This study was designed to investigate a phenomenon, persistence of undergraduate women in their engineering majors, from a qualitative paradigm. Guided by the tenets of feminist and inclusive research, the assumption was made that all women, whether they persist or not in their engineering majors, have strengths and insights into their own personal experiences. The experiences of African American women, Asian women, Caucasian women, Hispanic women, women from rural geographical areas, and non-persisters were investigated. A developmental life-span and social learning perspective called for an examination of factors relevant to engineering major choice and persistence from early childhood to the present time, including family background and individual factors, environmental factors and experiences with the engineering culture, and social factors relevant to major choice and persistence. Twenty-eight (28) persisters and 8 non-persisters participated in the study which was conducted at a large land-grant university in the southeastern United States in the fall of 1996. The following questions guided the study: (1) What experiences have been influential in undergraduate women's selection of engineering as a major? (2) How does the culture and climate of engineering education influence the experiences of these undergraduate women? (3) How do individual, educational, social, and environmental characteristics and strategies contribute to undergraduate women's persistence in their engineering majors? (4) Which of these characteristics and strategies differentiate between female persisters and non-persisters, in other words, what are the differences between academically successful undergraduate women who leave their engineering majors and those who remain in them? (5) How do characteristics and strategies of persistence and non-persistence compare for special populations? Qualitative interviewing through in-depth individual interviews and small group interviews was the method of data collection; participants were recruited through a purposive sampling frame as well as through volunteering and snowball sampling. Criteria for inclusion in the persisters group were junior or senior level academic standing and academic eligibility. Grounded theory methodology was the primary tool of analysis. The findings clearly demonstrated two major groups of persisters and non-persisters. One group of persisters made early decisions and stayed the course through academic preparation and hands-on experiences. A second group of persisters made later decisions based on encouragement and the structure of opportunity for women and minorities in engineering. One group of non-persisters left engineering for majors that provided a better person-environment fit. A second group of non-persisters, many of whom were pressured to major in engineering although they lacked hands-on experience, left their engineering majors for a variety of different reasons including intimidation, isolation, lowered confidence in their abilities, and personal problems. Perceptions and experiences with the institution itself and perceptions of the culture of engineering education varied depending on the career decision making process, group membership, and individual factors such as personality. Therefore, persistence and non-persistence were found to be a function of a complex interaction of individual, environmental, and social factors. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived professional and self-developmental impact of a nontraditional baccalaureate degree program. Data were collected through self-reports of graduates from three predominantly black colleges in the United States. Surveys were mailed to a total of 272 May, 1991 through May, 1994 graduates in Organizational Management from Edward Waters College, Jacksonville, Florida; Saint Paul's College, Lawrenceville, Virginia; and Wilberforce University, Wilberforce, Ohio. Data analyses were based on the total number of 170 returns. The data analyses included frequencies, means, percentages, and cross-tabs for demographics, and also information on enrollment, current employment, graduate school, and assessment of program experiences. Chi-square tests were performed to show the relationships between participants' responses to inquiries by race and gender. The findings of this study revealed that in addition to meeting the needs of students to help them obtain their degrees, the contract Adult Degree Completion Program has been instrumental in helping students to achieve their goals for improving their professional and personal life situations. Overall, it was found that the program presented a major challenge to all students, but the significant findings of the research indicated that some students enjoyed a higher degree of success in their experiences with the program than others. This research suggested that blacks were more apt to change careers upon program completion than other groups; black females were the primary beneficiaries of the portfolio project, and males received a greater level of monetary support from employers than their female counterparts. / Ph. D.

