1941 research outputs found
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Quality of Attachment As a Predictor of Parental Visitation When a Young Child or Infant is Hospitalized
Get PDF102, [5] leaves ; Advisor: Jane L. RankinThe Problem. This study examined factors predicting parental visitation with
hospitalized children. It was hypothesized that parental visitation and rooming-in
decisions would be predicted by quality of attachment, socioeconomic status,
parental anxiety, and family and child characteristics.
Procedure. A total of 101 parents completed the Speilberger Stat-Trait Anxiety Inventory, a 12 item attachment measure based on the Waters & Deane Q-sort, and a demographic questionnaire. The children were 10 months to 4 years old (53
males, 48 females) and were hospitalized for non-surgical illness
Findings. Stepwise multiple regression analyses indicated quality of attachment and socioeconomic status were the strongest predictors of parental visitation. Parent reported attachment was negatively correlated with state and trait anxiety.
Conclusions. Attachment figures who report insecure attachment visit their hospitalized children less frequently than parents who report secure attachment. Parents with insecure parent / child attachment also report higher levels of both state and trait anxiety.
Recommendations. Further research is needed to better understand parent/child relationships and their role in predicting parental visitation behavior when a child is hospitalized
The School Administrator in Popular Film
No full textvii, 298 leaves. Advisor: Edward Ducharme.This qualitative study is an examination of a body of films portraying school
administrators (principals, heads of school, deans, superintendents, assistant
principals or assistant superintendents) to ascertain: (1) the dominant images,
(2) if the portrayals present favorable (positive or neutral) or unfavorable
(negative) images of school administrators, (3) if the images change over time,
and (4) if the administrators exhibit the competencies recommended by a
professional organization of school administrators, the National Association of
Secondary School Principals (NASSP). The researcher also explains how he
selected the films used in this study. He argues that film is an art form and that
school administrators in film have not previously been studied as a distinct
group. Using the techniques of qualitative analysis, including constant
comparison, observational analysis, and interpretive commentary, the
researcher records the depictions in each film and cham the presence or
absence of the twelve NASSP competencies in each school administrator
character. The researcher assembles an expert panel to view and rate
characters in representative films using the NASSP competencies list
Teacher Perceptions of PSInet as a Computer Teleconferencing Network for the Improvement of Science and Mathematics Education
Get PDFx, 138 leaves. Advisor: Jack A. GerlovichThis is a descriptive study of two small groups of educators in Iowa during the 1991-92 and 1992-93 school years. The researcher examined the use of People Sharing Information network (PSInet) by "new user" educators. PSInet is an
asynchronous teleconferencing network that provides modifiable conferencing and private messaging to network users. The participants were surveyed using "Likert-type" survey questions and discussion questions to determine ease
of setting up computer hardware, learning to use the software and network, applicability to the teaching/learning processes, and difficulties encountered by the "new user" educators. Analysis of responses suggests teachers are more apt to promote student use than self use, are more likely to use telecommunication via PSInet to communicate locally than long distances, and are more likely to communicate within their own school system than with sources outside the
system. Results suggest asynchronous teleconferencing using PSInet is easy to set up and use, and is applicable to those teaching/learning projects that could benefit by sharing data gathered in several different locations, and projects requiring collaboration among individuals geographically remote to one another. Indications are PSInet provides
accessibility to near or distant colleagues and other professionals with ease. Problems associated with applying PSInet to the teaching/learning process seem to be related
to educator time constraints and adapting the structure of teaching/learning processes to make use of the technology
The Meaning of Stress in Men Who Have Sustained a Myocardial Infarction
No full text118 leavesTo illuminate stress as it is experienced in the everyday life of men between the ages of 50-70 who have had a myocardial infarction, a sample of ten men were individually
interviewed. A control group consisting of ten men who stated that they were healthy and who resided in a rural community setting was contrasted with the sample group. The conceptual framework for this study was based on Parse's (1985) nursing theory, Man-Living-Health. Denzin's (1989) interpretive
interactionism methodology was used for data analysis. Results showed chronic stress followed by a period of no stress, then
another period of stress followed shortly by MI in the study group. Although the control group experienced significant stress, they were able to achieve balance in their lives perhaps due to increased imphasis [sic] on spiritual values. The Holmes &
Rahe scale proved of controversial value. This research promotes human participation in health, individual control of health and has implications for nursing autonomy. When the
person is overpowered by environment or health, balance can be restored with the person at the center and in control with
environment and health in proper perspective. Key words: stress, lived experience, myocardial infarction, interpretive
interactionism, and epiphany
Study of the Basic Knowledge Level of Critical Care Nurses
No full textiv, 73 leaves. Advisor: Mary HansenThis retrospective data analysis was completed to determine if there is a relationship between the nurse's level of basic critical care nursing knowledge and the following variables: basic educational preparation, critical care nursing
experience, cumulative nursing experience, specific critical care unit experience,
and certification in critical care nursing. A convenience sampling technique was used at one midwestern hospital. The sample was comprised of
111 subjects who had completed the BKAT, a 100 question tool by Toth utilized to assess basic
critical care knowledge. The sample was categorized by basic educational preparation, specific critical care unit, CCRN status, and years of nursing experience. Results indicated that nurses with more critical care experience had
significantly higher BKAT scores than nurses with less critical care experience.
