Culture and Anxiety: a Cross-Cultural Study (open access)

Culture and Anxiety: a Cross-Cultural Study

By measuring interactions among and between anxiety and the independent variables of country of origin, gender, level of education, and age, this study attempted to gain insight into how students from different countries experience anxiety on a U.S. college campus. Results of the Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and the univariate test(ANOVA) indicated that the gender and level of education of the subjects made no significant difference. However, when it came to country of origin, there were significant differences between two of the cultural groups and respective anxiety level. Findings also support a positive correlation between age and anxiety levels, with the youngest participants having the lowest anxiety levels.
Date: December 1998
Creator: Abbassi, Amir
System: The UNT Digital Library
Biodiversity of Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the South-Central Nearctic and Adjacent Neotropical Biotic Provinces (open access)

Biodiversity of Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the South-Central Nearctic and Adjacent Neotropical Biotic Provinces

The south-central United States serves as an important biogeographical link and dispersal corridor between Nearctic and Neotropical elements of western hemisphere odonate faunas. Its species are reasonably well known because of substantial collections, but there has been no concerted effort to document the extent of biodiversity and possible geographic affinities of dragonflies and damselflies of this region. The recent discoveries of Argia leonorae Garrison, Gomphus gonzalezi Dunkle and Erpetogomphus heterodon Garrison from southern and western Texas and northern Mexico suggest that Odonata species remain to be discovered in this area, particularly from far south Texas and northern Mexico. I have documented a total of 12,515 records of Odonata found in 408 counties within the south-central U.S. A total of 73 species of damselflies and 160 species of dragonflies was revealed in the region. The 233 (197 in Texas) Odonata species are distributed among 10 families and 66 genera. Illustrated family, generic, and species-level keys are provided. Since the beginning of this work in the Fall of 1993, one species has been added each to the Louisiana and Oklahoma faunas, and 12 species have been added, previously unreported from Texas, including four new to the U.S. The area of highest Odonata …
Date: May 1999
Creator: Abbott, John C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Post-Traumatic Symptomatology in the Luby's Shooting (open access)

Post-Traumatic Symptomatology in the Luby's Shooting

The role of exposure to a human-made disaster and the subsequent development of post-traumatic stress reactions were examined. Subjects included 49 males and 30 females who were variously exposed to the Luby's shooting incident in Killeen, Texas in October of 1991. Post-traumatic stress symptomatology was measured by the SCL-90R. Exposure was operationalized by using a scenario-rating scheme with independent raters estimating each subject's level of exposure. A regression and commonality analysis revealed that exposure is an important predictor in post-traumatic symptomatology. Premorbid functioning and gender were also found to play important roles, with females expressing higher levels of symptomatology.
Date: December 1993
Creator: Adams, Pam, 1964-
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Ethnographic Study of Outstanding, Veteran Elementary Teachers (open access)

An Ethnographic Study of Outstanding, Veteran Elementary Teachers

The purpose of this study was to describe outstanding, veteran elementary teachers using an ethnographic approach. This qualitative study was conducted in a suburban independent school district in northeast Texas serving approximately 17,000 students. The data collected focused on five outstanding, veteran elementary teachers who had at least twenty years of uninterrupted teaching service. Data were collected through interviews, classroom observations, and the administration of the Mind Styles (Gregorc,1982) inventory. The findings of this research were as follows. This study found that many factors were responsible for retaining outstanding, veteran elementary teachers in the work force. These included adequate preparation, a strong personal commitment, a successful initial teaching assignment, a development of skills and abilities inside and outside the teaching field, and professional accomplishments throughout the teaching career.
Date: August 1992
Creator: Adams, Sandra K. (Sandra Kay)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Identification of College Freshmen According to Scholastic and Persistence Potential (open access)

Identification of College Freshmen According to Scholastic and Persistence Potential