This study was designed to determine if there is any significant difference in the rate of academic success of traditional high school graduates and GED holders in a Maryland Community College. Similar studies have measured academic success using variables, such as persistence and graduation rates, which are better suited to studying academic success in four year colleges. Because graduation rates in community colleges are low, it might be more accurate to assume that community college students matriculate for reasons other than transfer or the attainment of a degree. Therefore, the ratio of course attempted to courses completed and academic good standing were used to define and measure academic success. It is logical to assume that a student intends to complete a course if he/she registers and pays for said course. It is also reasonable to define academic success in terms of a student's eligibility to enroll in subsequent classes because he/she has maintained at least a 2.0 grade point average in the courses he/she has previously taken. / Ph. D.

An experimental design, (the pretest/posttest design) was used in this study to investigate the efficacy of substance abuse treatment using two instruments, the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) and the biopsychosocial assessment. Fifty-six subjects admitted to the SYMBAS TEAM Substance Abuse Treatment Program were assessed during the initial stage of treatment using the biopsychosocial assessment and the ASI. Through the process of random selection, subjects were placed in one of two groups, an experimental group or a control group. Counselors working with the subjects in the experimental group had access to the results of the ASI and biopsychosocial assessment for treatment planning, and the counselors working with the subjects in the control group had access only to the results of the biopsychosocial assessment. At the end of treatment (gO-days), the subjects in both groups were re-assessed using the ASI to determine what differences, if any, occurred between the two sample groups. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics along with the Student test. Results revealed that there were no statistically significant differences between the two sample groups at the .05 alpha level. However, significant reductions between the ASI pre- and posttests mean scores were noted among several of the variables in both sample groups. Also, the counselors' perceptions of the ASI suggested that the ASI was preferred over the bippsychosocial assessment for treatment planning, because of its structure and the amount of time required to administer the instrument. / Ed. D.

A single application of aerobically digested sewage sludge was applied by Rappaport et al. (1988) in 1984 at rates up to 210 dry Mt ha⁻¹ on a Davidson clay loam (clayey, kaolinitic, thermic, Rhodic KandiuduIts). The heavily contaminated sludge supplied up to 760 kg Cu and 620 kg Zn ha⁻¹, which are below current cumulative limits, but above annual loading limits for these metals (USEPA, 1993). Rappaport et al. (1988) reported an increase in DTPA extractable Cu and Zn with increasing sludge rate. They observed a linear increase in com yields with an increase in sludge rate, which was attributed to high levels of available N supplied by the sludge. In the present residual study, conducted at the same research site, DTPA extractable Cu and Zn followed the trend observed by Rappaport et at. (1988). However, a linear decrease in corn and sorghum yields was observed with increasing sludge rate. The sludge-related decrease in yields was attributed to phytotoxicity (probably a combination of Al, Cu, Mn, and Zn) induced by low soil pH levels. Whole plant tissue concentrations of eu and Zn at the high sludge rates were above the normal range, however grain concentrations were within the normal range. An adsorption study was conducted, in which soils were amended with Ca(OH)₂ and Al₂(S0₄)₃, to ascertain the effect of decreased pH on Cu adsorption on the soil. Copper adsorption maxima decreased with a reduction in soil pH in all treatments. The effect of ionic strength on Cu adsorption was also investigated. Regardless of pH or ionic strength, Cu adsorption increased with an increase in sludge rate. This adsorption increase was attributed to the higher organic matter content of the sludge treatments. The organic matter at the highest sludge rate was approximately double that of the control after 11 years. The adsorption study shows that sludge amendment has long-term effects on metal retention in soils and the field study reveals that careful management of sludge-amended soils is necessary to prevent phytotoxicity. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study is to investigate implications of geographic location for firm strategy and for the competitive climate in emerging higher technology industries. Hypotheses are generated based on concepts from institutional theory, transaction costs economics, economic geography, and strategic management. Specifically, tests are conducted to determine whether there is an association between establishments' geographic locations and the incidence of two collective strategies: strategic isomorphism and strategic complementarity. These tests are performed with respect to the U. S. flberoptics industry at three-year intervals during the period 1976-1994. Tests are also performed (using 1994 data) to assess the influence that research institutes and economically dominant firms have on collective strategy formation. The study's summary finding is that, to date, there is little, if any, empirical support for an association between geographic location and strategic posture in the fiberoptics industry. While it is possible that the proposed phenomena do not occur in this industry, for all of the hypotheses there are several alternative explanations for the results. First, several of the findings suggest that too little time has elapsed for the proposed phenomena to be fully manifested in the fiberoptics industry. Second, some of the phenomena might be observable by changing sampling or measurement procedures. Third, certain characteristics of emerging higher technology industries might affect the strength of some hypothesized relationships. Based on the findings of this study, a number of suggestions are offered for further studies of the subject. / Ph. D.

