Sociology Commons^™

An Analysis Of The Exchange Relationships In A Voluntary Organization Network Undergoing Structural Change, Gary A. Goreham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using Richard Emerson's exchange network analysis, exchange relations in the South Dakota 4-H program were examined. South Dakota 4-H is comprised of both paid staff and volunteer leaders. It is currently undergoing structural change through the implementation of the Key Leader System. The Key Leader System involves appointing county level Key Leaders and club level Project Leaders to disseminate information to 4-H members and to assist them with their projects. Survey data, interviews, and State Fair results were collected to test hypotheses generated by exchange network analysis. Both clubs and counties varied in the degree to which they had implemented …

The Social Role Of The Church : Alienation Or Mediation?, John O. Umoh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research has a three-fold purpose: first, to assess the presence, or lack thereof, of alienation in a sample from the rural Farm population; second, to assess the role of the church in helping reduce feelings of alienation; and third, to determine the extent to which church membership and participation enhances personal empowerment and transformative action. The following questions are addressed in the study: 1. Is there evidence of alienation in this rural farm population? 2. If so, who are alienated? 3. Is alienation associated with church membership? 4. Is church membership associated with transformative action? 5. How are alienation …

The Identification And Degree Of Implementation Of Multiethnic/Multicultural Education Programs In Selected School Districts, Elizabeth A. Saunders

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was: (1) to identify and report the state departments of education in the United States implementing multiethnic/multicultural education programs; (2) to identify and report school districts, identified by their respective state departments of education, implementing multiethnic/multicultural education programs; (3) to determine the types of multiethnic/multicultural education programs, the thrust of the programs, and how the programs were initiated in the school districts; and (4) to determine the degree of implementation of the Curriculum Guidelines for Multiethnic Education, published by the National Council for the Social Studies, in the selected school districts. A total of thirty-two …

Of Another World: The Jehovah's Witnesses, William Wesley Zellner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Of Another World is an account of how the Jehovah's Witnesses recruit new members and retain these converts in the face of a skeptical world. The study also attempts to advance a theoretical model toward a generic and generalized account for conversion to a group with a devalued religious perspective. The model, developed by John Lofland in his study of the members of the Unification Church, appears with some modification, to be generalizable to the Jehovah's Witnesses. After modification, the model is still applicable to members of the Unification Church. It is argued that the social characteristics of a group …

Alienation Of Rural Youth In South Dakota, Mohammad S. Zakikhani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are two purposes of this research. The first purpose is to assess the presence of alienation in a sample of rural youth. The second purpose is to assess the relationship between the occurrence of alienation among rural youth and their plans for out- migration. The problem of concern in this project is addressed in terms of three questions. First, are rural youth alienated? Second, if alienation exists among rural youth, who is alienated? Third, if alienation exists among rural youth, does this experience relate to migration plans? Seeman's conceptualization of alienation as powerlessness, normlessness and isolation is applied in …

A Study Of The Elderly's Anticipated Participation In Educational Activities, Roger Reed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the extent to which persons who are fifty through sixty- nine years of age anticipate participating in educational activities; (2) to determine how the conditions under which educational activities are offered would effect [sic] the anticipated participation of the elderly, and (3) to ascertain what factors explain anticipated participation in educational activities of the elderly. The units of analysis were individuals who were at least fifty years of age but no more than seventy years of age on t heir last birthday and who had permanent residence within thirty-five miles …

A Comparative Perspective On The Status Attainment Process Of White And Native American Youth, Leonard R. Decker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Status attainment, as commonly indicated by levels of educational and occupational achievement, is a complicated process. A variety of variables have been found to be quite influential in the determination of one's eventual position in the social hierarchy of American society. Research done jointly by William H. Sewell and Robert M. Hauser (1972, 1975) regarding the status attainment process has resulted in a Wisconsin model of Adolescent Achievement in which the authors have identified a number of experiences that have significant import for young people's post-high school educational and occupational attainments. The Sewell and Hauser model links socioeconomic origins and …

