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Images of God in Abused and Nonabused College Students
Get PDF65 leaves. Advisor: Susan Kashubeck.The Problem: This study investigated differences in abused college student's perceptions of God, their parents and family, and themselves. It was hypothesized that persons who had been abused would view God, their parents and family, and
themselves more negatively.
Procedure: This study examined 134 abused and 51 nonabused college students' perceptions through self-report questionnaires assessing their reports of abuse, and their perceptions of God, their parents and family, and themselves.
Findings: The abused group saw their mothers, fathers, and families significantly more negatively than the nonabused group. The two groups did not differ in their views of God or themselves. A set of hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that sexual abuse was predictive of a deistic and worthless view of
God and the mother image as being the most predictive of the image of God.
Conclusions: Persons who have experienced sexual abuse tend to have a view of God as deistic and worthless. A person who has experienced abuse, in any form, appears to view their parents and family more negatively than nonabused persons.
Recommendations: Further research is needed in understanding what factors influence God images. Also, more reliable and valid measures need to be found for measuring both abuse occurrences and God images
The Effects of Mobility on Fourth Grade Students' Achievement, Attendance, and Behavior
Get PDFiv, 97 leaves. Advisor: Richard L. Schwab.The problem. Mobility causes a substantial disruption in the lives of students and families. The consequences of relocation can be enduring. It seems important for school personnel to ascertain the extent of the problems caused by frequent transfer. Planning appropriate educational
programming and meeting the needs of mobile students is of utmost importance. This exploratory study was designed to examine student mobility as it relates to achievement in mathematics and reading, attendance, and classroom behavior
of fourth-grade students in a medium-sized Midwest urban school district.
Procedures. Data for the study were collected from a medium-sized urban school district. The cumulative records of fourth-grade students in eight identified elementary schools in the district and a teacher survey were utilized
to gain information. Fourth-grade reading and mathematics report card grades were recorded as well as Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (I.T.B.S.) percentile rankings in reading and mathematics. Attendance information was also obtained from
the student's permanent record. Teachers completed a behavior checklist called the Teacher's Report Form to indicate the adaptive functioning of a student in a classroom setting.
Findinqs. Pearson-product moment correlations and
stepwise multiple regression analyses were utilized in deternining the results in the study. Significant relationships were found between mobility and achievement and behavior. No significant relationship was found between
mobility and attendance. Behavior and I.T.B.S. reading scores explained about 10% of tile variance when a stepwise multiple regression analysis was completed.
Conclusions. The study indicates that there are two important things to consider. The first is to minimize the negative impact created by mobility on achievement, especially in reading. Second, help the new student learn to adjust to new school settings, new teachers and peers.
Schools must take a proactive approach to the impact of mobility when the child enters the classroom door.
Recommendations. Consideration must be given to
improving assessment methods to ensure proper placement of the mobile student when they arrive in a new school setting. Staff development programs should include enhancing classroom strategies that will assist the mobile students.
Strong counselor support and peer support groups for mobile students should be provided
Basal Release of Endothelium-derived Nitric Oxide in Thyropathologic Rat Aorta
Get PDF35 leaves. Advisor: Donald B. StrattonSystolic blood pressures, basal metabolic rates, and circulating catecholamine levels were determined for hyperthyroid (TRX), hypothyroid (PTU), and euthyroid control (CON) rats. All three measurements were elevated in TXX animals, while PTU rats were determined to have decreased measurements when compared with CON and TRX rats.
Animals were sacrificed by either cervical dislocation or pentobarbital injection followed by
thoracic opening to test for sacrifice differences. Three aortic rings from each rat were
mounted in environmentally-controlled tissue baths and contracted with different concentrations (10 nM, 100 nM, and 1 mM) of phenylephrine (PE), an alpha-1 adrenoreceptor agonist. At steady state, methylene blue (MB) (10 mM), an endotheliumderived
nitric oxide (EDNO) inhibitor, was added and rings were allowed to contract further. At steady state, a high PI3 dose (10 mM) was added to produce maximum contraction. Irrespective of the sacrifice method, the basal release of EDNO as a percent of
the maximum force generated, was PTU>CON>TRX, while the mg of force unmasked by MB was not different. The trend in mg of force produced by PE was TRX>CON>PTU regardless of the initial PE concentration. As the concentration of the inital PE dose was increased, the percent of the total PE plus ME3 response that was due to MB alone decreased in CON rats. Sacrifice with pentobarbital followed by thoracic opening
eliminated the difference between TRX and CON expressed in animals sacrificed by cervical dislocation, while the relationship between CON and PTU was unchanged. Just as thyropathology differentially altered systolic blood pressure, basal metabolic rare, and circulating catecholamine levels, the basal release of EDNO in rat aorta was found to be dependent upon the thyroid state of the animal and the initial agonist-induced tone
The Mosby Assesstest as a Predictor of Success on the NCLEX-RN Among Diploma Nursing Graduates
No full textvii, 77 leaves. Advisor: Marion Hemstrom.The Problem. The purpose of this study was to
determine what relationship exists between Mosby
Assesstest scores and success on the NCLEX-RN in
traditional and accelerated diploma nursing graduates and if there was a significant difference between the traditional and accelerated diploma nursing graduates.