This study was designed to develop a procedure for the identification of freshman students at risk in the academic and social integration process at Texas Christian University. The data for the study were collected from the Student Information Form (SIF) and student records system at Texas Christian University. The data included demographic, attitudinal, educational background and one-year persistence indicators (retain and drop) as well as one-year cumulative grade point averages for the fall 1990 entering freshman class.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Adams, William F. (William Franklin)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Strategic Planning in Higher Education : A Study of Application in Arkansas Senior Colleges and Universities (open access)

Strategic Planning in Higher Education : A Study of Application in Arkansas Senior Colleges and Universities

This empirical study focused on the level of application of strategic planning by senior colleges and universities in Arkansas. The study was designed to examine, analyze, and describe the extent of strategic planning practices by Arkansas higher education institutions, as reflected in the opinions and perceptions of the institutions' chief executive officers and based on the profile of characteristics validated by twenty experts in the strategic planning literature.
Date: August 1992
Creator: Agwu, Patrick A. (Patrick Agbai)
System: The UNT Digital Library
A History of Contemporary Independent Film Marketing in the United States (1989-1998) (open access)

A History of Contemporary Independent Film Marketing in the United States (1989-1998)

This study explores the reasons for the rise in independent film's popularity, which have created a unique Hollywood phenomenon, the successful "mini-major" independent studio, dedicated to both art and commerce. Chapters cover the history of independent film, characteristics of both independent and mainstreamfilms with regards to financing, acquisition, distribution and marketing, trends within independent film in the late 1980s and 1990s, crucial distributors and landmark independent films, and key growth areas in the future for independent film.
Date: August 1998
Creator: Ahearn, John P. (John Patrick)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Organizational Improvement of the Village Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Fort Worth, Texas, 1969-1988: a Case Study of Forces Responsible for Organizational Change (open access)

The Organizational Improvement of the Village Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Fort Worth, Texas, 1969-1988: a Case Study of Forces Responsible for Organizational Change

This study documents that external and internal forces were causes of change at VCWTP. External forces caused. Fort Worth to reorganize and introduce new management at VCWTP after 1982. These improvements led to VCWTP being selected best managed wastewater treatment plant in the nation by EPA in 1988. This study first analyzes external and internal forces responsible for changes at VCWTP. A history of plant operations also is reviewed. Personnel interviews were conducted of perceptions of employees. Finally, statistics obtained of the plant operation from 1969 to 1988 are compared with personal interviews. Five forces effect change at VCWTP; population, regulatory requirements, political conflicts, an organizational and managerial factors. Turnaround occurred as external and internal corrections were made.
Date: May 1993
Creator: Akidi, Innocent O. (Innocent Okechuknu)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Perceptions of Student Affairs Services by Students and Student Affairs Personnel at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan (open access)

Perceptions of Student Affairs Services by Students and Student Affairs Personnel at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of students and student affairs personnel of student affairs services at Andrews University's main campus in Berrien Springs, Michigan. A modified questionnaire, based on the work of Selgas and Blocker (1974) and Glenister (1977), was developed for this study. Eleven student services found in the Council for the Advancement of Standards for Student Services/Development Program's guidelines were included. A random sample of 280 students at Andrews University received surveys, with 165 (59%) responding. The 30 full-time student affairs personnel also received surveys, with 20 (67%) responding. Students and student affairs personnel rated their perceptions of student services, using 77 statements associated with these services. Services were rated on a 6-point scale in the categories of status of knowledge, relative importance, and effectiveness. Respondents were asked to include additional comments concerning the services and to provide biographical data. The following are some of the main findings: Significant differences between students' and student affairs personnel's status of knowledge of student services were found in career planning/employment, commuter programs/services, counseling services/substance abuse education, religious programs/services, student activities, and wellness/health. Significant differences between the two groups' perceptions of relative importance of student services were …
Date: December 1995
Creator: Akos, Hosea Dodo
System: The UNT Digital Library
Teacher Implementation of a Pretreatment Assessment Procedure in a Public Middle School (open access)

