Little information is available which describes the planning processes used by public school districts and how these processes may be related to selected school district characteristics. It was the purpose of this study, therefore, to explore the planning processes of school districts, using year-round education as a vehicle. The two specific objectives of the study were to (1) determine actual and ideal planning styles for year-round education; and (2) determine relationships between the actual and ideal styles and size of district, racial composition of district, number of different referent groups involved in the planning process, length of planning time, amount of budget for planning, individual or group who assumed primary responsibility for planning, type of year-round calendar, and primary goal established for the year-round program. A population of thirty-seven school districts with operational year-round programs in the United States was sent a questionnaire to obtain information on (1) selected school district characteristics; and (2) planning procedures these districts used and would recommend for use in planning for year-round education. Actual and ideal planning styles for year-round education were determined by applying hierarchical grouping to the districts' responses to 156 planning procedures. Three actual and four ideal planning styles were identified. The actual styles were entitled "Systematic," "Nonsystematic," and "Systematic Financial and Facilities." It was found that the actual planning styles were associated with size of district, wealth of district, amount of budget for planning, type of year-round calendar, and individual or group who assumed primary responsibility for planning. The ideal styles were entitled "Comprehensive Systematic," "Anti-Behavioral Objective Systematic," and "Provincial Systematic." One of the ideal styles did not provide useful information because of its unique characteristics and was not named. The ideal styles were associated with size of district, wealth of district, amount of budget for planning, individual or group who assumed primary responsibility for planning, and primary goal established for year-round education. Overall, the planning of the districts did not reflect use of all the concepts of a systematic planning process identified in the professional literature. However, the systematic planning process was a functional method of describing the actual planning procedures used by the districts and for identifying the type of planning they would recommend. / Ed. D.

The primary purpose of the study was to review the history of agricultural education programs in the United States with special emphasis on occupational experience programs, young farmer and adult programs, curricula in agricultural education programs, pre-service and in-service training programs for teachers in agriculture, and the Future Farmers of America. This review was conducted in order that a comprehensive program of agricultural education could be designed to meet the needs of the students in public elementary and secondary schools of Thailand. Assumptions underlying the study were: 1. That this study can help to formulate specific guidelines for improving future agricultural education programs in Thailand; and 2. That the identification of various strengths of the agricultural education program in the United States would be a valuable approach in helping to develop a stronger agricultural education program in Thailand. Procedures in the study included a review of selected publications and documents in the United States concerning the agricultural education program and a review of the current agricultural education program in Thailand was also conducted. Because of the limited current information in the United States about the agricultural education program in Thailand, the writer returned to Thailand to collect first-hand information for two months (December 9, 1972 to February 9, 1973). Much of the information collected in Thailand concerned the present policy of the Ministry of Education, the current status of the agricultural education program, and the identification of the current problems facing agricultural education. The technique of forming a Panel of Experts to identify strengths of the agricultural education program in the United States was used to help provide sound ideas for use during development of the proposed recommendations for Thailand's agricultural education program. Observations made by the writer were: (1) that the agricultural education programs have not been placed at the elementary and secondary level in public schools in Thailand; (2) that agricultural education programs can help students to understand the agricultural occupations and agri-related occupations; (3) that agricultural education programs can improve the potential of students to be leaders and good citizens through the Future Farmers of Thailand; (4) that agricultural education programs can prepare young farmers and adults to be more competent in farming; (5) that agricultural education programs provide the skills needed for the world of work through occupational experiences; and (6) that agricultural education programs can prepare rural youth in the agricultural colleges to be competent in teaching agriculture. Based on the conclusions of this study, the following general recommendations were made to help strengthen the agricultural education program in Thailand: 1. That the Ministry of Education should revise the current policy for agricultural education; 2. That the agricultural education program should be expanded to include courses at the secondary school level, and consideration be given to expanding the program to the elementary level; 3. That agricultural education programs should have trained and qualified agricultural teachers; 4. That guidance officers and counselors should be provided in the elementary and secondary schools for vocational guidance and occupational information; 5. That the Ministry of Education should conduct appropriate research studies which would serve to identify the procedures to be followed in implementation of the proposed agricultural education program. / Ed. D.

Ph. D.

Distorted-wave Born-approximation (DWBA) analysis of direct reactions has proven to be a very useful tool in understanding single- and two-particle transfer reactions and nuclear structure. The 4 MV Van de Graaff accelerator at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University was used to check the feasibility of DWBA analysis on the (d, α) reaction at low bombarding energies for medium weight nuclei where compound nuclear contributions are expected to be present. An excitation function is measured on the ⁴⁴Ca(d, α)⁴²K reaction with incident bombarding energy ranging from 3.3 to 4.0 MeV. The angular distributions obtained from this reaction at 4.0 MeV bombarding energy and with a range of angles from 40° to 160°, are presented for the five strongest levels of ⁴²K along with the DWBA fits. The satisfactory DWBA fits and the L transfers predicted thereby, indicate that this type of analysis might indeed be useful. One good indication is by no means conclusive and more work of this type is needed to substantiate the results found here. / Ph. D.