The Effect Of Source-Message-Variants On Racial Attitude Change Among College Freshmen, Winfrey M. Ruffin, Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to determine how the racial attitudes of freshman students were reinforced or altered by variant stereotypic messages received from differing classroom instructors. A theoretical model and an associated set of propositions and hypotheses were formulated based on symbolic interactionism, consistency and dissonance theory, and information relating processes. The following research hypothesis was generated: Groups receiving variant messages, both as to source and content, will differ in the extent of change in the attitudes of their members toward persons of the opposite race. Twenty-six null hypotheses were formulated, covering different sourse [sic]-message variation as applied …

A Study Of Female Participation In The Labor Force In South Dakota From 1950-1970, Mary K. Wagner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A study of women's labor force participation in South Dakota from 1950 to 1970 was conducted to determine: (1) the changes that occurred in labor force participation by women in South Dakota fror.1 1950 to 1970; (2) the extent to which variations in demographic, socioeconomic and structural variables helped explain observed variations in labor force participation by women; and (3) the extent to which Transition Theory was applicable in explaining changes in labor force participation among women in South Dakota. The county was designated the unit of analysis, and selected demographic, socioeconomic and structural data from the United States Bureau …

Factors Affecting South Dakota Guidance Counselors' Perceptions Of The Career Opportunities Of Native American Students, Janet A. Gullickson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of this study are as follows: 1. The identification of guidance counselors' perceptions of occupational opportunities existent for their Native American clients. 2. The determination of the extent to which the factors of race, sex and school location are associated with guidance counselors' perceptions of Native American students' occupational opportunities. 3. The development of a model to describe and predict differences in guidance counselors' perceptions of Native American students’ occupational opportunities. The objectives of this study coincide in part with the objectives of a larger research project ongoing in the Rural Sociology Department at South Dakota State University. …

Why Blacks In The New Orleans Area Are Not Buying The Amc Pacer, Marketing Research Class Of 1977

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This report, prepared by the Marketing Research Class of Xavier University of Louisiana under the instruction of Louis C. Mancuso, Ph.D., in Spring 1977, investigates why Black consumers in the New Orleans metropolitan area were not purchasing the American Motors Corporation (AMC) Pacer. Commissioned by Stephens AMC Jeep, Inc., the study was undertaken after a local dealership reported low sales volume of the Pacer among Black buyers, prompting an examination of consumer attitudes toward the vehicle's styling, price, and other features.

The class developed three survey instruments, a door-to-door questionnaire, a telephone questionnaire, and an observation study, to test sixteen …

Factors Associated With The Acceptance By Nursing Students Of Role Functions As Characteristic Of An Expanded Role For Nurses, Sharon Leech Hofland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A study of graduating nursing students was conducted to determine: (1) the extent to which these students would be willing to accept specified role functions as characteristic of an expanded role for nurses; and (2) what factors are associated with and seem to explain the graduating nursing students' acceptance of these specified role functions as characteristic of an expanded role for nurses. An interview schedule was developed, pretested, and administered to students enrolled in their final year of study at one of the nine schools with state board approved programs for Registered Nurse licensure. The interview schedule included questions relating …

Social-Structural Effects On The Adoption Of The Snowmobile As A Recreational Innovation, Sandra H. Ramynke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social structural factors and individual characteristics related to innovativeness were studied in a random sample of 402 South Dakota owners of registered snowmobiles. Data collection employed a mailed questionnaire. The objectives of the study were to determine: (1) Which, if any, sociopsychological and sociodemographic individual characteristics explain variations in innovativeness with regard to purchasing of snowmobiles; (2) Whether community norm as a structural effect contributes to the explanation of variations in snowmobiler innovativeness when individual characteristics of adoptors are partialed out or controlled; and, (3) Whether the general contours of the adoption-diffusion model may be extended to the area of …

Correlates Of Leadership Attractedness Among Instrumental And Expressive Voluntary Service Organizations In Fall River And Meade Counties Of South Dakota, William Wakefield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A study of the voluntary service organizations in Fall River and Meade counties of South Dakota was conducted during 1975 to determine: 1. The various voluntary associations in Fall River and Meade counties and their functions. 2. The leaders of the various voluntary associations in these two counties, their socioeconomic characteristics, and their attractedness to these organizations. 3. Whether those leaders who are characterized as either instrumental or expressive members have joined voluntary associations because of the association's perceived instrumental or expressive orientation, or because of some other not so apparent reasons. The respective leader of the voluntary associations is …

