historical. and comparative is then employed to focus on the institutional aspects of RBM regimes and their etlects on natural-human …

Reflections Of Reflections Of Reflections: A Multi-Case Study Of Women Educators' Callings To The High Arctic, Judith Knapp Edd

Dissertations

This study examines the stories of six women educators who were called to teach in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northwest Territories, Canada, from 1970 to 1985. Placed within a historical context, I set out to understand what called each educator to teach in a cultural context so different from her own in Canada's Arctic. In order to arrive at a deeper, more intrinsic understanding of her career decisions, I explored each educators calling through three, increasingly deeper levels of reflection. In Reflections, as “in an instance of reflecting,” I explored each participant's call to teach, specifically her calling to …

Visitor In A Foreign Land: Reflections On Intercultural Adjustment In The Republic Of Armenia, Jerry L. Johnson

Dissertations

This first person, autobiographical account of one American citizen’s nine-week experience covering two years in the Republic of Armenia answers the question, aIs it possible to become resocialized in a foreign culture?’ Employing the experimental writing method called personal experience narrative, the author uses personal journal accounts and autobiographical stories as primary data to demonstrate his movement from ’modem tourist’ (MacCannell, 1976; 1992) to resocialized individual and provide a rich and detailed description of the Armenian homeland undergoing significant social changes after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

This study offers a model of socialization called ’life-learning’ to …

The Role Of The Parish Pastor As Mental Health Provider: Counseling Competency And Personality Characteristics, John Phillip Burgess

Dissertations

United Methodist pastors, serving churches in the State of Michigan, were surveyed regarding their participation in counseling and referral to other mental health providers. In addition to a demographic questionnaire, each pastor completed two standardized instruments, the Counseling Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE) (Larson, et al., 1992) and the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) (Edwards, 1959). Dependent variables of amounts and types of counseling being conducted, scores from the COSE and EPPS, and four satisfaction ratings, were compared across several independent variables including: pastor's gender, age, race, length of service, theological orientation, and amount of academic preparation specifically related to mental health/counseling …

The Effect Of Rate Vs. Number Of Emissions Of An Operant Behavior On Behavior Probability, Michael D. Makepeace

Dissertations

The present study compared three conditions in the training of a set of operant responses on later probability of behavior that represented a generalization or co-adduction of the behavior emitted in training. In two of the conditions, the numbers of emissions of target responses were exactly equal; in a third condition, the number of emissions of target responses was a lesser quantity. The two conditions with an equal number of emissions of target responses were distinguished by the rate of responses yielded by contingencies surrounding training in each condition. In one of these conditions, subjects responded at a relatively low …

Health Care Beliefs Of Nursing Students As Predictors Of Intentions To Care For A.I.D.S. Patients, Catherine Ellen Earl

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were (a) to determine if information about AIDS taught using two different formats, lecture discussion and video discussion, results in differential retention of content about AIDS; (b) to determine if health care beliefs about AIDS change after exposure to a lecture or a video about AIDS among first year nursing students in rural community colleges; and (c) to examine whether the differences in intentions to provide care for AIDS patients are associated with health care beliefs about AIDS. In this study, both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. The study was conducted over two …

African-American Females And The Glass Ceiling In The Defense Logistics Agency, Velma Lee Clay

Dissertations

This study explores the career advancement experiences of African American women who have successfully broken through the glass ceiling. The term “glass ceiling” refers to artificial or invisible barriers based on attitudinal or organizational bias that prevent qualified women and minorities from advancing into senior-level management positions. Studies have confirmed that a glass ceiling does exist for African American women and that they are severely underrepresented in top level government jobs, they have less opportunity for advancement, and both gender and race are perceived as factors in their limited representation (MSPB 1992).

What is the Impact of Breaking the Glass …

Direct Service Staff's Perceptions Of Psychotropic Medication In Noninstitutional Settings For Individuals With Developmental Disabilities, Leeann Christian

Dissertations

Approximately 35-55% of individuals with mental retardation who live in the community are prescribed psychotropic and/or antiepileptic medication (Aman, Saphare, & Burrows, 1995; Singh, Guernsey, & Ellis, 1992). As more individuals with severe behavior challenges are transitioned from institutions into the community, these rates are likely to increase. Given these prevalence rates, it is important to determine whether staff who serve people with mental retardation are adequately educated about psychotropic medications. Previous studies (Aman, Singh, & White, 1987; Gadow, 1983; Singh, Epstein, Stout, Luebke, & Ellis, 1994; Singh et al., 1996) surveyed a variety of service providers in school and …

The Role Of Ethnicity Among International Students In Adjustment To Acculturative Stress, Mohd. Tajudin Hj Ninggal

Dissertations

This study examined whether there were differences in six acculturative stress themes among three Malaysian ethnic groups who were enrolled at Western Michigan University during the Fall, 1997 semester. The study also investigated whether the following demographic attributes: (a) gender, (b) academic major, (c) financial sponsorship, (d) family socioeconomic status, (e) type of residential setting, and (f) scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) affected Malaysian students in relation to the six acculturative stress themes: (1) Perceived Discrimination, (2) Homesickness, (3) Perceived Hate, (4) Fear, (5) Culture Shock, and (6) Guilt.

