Degree Level

An Assessment of the Use of Seeding, Mowing, and Burning in the Restoration of an Oldfield to Tallgrass Prairie in Lewisville, Texas (open access)

An Assessment of the Use of Seeding, Mowing, and Burning in the Restoration of an Oldfield to Tallgrass Prairie in Lewisville, Texas

An examination of the effectiveness of seeding, burning, and mowing in the reestablishment of tallgrass prairie species on overgrazed and abandoned pastureland. The study site is a 20 acre tract on U.S. Corps of Engineers land below Lake Lewisville in Denton County, Texas. The site was partitioned into thirty-nine 40 by 40 meter plots with seeding (carried out in 1996) and management treatment (burning, mowing, and no maintenance carried out in 1998) randomly applied following a two level design. For each plot, nine stratified-random 0.1 m2 subplots were examined and shoot counts for each species recorded. The effects of the treatments on individual species and species richness were analyzed with a two-way ANOVA followed by a SNK multiple range test, both on ranked data. Community level analysis was conducted with both a MANOVA on ranked data and a Canonical Correspondence Analysis on raw data. Results indicate that seeding positively affected species richness, particularly when combined with either burning or mowing in the early spring. Mowing also significantly increased species richness in areas that were not seeded, while burning negatively affected species richness on unseeded plots. Treatments significantly affected community composition with treatments having the most clear effect on spring and …
Date: August 1999
Creator: Windhager, Steven
System: The UNT Digital Library

A Qualitative Study of the Use and Value of Financial Performance Indicators in Selected Community Colleges in the State of Texas as Perceived by their Chief Executive Officers

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Throughout the United States, colleges and universities are faced with an increasing need for financial funding, while at the same time resources continue to diminish. With the limitations of available funds, community colleges must exhibit efficiencies in the operations of their institutions. External interests, such as governing boards and legislatures, require demonstration of efficient financial management. This evidence is then used to make decisions concerning future financial support for the community college. This study determined if community college chief executive officers use financial performance indicators as provided by the State Auditor's Office and if the chief executive officers of the community colleges value the compilation and the distribution of the financial performance indicators. In the selected colleges, many of the chief executive officers depend on their chief financial officer for understanding and application of financial performance indicators. The performance indicators distributed by the Auditor's Office captured only a snapshot of the college's performance, and failed to fully describe the whole college performance or specific financial events captured by the indicators. Though the indicators had flaws, either through incorrect data or lack of explanation, the CEOs did value their compilation because they provided a means for ‘getting the community college story' …
Date: December 1999
Creator: Hase, Karla Luan Neeley
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Relationship Between Time-On-Task in Computer-Aided Instruction and the Progress of Developmental Reading Students at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College (open access)

The Relationship Between Time-On-Task in Computer-Aided Instruction and the Progress of Developmental Reading Students at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College

This research sought to determine what relationship exists between time-on-task in computer-aided instruction (CAI) using Destinations courseware and progress in reading ability of developmental reading students as indicated by the reading portion of the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) test. Time-on-task is the time during which a student actively works on Destinations activities, as recorded by the software management system. TASP, an exam required of all students in Texas public colleges, assesses reading, math, and writing skills. The population was made up of 482 students who took the TASP exam before and after CAI and who used Destinations CAI for remediation of reading skills. Null hypotheses were explored using Pearson correlation and linear multiple regression. The findings for the null hypotheses were the following: Ho1 - Correlation and linear regression correlation showed that time-on-task in Destinations CAI had no significant effect on the TASP scores of the population studied. Ho2 - Correlation and linear regression correlation showed that females made significantly better gains on the TASP test from CAI than males. Ho3 - Correlation and linear regression correlation showed that low-achiever students made no better gains on the TASP test from time-on-task in CAI than high-achiever students. Difference between the …
Date: December 1999
Creator: Lansford, Carl Edwin
System: The UNT Digital Library
Spatial and Temporal Influences of Water Quality on Zooplankton in Lake Texoma (open access)

