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Exploring the role of secondary attachment relationships in the development of attachment security. (open access)

Exploring the role of secondary attachment relationships in the development of attachment security.

The process by which earned-secures achieve attachment security in adulthood, despite having insecure parent-child relationships in childhood, was the focus of the current study. As internal working models are thought to be formed within relationships, specifically primary attachment bonds (Bowlby, 1969), it was postulated that secondary attachment relationships, specifically those that were positive, had the capacity to revise insecure models of self and other. In the current study, the secondary attachment histories of undergraduates who were earned-secure and continuously-insecure, or insecurely attached since childhood, were compared. A new measure of secondary attachment quality was developed (Questionnaire About Secondary Attachment Figures (Q-SAF)), which was used to measure undergraduates' perceptions of their past and current secondary attachment figures. Findings indicated that in comparison to continuous-insecures, earned-secures perceived their negative secondary attachment figures in adolescence as less mean. Earned-secures also reported being less dependent upon these figures' approval of them for their self-worth and more secure within these relationships. In adulthood, earned-secures reported more trust and intimacy with their positive secondary attachment figures. Compared to continuous-insecures, earned-secures described their peers as being more empathic and altruistic during childhood and more warm during adolescence; earned-secures also reported less dependency and greater closeness with their …
Date: August 2005
Creator: Cohen, Diane L.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Functionalization and characterization of porous low-κ dielectrics.

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
The incorporation of fluorine into SiO2 has been shown to reduce the dielectric constant of the existing materials by reducing the electrical polarizability. However, the incorporation of fluorine has also been shown to decrease film stability. Therefore, new efforts have been made to find different ways to further decrease the relative dielectric constant value of the existing low-k materials. One way to reduce the dielectric constant is by decreasing its density. This reduces the amount of polarizable materials. A good approach is increasing porosity of the film. Recently, fluorinated silica xerogel films have been identified as potential candidates for applications such as interlayer dielectric materials in CMOS technology. In addition to their low dielectric constants, these films present properties such as low refractive indices, low thermal conductivities, and high surface areas. Another approach to lower k is incorporating lighter atoms such as hydrogen or carbon. Silsesquioxane based materials are among them. However, additional integration issues such as damage to these materials caused by plasma etch, plasma ash, and wet etch processes are yet to be overcome. This dissertation reports the effects of triethoxyfluorosilane-based (TEFS) xerogel films when reacted with silylation agents. TEFS films were employed because they form robust silica …
Date: May 2005
Creator: Orozco-Teran, Rosa Amelia
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Georg Philipp Telemann's Use Of The Trumpet In Tafelmusik II-TWV 55: D1 (1733) Together with Three Recitals of Selected Works by Kennan, Torelli, Chaynes and Others (open access)

Georg Philipp Telemann's Use Of The Trumpet In Tafelmusik II-TWV 55: D1 (1733) Together with Three Recitals of Selected Works by Kennan, Torelli, Chaynes and Others

While trumpeters know him best for his concertos, Telemann included trumpets in his operas, cantatas, oratorios, orchestral music and mixed chamber music. This project will study the opening suite and conclusion of Tafelmusik II (TWV: D1, 1733) in order to examine his use of the trumpet in a mixed chamber work. Since Telemann was heavily influenced by his environment, the first chapter will focus on the city of Hamburg. As a major port, Hamburg's thriving economy gave rise to a wealthy merchant class, who were among Telemann's greatest supporters. The city boasted of many progressive elements: a democratic government, intellectual societies, foreign visitors, and a great love of music. This made Hamburg an ideal place for Telemann to work. The second chapter will provide an analysis of the movements: their forms, key structures, phrase organizations and orchestrations. After a brief explanation of the Baroque Trumpet, the third chapter will focus on Telemann's use of the trumpet in the work. Special attention will be paid to the methods which he employed to conceal the trumpet's tonal limitations and its relationship to the other instruments of the ensemble.
Date: December 2005
Creator: Swisher, Eric
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
A geospatial tool for assessing potential wildland fire risk in central Texas. (open access)

A geospatial tool for assessing potential wildland fire risk in central Texas.