Teacher Implementation of a Pretreatment Assessment Procedure in a Public Middle School

In an attempt to determine the effectiveness of a pretreatment assessment procedure known as the scatter plot (Touchette, MacDonald, & Langer, 1985), direct observational data was collected by 13 middle school teachers on four "problem" students. After four weeks of data collection, interobserver agreement probes were calculated and a visual analysis of the plotted data was performed to ascertain a possible pattern of problem behavior. Additionally, in an attempt to assess the teachers' perceptions of the scatter plot, the 13 teachers were asked to complete a questionnaire. Although a visual analysis of the plotted data suggested a possible pattern of problem behavior, interobserver agreement probes failed to achieve a desired overall reliability of 90% or higher. Despite a low IOA, results of the questionnaire administered to the 13 teachers generally supported the use of the scatter plot as a means of assessing student behavior. Possible reasons for failing to attain an IOA of 90% or higher include the total number of students in a class, the number of subjects observed per period, the teacher's location in the classroom, and the subjects ability to recognize if the teacher was "looking." Recommendations are provided regarding future research concerning the scatter plot and …
Date: May 1999
Creator: Alcala, Angelo L. (Angelo Lee)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Mail Order Music: the Hinners Organ Company in the Dakotas, 1879-1936 (open access)

Mail Order Music: the Hinners Organ Company in the Dakotas, 1879-1936

Founded in 1879 by John L. Hinners, the Hinners Organ Company developed a number of stock models of small mechanical-action instruments that were advertised throughout the Midwest. Operating without outside salesmen, the company was one of the first to conduct all of its affairs by mail, including the financial arrangements, selection of the basic design, and custom alterations where required. Buyers first met a company representative when he arrived by train to set up the crated instrument that had been shipped ahead of him. Tracker organs with hand-operated bellows were easily repaired by local craftsmen, and were suited to an area that, for the most part, lacked electricity. In all, the company constructed nearly three thousand pipe organs during its sixty years of operation. Rapid decline of the firm began in the decade prior to 1936 during which the company sold fewer than one hundred instruments, and closed in that year when John's son Arthur found himself without sufficient financial resources to weather the lengthy depression. The studies of the original-condition Hinners organs in the Dakotas include extensive photographs and measurements, and provide an excellent cross section of the smaller instruments produced by the company. They are loud, excellently crafted, …
Date: August 1997
Creator: Alcorn-Oppedahl, Allison A. (Allison Ann)
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Study of the Business Communication Needs and Problems of Women in Entry-Level, Middle, and Upper Management Positions in Texas (open access)

A Study of the Business Communication Needs and Problems of Women in Entry-Level, Middle, and Upper Management Positions in Texas

The purpose of this study was to determine the business communication needs and problems of women in entry-level, middle, and upper management positions in Texas. A questionnaire was completed by sixty-eight female managers (twenty-one entry-level; forty middle; and seven upper). Female managers were asked to indicate the frequency of use and the importance of fourteen types of written and seven types of oral business communication, the importance of twenty-seven skills or knowledge, and the frequency with which they consider thirty-two skills or knowledge as problem areas. Data were also collected for the same number of male managers and were used to further interpret and complement the data on female managers. Results for female managers as a total group and male managers as a total group were evaluated by performing chi-square tests.
Date: August 1992
Creator: Alexander, Carol Jennings
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Power Politics of Hells Canyon (open access)

The Power Politics of Hells Canyon

This study examines the controversy regarding Hells Canyon on the Snake River, North America's deepest gorge. Throughout the 1950s, federal and private electric power proponents wrangled over who would harness the canyon's potential for generating hydroelectricity. After a decade of debate, the privately-owned Idaho Power Company won the right to build three small dams in the canyon versus one large public power structure. The thesis concludes that private development of Hells Canyon led to incomplete resource development. Further, support of private development led to extensive Republican electoral losses in the Pacific Northwest during the 1950s.
Date: August 1999
Creator: Alford, John Matthew
System: The UNT Digital Library
Self-Perceived Administrative Leadership Styles of Presidents, Vice-Presidents, and Deans in Public Community and Junior Colleges inTexas (open access)