Spatial and Temporal Influences of Water Quality on Zooplankton in Lake Texoma

Seventy-one aquatic species including the copepodids and nauplii were identified from Lake Texoma from August 1996 to September 1997. Zooplankton community structure, abundance and spatial and temporal distributions were compared among five lake zones delineated a priori based on chloride concentration. The zones, in order of decreasing chloride concentration, are the Red River zone (RRZ), Red river Transition zone (RRTZ), Main Lake zone (MLZ), Washita River Transition zone (WRTZ) and Washita River zone (WRZ). Bray Curtis Similarity Index showed community structure was most similar in the two Red River arm zones, the two Washita River arm zones and the MLZ. Zooplankton abundance was greatest in the Red River arm (312 org/L), intermediate in the Washita River arm (217 org/L) and least in the Main Lake body (103 org/L). A significant increase in the abundance of a deformed rotifer, Keratella cochlearis, was observed mainly in the Red River arm during a second study from March 1999 to June 1999. Seasonal dynamics, rather than spatial dynamics, were more important in structuring the zooplankton community, especially in the two river arms. Spatial variance was solely attributed to station and zone effects independent of time for a few crustacean species and many of the …
Date: May 2000
Creator: Franks, Jessica L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Health Status and Access Disparities Among the Uninsured Working-Age Population in a Safety-Net Healthcare Network in Tarrant County, Texas (open access)

Health Status and Access Disparities Among the Uninsured Working-Age Population in a Safety-Net Healthcare Network in Tarrant County, Texas

The objective of this research was to determine if healthcare access disparities exist across race and gender in a publically funded safety-net healthcare system in Texas. Data were examined from a representative random sample of 1468 adults aged 18-64 who were patients in this safety-net system in July and August of 2000 and were analyzed using binary logistic regression and chi-square measures of significance. Major Findings: On measures of health status - overall health rating (p =.051), limited employment (p =.000), energy level (p =.001), and worry (p =.012) - Anglos reported the worst health; Mexican Americans, the best health; with African Americans intermediate. Mexican Americans were more likely to have never had health insurance, and to also have had insurance in the past year; Anglos were least likely to have ever had insurance (p =.015) or to have had insurance in the past year (p =.000). On use of EDs (p =.028), problems getting prescription medicines (p =.029), and foregoing other necessities of life to pay for healthcare, Mexican Americans were least disadvantaged with African Americans reporting greatest use of EDs among both men and women, and Anglos the most problems with prescription medicines and foregoing care, especially among …
Date: December 2009
Creator: Queen, Courtney M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Changing Role and Responsibilities of Audit Committees in the United States (open access)

The Changing Role and Responsibilities of Audit Committees in the United States

The corporate form that developed in the early 20th century created enormous pressure for corporate governance mechanisms to curb the power of corporate managers. Berle and Means, legal pluralists, warned about concentrating economic power in the hands of a small but powerful class of professional managers. They claimed this "new form of absolutism" required governmental oversight and viewed boards of directors as part of management, rather than monitors for shareholders. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed that corporations establish a special board committee, made up of "nonofficer members" in response to the McKesson & Robbins scandal of the late 1930s. My dissertation examines the evolution of the U.S. corporate audit committee through three specific time periods: (1) 1920-1954; (2) 1955-1986; and (3) 1987 to the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. My purpose is to determine if evolution of the audit committee throughout these periods has been a reform continually couched in symbolism or whether the audit committee concept has evolved into real reform, allowing proper corporate governance and mitigation of unchecked corporate power. My analysis is a traditional empirical analysis, relying on both primary and secondary sources to develop a coherent ordering of facts. I use narrative …
Date: August 2010
Creator: Teed, Dan Graham
System: The UNT Digital Library
Evolution, Not Revolution: The Effect of New Deal Legislation on Industrial Growth and Union Development in Dallas, Texas (open access)

Evolution, Not Revolution: The Effect of New Deal Legislation on Industrial Growth and Union Development in Dallas, Texas