Wildland fires in the United States are not always confined to wilderness areas. The growth of population centers and housing developments in wilderness areas has blurred the boundaries between rural and urban. This merger of human development and natural landscape is known in the wildland fire community as the wildland urban interface or WUI, and it is within this interface that many wildland fires increasingly occur. As wildland fire intrusions in the WUI increase so too does the need for tools to assess potential impact to valuable assets contained within the interface. This study presents a methodology that combines real-time weather data, a wildland fire behavior model, satellite remote sensing and geospatial data in a geographic information system to assess potential risk to human developments and natural resources within the Austin metropolitan area and surrounding ten counties of central, Texas. The methodology uses readily available digital databases and satellite images within Texas, in combination with an industry standard fire behavior model to assist emergency and natural resource managers assess potential impacts from wildland fire. Results of the study will promote prevention of WUI fire disasters, facilitate watershed and habitat protection, and help direct efforts in post wildland fire mitigation and …
Date: August 2005
Creator: Hunter, Bruce Allan
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Global response to cyberterrorism and cybercrime: A matrix for international cooperation and vulnerability assessment. (open access)

Global response to cyberterrorism and cybercrime: A matrix for international cooperation and vulnerability assessment.

Cyberterrorism and cybercrime present new challenges for law enforcement and policy makers. Due to its transnational nature, a real and sound response to such a threat requires international cooperation involving participation of all concerned parties in the international community. However, vulnerability emerges from increased reliance on technology, lack of legal measures, and lack of cooperation at the national and international level represents real obstacle toward effective response to these threats. In sum, lack of global consensus in terms of responding to cyberterrorism and cybercrime is the general problem. Terrorists and cyber criminals will exploit vulnerabilities, including technical, legal, political, and cultural. Such a broad range of vulnerabilities can be dealt with by comprehensive cooperation which requires efforts both at the national and international level. "Vulnerability-Comprehensive Cooperation-Freedom Scale" or "Ozeren Scale" identified variables that constructed the scale based on the expert opinions. Also, the study presented typology of cyberterrorism, which involves three general classifications of cyberterrorism; Disruptive and destructive information attacks, Facilitation of technology to support the ideology, and Communication, Fund raising, Recruitment, Propaganda (C-F-R-P). Such a typology is expected to help those who are in a position of decision-making and investigating activities as well as academicians in the area of …
Date: August 2005
Creator: Ozeren, Suleyman
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
"God will get me through": African American women coping with breast cancer and implications for support groups. (open access)

"God will get me through": African American women coping with breast cancer and implications for support groups.

This research examines the coping processes of African American women with breast cancer and how those processes relate to low usage of cancer support groups by these women. Prior coping research has utilized predominantly White samples. The limited research on African American coping responses is conflicting and characterized by small samples and non-probability sampling techniques. In this study, 26 respondents from Central and North Texas metropolitan areas were interviewed, including 9 key informants, 9 African American breast cancer survivors, and 8 White survivors. The data suggest that African American and White women cope with breast cancer in significantly different ways. Culture appears to account for the differences. All African American breast cancer survivors identified faith as their primary coping strategy. In contrast, only half of the White survivors claimed faith as their primary coping strategy, but like the other White survivors, tended to rely on multiple coping strategies. The African American survivors conceptualized God as an active member of their support network. Most prayed for healing, and several attributed examples of healing to God's intervention. The White survivors found God's presence in the actions of other people. They prayed for strength, peace, and courage to endure the illness. The use …
Date: May 2005
Creator: McCoy, Brenda G.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Government Funding and Regulation of a Texas Voucher Program