Self-Perceived Administrative Leadership Styles of Presidents, Vice-Presidents, and Deans in Public Community and Junior Colleges inTexas

The major purpose for this study was to determine the self-perceived leadership styles of the presidents, vice-presidents, and deans of public community and junior colleges in Texas in 1994. Administrators' choices of leadership style were also compared with personal characteristics of leaders, such as age, gender, title, number of years in current position, number of years in current institution, number of years in administration, degree earned, number of years in teaching, and number of full-time subordinates. The backgrounds of the administrators, particularly their previous experience, control over their respective budgets, size of their budgets (state, local, other, percentage of workers' compensation), and the ethnicity of leaders, were also examined. The Styles of Leadership Survey and a Demographic Information Form were used to collect the data.
Date: August 1994
Creator: Ali, Hamad Abdulkareem
System: The UNT Digital Library
AIDS and Aging: Are the Eldery Becoming the New At-Risk Population? (open access)

AIDS and Aging: Are the Eldery Becoming the New At-Risk Population?

This dissertation breaks new ground. It examines the perceptions of older adults towards AIDS prevention. Using the National Health Interview Survey, 1988: AIDS Knowledge and Attitudes Supplement, a modified Health Belief Model is developed. Despite the low number of older adults 55+ with AIDS, some extenuating circumstances increase their risk of AIDS contraction. Older adults have lower levels of knowledge about AIDS, weaker immune systems and receive more blood transfusions. Societal influences include educational neglect at the hands of physicians, healthcare workers and social service personnel. The first stage of the dissertation involved establishing older adults as an at-risk population through an extensive literature review. Next, the data was described utilizing frequencies, correlations and factor analysis. Frequencies clearly indicated that older adults in the data set had low levels of AIDS knowledge and did not view themselves at risk for AIDS contraction. Correlations between the variables were minimal. A modified Health Belief Model was developed and tested. Multiple regression determined that minimal variation in the two dependent variables, "Perceived Effectiveness of Effective Methods to Prevent AIDS Contraction" and "Perceived Effectiveness of Ineffective Methods to Prevent AIDS Contraction" was accounted for by the independent variables. Although F ratios allowed rejection of …
Date: August 1994
Creator: Allen, Annette Marie
System: The UNT Digital Library
Hooking Mortality of Largemouth Bass Caught on Controversial Artificial Lures and Live Bait : Lake Ray Roberts, Texas (open access)

Hooking Mortality of Largemouth Bass Caught on Controversial Artificial Lures and Live Bait : Lake Ray Roberts, Texas

A total of 192 largemouth bass were caught at Lake Ray Roberts, Texas (1995) to investigate five controversial bass angling techniques relative to hooking mortality. The bait types were Texas-rigged scented and non-scented plastic worms, Carolina-rigged scented and non-scented plastic worms, and live golden shiners. Overall hooking mortality was 21.87% and mortality was dependent upon bait type. Highest mortality resulted from the Texas-rigged scented lures, while the lowest mortality was generated by live golden shiners. A creel survey indicated that few anglers were having success with the investigated baits. Factors that had a confirmed effect on hooking mortality were hooking location and water temperature. Hooking mortality was not excessive compared to other similar studies.
Date: May 1996
Creator: Alumbaugh, Andrew E. (Andrew Edward)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Implementation of Transition from Spanish Reading to English Reading Programs in Bilingual Classrooms (open access)

The Implementation of Transition from Spanish Reading to English Reading Programs in Bilingual Classrooms