The New Deal legislation of the 1930s would threaten Dallas' peaceful industrial appearance. In fact, New Deal programs and legislation did have an effect on the city, albeit an unbalanced mixture of positive and negative outcomes characterized by frustrated workers and industrial intimidation. To summarize, the New Deal did not bring a revolution, but it did continue an evolutionary change for reform. This dissertation investigated several issues pertaining to the development of the textile industry, cement industry, and the Ford automobile factory in Dallas and its labor history before, during, and after the New Deal. New Deal legislation not only created an avenue for industrial workers to achieve better representation but also improved their working conditions. Specifically focusing on the textile, cement, and automobile industries illustrates that the development of union representation is a spectrum, with one end being the passive but successful cement industry experience and the other end being the automobile industry union efforts, which were characterized by violence and intimidation. These case studies illustrate the changing relationship between Dallas labor and the federal government as well as their local management. Challenges to the open shop movement in Dallas occurred before the creation of the New Deal, but …
Date: August 2010
Creator: Welch, M. Courtney
System: The UNT Digital Library
Funding and Effectiveness of Staff Development Programs in Three North Texas School Districts (open access)

Funding and Effectiveness of Staff Development Programs in Three North Texas School Districts

This dissertation study focused on three aspects of staff development in North Texas: 1) funding sources, 2) types of professional learning programs, and 3) teachers' views of the effectiveness of the funded programs. Qualitative data came from interviews with nine district administrators concerning funding sources and how those resources enhanced teacher skills. Quantitative data came from 1,277 responses from teachers regarding their background and perceptions about staff development. Data from interviews with district administrators were diagrammed to depict elements of funding staff development and to reveal how resources were used to plan, implement, and evaluate staff learning. An analysis of interview data revealed that availability of grants, property tax rates, and student enrollment affected how districts funded staff development. Administrators reported that districts funded professional learning that was planned according to academic initiatives, met the needs of adult learners, and adapted to the changing needs of school communities. Both administrators and practitioners reported that time was a lacking resource critical to developing staff knowledge. Practitioners reported that sufficient opportunity to collaborate with colleagues about learning initiatives was more valuable than teaching materials. Teacher questionnaires were analyzed for possible relationships between participant variables and responses concerning knowledge about funding constraints and …
Date: August 2010
Creator: Ivey, Shannon Kay
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Mixed Method Analysis of Undergraduate Student-run Public Relations Firms on U.S. College Campuses (open access)

A Mixed Method Analysis of Undergraduate Student-run Public Relations Firms on U.S. College Campuses

Student-run public relations firms are part of collegiate public relations pedagogy, and this study used a mixed-method approach to analyze such firms on U.S. campuses. A listing of campuses with student-run firms was created as part of this study. Through an online survey questionnaire, advisers from 55 of the 119 student-run firms provided data about firm characteristics and observations about student learning and career development. Multiple correspondence analyses was used to see if the firms grouped into clusters and somewhat aligned with previous research by Lee Bush in 2009. Firms clustered into four groups, with the fourth group representing a mix of the other three. One additional finding was that firm characteristics are more similar than dissimilar even when comparing firms of varying years in operation. Analysis of variance to compare characteristics between different types of firms revealed that one type of firm tended to employ students at a higher average number of hours per week (F = 6.61, eta squared=0.16) and one was more likely to be accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (F = 3.71, eta squared=0.13). Advisers reported mostly positive reflections on observed transformations they see in their student workers and …
Date: August 2010
Creator: Maben, Sarah Kathleen
System: The UNT Digital Library
A select study of Texas Principal Preparation Programs and their Relationship to Adult Learning and the Professional Leadership Responsibilities of their Graduates (open access)

A select study of Texas Principal Preparation Programs and their Relationship to Adult Learning and the Professional Leadership Responsibilities of their Graduates

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between principal preparation programs in Texas and professional leadership practices and responsibilities based on Mid-continent Research for Educational and Learning's (McREL) 21 leadership responsibilities. The study also examined the relationship between Texas principal preparation programs and Knowles's principles of adult learning. Through an online survey, the study solicited practicing principals' perceptions as to whether McREL's 21 leadership responsibilities and Knowles's principles of adult learning were included in their principal preparation programs. Quantitative findings indicated there were no significant differences between principals' perceptions of their principal preparation programs and the university/certification program in which they obtained their principal certification. Additionally, there were no significant differences between principals' perceptions of their programs and the year their principal certification was completed. There were also no significant differences between principals' perceptions of their programs and the geographic location of the school district in which they were presently employed. However, the study found there were significant differences in two areas of leadership responsibilities when comparisons were generated between principals who were fully certified before assuming the role of principal and those who were not fully certified: 1) ideas/beliefs and 2) optimizer. Principals who had not …
Date: December 2010
Creator: Styles, Delesa Haynes
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Exploratory Study of the Impact of Institutional Policies and Practices of Community and Technical Colleges in Texas on Student Persistence in Online Courses (open access)