Nurses with CCRN certification had significantly higher BKAT scores than nurses without certification. Nurses with more cumulative nursing experience also had significantly higher BKAT scores than nurses with less experience. When
comparing basic educational preparation, nurses with a BSN had significantly higher BKAT scores when compared to nurses with a diploma or associate degree.
However, when comparing each basic educational group separately, there was not a significant difference between the three educational groups. When comparing BKAT scores by specific critical care unit, a significant difference between the ICU and CSICU BKAT scores was found
The Effect of Extra-curricular Activities on Academic Achievement
Get PDFvi, 44 leaves. Advisor: Michael JohnsonThe problem. Is there a difference in the grade point average between students who participate in extracurricular activities and those who do not
participate?
Procedure. Four hundred twenty-four seniors at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa made up the study group. Each senior completed the
Fall Senior Information Sheet which gathered information about their participation in extracurricular activities. The grade point averages were obtained from office records. Specific criteria were developed to establish a
group of involved students and a group of those not involved in extracurricular activities. The difference between groups was statistically analyzed using a t-test.
Findings. The probability of the t-test was less than 0.000499. A significance level of 0.01 was established for this study.
Conclusions. There is a significant difference between the grade point averages of those involved in extracurricular activities and those not involved in extracurricuiar activities.
Recommendations. Additional research is recommended to determine if extracurricular activities have an effect on such variables as attendance, discipline, school size, and self-esteem. Do the types of activities have an effect on GPA? A study of the effects that withdrawal from extracurricular activities has
on the previously mentioned factors could be interesting
Client Centered Play Therapy : An Investigation of the Therapeutic Relationship
Get PDFv, 197 leaves. Advisor: George S. LairResearch questions. The development of the therapeutic relationship in a non-directive play therapy setting was investigated through the following questions: (a) How is the development of the therapeutic relationship between the
counselor and the child in the play therapy setting enhanced? (b) How do the core conditions manifest themselves in a play therapy setting? (c) How are the feelings and behaviors of the therapist and the child influenced by each other?
Procedures. Data were collected through videotaped
play sessions, observations, interviews, supervision sessions, and reflection notes. Four methods of data analysis were utilized in the study.
1. Three case studies were written. Each of the cases was described in detail to aid in the discussion of the development of the play therapy relationship.
2. The verbatim transcripts were analyzed in terms of the core conditions of empathy, unconditional positive regard, and congruence to determine how they manifest themselves in the play therapy setting.
3. The transcripts were reexamined in terms of the
process of play therapy. Categories were developed to describe the focus of the therapist responses.
4. The transcripts were examined and passages were
selected that would best demonstrate the mutual influence between the therapist and child.
Findinqs. Based on the analysis of the three cases and the examination of the patterns that emerged, the following propositions were offered:
1. The activity of the therapist has a profound effect on the development of the relationship. Activity refers to the therapist's ability to be alert to the messages the child is sending and to move the process in response to those messages. It is defined in terms of responses,
therapeutic conditions, and the awareness of mutual influence.
2. There is an outline of counselor responses that, when followed, enhances the therapeutic nature of the relationship. The area of focus within the outline includes content, feelings, relationship, underlying meaning, and
generalization.
3. The core conditions of empathy, unconditional
regard, and congruence must exist in play therapy as in any therapeutic relationship.
4. The awareness of the mutual influence between the child and the therapist aids in the movement through the process of counseling
Are American News Magazines Setting the Agenda for Japan Bashing? A Content Analysis of Coverage of Japanese Economic Activities: 1981-1990
Get PDF82, 8 leaves. Advisor: Hugh Henry Milam.According to the longitudinal survey results annually conducted
by the Japanese Foreign Ministry, American attitudes toward Japan as a
dependable ally began deteriorating in the middle of the 1980s. In the
same decade, the Japanese economy received heavy coverage from the
U.S. media.