The current study assessed perceived s of knowledge, involvement, and importance of transition planning and service delivery among secondary special education teachers in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Relationships were also explored between these levels and years of experience teaching students with special needs, category of students taught 1 highest degree earned, and contact hours training from in-service, coursework, and conferences in transition. A survey instrument was mailed to secondary special education teachers in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Ninety-two percent of the 236 survey recipients responded to the survey. Data from the survey included descriptive information regarding: years experience teaching students with disabilities, category taught, highest degree, and contact hours in conferences , courses, and in-services in years 1993-94, 1994-95, 1995-96. Data from the survey also included respondents' levels of knowledge, involvement, and importance of transition planning and service delivery. Survey data were analyzed to reveal differences among descriptive data and levels of knowledge, involvement, and importance. Significant findings from the study indicate that secondary special education teachers in Virginia perceive their knowledge of transition planning and service delivery in the low to medium range, their involvement in transition in the low to medium range, and the importance of transition planning and service delivery in the medium to high range. Significant findings from the study also included the positive relationship between knowledge of transition planning and service delivery and courses taken over the three year period of 1993-1996, conference contact hours over the same three year period, and inservice contact hours. Additionally significant was the positive relationship between involvement in transition planning and service delivery and inservice contact hours 1993-1996, conference contact hours over the same three year period, and courses taken. The level of importance of transition planning and service delivery was not affected by training options. Implications for LEAs in Virginia, implications for personnel preparation, and directions for future research are discussed. / Ed. D.

Several studies targeting individuals with panic disorder have demonstrated that Cognitive-behavioral treatment (CST) is the psychological treatment of choice. CST interventions that include exposure to panic symptoms, along with cognitive restructuring. breathing retraining, and relaxation training are more effective than any of these components administered alone. Past studies have demonstrated the efficacy of imparting the above CBT components in the form of bibliotherapy (BT) in the treatment of panic disorder. The present study examined the differential effectiveness of BT and self-regulatory treatments in the treatment of individuals with panic attacks. The present study examined a much purer version of a self-help bibliotherapy intervention by reducing therapist contact much more than prior studies had done. In addition, the present study examined the additive effectiveness of self-regulatory components-self-monitoring (SM) and feedback (FB)--to BT. Sixty-three participants who experienced a DSM-IV full-blown or limited symptom attack in the two weeks prior to beginning the Self-help Project were assigned via stratified randomization to 1 of 4 experimental conditions: 1) BT alone (N = 17); 2) ST plus DML (daily self-monitoring plus feedback; (N = 15); 3) DML (N = 13); or 4) WL (N = 18). The present study utilized a pre - post treatment assessment design with pre-treatment assessment occurring two weeks prior to treatment and post-treatment assessment occurring approximately two weeks after the end of treatment. Treatment was 8 weeks in duration. Participants were sent pre-treatment assessment and treatment materials via mail in order to minimize therapist contact. At post-treatment assessment, participants were assessed either in-person or via mail/phone depending upon their geographic location. It was expected that participants in all treatment conditions would experience less full-blown panic attacks, limited-symptom attacks, avoidance, fear of having a panic attack, panic cognitions. panic symptoms, state anxiety and depressive symptoms and increases in coping strategies and coping self-efficacy than participants in the WL condition. Furthermore, it was expected that participants in the BT plus DML condition would experience more change on the above dependent variables than participants in the BT alone and DML alone conditions from pre- to post-treatment assessment. A 4 X 2 repeated measures MANOVA revealep no Condition by Time interaction or Condition effect. However, a main effect for time