An Exploratory Study of the Impact of Institutional Policies and Practices of Community and Technical Colleges in Texas on Student Persistence in Online Courses

Online education is the fastest growing form of course delivery of higher education in the United States. It has revolutionized how students and instructors interact in the educational process. Yet students in online courses continue to experience higher attrition rates than their counterparts in traditional face-to-face classes despite the advantages offered by the technology. This study examined the impact that institutional policies and practices at community colleges in the state of Texas have had on student persistence in online courses. It also examined how institutions collect and use data in addressing students' attrition. The findings were used to identify the most effective institutional practices to share with community college systems in Texas in an effort to improve student persistence in online courses across the state. The population for the study consisted of the 50 public two-year community college and the technical college systems in the state of Texas. The study used a mixed method. A theoretical model of institutional impact on online persistence was drawn from the literature review. This model's five categories were then used to construct a survey to collect data on institutional practices and measure the effectiveness in addressing student persistence. Four college systems were identified using …
Date: December 2010
Creator: Hills, Fred W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Relationship between Dominative-Integrative Classroom Behavior and Selected Measures of Socio-Civic Attitudes of Students Preparing to Teach the Social Studies (open access)

The Relationship between Dominative-Integrative Classroom Behavior and Selected Measures of Socio-Civic Attitudes of Students Preparing to Teach the Social Studies

The purpose of this study was to make as analysis of the relationship between dominative-integrative classroom behavior and the mean scores on selected measures of socio-civic attitudes of students at North Texas State College preparing to teach the social studies during the year 1960-61.
Date: August 1961
Creator: Nicholson, Virgil Marion
System: The UNT Digital Library
The History of Speech and Drama Education in the Dallas Public Schools (1884-1970) (open access)

The History of Speech and Drama Education in the Dallas Public Schools (1884-1970)

The problem of this study was the writing of a comprehensive history of speech and drama education in the Dallas Public Schools from 188^-1970. This necessitated the recording of the facts, events, and circumstances which have determined the condition and progress of speech and drama education in the Dallas Public Schools during this period of time.
Date: December 1971
Creator: Rumbley, Rose-Mary, 1922-
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Historical Study of Selected Title III Elementary Secondary Education Act of 1965, PACE Projects in Texas (open access)

A Historical Study of Selected Title III Elementary Secondary Education Act of 1965, PACE Projects in Texas

The problem of this study is to analyze some of the effects of selected ESEA, Title III, PACE projects on the educational processes in Texas.
Date: December 1971
Creator: Young, Crandall Joe
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Rise and Fall of the Texas Radicals, 1867-1883 (open access)

The Rise and Fall of the Texas Radicals, 1867-1883

The purpose of this monograph is to study the early Texas Republican party within the framework of well-known political party functions, i.e., to provide political leadership, recruit governmental personnel, generate public policy, and propagate ideology.
Date: May 1972
Creator: Baggett, James Alex
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effect of an In-Service Program Utilizing Bloom's Taxonomy on Teachers' Self-Concepts, Cognitive Level of Test Construction, and Attitudes of Students (open access)

The Effect of an In-Service Program Utilizing Bloom's Taxonomy on Teachers' Self-Concepts, Cognitive Level of Test Construction, and Attitudes of Students

The problem of this study was to investigate the effect of an in-service program utilizing Benjamin S. Bloom (Ed.) and others' Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: Cognitive Domain (Bloom's Taxonomy) on (1) the self-concept of experienced secondary English teachers and social studies teachers, (2) the cognitive level of test items on teacher-made examinations, and (3) the attitude changes toward school subjects as rated b students.
Date: May 1972
Creator: Castleman, John Lavoid
System: The UNT Digital Library
Group Implosive Therapy in the Treatment of Test Anxiety (open access)

