Gender Bias in Textbooks in Selected Kinesiology Courses in Texas Colleges and Universities (open access)

Gender Bias in Textbooks in Selected Kinesiology Courses in Texas Colleges and Universities

Gender bias, as well as other forms of discrimination, have been deemed unacceptable by today's standards. Research indicates that while it is not obtrusive, gender bias in the media is pervasive and potent. Textbooks are a communication medium which not only convey the requisite knowledge of a particular subject, but also, subliminally, norms and expectations of behavior for individuals in society. These subliminal messages, sometimes termed the hidden curriculum, may serve as inhibitors of an individual's aspirations and goals. The purposes of this study, therefore, were to analyze current kinesiology literature to determine if gender bias was present and if so, was the gender of the author associated with the presence of bias. A third purpose was to compare the results of this study with previous related research.
Date: August 1991
Creator: Munt, Glada C. (Glada Carole)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Ethical Reasoning Among Baccalaureate Female Nursing Students (open access)

Ethical Reasoning Among Baccalaureate Female Nursing Students

The focus for this study was ethical reasoning among baccalaureate female nursing students. This descriptive and correlational study examined the ethical reasoning of freshmen and senior students at a large southwestern university for women. The research instrument used was the Defining Issues Test developed by Rest. The senior nursing students differed significantly (p < ,05) from the freshmen nursing students in ethical reasoning. However, nursing majors did not differ significantly from the non-nursing majors. A multiple regression analysis was performed that identified two factors associated with ethical reasoning (viz., age and GPA), The correlation coefficients were r= .377 for age and P_ score and r= .315 for GPA and P score. Older students were found to be significantly more advanced in ethical reasoning than were younger students. Students with higher GPAs used principled reasoning significantly more often than did students with lower GPAs. Of interest are the findings related to demographic characteristics, ethnicity, and religious preference. The sample was predominantly white, but a significant difference in use of principled reasoning between whites and non-whites was found. In the sample, whites used ethical reasoning more often than did non-whites. The students in the sample who labeled themselves as Baptists were significantly …
Date: August 1989
Creator: Swanson, Jacqueline V. (Jacqueline Viola)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Self-Directed Learning Projects of Older Adults (open access)

Self-Directed Learning Projects of Older Adults

This study determined the number of self-directed learning projects undertaken by older adults and examined the motivational factors and anticipated benefits related to the learning activities. In addition, obstacles to conducting self-directed learning were identified by the respondents. A list of 20,032 names of adults, aged 50 or more years and residing in Tom Green County, Texas, was obtained from voter registration rolls and the residential rolls of four retirement complexes. Four hundred names were randomly selected to serve as the sample of the study. Of the 400 potential subjects, 120 persons agreed to be interviewed. Indepth interviews were conducted using the questions from Tough's Interview Schedule for Studying Some Basic Characteristics of Learning Projects and a probe sheet to identify obstacles to conducting self-directed learning projects. The interviews focused on the learning activities of older adults during the previous year. The 120 subjects of this study conducted a total of 239 learning projects in the previous year, an average of 1.99 self-directed learning projects per person. Ninety-five (95%) percent of the persons interviewed reported to have conducted at least one learning project in the past year. The majority of the learning projects were self-planned for the purpose of self-enjoyment …
Date: August 1989
Creator: Sears, Emma Jo Benson
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Association Between Systematic Exposure to Information About Computers and Attitude Changes Among Students Who Are Non-Computer Majors (open access)

The Association Between Systematic Exposure to Information About Computers and Attitude Changes Among Students Who Are Non-Computer Majors

The problem with which this study is concerned is the association between systematic exposure to information about computers and attitude changes to computers among students who are non-computer majors. The experimental design includes a semester length course in introduction to computers at a small community college in Texas. The study has a twofold purpose. The first is to determine the pre-instruction direction and valence of attitudes of non-computer majors towards computers. The second is to determine the post-instruction direction and valence of attitudes of non-computer majors towards computers. A questionnaire was used to measure attitudes of students towards computers as a pre-test and post-test. The test results were encoded for computer statistical analysis. To determine the valence of changes in attitudes, chi-square tests were applied for each statement of the questionnaire with combinations between pre-test and post-test and each of the variables: gender, age, student performance, and instructor. To determine changes of direction in attitudes, a phi coefficient was applied for each statement of the questionnaire. The following conclusions may be drawn from the data collected for this study. 1. Based upon gender, age, student performance, and the variable of instructor, there was a significant difference in the valence of …
Date: August 1989
Creator: Anderson, Glenda K. (Glenda Kay)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Historical Development and Future of the National Technological University (open access)