A total of 138 respondents …

A Sense Of Entitlement To Self In Relationships: An Elaboration Of Attachment And Feminist Object Relations Theories, Suzanne Elaine Wolfe

Dissertations

Many women who present for psychotherapy with symptoms of depression and/or anxiety describe a common pattern of involvement in current and past nonmutual relationships. This phenomenon is described and explored in light of a new conception of entitlement. It is proposed that one’s sense of entitlement is a relative relational position along a continuum from overentitlement through healthy entitlement to underentitlement, and that these women are often underentitled in their adult relationships. Their relationships are often with overentitled others, and they may hold internal convictions that their place in relationships is to be underentitled. A particular pattern contributing to underentitlement …

Observing The Spirit Of Resilience: The Relationship Between Life Experiences And Success In Higher Education For African-American Students, Cheryl Getz Edd

Dissertations

Some African American students with challenging early life experiences appear vulnerable to failure in higher education. This vulnerability may be exacerbated when educators fail to recognize the relationship between the life experiences of African American students and their academic performance and college success. African American students are challenged further as they attempt to successfully adjust to collegiate environments which often do not validate them or their experiences. The primary purpose of this study is to investigate this challenge with selected African American students, to learn about how the life experiences of African American students can enhance their success in higher …

The Role Of The Site Facilitator In The New Directions In Distance Learning Project, Isabel Ries Edd

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the roles and responsibilities of site facilitators in successful New Directions in Distance Learning (NDDL) project school sites, to learn with whom site facilitators communicate within and outside their working environments, and to discover with whom they build working relationships. E-mail questionnaires and two sets of telephone interviews generated the research data from six site facilitators and three teacher-mentors who worked at eight New Directions in Distance Learning (NDDL) school sites located throughout British Columbia. Indicators of success for an NDDL site included participation in the NDDL project with minimal technical difficulties …

Toward Cooperative Ethics: A Ricoeurian Reading Of The Educational Aim Of Jose Maria Arizmendiarrieta Founder Of The Mondragon Cooperatives, Virgil Lorenzo Edd

Dissertations

Paul Ricoeur and Jose Maria Arizmendiarrieta were contemporaries whose separate works, when brought side by side, provide insights into how community development might proceed at the intersection of the domains of ethics, politics, and economics. In complementary ways they have addressed the reciprocal responsibilities of a society toward its citizens and vice-versa. In this study I make note of the parallels between Ricoeur's definition of the ethical aim and Arizmendiarrieta's educational aim as this may be gleaned from an anthology of his sayings as well as from statements of those who knew him very well. These similarities provide impetus toward …

The Effects Of Perspective-Taking Training On Empathy Development In Adult Male Sex Offenders, Randall E. Haugen

Dissertations

Problem. Empathy training is considered a critical part of a sex offender program. Research has revealed that sex offenders are deficient in empathy, which may be a factor that contributes to their abusive behaviors. There is a surprising lack of research on empathy program outcomes, and there is a need to determine whether program formats are producing the desired outcomes. Research supports that sex offenders are deficient in perspective-taking, which is considered a critical part of the empathy process. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the inclusion of perspective-taking training in a traditional empathy-training module.

Method. …

The Relationship Between Treatment Programs And Recidivism With African American Delinquents Under The Age Of 14, Sonya D. Gray

Dissertations

Problem statement. African American youth are over-represented in the juvenile justice system, which fails to meet their needs. Research is necessary, therefore, to discover treatment alternatives that effectively address these delinquents' needs.

Methodology. This study examined the relationship between treatments and recidivism of 100 African American male delinquents under the age of 14. Recidivism was defined as any arrest, within a 3-year period, for either criminal or misdemeanor offenses, subsequent to the court's referral for the treatment programs named in the study. Only delinquents who were adjudicated for the first time in 1991 through 1994 were included in …

An Analysis Of The Pedagogical Methods Of Hindu Gurus, Pearl Anjanee Gyan Edd

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the pedagogical methods of Hindu gurus that could be applicable to elementary school teaching for the inner development of students. With severe cutbacks to classroom instruction and demands by economic, political, and educational leaders for education to produce a highly skilled work force for the future of the economy, teachers are forced to use precision teaching for measurable learning. The review of the literature in this study presented a historiography of Western pedagogical methods. It showed how Western teaching methods have been defined by the seventeenth-century Newtonian objectivistic-reductionistic-mechanistic paradigm and later enforced …