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
This study was designed to determine how willing private schools are to participate in a limited school voucher program if various state regulations are required and whether willingness to participate varies among types of schools. Provisions of voucher bills proposed in the Texas legislature and requirements included in other states' legislation were used to determine the sample, hypothetical voucher amount, and possible state regulations. Three hundred eighteen surveys were sent, and 150 were returned, giving a 47% return rate. Data were entered into SPSS and analyzed using chi-square and crosstabs. Initially chi square was used to see if findings were significant at the .0041 level. This alpha level was reached by using the Bonferroni correction factor, which holds experiment wise Type I error to .05. Crosstabs was used to determine if relationships between regulation acceptance and type of schools were significant. Overall, as the amount of regulation increased, private school willingness to participate in a voucher program decreased. The regulations rejected by a large majority of schools in all categories were open admissions and student religious exemptions. In the areas of testing, curriculum, and teacher qualifications, private schools were much more willing to participate if they were allowed to utilize …
Date: August 2005
Creator: Morgan, Lisa Ann
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Gradus ad Parnassum of Modern Flute Technique: An Explication of Musical Intention and Design in 30 Capricen für Flöte allein, Opus 107 by Sigfrid Karg-Elert, with Three Recitals of Selected Works by Schulhoff, Telemann, Berio, Bach, Rodrigo, Gieseking, Reinecke, and Others (open access)

Gradus ad Parnassum of Modern Flute Technique: An Explication of Musical Intention and Design in 30 Capricen für Flöte allein, Opus 107 by Sigfrid Karg-Elert, with Three Recitals of Selected Works by Schulhoff, Telemann, Berio, Bach, Rodrigo, Gieseking, Reinecke, and Others

Gradus ad Parnassum of Modern Flute Technique: An Explication of Musical Intention and Design in 30 Capricen für Flöte allein, Opus 107 by Sigfrid Karg-Elert, with Three Recitals of Selected Works by Schulhoff, Telemann, Berio, Bach, Rodrigo, Gieseking, Reinecke, and Others
Date: December 2005
Creator: Scott, Lorie Elizabeth
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Group sandtray therapy at school with preadolescents identified with behavioral difficulties. (open access)

Group sandtray therapy at school with preadolescents identified with behavioral difficulties.

Sandtray therapy, a modality of play therapy, has been used in a variety of ways as the treatment intervention with different theoretical approaches; however, there is a very limited amount of empirical research. The purpose of this research is to examine the effectiveness of group sandtray therapy at school with preadolescents identified with behavioral difficulties. This is a pretest-posttest control group design. Participants in the experimental group received sandtray therapy in group for ten weeks, and participants in the wait-list control group received no treatment intervention. The researcher compared two groups to examine the overall effectiveness of sandtray therapy as determined by the scores of the Child Behavior Checklist-Teacher Report Form (CBC-TRF), Parent Report Form (BASC-PRF), and Self Report of Personality (BASC-SRP). Based on teachers' reports, statistically significant difference existed between the two groups in terms of preadolescents' overall behaviors, externalizing behavior problems, and internalizing behavior problems after the ten week treatment intervention. The effect sizes were medium (d= .52-.59). According to parents' reports, a statistically significant difference was found regarding preadolescents' externalizing behavior problems, and the effect size was medium (d=.63). No statistically significant differences were found regarding preadolescents' total behaviors and internalizing behavior problems based on BASC-PRF. The …
Date: August 2005
Creator: Flahive, Mon-hsin Wang
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Hemispheres for Wind Ensemble by Joseph Turrin: A Critical Analysis (open access)

Hemispheres for Wind Ensemble by Joseph Turrin: A Critical Analysis

Hemispheres is a three-movement work for winds written by Joseph Turrin in May 2002. Commissioned by Kurt Masur for the New York Philharmonic, he wished to include a piece exclusively for winds and percussion in the programming of his farewell concert that commemorated his eleven years as Music Director. The work is in three movements: Genesis, Earth Canto, and Rajas which represent three different cultural views of creation. Formally, this work is based structurally and thematically on melody rather than harmony. This analysis focuses on three main tools which unify this work. The first is that thematic material from the first movement is reintroduced and developed in the second and third movements. The second is a consistently reoccurring rhythmic grouping in threes. This three note motive, found in all three movements, is used both melodically and as an accompaniment. The third is the unifying pitch center of C. Through an economy of musical means, Turrin composed Hemispheres with only a minimal number of themes and motives, each developed through the course of all three movements.
Date: August 2005
Creator: deAlbuquerque, Joan
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Higher Education and Entrepreneurship: The Relation between College Educational Background and Small Business Success in Texas (open access)