Procedure. The convenience sample consisted of the
graduate records from the accelerated and traditional diploma nursing programs. The sample consisted of fifty-nine traditional graduates and forty-four accelerated graduates, Mosby Assesstest scores, NCLEX-RN results, and demographic variables were obtained from the records.
Findings. There was a weak positive relationship
(point biserial correlation 0.2771) between Mosby
Assesstest scores and success on NCLEX-RN of traditional diploma nursing graduates, No statistical significance was found between Mosby Assesstest scores and success on NCLEX-RN of accelerated diploma nursing graduates.
There was no statistically significant basis to conclude that there was a difference between the traditional and accelerated diploma nursing graduates.
Conclusions. This study suggests a need for
continued study to identify predictors of NCLEX-RN
success among diploma nursing graduates.
Recommendations. Recommendations for future
research include replication of the study using a
different sample, Also, an investigation of the methods utilized in nursing education which identify students at risk for NCLEX-RN failure will provide additional useful information for nurse educators
A Study of Role Strain in Nursing Students with Multiple Roles
Get PDFv, 88 leaves. Advisor: Mary E. HansenThe problem. The purpose of this study was to examine role strain in female nursing students.
Procedure. Role strain was measured utilizing the
Lengacher Role Strain Inventory (1983). The approach used in this study was an expost facto design. A convenience sample of 176 students from three different schools of nursing participated in this study. Demographic data was also collected.
Findinqs. This study found that marital status had no significant effect on role strain in all three
programs. This study also found that there was a
significant difference in role strain depending upon age in only one of the three programs. In addition, there was a significant difference in role strain of all three groups depending upon whether or not there were dependent children living at home.
Conclusions. This study suggests a need for continued research to examine role strain of women who are parents and also want an education and a career.
Recommendations. Further studies regarding child care obligations and role strain are recommended.
Additional research is needed to examine other
variables such as whether the subjects are working
while going to school and whether age has any affect on role strain
Cognitive Accessibility of Racial Stereotypes, Beliefs, and Self-esteem in Black and White College Students
Get PDF[v], 74 leaves. Advisor: Judith AllenThe problem.
The purpose of this study was to assess whether internalization of racial stereotypes existed in black and white college students. It was hypothesized that cognitive accessibility of
racial stereotypes would occur and would be displayed by differential reaction times to
stereotypes following the racial categories of black and white. In addition, the cognitive
accessibility of racial stereotypes was hypothesized to be related to levels of self-esteem and racial beliefs.
Procedure.
The sample was composed of 76 college students (39 Black - 20 male, 19 female, and 37 white - 14 male, 23 female) who performed a semantic priming task (Dovidio, Evans, and Tyler, 1986; Dovidio, Perdue & Gaertner, 1991) and completed questionnaires assessing selfesteem and racial beliefs.
Findings.
An internalization pattern of positive versus negative stereotypes emerged. Irrespective of race, black and white subjects associated positive more than negative stereotypes with the category of white and negative more than positive stereotypes with the category of me. There were no correlations between levels of self-esteem and internalization. Overall all subjects had an above average level of self-esteem, independent of whether they displayed any internalization
of stereotypes. There were correlations between levels of racism and the degree to which subjects associated positive versus negative words to the two categories of people and the category of self. Those subjects exhibiting higher levels of racism had slower reaction times to positive stereotypes, when they followed the black and me prime.
Conclusions.
The findings of this study suggest that the internalization that existed was one of an
evaluative nature. Subjects internalized the association of positive and negative stereotypes,
regardless of levels of self-esteem. This was different from our prediction that subjects would
display internalization of black and white stereotypes.