The purpose of this study was to describe the actual implementation of the transition process as observed in bilingual classrooms, and in particular, to examine the critical components (policy, curricular, and instructional characteristics) of the Spanish-to-English reading transition policies implemented in bilingual education programs in elementary schools in the Denton Independent School District in Texas. Four research questions drove this study. To investigate these questions, a multidimensional, descriptive research design was employed. The researcher used questionnaires, interviews, and field observations. The 11 educators, 6 bilingual teachers, 2 school-site principals, 2 school-site coordinators, and 1 district bilingual coordinator, were asked several types of questions (open response and closed response) using different types of instruments (questionnaires and interviews). Also, the six bilingual teachers were observed using two types of instruments (field notes and video tapes).
Date: December 1994
Creator: Amaya, Jesús, 1956-
System: The UNT Digital Library
HIV-Associated Dementia: Cofactors as Predictors of Severity of Neurocoenitive Deficits (open access)

HIV-Associated Dementia: Cofactors as Predictors of Severity of Neurocoenitive Deficits

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between a set of cofactors and severity of cognitive impairment, to determine if there were any factors which significantly predicted more severe neurocognitive deficits in persons with AIDS. Twenty-four male volunteers recruited from community groups and physician referrals participated. Subjects completed several self-report questionnaires eliciting information regarding demographics and risk factor variables, in addition to a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests. A severity of cognitive impairment summary score was computed for each subject, reflecting both the number of impaired tests and their distance in the impaired direction from normative data. Neither CD4 count, number of months since diagnosis of AIDS, number of AIDS-related illnesses, number of recent stressors, history of head injury/LOC, history of substance use, current or past psychiatric disorder, history of learning disability nor history of other medical illness were found to be significantly related to severity of cognitive impairment in this sample, after controlling for the effects of age, level of education, estimated premorbid IQ and mood status. However, no reliable conclusions could be drawn from this study because the small sample size resulted in an unacceptably low level of statistical power for the desired regression …
Date: December 1996
Creator: Anderson, Deborah E. (Deborah Elaine), 1967-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Callibaetis Floridanus (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae) Life History and Production in a West Texas Playa (open access)

Callibaetis Floridanus (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae) Life History and Production in a West Texas Playa

A life history study of Callibaetis floridanus was conducted over the wet cycle of a playa on the Southern High Plains of Texas from June through September 1995.
Date: May 1998
Creator: Anderson, Gregory (Gregory Mark)
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Investigation of School Administrator Personality Type and Gender to Leader Effectiveness, Flexibility, and Years of Experience (open access)

An Investigation of School Administrator Personality Type and Gender to Leader Effectiveness, Flexibility, and Years of Experience

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between four selected personality categories as measured by Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) and gender to leader effectiveness and flexibility as measured by Leader Behavior Analysis II Self-A® (LBAII Self-A) and years of experience in school administration. A review of literature traced leadership to the Situational Leadership II model utilized in this study. The model was based on selecting the appropriate leadership style for the individual situation and development level of followers. MBTI® measured sixteen combinations of four personality types which included Extravert® or Introvert, Sensing or iNtuitive®, Thinking or Feeling, and Judging or Perceiving. Four types were selected for this study (ISTJ, ESTJ, INTP, and ESFJ). The LBAII Self-A® instrument measured leader effectiveness and flexibility. The sample was 80 Texas school administrators in eleven school districts. Statistics utilized to test the hypotheses included Hotelling's T2, Multiple Analysis of Variance, Analysis of Variance, and Multiple Regression. Independent variables were gender and personality type. Dependent variables were leader effectiveness, flexibility, and years of experience in school administration. Findings reported a significant difference in leader effectiveness scores of the ESTJ personality type. Additionally, Judging/Perceiving was a significant predictor of years …
Date: August 1995
Creator: Anderson, Linda K., 1950-
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) Test Scores as Predictors of Academic Success of First-Year Clarendon College Students (open access)

The Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) Test Scores as Predictors of Academic Success of First-Year Clarendon College Students

