The problem with which this investigation is concerned is the identification of selected factors that are closely associated with academic performance. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship of academic performance to age, gender, reading score, credit hours attempted, and self-assessed personal life skills (self-esteem, growth motivation, change orientation, interpersonal assertation, interpersonal aggression, interpersonal deference, interpersonal awareness, empathy, drive strength, decision making, time management, sales orientation, commitment ethic and stress management).

The problem of this study is to determine the need for and use of in-house secretarial training in manufacturing companies in five selected Louisiana cities. Data for this study were collected by the use of a questionnaire which was devised, validated, and pilot tested. Questionnaires were mailed to 197 personnel/training directors of manufacturing companies in the five largest cities of Louisiana. One hundred thirteen usable responses were received, which represented a 57.4 per cent return. Additional information was obtained through interviews with the personnel/training directors in those companies with in-house secretarial training programs.

The State of Texas requires the completion of all six semester hours of government for graduation from a public college, but does not provide detailed guidelines regarding content, and related objectives, for these courses. Thus instructors have considerable discretion in the setting of course objectives. The problem of this dissertation, therefore, is the determination of course objectives actually set and the general orientation within political education that the objectives may reflect.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of basic communication fidelity (BCF) upon the perceptions of national observers toward national and international communicators across a variety of group interaction variables. Research is presented which indicates that (1) international students are typically perceived less favorably than national students across a variety of interpersonal variables; (2) as BCF increases, more favorable ratings are attributed to communicators across interpersonal variables; and (3) increased BCF may be able to mitigate the less favorable impressions national observers attribute to international communicators.

This study provides a rationale for adopting course materials. It demonstrates the relationship between ability to read assigned materials and academic achievement, and that selection of materials creates two groups having different probabilities of success. The sample was selected from a population of all students enrolled in Principles of Economics courses at North Texas State University in the spring semester of 1986. The Nelson-Denny Reading Test was used to determine reading ability. Assigned materials were analyzed for readability. A frustration level was determined and used to divide the sample: the group of interest, those with reading abilities below the frustration level who underwent the treatment of reading materials written above their ability to comprehend; and the comparison group, those with reading abilities above the frustration level who did not undergo the treatment.

The problem of this research concerned the perceived effect of management education on the indigenization of selected multinational corporations in Nigeria. The related purposes of the investigation were to analyze data from the respondents in multinational corporations, higher educational institutions and government parastatals to identify the differences and similarities that existed between the perceptions of general managers, managing directors, management educators, government officials, and final-year business administration students. Four areas addressed in the inquiry were to: identify the management training objectives for Nigerian higher education institutions, determine the perceived effect of management education on the indigenization of selected Nigerian multinational corporations, ascertain the increased number of Nigerians who assumed management positions between 1973 and 1984, and examine the perceived effect of management education on the job performance of the management education graduates.

The purpose of the study was to compare the academic stress of freshmen in a community college with that of freshmen in a university. An additional purpose was to determine if gender, ethnicity, or semester course load was related to perceived academic stress. The sample consisted of a total of 303 university and community college freshmen from English and Psychology classes at the University of North Texas and Richland Community College during the spring semester, 1989. The instrument that was administered to these volunteer students was the Academic Stress Test, a 35-item checklist of possible academic stressors. The students were asked to check the items which were perceived by them to be stressful and had occurred during the current semester. The T-statistic was used to analyze the total mean stress score for each variable being considered. Multiple regression was used to determine if there was any possibility that the variables might have a predictive effect for academic stress. It was found that for these freshmen students there was a significant difference between the perceived academic stress of community college freshmen and university freshmen. The mean academic stress score for university freshmen was higher than the mean for community college freshmen. …

The study addressed the problem of recurring technical and musical errors exhibited by students in their private lessons. In an effort to remedy this problem, an attempt was made to structure the entry and exit environment of the private lesson in such a way as to increase the improvement in performing skills by scheduling thirty minutes of practice immediately before and immediately after the private lesson. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect on growth in performing skills (as measured by sight performance) of this arrangement called the Structured Border Lesson (SBL).