Statistical properties of wind turbulence data measured with Model 1080 total vector anemometer and Model 1296 dual split-film probe manufactured by Thermo-Systems Incorporated have been calculated. The time series was divided into a certain number of data blocks depending on the lowest frequency of interest and the storage capacity of the computer. A moving-average and differencing high-pass filter has been used to remove the possible trend in the time series. The nonstationarity of the time series was determined by applying a non-parametric statistical test on the statistical quantities of each block in the time series. The smoothed spectral density estimates have been obtained by using cosine tapering data window in the time domain and applying combined frequency smoothing technique in the frequency domain. A fast Fourier transform algorithm requiring a no-bit reversal procedure has been developed. A time series using the semi-empirical van-Karman Spectrum was simulated. The spectrum calculated from the simulated time series agreed well with the original spectral function from which the data was obtained. The data used for statistical analysis were measured with either the Model 1080 total vector anemometer or the Model 1296 dual split film probe manufactured by Thermo-Systems, Inc., and the Gill propeller anemometers. The results have proved to be promising. / Ph. D.

A computational approach was utilized to evaluate the degree to which Zn(II), Cd(II), Hg(II), and Pb(II) hydrolyze and complex with chlorides at pH and chloride concentration levels encountered in natural waters and soil solutions. The significance of hydroxy and chloride complexes of these heavy metal ions is discussed in relation to solubilities of sparingly soluble salts, Hg(II) adsorption on clays, and Hg(II) interactions with organic functional groups. Occurrence of and competition between Hg(II) hydroxy and chloride complexes is important at all pH and chloride concentrations encountered in natural waters. Hydrolysis of Pb(II), Zn(II), and Cd(II) increases markedly above pH 5, 7, and 8, respectively, and the chloride complexes are important above chloride concentrations of approximately 10⁻² M. Hydrolysis and chloride complexation increases the solubilities of sparingly soluble salts of these heavy metal ions by deca-orders depending on the degree of complexation. Intrinsic solubilities of the heavy metal hydroxides are greater than the solubilities obtained from the corresponding solubility products, except for Cd(OH)₂° The effects due to complexation may in many cases overshadow salt effects. Studies on Hg(II) adsorption by Montmorillonite (53 mg/10 ml), vermiculite (47 mg/10 ml), and kaolinite (182 mg/10 ml) showed that at Hg(II) levels of 0.1, 0.5, 2.5, and 5.0 ppm adsorption was low but increased with increase in Hg(II) concentration. Highest amount of Hg(II) adsorbed was 0.3 mmoles per 100 g clay at the 5 ppm level and in the presence of vermiculite. Lowest adsorption was with kaolinite. Equilibrium pH and pCl measurements indicate that Hg(OH)₂° was the main species present. Lower adsorption by kaolinite could not be assigned solely to clay difference since the proportion of HgCl₂° in the equilibrium solution was higher than for the other two clays. Highest percentage of added Hg(II) adsorbed was attained at 0.5 ppm level for montmorillonite and vermiculite and at 2.5 ppm level for kaolinite. When Hg(II) existed as HgCl₄ in the equilibrium solution there was a tendency towards negative adsorption (repulsion). At Hg(II) levels of (25-1000 ppm) HgCl₂° in the equilibrium solution did not exchange any significant amounts of exchangeable Ca. Potentiometric titrations were performed first on Hg(II)-chloride solutions after an iterative procedure was developed for predicting such titrations. Titrations of Hg(II) in presence of different chloride concentrations were quantitative and followed the predicted course. The titrations of Hg(II) in presence of resin and peat at various chloride concentrations indicated that chlorides compete effectively with the organic functional groups for Hg(II). However, at the same time unexpected acidity sources were apparent at the higher chloride concentrations. Possible origin of such acidity has been postulated. The potentiometric titrations showed that more research is required in order to obtain a full understanding of the various acidity sources especially when organic and inorganic complexes are present. / Ph. D.

Ph. D.

No evidence of the use of systematic educational planning models in the American schools overseas was found through either formal or informal search of available literature and material. The problem of the research was to apply a planning model to. the development of a five-year plan, which proposed a timetable for implementation and general guidelines for establishing evaluation procedures, for selected aspects of the educational program at Colegio Internacional de Caracas in Venezuela. The purposes of the study were to use a rational model to provide a planning methodology by which an American school overseas could bring order, efficiency, and effectiveness to the total educational effort, and to provide examples of how this methodology could be used in situations drawn from a particular school overseas. Information which served as input for making planning decisions was collected from such sources as the following to create an information base: (1) board policy, (2) school philosophy, (3) Ministry of Education directives, (4) demographic data, and (5) guidelines from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Questionnaires given to parents, students, teachers, and administrators also served as one source of information for the planning activities. The questionnaires were used to assess parent, student, teacher, and administrator perceptions of the educational program. Responses were indicated on a Likert-type scale. A computer program of translation was utilized to translate this data into percentages of responses in each of the four categories. Equal consideration was given to the three groups of participants in the study and a 60 percent level was chosen as being significant for the study. In developing the plan, factual and perceptual data were considered. Factual data received greater consideration than perceptual data from questionnaires and interviews because accuracy of facts could be cross-checked, facts came from established standards and documents, and facts were more representative of the total school population gathered over an extended period of time. The model served as the framework to plan for improving teacher effectiveness, upgrading the Spanish Department, expanding the school's learning resources center, and developing the physical education/sports/co-curricular activities program. The components of the planning model included: (1) information base, (2) determination of targets, (3) determination of needs, (4) ranking needs in order of priority, (5) determination of objectives, (6) determination of alternative strategies, (7) determination of resources and limitations, (8) determination of strategies, (9) implementation, and (10) evaluation. The inter-relationships of the components of the model and the available information integrated into the planning processes were illustrated by following step-by-step procedures for satisfying the established needs of the selected aspects of the educational program. From the study the researcher determined that student, parent, teacher/administrator perceptions of certain aspects of the educational program were sometimes different from related factual data. The responses from the three groups were considered along with other available data to formalize information-based planning activities. Also determined by the researcher was that a systematic model can be used to plan in an American school overseas and can provide increased knowledge about the variables affecting decision-making processes. Therefore, a school would benefit more from planned change than from haphazardly attempting change. / Ed. D.