Higher Education and Entrepreneurship: The Relation between College Educational Background and Small Business Success in Texas

This study examined the relationship between success of small businesses and the educational backgrounds of their owners. A survey composed of questions concerning demographics, educational backgrounds, and business success was mailed to 1100 businesses in Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant counties in Texas. There were 228 usable responses which were analyzed by using the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS12). Data were sorted so that educational level, sales volume, number of employees, and longevity, were identified on a 5-point ordinal scale. Educational major was identified on a 5-point nominal scale. Pearson's correlation was used to determine whether relationships existed between founders' educational background and small business success. Spearman's correlation was used to determine the direction and strength of the relationships. Then educational level and major were combined with age, gender, ethnicity, and industry, to determine the relationships between founders' educational background, and business success. For this purpose a canonical correlation was used. Five opinion questions concerned influence of college education on business success among college graduates and non-college graduates were identified on a 5-point Likert scale and tested using one-way ANOVA, and independent sample t-test. When educational level and major were the only predictors of business success, a statistically significant relationship …
Date: May 2005
Creator: Al-Zubeidi, Mohammad
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Holocaust Song Literature: Expressing the Human Experiences and Emotions of the Holocaust through Song Literature, Focusing on Song Literature of Hirsh Glick, Mordechai Gebirtig, and Simon Sargon (open access)

Holocaust Song Literature: Expressing the Human Experiences and Emotions of the Holocaust through Song Literature, Focusing on Song Literature of Hirsh Glick, Mordechai Gebirtig, and Simon Sargon

During the years of the Holocaust, song literature was needed to fulfill the unique needs of people caught in an unimaginable nightmare. The twelve years between 1933 and 1945 were filled with a brutal display of man's inhumanity to man. Despite the horrific conditions or perhaps because of them, the Jewish people made music, and in particular, they sang. Whether built on a new or an old melody, the Holocaust song literature continues to speak to those of us who are willing to listen. This body of work tells the world that these people lived, suffered, longed for vengeance, loved, dreamed, prayed, and tragically, died. This repertoire of songs is part of the legacy, the very soul of the Jewish people. This study contains a brief look at the historical circumstances, and through the song literature of Hirsh Glick, Mordechai Gebirtig and Simon Sargon, life within the ghetto, the concentration camp, the decisions families had to make, the choices to fight back against incredible odds, the place of faith within this nightmare, and a look at the lives and works of the composers themselves.
Date: August 2005
Creator: Nedvin, Brian
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Identity development across the lifespan. (open access)

Identity development across the lifespan.

In an extension of Louden's work, this study investigated identity development across the lifespan by applying Erickson's and Marcia's identity constructs to two developmental models, the selective optimization and compensation model and a holistic wellness model. Data was gathered from traditionally aged college freshmen and adults older than 60 years of age. Uncommitted identity statuses and work and leisure wellness domains were endorsed across both groups, suggesting that identity for these groups is in a state of fluctuation yet entailing participation as a productive member of society. Emerging adult findings imply that identity diffused and moratorium identity styles are more similar in terms of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional functioning than past literature suggests for this age group. Findings also indicate that identity development is not a process completed by older adulthood, but is an ongoing, lifelong process perhaps driven by contextual factors such as health changes, unpredictable life events, social support group changes, and others. Coping method utilization and overall wellness varied between the two age groups. Conceptually, the SOC model can be viewed as embedded within each of the wellness domains such that selection, optimization, and compensation activities may be carried out within each of the various domains and …
Date: August 2005
Creator: Louden, Linda L.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Impact of Kolot's Rosh Hodesh: It's a Girl Thing! on Adolescent Girls (open access)

