This study examines the main research hypothesis that there is significant interaction between the effects of computer use/non-use and level of computer training among community college educators in the state of Texas regarding attitudes toward the implementation of administrative and instructional computing. A statewide survey was conducted with deans of instruction and full-time faculty members who represented the three academic transfer departments of natural/physical sciences, social science, and humanities/fine arts. Fifty-five deans of instruction and three hundred fifty-six faculty members participated in the study. A factor analysis of data from the questionnaires revealed four factors which were identified and labeled: Factor One: Computer Applications: Advantages and Disadvantages; Factor Two: Administrative Computer Applications: Advantages and Disadvantages; Factor Three: Apprehensions About Educational Computing; Factor Four: Situational Factors Associated With Computer Applications in Education. A 4x3x2 (professional position x level of computer training x level of computer experience) multivariate analysis of variance of both main and interaction effects was then performed within and across these factors.

This study examines the effect of class discussion as a pre-writing activity on actual writing performance. The experiment was conducted with all the Level 3 and Level 4 students enrolled in the Intensive English Language Institute of North Texas State University in the Spring, 1986 semester. Cochrans C test was performed to test significant differences between groups at the beginning of this test. Multivariate analysis of variance tests were used to determine the treatment effect between and within groups, and a matched t-test was also utilized to analyze the difference within tests. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was calculated to determine the relationship between the discussion activity score and the actual writing score. Analysis of covariance tests were used to determine which variance of discussion activities had greater effect on the actual writing score.

The problem of this investigation was concerned with the effects that a computer-assisted and managed learning program had on the test outcomes of college students enrolled in a basic communication course. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of participation in a computer-assisted and managed learning on the test outcomes of college students enrolled in a basic communication course. In order to facilitate the experiment, four hypotheses were formulated: 1. There will be significant differences in the posttest scores among the three groups. More specifically (a) the computer-assisted and managed learning (CAML) group will have significantly higher posttest scores than the teacher-assisted learning (TAL) group and the control group. 2. Computer apprehension will be significantly lower for students assigned to the CAML program, than students assigned to the TAL or control groups. 3. Computer complexity will be significantly lower for students assigned to the CAML group, than the students assigned to the TAL or control groups. 4. Computer utility will be significantly higher for students assigned to the CAML group, than students assigned to the TAL or control groups. Two experimental and one control group was used in the study. The experimental groups consisted of CAML (computer-assisted …

The problem of this study was to investigate the extent to which businesses use the scientific method in the organization and preparation of written business reports. Data for this study were collected by the use of a questionnaire which was devised, validated, and pilot testes. Questionnaires were mailed to 50 systematically, selected members (200 total) of each of the four major group categories (banking and finance, government and education, manufacturing and utilities, and sales and services) from Region V's 1985-1986 Association of Records Managers and Administrators membership roster. One hundred six responses were received, representing a 53 per cent return. Additional information was obtained from sample records and telephone interviews.

Because international students are an increasingly significant aspect in American colleges and universities and on the North Texas State University campus in particular, this study was undertaken to explore the intercultural clash which Thai students at North Texas State University experience. Twenty-two Thai students were interviewed in depth using the oral history method. Ten faculty and administrators who work with international students were interviewed concerning their observations of Thai students. The information gleaned from these thirty-two interviews and from an examination of the basic socio-cultural differences between Thailand and the United States resulted in the isolation of the following basic difficulties. 1. Thais do not have command of written and oral English. 2. Americans do not have an appreciation of foreigners and lack tolerance in everyday exchanges with them. 3. Thais avoid becoming involved in American society. 4. Thais are not efficiently prepared for the American classroom. 5. American instructors do not appear prepared to handle the problems of Thai students. The study also developed a number of suggested solutions: 1. Raise the consciousness of Americans concerning Thai students; 2. Provide more effective ways of improving oral and listening skills in the English proficiency of Thai students beginning with American-directed …

The purpose of the study was to determine the effects that achievement and locus of control have on a person's ability to estimate the passage of time. The subjects were a group of 116 college students enrolled in an introductory psychology course at Mountain View College. Achievement was measured by the grade obtained in the course, and the locus of control was measured by the individual's score obtained on the Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale. Five different cutoffs were used to determine the locus of control orientation (internal/external). The data were analyzed using analysis of variance techniques. No significant differences between any of the groups were found.

The major purpose of this study was to determine the possible correlation between reading and writing abilities of college students who are identified as second language learners. It was also aimed at determining the relationships between variables pertaining to the ESL college students, namely, their self-selected reading materials, their reading interests, the amount of time spent studying English, how they studied English, how they were taught English, and the length of residence in the United States.