Developing estimates of the impact which three alternatives to the 1971 Peanut Program would have on peanut production, on the distribution of benefits of alternative government farm programs, on the income of the area's peanut farms, on the income of producers classed by farm size and tenure groups, and on losses incurred by the government in conducting peanut price support activities were major objectives in this analysis. During the decade 1961-71, the annual cost of the peanut price support program increased from $12.1 to $97 million. This increase plus the prospect for substantial increases in the annual cost of the program has created pressure for program modification or change, and concern about the economic impact of program modifications. In this study an acreage reduction program, a voluntary certificate plan, and a two-price plan were analyzed. The analysis was conducted employing intraregional programming models containing separable programming algorithms to regulate structural adjustments and the movement of resources among 12 farm size and tenure groups identified in each model. The objectives were achieved. Results of this analysis support the hypothesis that differences in peanut program alternatives being evaluated would influence peanut production, program costs, and the income of peanut farmers in the Virginia-North Carolina area. They indicate that the volume of peanuts coming to market under alternative peanut programs could range from 50 percent with a voluntary certificate plan to 137 percent with a two-price plan. The estimated volume of peanuts which would be produced under provisions of the 1971 Peanut Program was 700 million pounds. Results also show that the selection of a peanut program could reduce labor requirements of area farms by 6 percent or increase the needed labor force by 4 percent. They further indicate that program selection could cause a variation in gross receipts of $22 million and a variation in receipts from peanuts of $43 million. Production, employment, and farm income could be increased with the implementation of the two-price plan without increasing government costs if government losses per pound of peanuts acquired by CCC under the target price provision did not exceed $.03 per pound, and production estimates made for the domestic crop did not change significantly. Estimates of government costs indicate that support of the price of peanuts for the domestic edible market at the 1971 price of $.14 per pound, plus a target price of $.10 per pound for peanuts for crushing and the world market, would not result in government costs greater than the estimated cost of the 1971 Peanut Program as long as the price of peanuts for crushing and the world market was greater than $.07 per pound. In periods of strong demand results indicate that the cost of this program option would be nominal, and in periods of depression in the domestic crushing and world markets the cost of the program would be significant, Estimates of government costs for each crushing and world market price evaluated ranged from $9 to $161 millions. Results indicate that without a domestic price support for peanuts produced for crushing and the world market, wide fluctuations in returns would develop under the two-price plan, fluctuations which could reduce returns to levels substantially below these experienced under the 1971 Peanut Program. Results also show that program selection would not appreciably alter the distribution of program benefits, that each alternative analyzed would result in lower returns to the fixed factors of landlords, that program selection would influence agribusinesses supplying production items to area peanut farmers, and that peanut shellers and processors would be affected by program selection. Statistics providing more detailed information on the impact which the two-price plan would have are provided in the text, and a similar set of values are incorporated to show the impact which a voluntary certificate plan and an acreage reduction program would have on production, farm income, and government costs. / Ph. D.

The controversy revolving around the motivation of criminals was mediated. "Irrationality" was discussed within the context of imperfect information on the part of decision-makers--an irrational action being defined as one for which expected benefits from the action exceed expected costs, but for which the actual costs exceed the actual benefits. Within this context, the number of criminal offenses was said to be a function of four variables: (1) the probability of apprehension; (2) the punishment per offense; (3) a portmanteau variable representing such things as alternative income sources and moral turpitude; and (4) the level of "knowledge" or perception which the potential criminal possesses about the first three of these variables. Using this model, the crime of shoplifting was examined first from the point of view of the retail merchant and then from the viewpoint of the potential shoplifter. It was shown that, because of his profit-maximizing nature, the retailer neither should nor does attempt to alter the first three variables included in the offense function--those variables relating to an actual "state of the world"--but that the merchant does attempt to affect the fourth variable, the thief's perception of the actual state of the world. The analysis of the actual costs and benefits of shoplifting revealed that, under certain restrictive assumptions, the net benefits of shoplifting were positive for a sample population of shoplifters. / Ph. D.