The Impact of Kolot's Rosh Hodesh: It's a Girl Thing! on Adolescent Girls

The purpose of this mixed-method study was to examine the impact, if any, of Kolot's Rosh Hodesh: It's A Girl Thing! on adolescent girls in the areas of friendship, school issues, family issues, body image, and assertiveness after participating in the religious-based program for nine monthly modules. Participants completed pretests and posttests in the areas of self-concept and basic Jewish knowledge. Quantitative results demonstrated statistically significant results in the areas of basic knowledge of Jewish female role models, values, and traditions, and statistically significant results in the areas of general, parental/home, and global self-concept. Qualitative results revealed inconsistent results with application of lessons taught, with some effect being acknowledged in the areas of friendship, gossip, bullying, self-defense, and assertiveness.
Date: December 2005
Creator: Wolbe, Susan C.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Impact of Predisposition Towards Group Work on Intention to Use a CSCW System (open access)

The Impact of Predisposition Towards Group Work on Intention to Use a CSCW System

Groupware packages are increasingly being used to support content delivery, class discussion, student to student and student to faculty interactions and group work on projects. This research focused on groupware packages that are used to support students who are located in different places, but who are assigned group projects as part of their coursework requirements. In many cases, students are being asked to use unfamiliar technologies that are very different from those that support personal productivity. For example, computer-assisted cooperative work (CSCW) technology is different from other more traditional, stand-alone software applications because it requires the user to interact with the computer as well as other users. However, familiarity with the technology is not the only requirement for successful completion of a group assigned project. For a group to be successful, it must also have a desire to work together on the project. If this pre-requisite is not present within the group, then the technology will only create additional communication and coordination barriers. How much of an impact does each of these factors have on the acceptance of CSCW technology? The significance of this study is threefold. First, this research contributed to how a user's predisposition toward group work affects …
Date: May 2005
Creator: Reyna, Josephine
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The impact of rising women's salaries on marital and relationship satisfaction. (open access)

The impact of rising women's salaries on marital and relationship satisfaction.

Using data from a national survey, this study examines income and other key variables (division of labor and work-family conflict) and their relationship to marital satisfaction. This study builds upon the body of research regarding working couples and women's increased participation in the paid labor force as well as evaluates the findings in the context of data gathered from the recent United States census. Results from this study also are compared to the findings of other key studies. Emergent data may be used to prepare counselors to work more effectively with couple clients and to assist employers in the development of work life policies for dual career and dual earner employees. Results from the multiple regression revealed no direct effects of income on marital satisfaction. For this sample, increases in work family conflict contributed to less marital satisfaction as did the presence of children. Increased participation in household chores by respondents' partners contributed to increased marital satisfaction. No differences were observed by gender. Limitations of the study, recommendations for further research, and implications for practitioners also are addressed.
Date: August 2005
Creator: Menninger, Sarah Wheeler
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Impaired virulence factor production in a dihydroorotate dehydrogenase mutant (pyrD) of  Pseudomonas aeruginosa. (open access)

Impaired virulence factor production in a dihydroorotate dehydrogenase mutant (pyrD) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Previous research in our laboratory showed that when knockout mutations were created in the pyrB and pyrC genes of the pyrimidine pathway in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, not only were the resultant mutants auxotrophic for pyrimidines but they were also impaired in virulence factor production. Such a correlation had not been previously reported for P. aeruginosa, a ubiquitous opportunistic pathogen in humans. In an earlier study it was reported that mutants blocked in one of the first three enzymes of the pyrimidine pathway in the non-pathogenic strain P. putida M produced no pyoverdin pigment while mutants blocked in the later steps produced copious amounts of pigment, just like the wild type. This study probed for the same connection between pyrimidine auxotrophy and pigment production applied in P. aeruginosa. To that end a knockout mutation was created in pyrD, the fourth step in the pyrimidine pathway which encodes dihydroorotate dehydrogenase. The resulting mutant required pyrimidines for growth but produced wild type pigment levels. Since the pigment pyoverdin is a siderophore it may also be considered a virulence factor, other virulence factors were quantified in the mutant. These included casein protease, hemolysin, elastase, swimming, swarming and twitching motility, and iron binding capacity. In all …
Date: December 2005
Creator: Ralli, Pooja
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The implementation of international education in colleges and universities in the state of Texas: A follow-up study. (open access)

The implementation of international education in colleges and universities in the state of Texas: A follow-up study.