The present investigation involved the development of a psychobiologic profile of individuals who experience exercise-related mood-enhancement and those who do not. The sample (N=301) consisted of students participating in 10-week exercise classes at North Texas State University. All subjects completed pre-test inventories assessing various psychological (i.e., trait anxiety and depression, attitude toward physical activity, self-estimation of physical ability and attraction to physical activity, expectancies of health benefits from exercise, and self-motivation) and biological (i.e., aerobic capacity and body fat percentage) variables. Trait anxiety and depression were also assessed before and after the 10-week exercise program and state anxiety and depression were assessed on an acute basis on two separate occasions during the program. Multivariate analysis of variance and discriminant function analysis were employed to determine which variables maximally discriminated between individuals who experienced mood-elevations following exercise and those who did not enjoy such rewards. The hypothesis that these two groups of individuals differ significantly from each other was not upheld by the results; thus, an overall psychobiologic profile could not be developed. However, the data did reveal that individuals who held a more positive attitude toward physical activity for the purpose of health and fitness reduced their state anxiety and …

This study was designed to accomplish an in-depth examination and documentary analysis of professional literature and scientific studies in order to identify and synthesize reported physiological, socioeconomic, psychological , and cultural differences between American black and white male athletes in the performance of selected athletic skills. The following major conclusions seem justifiable from the data which has been reported: 1) Physical differences impede or enhance athletic performance in certain athletic activities. 2) Social elements influences the choice and extent to which both races are involved in athletics. 3) Black male athletes have equal or stronger control of their emotions than white male athletes. 4) Culture and environment affect the development of traits in both races which contribute to their success in selected athletic skills. 5) How athletic skills are acquired accounts for the success both races experience in selected athletic skills. 6) A positive relationship exists between education and vocational aspiration and athletic success for white male athletes, but athletic success has independent consequences for facilitating higher levels of education for black male athletes. 7) black male athletes perform more successfully in reactive activities and white male athletes perform more skillfully in self-paces athletic activities.

This study examined the factors related to travel mode choices in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area. Changes in population, life style and economy of the Dallas-Fort Worth region over the last few decades demand a careful re-examination of travel demand tools and methods. The purpose of the study was to provide an understanding of transportation modal choice in the region. Those demographic variables best predicting the choices were identified. The Home Interview Survey, a set of disaggregate data from the 19 84 North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) Regional Travel Survey, was analyzed using logistic regression. The major findings of the research indicate that about 97 percent of the travelers in the study area used private cars and 3 percent used public transit. Household income and cars-vans were significant explanatory variables. The impact of household income and number of car-vans available upon an individual's decision for travel mode choice were very important. The number of car-vans available in the household, and age of respondents were significant predictors in travel mode. Household members with incomes of $30,000 to $39,000 and those with incomes of at least $50,000 tended to use more private cars than did other income groups. Also, household …

Review of the studies in the area of subvocalization reveals that its role in silent reading comprehension remains in question. It appears clear that subvocalization does occur during reading, usually among poorer readers or as reading becomes more difficult, and that it slows the reading process. However, how it affects reading comprehension, or if it affects reading comprehension, remains unclear. This study attempted to answer the question of whether subvocalization affects reading comprehension in an adult community-college population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of subvocalization on the reading comprehension of the community college students in developmental reading programs.

The problem of this study was an analysis of major spelling deficiencies among collegiate business students. The purposes were as follows: (1) to develop a diagnostic instrument that will measure spelling deficiencies; and (2) to make recommendations regarding the preparation of materials that will assist students in overcoming these deficiencies. Written assignments prepared by collegiate Business Communication students were examined for spelling errors. Errors were then classified into the following categories: (1) words with "ie" and "ei" ; (2) final "e"; (3) final consonant rule; (4) final "y"; (5) confusion over vowel sounds; (6) pronunciation problems; (7) sound-alikes; (8) plurals; (9) apostrophes; (10) omissions; (11) additions and repetitions; (12) substitutions; (13) demons; and (14) miscellaneous. Percentages of total errors served as a guideline for preparation of a Table of Specifications, and a Spelling Diagnostic Test was developed. Validity of the instrument was determined by a panel of experts. The test was then administered to 214 collegiate business students, and a reliability coefficient of .83 was determined using the split-half method.

This study involved the identification and explication of a typology of adolescents' leisure functioning, based on a state of mind definition of leisure. Subjects included 200 students from a junior high school in the midwest who completed the Leisure Diagnostic Battery (LDB) during a study hall. Procedures involved the application of two methods of cluster analysis to profiles of scores across the five LDB scales which are designed to measure perceived freedom in leisure. Following this process of identification and validation of the "types," the relationship between group membership and various barriers to leisure were examined through multiple discriminant analysis. Finally, between type differences on three preferred style of participation in recreation activity variables (active/passive, individual/ group, and risk/nonrisk) were examined through the analysis of variance.

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.

