Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Loneliness: Do Living Arrangements Make A Difference?, Judith N. Moore

Masters Theses

This study is an exploratory secondary analysis of loneliness experienced as a serious problem by the elderly. The secondary data were from the Davis (1986) national study conducted by Harris & Associates (1987) for the Commonwealth Fund Commission on Elderly People Living Alone. The independent demographic variables of living arrangements (living alone or living with others), age (65 to 85 and over), marital status (married, widowed, divorced, separated, and never married) and sex by the dependent variable of loneliness (a serious problem or not a serious problem) were measured by chi-squares and Cramer's V test for statistical significance. Results indicated …

Cardiovascular Responses To The Combination Of Caffeine And The Repeated Acquisition And Performance Procedure, Cristin L. Sullivan

Masters Theses

The present study examined cardiovascular responses to the combination of caffeine (250 mg) and the repeated acquisition and performance procedure (RAPP) in humans. Six male subjects were tested in a within-subject, double-blind design. Repeated measurements of frontalis electromyogram (EMO), hand-skin temperature, heart rate, respiration, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure were obtained during pre-drug, post-drug, acquisition, performance, and recovery periods. Measures of rate, percent error, and true error were obtained during the acquisition and performance components of the RAPP. Drug conditions (caffeine and placebo) and test orders (acquisition before performance and performance before acquisition) were pseudo- random across subjects. …

Class And Gender In Southwestern Michigan: Interpreting Historical Landscapes, Deborah L. Rotman

Masters Theses

The gardens, houses, and barns that comprise the cultural landscape embody information about their makers. Because the built environment is not static, it actively serves to create, reproduce, and transform relations of class and gender. Members of society use space to reinforce and resist relations of power, authority, and inequality. For example, the organization of the landscape facilitates the activities and movements of some segments of society, while at the same time it constrains others. Material dimensions of form and space are differentially acknowledged by members of society because individuals occupy multiple roles simultaneously. Material responses to the social world …

Loss Associated With Chronic Illness: Application Of The Roy Adaptation Model, Linda M. Dehaan

Masters Theses

The Roy Adaptation Model guided this pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study to test an intervention addressing loss associated with chronic illness. Differences in adaptation and well-being were evaluated between control (n = 20) and experimental groups (n = 20) 30 days after intervention. Adaptation was measured by PAIS-SR scores and analyzed using ANCOVA to adjust for pretest differences. T-test and Mann-Whitney U was used to evaluate well-being as measured by the Global Well-being Scale. Changes in adaptation were not significantly different between groups, but well-being improved 12.8% in the experimental group as compared with 1.4% in the control group. Inconsistency of results …

Acculturation To A Work Force Of Diversity: Two Case Studies Of Japanese-Owned Companies Operating In The United States, Jun Nagasawa

Masters Theses

This paper explores the acculturation processes associated with Japanese companies corning to the United States, especially focusing on race and gender issues. This was done by related literature review and two case studies of Japanese-owned companies operating in the Midwestern region. Data were obtained using unstructured interviews with workers of the two companies.

Accusations of discrimination against Japanese companies operating in the U.S. of discrimination based on race, gender and nationality are introduced. Japanese and American social backgrounds relating to race and gender, especially in employment area are reviewed. Also Japanese and American management styles are contrasted for analytical purposes. …

An Analysis Of The Korean Political Bureaucracy In Terms Of Riggs’ Theory Of Prismatic Society And Korean With U.S. Bureaucratic Interaction 1945-1953, Jae Jo Lee

Masters Theses

The administrative, political, and social development and modernization experience of Korea for the period 1945 through 1953 was examined in this study. Bureaucratic transformation was understood as significant to developmental outcomes for all facets of Korean society.

The political and social development theory model of Fred W. Riggs, the Prismatic Society, was selected for application in the Korean situation. Prismatic theory itself was first analyzed in detail. Korean bureaucratic formation was elucidated from multiple perspectives. The key factor of analysis was interpreted as being the U.S. with Korean bureaucratic interaction.