This study is a follow-up to a study completed by Dr. Thomas Barker in 1994 entitled The Status of the Implementation of International Education in Texas Four-year Colleges and Universities: A Comprehensive Study. A survey of 35 Texas universities and 6 out-of-state benchmark universities revealed information regarding the international programs at these universities in four areas. The four areas surveyed include: (a) administrative, (b) instructional, (c) international student support services, and (d) outreach. A summary of the survey results includes 34 tables detailing the university responses for the 2004 survey compared with the responses obtained from the original, Barker (1994). The results from the 2004 participating benchmark institutions were also reviewed. Texas universities continue to work toward the internationalization of the curriculum with increased numbers supporting an international focus in their mission statements and staffing patterns. Benchmark institutions continue to lead Texas institutions in a majority of areas surveyed. Funding for international education continues to be an issue for both the benchmark and Texas institutions. Changes in attitudes and immigration policies continue to affect the implementation of international programs on the university level. While universities continue to provide support to community and businesses in the area of international education, the …
Date: May 2005
Creator: Hodges, Sarah
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Implications of the inclusion of document retrieval systems as actors in a social network.

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Traditionally, social network analysis (SNA) techniques enable the examination of relationships and the flow of information within networks of human members or groups of humans. This study extended traditional social network analysis to include a nonhuman group member, specifically a document retrieval system. The importance of document retrieval systems as information sources, the changes in business environments that necessitates the use of information and communication technologies, and the attempts to make computer systems more life-like, provide the reasons for considering the information system as a group member. The review of literature for this study does not encompass a single body of knowledge. Instead, several areas combined to inform this study, including social informatics for its consideration of the intersection of people and information technology, network theory and social network analysis, organizations and information, organizational culture, and finally, storytelling in organizations as a means of transferring information. The methodology included distribution of surveys to two small businesses that used the same document retrieval system, followed by semi-structured interviews of selected group members, which allowed elaboration on the survey findings. The group members rated each other and the system on four interaction criteria relating to four social networks of interest, including awareness, …
Date: December 2005
Creator: Macpherson, Janet Robertson
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Improvisational Vocabulary of Pepper Adams: A Comparison of the Relationship of Selected Motives to Harmony in Four Improvised Solos (open access)

The Improvisational Vocabulary of Pepper Adams: A Comparison of the Relationship of Selected Motives to Harmony in Four Improvised Solos

Park "Pepper" Adams, III (1930-1986) is one of the most influential baritone saxophonists in the history of modern jazz. In addition to his time feel, his timbre, and other conceptual techniques, a great deal of Adams's improvisational style and vocabulary can be illustrated by his use of three motivic devices. These three motivic devices are: (1) his utilization of the sixth degree of the major scale as an important melodic pitch; (2) his use of a paraphrased portion of the melody of the popular song "Cry Me a River;" and (3) his use of the half-whole octatonic scale when the rhythm section sounds a dominant chord. This dissertation traces the way in which Adams applies these three motivic devices through four of his original compositions, "Enchilada Baby," "Bossallegro," "Lovers of Their Time," and "Rue Serpente." All four of these compositions were recorded by Adams on his 1980 album, The Master. In addition to the motivic analysis, a biography of Adams is included. Complete transcriptions by the author of Adams's improvised solos on the four compositions are included in the appendices.
Date: August 2005
Creator: Lington, Aaron Joseph
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
An integrative investigation of person-vocation fit, person-organization fit, and person-job fit perceptions. (open access)

An integrative investigation of person-vocation fit, person-organization fit, and person-job fit perceptions.

Person-environment (PE) fit has been considered one of the most pervasive concepts in psychology. This study presents an integrative investigation of three levels of PE fit: person-vocation (PV) fit, person-organization (PO) fit, and person-job (PJ) fit, using multiple conceptualizations (e.g., value congruence, needs-supplies fit) of each fit level. While a trend in the PE fit literature has been the inclusion of only one fit level with a single conceptualization, researchers call for the addition of multiple conceptualizations of multiple fit levels in a single study. Traditionally, PO fit has been conceptualized as value congruence, whereas PV fit has remained untouched in the literature investigating the direct measurement of fit perceptions. Therefore, new fit perceptions scales assessing PO fit using a needs-supplies fit conceptualization and PV fit using a variety of conceptualizations were introduced. To address the limitation of employing direct measures, common method variance was modeled with a positive affect factor. The study accomplished two objectives. First, a previously supported three-factor model of fit perceptions consisting of PO value congruence (PO-VC), PJ needs-supplies (PJ-NS), and PJ demands-abilities (PJ-DA) fit was strongly replicated. Second, this model was expanded by examining additional conceptualizations (needs-supplies, demands-abilities fit, value, personality, and interest congruence) of …
Date: May 2005
Creator: Kennedy, Michael
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Investigation of the Impact of Technology Expenditures on Student Achievement in Texas Districts (open access)

