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Alaskan Native Social Integration and Academic Achievement
The variables communication skills, state anxiety, communication apprehension, and level of integration are studied in relation to the assimilation of Alaskan Natives into a western-culture university. Specifically, the differences in communication skills between the two cultures and their effects on course grades are addressed. Results of the statistical analyses (ANOVA, MANOVA, discriminant function analysis, multiple regression) were not significant, most likely due to the small Alaskan Native sample size. The most significant relationship appeared between situational communication apprehension and the ethnicity of the interaction partner. Other results were directional, indicating that variables may be related to assimilation of Native students into a western university environment. Further research and replication is warranted, using an adequate sample of Alaskan Natives.
An Analysis of the Participant Selection Process Under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act: Texas and Louisiana
Federal guidelines required prime sponsors under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act, or CETA, to serve the "significant segments" of the eligible population. This study analyzes whether prime sponsors in Texas and Louisiana correctly identified and served those segments. This study finds that eligible ethnic groups were properly identified and were served equitably; age and gender distinctions, however, were inadequately observed in the providing of services.
Assessment of Computer Uses in Texas University and College Foodservice
The purposes of this study were. to identify current uses of computers by university foodservice operations and to determine if there.are any differences in computer use among university foodservice operations. The twelve university foodservice directors who responded to the research questionnaire varied significantly in their computer usage and computer characteristics. Institutions serving more than 1,000 meals per day represented 91% of the sample using computers. Chi Square analysis found a significant use of menu-costing programs. The computers were used more than six hours a day by 75% of the sample. The.problems relating to hardware and software selection indicate a lack of assessment of operational needs for foodservice operations. Guidelines to assist foodservice directors in computerization are needed.
Authorial Subversion of the First-Person Narrator in Twentieth-Century American Fiction
American writers of narrative fiction frequently manipulate the words of their narrators in order to convey a significance of which the author and the reader are aware but the narrator is not. By causing the narrator to reveal information unwittingly, the author develops covert themes that are antithetical to those espoused by the narrator. Particularly subject to such subversion is the first-person narrator whose "I" is not to be interpreted as the voice of the author. This study examines how and why the first-person narrator is subverted in four works of twentieth-century American fiction: J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to , and Philip Roth's Goodbye, Columbus
The Developmental Appropriateness of the English Language Arts Essential Elements for Kindergarten
The developmental appropriateness of the English language arts essential elements for kindergarten children in the State of Texas was evaluated by surveying the opinions of thirty-six kindergarten teachers in one school district. A questionnaire was developed using the essential elements so that respondents could record a yes or no opinion and supply additional comments on each essential element. Ninety-seven percent of the teachers responded. The results indicated rates of agreement for developmental appropriateness by the teachers surveyed to be 100% for language, 95% for listening, 94% for speaking and reading and 81% for writing.
English Methods Courses in Texas Preparation for the Essential Elements
This study analyzes the congruence between the objectives of secondary-level English methods courses in Texas universities and the objectives of the state-mandated high school curriculum (the essential elements) in language arts. A questionnaire was used to obtain information from 26 English methods instructors at 22 universities in Texas. The data obtained from these questionnaires reveal that these instructors strongly emphasize preparing prospective English teachers to teach the essential elements of composition. Other significant findings include: (1) the lack of emphasis in the English methods course on strategies for teaching the essential elements of language, when those elements are unrelated to composition, and (2) the lack of uniformity which characterizes the organization of the English methods course at major Texas universities.
Environmental Correlates to Genetic Variation in the Coral Reef Fish, Thalassoma bifasciatum
Genetic variation was examined in bluehead wrasse, Thalassoma bifasciatum, populations along the Florida Keys. Interpretion of mean heterozygosity (H), percent polymorphic loci per population (P), genetic similarity, and F and G statistics demonstrated a clear division of wrasse populations into "northern" and "southern" groups. Correlation and cluster analyses indicated the six reefs can be grouped in a similar fashion based on genetic and environmental data. The conclusion from this analysis of wrasse populations in the Florida Keys is that substantial population subdivision occurs in response to differing selective pressures created by heterogeneous environments.
Genetic Differentiation of the Geomys Pocket Gopher Complex of Texas
Genetic variation was analyzed for populations of seven taxa comprising four cytotypes of the Geomys bursarius chromosome complex, including G. b. major, G. b. knoxjonesi, and the Edwards Plateau taxa, G. b. llanensis and G. b. texensis. Genetic relationships of the Edwards Plateau gophers with other taxa and between themselves were examined. Genetic similarity, number of fixed allelic differences, and ectoparasite distribution indicate the Edwards Plateau gophers are a distinct gene pool. Isolation of the Edwards Plateau taxa precludes contact zone analysis. However, genetic differentiation is typical of that between other species of Geomys, and the Edwards Plateau taxa should be recognized as G. texensis. Distributions of allelic frequencies indicate little justification in retaining the subspecific status of the Edwards Plateau forms.
Genetic Variation in a Population of the Plains Woodrat Neotoma micropus
Neotoma micropus from Jack County, Texas, were studied over a 9-month period. Loci from blood and saliva were used to determine genetic variation within the population. Deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were found at one locus. The average temporal F over all seven loci was 0.040. Genetic structuring was subtle, fluctuated on a seasonal basis, and was due to differential migration or predation on genotypes. Heterozygotes tended to move more than homozygotes, and a greater proportion of heterozygotes were lost from the population during each season. Genetic variation was maintained in the population by immigrant individuals. This differential in dispersal of genotypes fits current models of reorganization within the genome of populations.