Recommendations:
Re evaluate the stereotypes to assess how they are defined by a sample of black students. It also may be more beneficial to examine the effects of internalization of positive versus negative traits
The Distribution and Ecology of Two Kinosternid Turtles in Iowa
Get PDF[iv}, 39 leaves. Advisor: James C. ChristiansenOver 4 years of study have shown that little, if any, shift occurs in the habitat preferences or behavior of Illinois mud turtles and stinkpot turtles in Iowa, at the extreme edge of the species' ranges. The mud turtle is restricted in Iowa to ephemeral ponds associated with Sparta sand or Chelsea loamy fine sand. The stinkpot is
restricted to permanent water with Colo silty clay loam, aquolls, Ankeny sandy loam or other alluvial soils. While stinkpots will tkse ephemeral pools, permanent water must be nearby. Although mud turtles may occasionally be found in permanent bodies of water, we suspect that this condition is probably transient, with ephemeral pools probably a requirement to limit competing species
Evaluating the Superintendent in Iowa
Get PDFiv, 56 leaves. Advisor: Edward R. DucharmeSuperintendent evaluative instruments used by Iowa's largest school districts have common methods and criteria which do not reflect the unique circumstances and needs of each district. A data analysis of the criteria and methods to evaluate the superintendents was conducted. The findings show the superintendent evaluative
instruments have less of a variety of methods than on types of methods used nationally. Iowa school districts use similar criteria to evaluate superintendents, and similar methods for this evaluative procedure. However, this study shows a strong similarity between the criteria and methods used in Iowa Association of School Boards' sample form and the criteria and methods used in Iowa school districts' instruments to evaluate the superintendents. Further study needs to be done,
including all of Iowa's school districts to bring more validity to this study
The Relationship Between Academic Confidence and Academic Achievement of Selected First Time Students at Grand View College
Get PDFiv, 63 leaves. Advisor: Joseph A. FisherThe problem. Colleges and universities experience limited success using traditional criteria for identifying academically at-risk students. This study used College Student Inventory, Nelson Denny Reading Test scores, and GPA to investigate the
relationship among academic achievement, confidence, and study habits for selected academically at-risk students at Grand View
College.
Procedures. Students scoring below the 35th percentile on the Nelson Denny Reading Test who were advised and enrolled in College Level Reading (n = 24) were paired with students who were
advised but did not enroll in College Level Reading (n = 22) Fall 1991. Posttest results and first semester grade point averages were compared.
Findings. The small number of students in the control group for whom all data were available (n = 6) prevented completion of meaningful calculations. However, simple comparisons revealed
greater gains for the experimental group on all measures. Further analysis of at-risk students (n = 19) who enrolled in College Level Reading indicated statistically significant levels of mean grade equivalency gain (t-Test = 10.17 p = .0001) on the Nelson Denny Reading Test.
Conclusions. Students enrolled in College Level Reading achieved statistically significant gains in achievement on the Nelson Denny Reading Test in one semester, but correlations between achievement, confidence, and study habits. were not statistically significant despite indications of a positive relationship. The characteristic elusiveness of academically at-risk students coupled with limited time allowed for intervention
could have influenced results.
Recommendations. A repeated study with larger numbers of students for a longer period of intervention would be recommended
A Study of the Extent to Which the Instructional Practices of Teachers of Adults Differ from the Instructional Preferences of Adult Learners Enrolled in Postsecondary Credit Courses
Get PDFvi, 160 leaves. Advisor: Thomas S. WestbrookThe problem. Most adult education literature supports the collaborative teaching-learning mode as the most effective method when teaching adults. While this andragogical model is accepted by most adult educators, little research has been conducted that investigates the instructional practices of teachers of adults and the
instructional preferences of adult learners, and that measures the extent to which the instructional practices of teachers of adults differ from the instructional preferences
of adult learners.
Procedures. The design of the study used a self-reported survey method to elicit responses from 40 adjunct instructors teaching at four extended campus locations of a private postsecondary institution and 341 adult learners
enrolled in baccalaureate degree programs at the same institution.
The Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS) developed by Conti (1978) was used to determine the collaborative or noncollaborative instructional practices of teachers of adults. An adapted form of the PALS instrument, the Student
Preferences of the Principles of Adult Learning Scale (SPPALS) was used to measure if the instructional preferences of adult learners were either collaborative or noncollaborative.
Findinqs. The instructional practices of teachers of adults and the instructional preferences of adult learners were found to be similar and both exhibited a noncollaborative orientation. No significant difference was found between the scores of the teachers of adults and the scores of the adult learners. Of the five instructor variables investigated (gender, age, career background, amount of teaching experience, type of course facilitated), none were significant and of the four student variables (gender, length of attendance, academic major, types of course enrolled), three were found to be significant.
Female students preferred instructional practices that were collaborative to a greater extent than male students, students majoring in education and social science preferred instructional practices that were collaborative to a greater extent than business majors, and students enrolled in qualitative courses preferred instructional practices that were collaborative to a greater extent than students in quantitative courses.
Conclusions. The study suggests that in a
postsecondary setting, the instructional orientations of teachers and adult learners have a noncollaborative orientation. Furthermore, adult students seemingly prefer different teaching methods depending on their field of study
and the type of course in which they are enrolled. Gender differences also influence student instructional preferences. The study questions whether the collaborative teaching-learning mode can be generalized to the extent that in all settings and in all situations it is the most
effective method when teaching adults. Continued research examining situational aspects of adult learner instructional preferences would seem warranted as would research expanding the sample to include full-time faculty and traditional
students