The bureaucratic complexity was subjected to analysis in terms of …

Sense Of Coherence, Stressors, Perception Of Stress And Drinking Patterns Among College Students, Jeanne C. Debruyn

Masters Theses

This research examined the protective qualities of Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence (SOC), a social-psychological dispositional concept, in relation of the daily hassles associated with the transitory college years of students, perceived stress, quantity/frequency and patterns of alcohol use. This cross-sectional study (n=103) was site-based in the classroom. Data were collected by survey questionnaire administered by the primary researcher. Results indicated that SOC affords protection to students possessing a strong SOC by allowing them to perceive the hassles associated with college life as less stressful and in ameliorating the negative consequences of heavy drinking. Significant problems with alcohol were found in …

Planning For Change: Feminist Standpoint Epistemology Informing The Program Planning Process, Laura Nichols

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the process by which social programs are developed and explores how feminist standpoint epistemology may inform the process. A peer education program developed for college women is used as an example to illustrate the planning process. Secondary data collection, focus groups and a self-administered survey were the research techniques utilized in this planning approach.

The specific steps involved in program planning are identified and explained based on the program planning process presented and literature about this topic. The thesis concludes by exploring how certain ideas in feminist standpoint epistemology can be applied to the planning process in …

Question Block Order Effects In A Telephone Survey, Peter Montague Meyers

Masters Theses

Question order effects in a repetitive questionnaire was the focus of the study. A dataset was constructed based on results involving seven different organizations where the institutions were rotated into seven different blocked placements to test for order effects. This analysis used the Arts and Culture Survey conducted by the Kercher Center for Social Research at Western Michigan University in 1994.

Comparisons of means were used to determine whether fatigue from question repetitiveness affected respondents when responding to questions with fixed response questions, multiple responses, "don't know" responses, and open-ended responses. The issue of popularity was also examined to see …

Patterns Of "I Don't Know" Responses In Telephone Surveys, Christine Lewerenz Hinkle

Masters Theses

The question of how best to handle "don't know" responses continues to be a troublesome problem to survey researchers. There are no guidelines for handling "don't know" responses because little systematic investigation for the problem has been made. This research addresses the characteristics of those who answer "don't know" in social surveys. I am focusing on four independent variables, sex, age, income, and education. Included in this research will also be an independent variable of interviewer gender. The fact that most survey research does not record the sex of the interviewer has caused this research to be somewhat limited. I …

The Effects Of Site Design On Neighboring Patterns And Safety Perceptions Among Residents Of University Apartments, Julie L. Steinbacher

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationships among site design, neighboring patterns and safety perceptions of residents of living in university housing communities at Western Michigan University.

Many previous studies have examined the impact of site on neighboring patterns and safety perceptions among residents of housing communities. However, most of these studies have been conducted to communities outside of university housing complexes. This study was developed because the college environment offers a unique perspective to occupants living in university sponsored apartments. Furthermore, residents in college housing communities tend to be diverse and transient and the impact of …

The Impact Of School Climate On Self-Reported Alcohol And Other Drug Use, Karen R. Humes

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of dimensions of the school climate upon twelfth grade self-reported alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use. In order to do this, social bond theory and its elements of attachment, belief, and commitment were tested. Data involving peer pressure to use drugs, perception of school drug policy enforcement, and college boundness were utilized in examining their relationship with drug use.

The data which were chosen for this study involved 141 Michigan public school districts and were based on the responses of 17,211 high school seniors collected during the 1993-1994 school year. Due …

Students Against Driving Drunk (Sadd): Testing The Organization's Effects On Students' Behavior And Attitudes Toward Alcohol Use, William Post Jr.