In the Midst of Tears and Loud Voices, and Other Short Stories
In the Midst of Tears and Loud Voices, and Other Short Stories consists of five short stories. The first story, in the Midst of Tears and Loud Voices, is set in the Missouri Ozarks and told by Becky Bricker about an odd aunt. The second story relates an aged man's transition experience in Belgrave Leaves New York. The third story, Dorcas and Deborah, is told by Deborah about her unusual relationship with Dorcas Weatherby. The next, story is a Southern "local color" piece about a single day, The First of May in Battle Ridge. The fifth story, Good Coffee. Cheap Ketchup, Cold Sheets, details the strange meeting of a man and woman whose lives have other, unknown, connecting threads.
Muenster, Texas: A Centennial History
Muenster, Texas, in Cooke County, began in 1889 through efforts of German-American colonizing entrepreneurs who attracted settlers from other German-American colonies in the United States. The community, founded on the premise of maintaining cultural purity, survived and prospered for a century by its reliance on crops, cattle, and oil. In its political conservatism and economic ties to the land, Muenster resembled its neighboring Anglo-American communities. Its Germanic heritage, however, became pronounced in the community's refusal to accommodate to the prohibitionism of North Texas regarding alcoholic beverages and in the parishioners' fidelity to the Roman Catholic faith. These characteristics are verified in unpublished manuscripts, governmental documents, local records, and interviews with Muenster residents.
Perceptions of Graduate Courses and Competencies Associated with High School and Junior College Athletic Administration
Texas 5A high school and junior college athletic directors' perceptions concerning graduate courses and competencies relating to athletic director performance were investigated. Graduate courses needing emphasis for prospective directors, most and least beneficial graduate courses, perceptions of values of graduate courses, and selected skills necessary for performance of duties were ranked. Significant differences of perceptions of values of graduate courses between 5A high school and junior college athletic directors were found using chi square. Significant differences between graduate course areas and competency areas in Communications, Technical, Business and Public Relations were found utilizing a t-test. 5A athletic directors receive adequate preparation in Communications. Junior college athletic directors receive adequate preparation in Business and Public Relations.
Perceptions of Self-Disclosure in Interpersonal Compliance-Gaining
One hundred thirty-five undergraduate students were queried at North Texas State University. Perceptions of self-disclosure as a compliance-gaining tactic were surveyed. A fifteen item questionnaire was utilized. Fourteen questions were tested by an analysis of variance. One question was tested by chi-square. Data indicated that self-disclosure was viewed as an effective compliance-gaining tactic for both males and females; but females were perceived as more effective than males utilizing the tactic. Self-disclosure utilized as a compliance-gaining tactic was perceived as appropriate by both males and females. Results indicated females and males have similar perceptions regarding the appropriateness of utilizing the self-disclosure tactic. Male and female raters did not differ significantly from each other.
Predictive Validity of the Retail Employment Inventory for the Selection of Over-the-Road Truck Drivers
An independent pilot study suggested that the Retail Employment Inventory (REI) might be predictive of subjectively and objectively measured Over the Road (OTR) truck driver performance. The present validation study consisted of three parts. First, an examination of the relationship between REI scores and 11 objective, performance criteria revealed weak and non-significant correlations. Second, a comparison of subjective ratings and REI scores failed to replicate the findings of the pilot study. And third, to confirm that the task components of the OTR job were correctly identified in the pilot study, a second job analysis was performed. Possible reasons for the failure of the REI to predict OTR performance and directions for future research are discussed.
Stock Returns and the Brazilian Default an Analysis of the Efficient Market and Contagion Effect Hypotheses
This thesis attempts to analyze the market response of stock prices of major U.S. banks to the February, 1987 Brazilian loan default announcement. The study's general hypothesis is that the market revalued stock prices according to each bank's amount of Brazilian loan exposure. The first chapter examines the significance of the default announcement. A survey of related literature is presented in the second chapter. Chapter III specifies the methodological techniques involved in analysis of the data. Chapter IV reports the findings of the study. Conclusions about the results are drawn in Chapter V. The results indicate the market is efficient. They also suggest that individual exposure was the major determinant of bank stock price decline.
Techniques of Music Printing in the United States, 1825-1850
Music printing in the United States between 1825 and 1900 was in a constant state of change as older techniques improved and new processes were invented. Beginning with techniques and traditions that had originated in Europe, music printers in America were challenged by the continuous problem of efficiently and economically creating ways of transferring a music image to the printed page. This study examines the music printing techniques, equipment, and presses of the period, as well as the progression from music type to engraved plate and lithograph stone. A study of the techniques of altering music printing plates helps explain the differences occurring in prints from the same edition and will help further our understanding of this important aspect of music historiography.
Variables Affecting Grandchildren's Perceptions of Grandparents
While many studies have investigated grandparenthood from the point of view of the grandparent, few have considered this issue from the perspective of the grandchild. In this respect, a number of variables (i.e., grandchild age and gender, parents' marital status, and grandparents' age, gender, education, kinship position, residential proximity to and frequency of visiting with grandchildren, perceived influence on the grandchild, style of grandparenting, and relationship with the parents) were investigated as determinants of the quality of the grandparent-grandchild relationship in a sample of 171 adolescents and young adults. It was found that different sets of variables operated for different grandparents to predict the quality of their relationships with grandchildren.
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