Manheim positions valence--"the general sense of favor, neutrality,
or disfavor associated with the portrayal of a given subject" in
transference of general negativeness to the public--as one of the three
important dimensions of the media agenda. In this sense, it was
hypothesized that the three American news magazines (i.e. Time,
Newsweek, and U.S. News and World Report) may have intensified the
negativeness of their coverage of Japanese economic activities in the
1986-1990 period.
Also, subscription circulation indicates the amount of financial
resources available for deeper investigation that may eliminate
unbalanced coverage. Thus, it was predicted that the investigative and
reporting performance would have been more balanced in the order of
Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News and World Report.
From the agenda-setting standpoint, only the number of "war"-related words the media often used showed a significant increase for the
1986-1990 period. The causal direction from the media to the public
remains unclear in this research. Nevertheless, assuming the existence of
this causality based on the public's heavy dependence on the media, the
choice of language may affect the transferability of negativeness as well
as the public issue salience. On average, the public was expected to see
"war"-related words more than twice both per article and per page in the
1986-1990 period. The calcified imagery of economic "wars" that
connotes mutual antagonism seems to underlie the public's general
perception of Japan as an "economic threat."
On the other hand, subscription circulation difference had no
significant impact on the performance of the three news magazines for
all the three dependent variables. The most important finding is that
all these magazines offered a balanced presentation of opinions whether
on an attributed or unattributed basis
Iowa School Superintendents Perceptions of the General Effects of Phase III Plans
Get PDFviii, 153 leaves. Advisor: Michael JohnsonThe Problem
Many reports calling for educational reform have included recommendations for performance-based or incentive pay as a method for improving teacher performance. In Iowa, legislation has incorporated both performance-based pay and incentive pay for teachers into the state's Phase
III program. The intent of Phase III is to improve teacher performance through financial rewards for teachers who exhibit superior performance or who assume extra tasks. This study examines Iowa public school superintendents' perceptions of the effects of Phase III plans and, specifically, if superintendents believe that Phase III has impacted teacher performance.
Procedures:
To determine superintendent perceptions, the researcher developed the Superintendent Perceptions of Phase III Survev. After a pilot study, the survey was mailed to 200 Iowa superintendents. A total of 177 surveys (88.5
percent) were returned. Frequency distribution analysis and an ANOVA were utilized to analyze the data.
Findings:
Superintendents perceived the greatest positive effects of the Phase III program in the areas of staff development, school/district development,
decision-making, and instruction. The least positive effect was perceived for student achievement. Superintendents did not believe that Phase III plans that contain performance-based pay have any greater effect than plans that
do not contain performance-based pay. No differences were noted in perceptions of superintendents when analyzed according to district size and according to the type of Phase III plan in the superintendents' school districts.
Conclusions:
Iowa superintendents generally perceive that Phase III plans have had a positive effect upon education. However, during a time when the public and the business community are proposing performance-based pay as a method of improving instruction, superintendents did not believe that plans that include performance-based pay are more effective than plans without performance-based
pay.
Recommendations:
Several areas for future study seem indicated, including studies of teacher and principal perceptions of the effects of Phase III and studies of student achievement since the adoption of Phase III. Additional studies of incentive pay may also be needed
A Comparison of Stages of Adoption of Exercise and Decisional Balance for Exercise in Nurses and Non-Nurses
Get PDF[iv], 89 leaves. Advisor: Mary Hansen.The problem, The purpose of this study was to explore the differences in Decisional Balance for Exercise and Stages of Adoption of Exercise between nurses and non-nurses and the
investigate the correlation of Decisional Balance for Exercise and Stages of Adoption of Exercise within a group of nurses.
Procedure. The study was an expos facto design. A
convenience sample of 93 employees of a rural healthcare facility, The Decisional Balance for Exercise and Stages of Adoption of Exercise tools (Marcus, 1992) were utilized. Demographic data was also collected.
Findings: This study found that there was no significant difference in the Decisional Balance for Exercise in nurses vs. non-nurses. This study also found no significant difference between nurses and non-nurses in their Stages of Adoption of Exercise. However, the study did find a
significant difference (p<0.05) in Decisional Balance for Exercise scores within the subsample of nurses when the sample was categorized according to the Stage of Adoption of Exercise,
Conclusions: This study suggests that the identification of the Decisional Balance for Exercise in an individual will facilitate movemen