An Investigation of the Impact of Technology Expenditures on Student Achievement in Texas Districts

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between money spent on technology hardware, software, and training on district-wide achievement as measured by Texas standardized achievement tests, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), and the American College Test (ACT). A series of studies were carried out to develop a model of the relationship between Texas district TAKS, TAAS, ACT, and SAT scores for all subjects and district expenditures on technology hardware, technology software, and technology training. The findings of this study showed that although the mixture of uneven distribution of training, incentives, and equipment in these Texas districts clouds the issue of effective integration as it does for all districts (Anderson & Becker, 1998), and the mean level of per pupil technology expenditure for participating districts is of an amount ($192 per student) deemed unlikely to have substantial impact on student outcomes (Anderson & Becker, 1998), there are strong positive links between levels of expenditure and student achievement on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills and the American College Test that indicate that establishing guidelines for levels of expenditure, schedules of acquisition of materials and equipment, and timeframes for training and implementation may be vital to the success …
Date: August 2005
Creator: Hancock, Robert
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Isolation and Characterization of Polymorphic Loci from the Caribbean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber ruber): New Tools for Wildlife Management

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Methods to determine genetic diversity and relatedness within populations are essential tools for proper wildlife management. Today the approach of choice is polymerase chain reaction-based microsatellite analysis. Seven new polymorphic loci were isolated from a microsatellite-enriched Caribbean flamingo genomic library and used to characterize survey populations of Caribbean and African greater flamingos. In addition, four of these loci were used to verify parentage relationships within a captive-breeding population of African greater flamingos. Parentage predictions based upon gamekeeper observations of breeding and nesting did not always agree with genetic-based parentage analyses of the nine suggested family groups. Four family groups were supported (groups I, II, III and VI) by there results. However, an analysis of the remaining five suggested groups, with a total of eight offspring/dam and eight offspring/sire suggested relationships, yielded seven exclusions of the suggested dam and six exclusions of the suggested sire. This put the overall suggested dam exclusion rate at 35% and exclusion rate for suggested sires at 29%. Although the keeper observation data for our family groups must be considered a variable of concern at this time, these findings are certainly suggestive that more carefully controlled studies may reveal that flamingos are not monogamous as long …
Date: December 2005
Creator: Preston, E. Lynn
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Job embeddedness versus traditional models of voluntary turnover: A test of voluntary turnover prediction. (open access)

Job embeddedness versus traditional models of voluntary turnover: A test of voluntary turnover prediction.

Voluntary turnover has historically been a problem for today's organizations. Traditional models of turnover continue to be utilized in a number of ways in both academia and industry. A newer model of turnover, job embeddedness, has recently been developed in an attempt to better predict voluntary turnover than existing models. Job embeddedness consists of organizational fit, organizational sacrifice, and organizational links. The purpose of this study is to two fold. First, psychometric analyses were conducted on the job embeddedness model. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted on the dimensions of job embeddedness, which revealed a combined model consisting of five factors. This structure was then analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, assessing a 1, 3, and 5 factor model structure. The confirmatory factor analysis established the use of the 5 factor model structure in subsequent analysis in this study. The second purpose of this study is to compare the predictive power of the job embeddedness model versus that of the traditional models of turnover. The traditional model of turnover is comprised of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and perceived job alternatives. In order to compare the predictive power of the job embeddedness and traditional model of voluntary turnover, a series of structural equation …
Date: December 2005
Creator: Besich, John
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library