Group Implosive Therapy in the Treatment of Test Anxiety

The purposes of the study were to: 1. Determine the level of test anxiety present, as measured by the Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ), prior to treatment. 2. Develop an implosive therapy procedure to reduce test anxiety. 3. Administer implosive therapy to subjects in the experimental treatment group. 4. Determine the post-treatment level of test anxiety in the implosive therapy group, placebo-attention control group, and the no-treatment control group. 5. Determine if there were any significant differences in the test anxiety levels in the three groups on the post-treatment TAQ. 6. Investigate the results of a one month follow-up administration of the TAQ to determine the relative stability of test scores.
Date: May 1972
Creator: Dawley, Harold H., 1940-
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Study of Attitudes Held by Superintendents and Principals toward Career Education in Texas (open access)

A Study of Attitudes Held by Superintendents and Principals toward Career Education in Texas

The problem with which this investigation is concerned is to identify attitudes held by superintendents and principals in Texas public schools toward career education. Particular attention is given to the nature of career education and the development of career education from the management structure point of view. The emphasis of this study is determining what would be desirable in the planning and establishing of new directions and structures for career education in Texas public schools.
Date: May 1972
Creator: Harrison, Denist (Denist Dewain), 1944-
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Study of the Attitudes of Parents, Teachers and Principals Toward Parental Involvement in School Activities (open access)

A Study of the Attitudes of Parents, Teachers and Principals Toward Parental Involvement in School Activities

The problem with which this investigation was concerned was that of surveying the attitudes of parents, teachers, and principals toward parental involvement in school activities. The study had a threefold purpose. The first was to determine the attitudes of parents toward involvement in school activities. The second was to determine the attitudes of teachers and principals toward parental involvement in schools. The third was to identify attitudes of parents, teachers, and principals toward various methods of involvement.
Date: May 1973
Creator: Baker, Jeroline Ann, 1932-
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Study of House Bill 235 and Its Impact upon the Role of the High School Principal in Texas as Perceived by Selected Groups of Educators (open access)

A Study of House Bill 235 and Its Impact upon the Role of the High School Principal in Texas as Perceived by Selected Groups of Educators

The problem of this study was the investigation of the development of H.B. 235 and its impact upon the role of the high school principal in Texas, as perceived by high school principals, superintendents, and selected professors of educational administration. The purpose of the study was twofold. First, it analyzed the development and provisions of H.B. 235, and second, it tried to determine the impact of its implementation upon the role of the high school principal in Texas.
Date: May 1973
Creator: Chance, Scott Gene
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Relationship between Identifiable Attributes and Decision-Making Ability of Purchasing Personnel as Measured by the Results of a Management Game (open access)

The Relationship between Identifiable Attributes and Decision-Making Ability of Purchasing Personnel as Measured by the Results of a Management Game

This study investigated the relationship between certain biographical and personality characteristics and decision-making ability of purchasing personnel as measured by the results achieved in a complex management game.
Date: May 1973
Creator: Ellis, Norman Dean, 1933-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Carbon Flux in Reservoir Sediments (open access)

Carbon Flux in Reservoir Sediments

The central objective of the study was to fractionate sedimenting organic materials according to their source (allochthonous or autochthonous) and ultimately to determine the degree of biodegradability of contributions from either source with particular reference to activities at the mud-water interface.
Date: May 1973
Creator: Newton, Charles Eugene
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Analysis of Voting Patterns in Mobile, Alabama, 1948-1970 (open access)

An Analysis of Voting Patterns in Mobile, Alabama, 1948-1970

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the voting trends in Mobile, Alabama, which have developed since 1948; particular emphasis is placed upon the role of the Negro vote in Mobile politics before and after the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Date: May 1973
Creator: Voyles, James Everett, 1943-
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Analysis of Purchasing Practices in Small School Systems of Texas (open access)

An Analysis of Purchasing Practices in Small School Systems of Texas

The purpose of this investigation is to make a study of practices in the purchasing of school supplies in small school systems of Texas. The specific purposes are to measure the efficiency of supply purchasing in these school systems, and, secondarily, to develop purchasing procedures that can be used as a handbook in the purchase of school supplies.
Date: August 1960
Creator: Shields, Mayron
System: The UNT Digital Library