An Ecological Analysis Of Migration Patterns In North Dakota And South Dakota, Hadley Gerald Klug

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An analysis of socioeconomically defined ecological areas through the replication of the patterned factorial design developed by Loeb! at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The major emphases of the study were to: (1) delineate homogeneous, although not necessarily contiguous, social areas using the patterned factorial design; (2) determine the capability of the previously delineated social areas to account for significant amounts of variation in residually measured net migration; (3) compare the procedures and results of the present study with those of Loebl's work. The study region consists of the states of North Dakota and South Dakota. The units of analysis are …

A Study Of Factors Associated With Outdoor Recreational Participation In South Dakota, James W. Delong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Participation by South Dakotans in selected areas of outdoor recreation was studied to determine varying extents of participation and associated selected sociodemographic, socialization and attitudinal factors. A statewide random sample of 474 heads-of-households (or their spouses) was selected and interviewed using a pretested schedule. The findings were present in three forms: a descriptive summary, a nonparametric analysis of association and a multivariate analysis. The descriptive analysis revealed fishing, hunting and lakeside camping or picnicking to be the activities participated in most frequently. Conversely, water-skiing, ice fishing and snowmobiling were participated in least. Analysis of association showed that each of the …

A Study Of Attitudes Of South Dakota Residents Toward Selected Aspects Of Hunting, Hunters, And Game Officials, Jerome R. Rosonke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A study of the attitudes of South Dakota residents was made to determine: (1) the attitudes of selected South Dakota residents toward selected aspects of hunting, hunters, and game officials; (2) how these attitudes vary when controlled for selected socioeconomic factors; and (3) what socioeconomic factors help explain the observed variation in attitudes. The unit of analysis was the individual respondent, chosen from the state population. A total of 474 residents were interviewed in order to assess: (1) selected socioeconomic characteristics of the respondent; and (2) the respondent's attitude toward selected aspects of hunting, hunters, and game officials. A seven-point …

A Study Of Disadvantagement And Migration For Counties In South Dakota: 1960-1970, Marco Montoya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A study of the 1970 South Dakota population was conducted to determine: (1) the extent of disadvantagement by magnitude and residence; (2) the association between the extent of disadvantagement and selected socio-economic factors; and (3) the extent to which factors explaining disadvantagement also served to predict migration based on the net migration experiences of South Dakota counties during 1960 to 1970. The county was selected as the unit of analysis. Selected data from the census were aggregated and tabulated. The magnitude of family and unrelated individual disadvantagement in South Dakota during 1970 was identified for rural farm, rural non-farm, and …

A Multi-Variate Analysis Of Selected Socio-Demographic Factors Associated With The Attitudes Of Big Stone Lake Area Residents Toward Community Services, Oscar J. Schinkel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A research project was conducted in the Big Stone lake area. This area included Roberts and Grant Counties in South Dakota and the city of Ortonville in Minnesota. In 1969 a 2800 acre tract of land was purchased near Big Stone City, South Dakota by a consortium of three electric power companies. A 450 megawatt plant will be constructed on the site. The completion date is projected for the summer of 1975. This planned industrial facility for a relatively rural area provided an opportunity to study the effects of rural industrialization. This phase of the total research project ascertained the …

Selected Social Stratification Factors And The Self Concept As Contingencies In College Persistence And Persistence In College Program Choice, Arnold J. Menning

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study developed from a continuing interest by the writer in the various factors associated with student college persistence and stability of program choice. Institutions of higher learning are becoming increasingly concerned in these times of declining enrollments about the need for greater congruence between institutional planning and the services provided to the potential and enrolled student body. Relationships between selected (1) socioeconomic, academic, and self concept variables and (2) college persistence and stability of program choice were investigated in this study. The research was centered around the view of the self as a phenomenal self. Reference group theory …