The problem in this study was to determine the relationship between the scores on the three parts (reading, writing, and mathematics) of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills Test (TAAS) and the academic success of first-year students at Clarendon College, Clarendon, Texas. High school grade-point average and gender were also included in the study. The purpose of the study was to develop an equation to predict first-year college grade-point average at Clarendon College . The predictor variables were the three parts of the TAAS Test (reading, writing, and mathematics) , high school grade-point average, and gender. The equation was developed through multiple correlation/multiple regression multivariate procedures. All statistical analyses were calculated through sub-programs of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The study was limited to using only 1992/1993 Texas high school graduates who had entered Clarendon College in the fall semesters of 1992 and 1993 directly following high school graduation. A search of Clarendon College records produced 115 students from these groups who fully met all standards defined for the study. Two predictor equations were developed. One developed through a simple regression command included all five predictor variables. The second equation was produced through a stepwise procedure. This …
Date: August 1996
Creator: Anglin, James William
System: The UNT Digital Library
Progressivism/Prohibition and War: Texas, 1914-1918 (open access)

Progressivism/Prohibition and War: Texas, 1914-1918

This thesis focuses upon the impact of war upon the progressive movement in Texas during 1914-1918. Chapter I defines progressivism in Texas and presents an overview of the political situation in the state as relating to the period. Chapter II discusses the negative impact that the first two years of World War I had upon the reform movement. Chapter III examines the revival of the Anti-Saloon League and the 1916 Democratic state convention. Chapter IV covers the war between James E. Ferguson and the University of Texas. Chapter V tells how the European war became a catalyst for the reform movement in Texas following America's entry, and its subsequent influence upon the election of 1918. Chapter VI concludes that James E. Ferguson's war with the University of Texas as well as World War I were responsible for the prohibitionist victory in the election of 1918.
Date: August 1992
Creator: Antle, Michael Lee
System: The UNT Digital Library
Critical Factors in Successful Texas Middle Schools 1993-1995 (open access)

Critical Factors in Successful Texas Middle Schools 1993-1995

An examination of the characteristics of Texas middle schools has been conducted with the objective of developing a planning tool for middle staffs. This success is measured by the Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS), whose rating scale has three components: campus scores on the Texas Assessment of Basic Skills (TAAS), campus attendance percentages, and campus dropout rates. TAAS scores and attendance rates have been the focus of this study. Two years of data were examined separately for research question. Principal component analysis reduced the number of indicators in both years' data to 20 factors/ Each of these factors received a designated based on the characteristics that the component indicators had in common. A multiple regression analysis was performed on these factors to determine the influence each had on the campus TAAS scores and attendance. The unpredictability of human subjects requires an additional step in this study to achieve valid conclusions. A comparison of the two years' results is made to discover attendance, gifted and talented programs, and teacher gender were the strongest overall positive influences on student achievement. Campus demographics, retention, and ESL/bilingual programs have the strongest association with low student achievement.
Date: August 1997
Creator: Antoine, Terry W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Factors Influencing Freshmen Students' College Choice at the University of North Texas: a Focus Group Study (open access)

Factors Influencing Freshmen Students' College Choice at the University of North Texas: a Focus Group Study

This study focused on factors that may influence freshmen students when choosing their colleges, specifically those who attend metropolitan universities such as the University of North Texas. In addition to identifying major characteristics of the institution that attract students, it also explored the sources of information that students considered important when making their choice about where to attend college. The primary instrument for gathering the data was focus groups. These informal, small groups provided a format for in-depth discussion and probing questioning about the needs, wants and influential factors driving freshmen college choice. Ten focus groups were held with between six and ten students in a specially designed room on the campus of the University of North Texas. A professional moderator was employed and sessions were observed via a two-way mirror and tape recorded for later transcription. The major questions addressed in the focus groups included: What factors influenced students the most to attend the University of North Texas? What did they consider the level of friendliness on campus? And how did the marketing materials that the university distributed impact their decision to attend? The study found that the factors that most influenced freshmen to attend the University of North …
Date: August 1997
Creator: Armstrong, Jami J. (Jami Joi)
System: The UNT Digital Library