across conditions emerged. Univariate tests revealed significant reductions from pre- to post-treatment assessment for full blown panic attacks, avoidance. fear of having a panic attack. panic cognitions, panic symptoms, depressive symptoms, and state anxiety. In addition, an exploratory 4 X 2 repeated measures ANOVA revealed a Condition by Time interaction with partiCipants in the BT and BT plus DML conditions increasing in coping self-efficacy from pre- to post-treatment. Partial correlations revealed that change in coping self-efficacy was related to lower scores on the Panic Attack Symptoms Questionnaire (PASQ) at post-treatment assessment for participants in the BT and BT plus DML conditions. The results of this study are discussed in terms of motivational issues and the effectiveness of such "pure" self-help interventions with individuals experiencing panic attacks. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this research is to examine multiple variables as they relate to delinquent behavior. The dependent variable, self-reported delinquency, includes violent Index crimes (for example, robbery, aggravated assault), serious property offenses (for example, burglary, motor vehicle theft), weapons offenses (for example, carrying a handgun, shooting a gun at someone), drug dealing offenses (for example, selling marijuana, cocaine), and drug use. The sample (N = 127) is composed of male and female youths between the ages of 12 and 18 years who were detained in two different juvenile detention centers at the time of the study. As many previous self-report studies have tended to draw samples of youth not containing a significant proportion of serious, violent, and chronic offenders (for example, school-based and home-based samples), it has become increasingly important to study samples of juveniles that do contain a significant proportion of such offenders. Moreover, the research literature strongly suggests that a relatively small percentage of youthful offenders in a given community are responsible for a disproportionate share of serious delinquent acts (the so-called "chronic few"). The data were gathered via self-administered questionnaire. Path analysis is used to test an integrated model of delinquent behavior that is based on a conceptual framework referred to as the Actor, Situation, Context or ASC paradigm. From this systems framework, a theoretical model is developed that combines propositions and variables from social structural theories (in effect, social disorganization and strain) with propositions and variables from social process theories (social bond and social learning). The data generally support the basic hypotheses and the integrated model, explaining as much as 44 percent of the variance in self-reported delinquency. Implications of the multi-systemic model and the empirical findings are discussed. / Ph. D.

Workers across the United States are painfully aware of the changes in the work environment. Downsizing, mergers, globalization, re-engineering, outsourcing, automation, and computerization have resulted in the displacement of 10 to 20 million workers in the 1990’s. Counselors in community colleges and elsewhere, have been called upon to assist displaced workers in returning to the ranks of the employed. Traditional career assessment methods have not always met the unique needs of these individuals in measuring skill development and often need to be supplemented with less conventional methods (Liptak, 1991). The purpose of this study was to design and to evaluate a counseling tool termed the Leisure/Occupational Connection Search (LOCS). The LOCS was a non-traditional self directed, self assessment method designed to promote self awareness and occupational exploration processes through a retrospective analysis of leisure skills. The LOCS used a search format, patterned after the Virginia VIEW Occupational and College Searches, and related leisure activities/skills directly to the 300 occupations listed in the Virginia VIEW or indirectly to occupations by way of additional training or education. The study involved 112 displaced workers enrolled in classes in the fall of 1996 at six Virginia community colleges. The displaced workers completed the LOCS and then evaluated the LOCS process in promoting self awareness and occupational exploration. Results of the study indicated the vast majority of the displaced workers who completed the LOCS process reported it promoted self awareness and a retrospective analysis of skills. In addition, the displaced workers reported an increased awareness of educational and occupational options after completing the LOCS. The 112 displaced workers responded positively to the LOCS process and indicated it was helpful, interesting, easy to use, and was helpful in aiding their career transitions. / Ph. D.