A Study Of Selected Factors Associated With Environmental Attitudes Of Big Stone Lake Area Residents, Bradford George Perry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A study of Big Stone Lake area residents was accomplished to aid in determining the following: (1) The existing attitudinal orientations of area residents relative to an incoming electrical generating facility (the Big Stone Power Plant); (2) The degree of association between selected variables and respondents' environmental attitudes; (3) The capability of the areas existing institutions to accommodate the local population, and possible effects of plant construction and operation; (4) The potential reference groups utilized for behavioral orientation. The unit of analysis consisted of Big Stone Lake area residents within a three county universe of discourse. Primary emphasis in sampling …

Urban Insurrections: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach Toward An Integrated Typology, James Russell Stewart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibility and appropriateness of employing a multi-disciplinary approach in the study of urban insurrections in an effort to construct a typology which would include all of the elements common to each disorder. The multi-disciplinary method is necessitated by the biases which are inherent in any analysis that is restricted to either a psychological, sociological, or politico-historical treatment of episodes of collective behavior. All of the disciplines make major contributions to any analysis, but it is the contention of this writer that the disciplines must be integrated before the most accurate depiction …

A Study Of Selected Demographic Factors Associated With Changes In Age Structure In The Population Of South Dakota From 1960-1970, Robert Todd Wagner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A study of the population profile for South Dakota for 1960 and 1970 was made to determine: (1) the changes that transpired in the composition 0£ the population for the age categories 0-4, 0-14, 15-34, 35-64, 65+ and 75+; (2) the variation in the changes observed in the selected age categories when controlled according to residence, sex and race differentials; and (3) the extent to which changes in the basic demographic components of migration, fertility and mortality are associated with changes in the age interval 0-4. Each county in South Dakota was employed as the unit of analysis, and census …

Selected Determinants Of The Hiring Policy Of Employers Relative To Businesses In Five Counties Of South Dakota, Don Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Description of the Problem For nearly everyone in our society, remunerative work has provided a meaningful role. It also provided an avenue for the attainment of respect, dignity, and the essentials of the "good life." On the other hand, unemployment has necessitated reliance on programs for the indigent and unemployed. The central focus of this study was the Janus-headed problem of unemployment and underemployment. The approach was oriented to a level of organization which has not previously been adequately explored. Unlike most of the studies which have attempted to meliorate the exigencies of unemployment, this study focused on the needs …

A Conceptual Analysis Of Alienation In Current Theory And Research, Lanny Aron Neider

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the assumed relationship between theory and research with respect to alienation. The basic hypothesis of this study is that empirical research on alienation would be influenced by existing theoretical formulations on the topic. It is argued that Melvin Seaman's 1959 conceptualization of alienation would constitute the major theoretical influence inasmuch as it alone provided a systematic set of research­able meanings. To test this basic hypothesis, four sub-hypotheses were developed: (1) Based upon Seeman's five dimensional scheme one should expect a fairly equal emphasis on the examination of all dimensions of alienation in …

Occupational Aspirations And Expectations Of Seminary Students, William Mastin Cross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was developed as the result of a long-term interest in occupational choice. The basic problem of the study was the nature of the relations between influences perceived by seminarians on their occupational choice, and their occupational specialization. The basic objective was to explore the nature and extent of this relation. Literature was reviewed dealing with the relation of reference groups to classical and contemporary theory. Literature related to reference theory dealing with medical students and ministerial specialization was also dealt with. The basic theoretical model used was that of Merton. He related reference group theory to the occupational …

The Ku Klux Klan In The United States: Its History, Organization, And Recruitment Practices, Chester Leland Quarles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

[No abstract provided.]

Man And Society In The Works Of Georges Duhamel, Mary Reginald Carter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Backgrounds And Contributions Of Forty-Four Letter Writers To The Louisville Courier Journal Point Of View Column., Sidney A. Forsythe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Sociological Study Of Part Time Employment In The Senior High Schools Of Louisville, Kentucky., Thomas Hoskins Kettig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today with the advent of an ever increasing industrialization, the importance of developing the skill, strength, and knowledge of the young people to meet the new age is recognized as never before. Not only must the fundamentalism of traditional education be revised in terms of a more progressive education, but also the practical, non-academic courses should be given more consideration. In this thesis I have attempted to analyze one particularly important aspect of the problem of youth and employment. I have presented here a sociological analysis of part-time employment in the Louisville, Kentucky Senior High schools. It was my intention …