The Historical Development and Future of the National Technological University

The National Technological University (NTU), a consortium of more than twenty American engineering schools, broadcasts courses produced at member institutions to professional engineers at corporate sites across the country. It is a nonprofit institution.begun in fall 1984 with headquarters in Fort Collins, Colorado, which offers only course work leading to the Master of Science degree in various branches of technology, or applied science. Students must be sponsored by their corporate employers who pay their tuition. This is the first systematic examination of the instructional process at an educational institution created in response to the demands of the governmental and corporate sectors' technological needs. This study includes an attempt to explore the effectiveness of that instructional process and the use of computers in distance education at NTU and implications for institutions of the future. This study focuses on distance education, corporate education, national universities and nontraditional institutions and the extent to which NTO exemplifies each of these concepts. It covers the organizational structure and methods of operation of NTU, and offers opinions of students, faculty, and other personnel associated with the institution as reflected by surveys, interviews, and the media.
Date: August 1988
Creator: Mays, Marilyn Elaine
System: The UNT Digital Library
Northern Minnesota Public Television: a Historical Perspective (open access)

Northern Minnesota Public Television: a Historical Perspective

Northern Minnesota Public Television is an independent, non-profit corporation operating as KAWE television on the campus of Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minnesota. This study focuses on the lack of educational/public television in the northern section of Minnesota and develops a historical perspective of Northern Minnesota Public Television from an idea of two men until sign-on in 1980. The study describes the early beginnings, organizational structure, problems encountered, and educational philosophy. KAWE television operates on Channel 9 with a satellite station in Brainerd, Minnesota, operating on Channel 22.
Date: August 1989
Creator: Hawk, Clement Lee
System: The UNT Digital Library
Institutional Inbreeding among Mathematics Faculty in American Colleges and Universities (open access)

Institutional Inbreeding among Mathematics Faculty in American Colleges and Universities

The purpose of this research was to estimate (1) the extent to which institutional inbreeding is prevalent among mathematics faculty at colleges and universities throughout the United States; (2) the extent of institutional inbreeding among mathematics faculty at American colleges and universities classified according to institutional genre; (3) the extent of institutional inbreeding among mathematics faculty classified according to gender; and (4) the extent of institutional inbreeding among mathematics faculty in American colleges and universities classified according to regions of the country. Institutional inbreeding was defined as faculty employment at the institution from which one received the highest earned degree. An exhaustive review of the literature on inbreeding was used to develop this research. All public-supported and private-supported American universities that offer a doctorate in mathematics were identified by consulting the 1991 American Mathematical Society Professional Directory. Catalogs for the academic year 1991-1992 were requested from each institution. One-hundred sixty-seven institutions of higher education which offer the Ph.D. degree in mathematics and 5,961 faculty members were identified. The results of the analyses found a mean proportion of inbred mathematics faculty of 3.46 percent, which is one-tenth of the most recent study examining mathematics faculty. A chi-square goodness of fit test …
Date: August 1992
Creator: Stewart, G. Bryan (Gregory Bryan)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cultural Identity in Thai Movies and Its Implications for the Study of Films in Thailand (open access)

Cultural Identity in Thai Movies and Its Implications for the Study of Films in Thailand

The primary purpose of this study was to find the content and form of movies which conform to the taste of the majority of Thai audiences and, at the same time, are universal enough to attract international audiences. Because film is an extension of other art forms, this required extensive research into the roots of Thai performing arts.
Date: August 1993
Creator: Dunagin, Kultida Boonyakul
System: The UNT Digital Library
Malcolm Shepherd Knowles, the Father of American Andragogy : A Biographical Study (open access)

Malcolm Shepherd Knowles, the Father of American Andragogy : A Biographical Study

This is a qualitative, single-subject, historical, and biographical study. Malcolm Shepherd Knowles is the subject of this research. The problem of the study is to explore the uniqueness of Malcolm S. Knowles in light of his contributions to adult education and to the andragogical model of adult learning.
Date: August 1994
Creator: Cooke, James C. (James Clinton)
System: The UNT Digital Library