Confronting First Nations Cultural Genocide: Showcasing Perspective Of Cree Elders For Identity And Leadership Renewal, Phyllis S.A. Cardinal Edd

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain insight on the effects of cultural genocide through the lens of selected Cree elders in Alberta, Canada. The study enlisted the elders' perspective on the legacy of cultural genocide, and its residue. This process enabled the elders to offer views about Cree identity, and suggest a leadership perspective for continued cultural renewal. The study applied a Lockean theory to the attack on Natural Law to explain the genocide. The study also explained the way Locke's ideas may have contributed to the earlier federal policies that have subordinated the Cree, and to the …

A Theoretical Perspective Of Factors That Relate To The Functional Independence Of Mature Adults, Richard N. Ashden Edd,Dc

Dissertations

Limitations of policy makers and health care providers understanding about living conditions in later adulthood continually constrains mature adults from doing more for themselves, and society. These circumstances move society to devalue mature adults. Less valued mature adults tend to become even more dependent, that is, increasingly less willing to care for themselves, and less able to contribute to the social good. As a result, a vicious cycle was created, and it caused mature adults to live lower quality lives, and become increasingly dependent on others. To empower mature adults in later life, this study does the preliminary work to …

Collaborative Teaching Practices For A New Century: A Descriptive Case Study Of Peer Coaching, Nance Maguire Edd

Dissertations

No longer is it appropriate for educators to come together as a group to "learn" a new skill and return to their classrooms to practice it in isolation. In the past, staff development programs have focused on development of a singular skill with teachers practicing it in isolation. The teaching and learning process can better be developed through collaboration. In order for this to happen effective teachers must be able to create effective interactive relationships with their peers. Hence, the practice and art of teaching ceases to be an individual enterprise; becoming instead a collaborative enterprise. Peer coaching is one …

Identification Of Core Multidisciplinary Competencies In An Integrated Public Health And Human Service System, Brian Winslow Thomas Moffitt Edd

Dissertations

In response to economic, legislative and social forces, public health and human service systems are becoming more integrative, requiring direct service practitioners to acquire new competencies to successfully perform in these new settings. In a review of the literature, competencies pertaining to team effectiveness, interprofessional collaboration and cross-functional knowledge and skills all appear to be relevant considerations. Moreover, an examination of competencies must consider individual, team and organizational dimensions in a context of health and welfare reform. However, the current literature is fragmented, limited in scope and empirically inconclusive. A descriptive, qualitative study was therefore warranted. The following research question …

The Development Of An Instrument To Identify Differing Views Of Leadership Within Organizations, Robert W. Siciliani Edd

Dissertations

Popular literature and much of the research reported in recognized journals imply that all members of an organization subscribe to the same ideas about leadership. However, a few authorities believe the research findings may result from test instruments based on a single view of leadership. Accurately identifying members' views of leadership is important because these views help shape behavior and expectations within the group. Differing views of leadership may also be a root cause of conflict among organizational members. This research used published definitions, descriptions, and measures of leadership to establish ten elements that seem to comprise the leadership construct. …

Voices Against Discrimination And Exclusion: Latino School Leaders' Narratives For Change, Jaime J. Romo Edd

Dissertations

Many scholars, practitioners, and policy makers know very little about individual Latino administrators' cultural and professional experiences, responses to discrimination, and patterns or institutional conditions which relate to K-12 ethnic minority administrators' success. Moreover, many are also unaware that as ethnic diversity increases, the relative proportion of minority administrators, many of whom could be role models, shrinks. Once we can recognize this as seeds for inequity in society, we might be able to consider the ways in which our educational institution reinforces or counters societal inequities. By specifically exploring Latino administrators' experiences, because of the large Latino California presence, we …

Leadership Responses To Change In 21st Century California State University Physical Education/Kinesiology Departments, Paulette Wong Hopkins Edd

Dissertations

A number of driving and restraining forces seem to foretell of a paradigm shift in today's post-secondary physical education departments. While the majority might agree that some change is inevitable, of utmost importance and concern is the manner in which change occurs. Left to the vagaries of chance, change can be chaotic and destructive; conversely, when effectively managed by leadership, controlled change can result in immense benefits. This study details leadership perspectives and views on driving and restraining forces that may impact California State University (CSU) physical education departments into the 21st century. It is believed that an analysis of …

Teachers' Perspectives From Within A School Leadership Team: A Phenomenological Study, Sheridan L. Barker Edd

Dissertations

This qualitative study explored a different type of leadership by investigating leadership among peers in a California School Leadership Team (SLT). Using a phenomenological approach, the researcher asked ten teachers to describe their experience as members and as leaders in a schoolwide change team. The teachers characterized the SLT as: a positive force in the school, a vehicle for communication, and a support group. They described the experience as: eye opening, unique, challenging, and transforming. Five themes emerged as the essence of the experience: (a) the interdependent relationship among the team members; (b) the teachers' growing capacity to discern fine …