Masters Theses

This research examines the influence of Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) chapters on the reported behavior and attitudes towards alcohol use of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students in 208 public school districts in Michigan. This research is conducted at the intersection of social movement theory coupled with self-help group issues; theoretical approaches to explaining adolescent alcohol use; and SADD's etiological assumptions about adolescent alcohol use as derived from the organization's activities. These lead to comparing two types of SADD chapters (active and inactive) to school districts without SADD chapters, using students' (N=92,257) responses to the Michigan Alcohol and Other …

Religious Fundamentalism In Indian Politics, Linda Elder

Masters Theses

The Hindu nationalist movement, known as "Hindutva," which originated during the British colonial period in India, manifests itself in Indian politics today in the form of the Bharatiya Janata Party (B.J.P.). Its affiliates, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, V.H.P. consisting of Hindu priests and sadhus, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, R. S.S., a paramilitary organization, form the core of this party. As the organized militant arm of Hindutva, the R.S.S. is compared to other religious fundamentalist organizations worldwide, based on characteristics provided by Martin Marty and R. Scott Appleby in the Fundamentalist Research Project at the University of Chicago.

Since 1977 …

Social Interaction Among Fifth Graders, Dawn Michelle Hinton

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the social isolation of black girls as compared to the social isolation experienced by black boys, white girls and white boys. One fifth grade classroom was chosen as the population of interest. There were twenty seven students in the classroom. Of those there are: six black females, nine white females, five black males and seven white males. Two methods were employed to collect and analyze the data for this investigation. The first method was sociometric surveys which were used to measure social isolation among those being studied. The second method utilized was …

Housing Satisfaction In The Suburbs: A Racial Comparison, Amonda Stokes

Masters Theses

The primary focus of this study was to compare African Americans' and European Americans' satisfaction with housing in the suburbs. Previous literature suggests that African Americans are living in older suburbs, close to the central city, and in lower quality housing than European Americans.

The population of this study consisted of black and white households living in the suburbs. This was a national sample taken from the American Housing Survey (1991). Cross-tabulations were conducted to determine differences by race of affordability, age of housing unit, ownership, neighborhood satisfaction, and housing satisfaction. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine which variables …

The Influence Of The Local Community Upon Economic Development And Employment: A Case Study 1991-92, Daniel R. Boone

Masters Theses

Leaders in local communities can influence economic development and employment. This paper reviews positive as well as preventative approaches local leaders can use to ensure vital urban employment.

We look at Albion, Michigan, a small industrial community, as a case study. The city was experiencing the threat of a loss of approximately 700 foundry related jobs during the period of the "study visit." We had the opportunity to observe the community act and react. We learned not only the tools and processes employed but we gained insights into the economic developments in the American industrial society.

The Nature Of Law And Its Effects On Certain Criminal Acts: A Comparative Study Of Saudi Arabia And The State Of Michigan, Abdulrahman Almejel Alfaraj

Masters Theses

The nature of law and its effects on certain criminal acts was the focus of this study. In this study the researcher compared the effect of two laws: (1) Saudi Arabia law which is a sacred law, and (2) the State of Michigan law which is a secular law. This comparative was on three criminal acts: (1) Homicide, (2) Rape, and (3) Theft. The data for this study were based on secondary data obtained through records available to the public. The purpose of this study is to examine and to compare the nature of punishment for crime and its effects …

Race And Language On A College Campus, William H. Dozier

Masters Theses

This research was used to measure the attitudes of students toward African American English at a predominantly European American University. It was hypothesized that significant differences would be found between the responses of the African American and European American students. Using a random telephone survey of the population, three (Language Legitimacy, Language Acceptance, and Cultural Value) of the four hypotheses were found to be significant. The fourth hypothesis (Employment Inhibition) was rejected indicating that both groups felt language was used as an employment stratification device. The data showed that although there were significant differences in the attitudes by race over …

Gophers, Ghosts, And Electronic Dreams: A Feminist Critique Of New Literary Forms, Jennifer Sue Boyers

Masters Theses

New literary forms was used as a method to show that women writers construct notions of objectivity, subjectivity, reflexivity and privilege fundamentally different than do males who are writing new literary forms. A narrative new literary form construct was employed and epistemological issues were explored in a self-referentially reflexive way.