The purpose of this study is to compare and analyze the teaching of history in teachers colleges in the Metropolitan region and other regions in Thailand. Variables examined in this study include the following: salary, teaching experience, degrees held, the number of graduate credit hours in history, the number of graduate credit hours in education, attendance at professional meetings, the number of publications, membership in professional organizations, the number of hours devoted to course preparations, teaching load, and teaching behaviors. The comparison is based on geographical location of the teachers colleges by region. The survey instrument, after intensive review and validation by selected faculty both in Thailand and the United States, was distributed to the 180 history instructors in the teachers colleges in the six major regions of Thailand. The total number of responses was 138, or 76.7 per cent. The statistical procedures used in the analyses of data include frequency and percentage of responses, a chi square test of independence, t test, the Yates* correction for continuity, and Fisher's Exact Probability Test (2-tailed). The data findings from this study indicate that there is a high degree of similarity between the respondents from the Metropolitan region and other regions' history …

The problem addressed in this study is the need for efficient and economic methods to train naive college students to operate microcomputers as a necessary step in their acquisition of computer proficiency. Two methods of training were compared. These were training by live demonstration and training by videotape. These methods were considered economically viable because each could be presented in a classroom and neither required a one-to-one student-to-computer or student-to-tutor ratio. Four sections of an introductory computer science class were used in the study. Two classes were presented each treatment. The effectiveness of the presentations was measured by means of a written quiz administered immediately after the presentation and by the number of microcomputer system operation tasks successfully completed during an individual laboratory session. The computer anxiety level of each participant was measured prior to the presentation to determine if anxiety was a factor in finding the best training method. When scores of naive users who saw the videotape were compared with the scores of naive users who saw the live demonstration, no significant differences were found. However, when novice users (those who had some previous experience with operating or programming a microcomputer) were included, the group that saw the …

The problem with which this investigation is concerned is that of identifying and prioritizing the competencies required to design and implement manufacturing systems for advanced composite structures. The classical Delphi procedure is the research method used for the conduct of this study. A five-member advisory board developed a list of seventeen categories under which the competencies would reside. In the first-round questionnaire, the seventeen categories were presented to a Delphi panel of experts who provided up to five competencies required in each category. The first-round returns provided two new categories and 973 competency statements. Duplications were eliminated and 366 competency statements remained in nineteen categories. The second, third, and fourth rounds were a reiterative rating process. The panel was asked to rate the items in the questionnaire based on their relative importance to the intent of the study. The importance rating scale included "very important," "important," "slightly important," and "unimportant." The means and interquartile ranges were calculated for each statement and provided as feedback in the successive round. Kendall's coefficient of concordance W for tied ranks was used to validate the panel consensus. The W was significant at the .01 level for each of the three rounds where rating was …

Philosophical and physiological investigations define thought to be the result of thinking. psychological Inquiry has mainly focused on discovery of the mechanisms and topology of thought. Philosophical Inquiry either has explored the mind-body problem or has analyzed the linguistics of the expression of a thought. However, neither has Investigated adequately phenomenal characteristics of thought Itself, the Intermediary between the production and the expression of a thought. The use of thought to analyze phenomenal characteristics of thought engenders a paradox. If the expression of thought requires finite series of linked words with rules governing syntax, then analysis of both the thought and the expression of the thought must necessarily transcend the linguistic level. During the last century many examples of logical paradoxes In linguistics of thought have been given. The culminating difficulty of dealing with a finite structure, a characteristic of any language, Is Godel's Incompleteness Theorem, which says in essence that in order to render all decisions about a finite system requires the use of material outside the system. Thus, a potentially complete interpretation of thought must use some technique which is basically non-linguistic . Wittgenstein proposed such a method with his "Picture theory. " This technique solves the major …

Psychological research suggests that Ritalin reduces the rate of maladaptive behaviors in hyperactive children but does not improve their academic performance. Teachers, however, often assert that writing skills and other graphic work are improved by Ritalin. Twenty elementary school children who had been diagnosed as hyperactive and who were taking Ritalin were tested using WISC-R coding, WISC-R block design, and Bender Gestalt. Ten of the subjects were assigned to a group which was first tested when the children were off Ritalin and subsequently tested when they were on Ritalin. The sequence was reversed for the remaining ten. This procedure was designed to counterbalance the effect of practice. Direct difference t-tests indicated that there were no differences between groups regarding any of the three dependent measures. Thus, results indicate that the popular conceptions among educators regarding the efficacy of Ritalin for improving visual-motor efficiency is open to serious question.

The purpose of the present investigation was to develop a profile of graduate physical education faculty members in terms of job satisfaction, and to compare the top-20 ranked physical education departments against 20 other randomly selected physical education departments (Massengale & Sage, 1982). The Job Descriptive Index (JDI) was used to measure the five different areas of satisfaction, while the Job Satisfaction Index was used to measure the overall job satisfaction. A questionnaire was also employed to measure selected demographic data. The number of subjects analyzed was 291.