This study examined the contribution of several variables to the prediction of perceived freedom in leisure (PFL) and life satisfaction in older adults. Demographic, health and socioeconomic variables were compared with participation in recreation programs, church involvement and PFL. Church involvement was viewed as a leisure activity rather than a measure of religiosity. The survey instrument incorporated all these variables and was pretested and revised before use in the study. The sample consisted of 198 persons 60 years of age and older who were members of two Southern Baptist churches. Subjects were randomly selected, but persons considered by church staff members to be incapable of completing the survey were eliminated. Surveys were hand delivered and picked up by volunteer workers, and a 38 percent return rate was obtained. Alpha reliability for the church involvement, PFL and life satisfaction scales in the instrument were .87, .94, and .77, respectively. Frequency counts and percentages or means and standard deviations were calculated for the demographic variables. Subjects were categorized by level of involvement in church and community recreation programs. Persons involved in community but not church recreation programs were underrepresented in the sample. A selective sampling procedure was utilized to obtain more respondents …

The problem of the study was to determine the implications for the collegiate secretarial curriculum based on the need for and use of shorthand by secretaries employed by large businesses in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The purposes of the study were to determine if colleges are justified in offering manual shorthand within their curriculum with the rapid growth of automation in the business world today. It was also the purpose of the study to determine if there was a demand for secretaries with the skill of manual shorthand in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Shorthand was found to be important for recording telephone messages, notes, and instructions, as indicated by the majority of the secretaries.

The problem of this study was to investigate the value of various entry-level employment skills and areas of knowledge for broadcast education graduates as perceived by commercial broadcasters. Particular attention was placed on identifying entry-level employment positions and on analyzing the skills and areas of knowledge preferred for each position.

This study investigated the current practices of strategic human resources planning (SHRP) at large industrial and service companies in the United States and compared these practices with Walker's Four Stages of Human Resources planning model. The data for this study were collected from 130 industrial companies and 117 service companies listed in Fortune directories of the largest 500 industrial and largest 500 service companies in the United States. The study investigated also the impact of internal and external environmental factors on these companies' practices of SHRP. MANOVA, Factor Analysis, and Percentile Analysis were used as prime statistical methods in this study. Environmental factors studied were found to explain 78 per cent of the variances among large American companies. No significant difference was found between industrial and service companies in their SHRP practices. Significant improvements have taken place in large United States business corporations' practices of SHRP since the introduction of Walker's model (1974). These improvements took place in human resources information systems, forecasting human resource needs, human resource planning and development, and evaluation of SHRP projects, but the improvements were unbalanced. The improvements in corporate-centered SHRP activities were greater than the improvements in employee-centered SHRP activities. The reasons for unbalanced …

What happened to women who are former athletic directors of intercollegiate athletic programs during each of the four stages of the departing experience was the problem of this study. A qualitative design using personal interviews for data collection and ethnoscientific explanation for analysis of the data were used to study thirty-one women who were athletic directors between 1975 and 1986. Analytical tasks performed for each of the four levels of analysis helped answer research questions directed toward finding patterns among women in the following areas: what happened to them within and throughout the four stages of the departing experience, reasons they left the position of athletic director, and satisfaction in their subsequent job. Analysis of the data established that the departing experience occurred in four stages. How the subjects responded to the way that opportunities for female student-athletes were offered during each st3ge of the departing experience determined whether they were in positive or negative circumstances. Sixteen subjects either were in positive circumstances throughout the departing experience or ended it in positive circumstances. Fifteen subjects were either in negative circumstances throughout the departing experience or ended it in negative circumstances. The ability to reevaluate their beliefs and values, adapt to …

The purpose of this study is to identify and compare the skills and knowledge areas that are valuable for success in broadcast advertising sales from the perspectives of broadcast managers and broadcast educators and to identify and compare to what degree recent graduates of broadcast-communication, business, and other majors perform or exhibit these skills and knowledge areas as perceived by selected broadcast managers and broadcast educators. The opinions of the broadcast managers and broadcast educators were determined from responses to a questionnaire of fifty-six items. The questionnaires were distributed to the chairs of the departments or areas responsible for broadcast curricula at forty-two four-year universities as listed by the 1983 Broadcasting-Cablecasting Yearbook [Sol Taishoff, editor, Washington, Broadcasting Magazine] as offering degrees in broadcasting, and 126 broadcast managers who were randomly selected from the broadcast markets in which the forty-two educational institutions are located.

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 …

Recent literature reveals that sex differences in performance actually might be reflections of sex differences in perceptions about the sex-appropriateness and the masculinity and femininity of certain activities. Therefore, this study was designed to determine the effects of perceived sex-appropriateness of a task upon performance of selected sport skills.

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.