The history and epistemological assumptions of new literary forms was explored in order to provide a context for the study. The feminist critique examined the use of autobiography in sociological writing, looked at women writers in the area of science studies, and explored essentialist and non-essentialist feminist epistemologies.

It was …

Effects Of Witnessing Domestic Violence On Children, Theresa L. Bundy

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of domestic violence on children. The main questions explored were the effects of domestic violence on the self-perception and behavior of children. The children at a shelter for domestic violence completed the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children and the Self-Perception Profile for Children, depending on the child's age. The children also completed a questionnaire on their views of relationships and their future. The mothers of the children completed a standardized scale that paralleled the scale completed by the children, along with questionnaires on the …

Angola: A Victim Of The Cold War Cross-Fire, Johnson Kofi Kuma

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Lying And Cheating Behavior In School Children, David Workman

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Attributions Of Young Adhd Children, Who Are On Medication, Tonya M. Brinkman

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Gender, Waking Personality, And Sexual Behavior In Dreams, Jeffery W. Willis

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Factors Associated With Underachievement In Eighth-Grade Children, Barbara A. Moore

Masters Theses

This study investigated characteristics of underachieving adolescents. The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS; Hieronymous, et al., 1990) and grade point averages provided the basis for selection of 83 eighth grade students into achiever and underachiever groups. Results indicated that underachievement was significantly related to males, number of absences, and number of discipline referrals, but not to race and notice of special education records. Overall self-esteem, as measured by the Self-Esteem Index (SEI; Brown & Alexander, 1991), and the subscale measure of perceptions of weak academic competence were positively related to level of underachievement/overachievement. Composite measure of behavioral/emotional problems, as …

Differences In Academic Achievement Motivation Among Retained, Special Education, And Regular Education Students, Shannon Lea Mast

Masters Theses

Academic achievement motivation affects a student's academic performance and emotional functioning. The Teacher Rating of Academic Achievement Motivation (TRAAM) is used to assess students third through sixth grade on their academic motivation and skill deficits, which will aide in the decision of whether a child solely has a motivation problem or a combination of factors that result in a handicapping condition. The current study compared TRAAM factors 1-4 and Total Score for students in regular education (n=26), special education (learning disabled, n=26), and those who had been retained (n=26). Univariate analysis of variance results indicated that the regular education group …

Impact Of "Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder" On Educational Placement And Service Delivery, Marsha L. Groves

Masters Theses

Children with "Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder" face many changes within the school environment. Teachers strive to help these students meet those changes by providing for special learning and behavior needs. This study obtained teacher responses to examine demographic data, disability categories, placement, and educational treatment of children clinically diagnosed and/or suspected of having "Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorders". Of the 76 teacher surveys returned, 107 students were reported to have or were suspected of having "Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder". Forty-five were identified as learning disabled, seven were considered behavior disordered, seven were receiving speech services, seven others were health impaired, three …

Local Newspaper Agenda-Setting As Reflected In Letters To The Editor, Thomas J. Mcdonnell

Masters Theses

In an effort to test the basic agenda-setting theory, a content analysis of three small to mid-size Illinois newspapers was done to determine what correlation, if any, existed between the content of the front page and the issues addressed in the letters to the editor section. Pearson product moment correlations were calculated for all issues addressed by the papers and the public. No support was found for basic agenda-setting in this study. There was partial support the hypothesis that local newspapers would be more effective setting the local issue agenda.

Graduate Training In Geropsychology Among Licensed Psychologists In Illinois, Steven J. Johnston

Masters Theses

Recently, it has been suggested that several factors will likely lead to an increase in the number of elderly Americans in need of psychological services. In June, 1981, the Older Boulder Conference addressed the need to implement graduate level training of psychologists to serve elderly clients. It was found that after the Conference: 1) more graduate courses on geropsychology were taken by psychologists during their graduate training; 2) most psychologists either had no or 75% or more elderly clients; and 3) psychologists were more likely to have sought out post graduate continuing education in geropsychology yet they were less likely …