The purpose of the study was to compare preservice home economics education programs in predominately Black and White Southern institutions of higher education. Specific emphases were focused on (1) determining selected characteristics of home economics teacher education programs; (2) comparing the importance of selected competencies in home economics teacher education programs in predominately Black and White institutions; and (3) comparing the home economics teacher education programs in predominately Black and White institutions in relation to: (a) the number of home economics education courses required; (b) the number of students enrolled; (c) the number of teacher educators employed; (d) program or unit classification; (e) educational attainments of the head home economics teacher educators; and (f) the institutional setting where head home economics teacher educators received their academic preparation. Data were collected by responses to a two-part questionnaire from 76 head home economics teacher educators. A background data sheet provided information concerning the institutions, the preservice home economics programs, and the respondents. / The Chi-square analysis was used to determine whether significant differences existed between an observed number of responses falling in each category and an expected number based on the null hypotheses. The hypotheses were tested at the .05 level of significance. Analysis of the data provided a basis for the following conclusions: (1) The head teacher educators in predominately Black and White Southern institutions of higher education placed an equal amount of importance on 92% of the competencies in their preservice programs for obtaining their goals and objectives. (2) Significant differences existed in the ratings given the following competencies: (a) Competency 15: "to develop a program plan utilizing a variety of visual aids and media to publicize the unique contributions of the home economics program to the community"; (b) Competency 41: "to demonstrate knowledge of learning principles in contacts with students"; (c) Competency 48: "to use suitable procedures in reporting evaluative results"; (d) Competency 61: "to recognize current job market trends in various home economics careers"; and (e) Competency 70: "to identify pertinent sources of research." The head teacher educators at predominately Black institutions placed a greater degree of importance on Competencies 15, 48, and 61 than their counterparts at predominately White institutions. For Competencies 41 and 70, the head teacher educators at predominately White institutions placed a greater degree of importance on them than their counterparts at predominately Black institutions. (3) No significant differences existed in home economics programs in predominately Black and White institutions in relation to: (a) the number of home economics education courses; (b) the number of students enrolled in preservice home economics education programs; (c) the number of teacher educators employed; (d) / program or unit classification; and (e) educational attainments of the head home economics teacher educators. (4) No significant differences existed in responses concerning the institutions and preservice home economics education programs in predominately Black and White Southern institutions. (5) The head teacher educators in predominately Black institutions had a tendency to obtain their degrees from predominately Black institutions whereas their counterparts from predominately White institutions received their degrees from predominately White institutions. This difference was significant at the .05 level. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-03, Section: A, page: 0969. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

The purpose of this study was to gain knowledge and understanding of surface color used in selected pre-Columbian Peruvian textiles in the John and Mary Carter Collection in the College of Home Economics at the Florida State University. Two collections of color standards, the Mearz and Paul system and the Munsell system, were used to identify colors in the sample of 139 Carter Collection Textile specimens. Using both color systems allowed this study to bridge the gap between past and present color research in pre-Columbian Peruvian textiles. An attempt was made to refine and bring historic textile color research methods closer to standards used in science, art, and industry. / Conservation guidelines for handling, observing, and illuminating historic artifacts were followed to protect the specimens. Color matching occurred within a gray booth designed to protect the observation environment from outside color and light influence. Color matching followed the National Bureau of Standards recommendations for a 45 degree viewing angle and an angle of illumination perpendicular to the specimen using a filtered tungsten light source to duplicate artificial daylight. / Specimen examination yielded a total of 1134 identified colors with an average of 8.16 colors per specimen. All hue groups for both color systems were presented with over 80 percent of the colors found in the red, yellow-red or orange, and yellow hue range. The entire sample yielded 550 different Maerz and Paul colors and 508 Munsell colors. / Subjective judgments were made on the amount and location of each specimen color. Seventy-eight percent of the colors were found in the motif and usually in minor or moderate amounts. Most colors had medium or dark values and dull intensities. The predominance of colors in a small hue range may reflect the availability of ancient natural fiber colors and dye sources, the artisan's personal preferences, religious requirements, or sumptuary laws. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-06, Section: A, page: 2537. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

The study was designed to examine the major complaint areas for condominiums throughout the state of Florida. Areas of concern for people involved in housing and housing policy include dissatisfactions of condominium residents with regard to condominium property amenities and the governing associations. The need to learn more about the types of condominium resident complaints has increased due to the large expansion of condominium living. / One outgrowth of condominium legislation in Florida was the creation of the Florida State Division of Land Sales and Condominiums, which was authorized October 1, 1975 to accept and process complaints from condominium owners throughout Florida. Florida currently is the only state with a consumer agency specializing in condominium complaints. The data for this study were condominium consumer complaints received by the Florida Division of Land Sales and Condominiums for October 1, 1975 through May 31, 1980. The total population of condominium related complaints (940) was examined. A descriptive analysis was utilized in conjunction with testing of three hypotheses for the purpose of distinguishing inter-relationships among selected variables related to the data. Probability levels for all hypotheses tested were set at the .05 level of significance. Chi square tests and simple analysis of variance were used to determine significant differences and relationships among the dependent and independent variables. The dependent variables were: type of complaint, processing time and disposition. The independent variables were: state region, complaint classification, tenure status, agent responsible for the problem, founded vs. unfounded complaints, disposition of complaints, and number of units in the condominium property. Tables showing actual and five month moving average data were presented to determine relationships among the number of complaints and condominium registrations during each of the five years studied. / When examining the variables, it was found that three-fourths of the complaints for the five years were received from male condominium residents and over three-fourths of the complainants owned their condominium units. The 24 types of complaints identified in the data were classified into four major groups including those concerning the developer, association, monetary concerns, and common elements. Complaint files averaged 2.2 complaints each. The four most frequent complaints named by Florida condominium residents were: document violations, improper assessments, warranties, and refunds of deposits. Using Chi square, complaint type was found to be significantly related to the following: central and southern regions of the state; developer and association as agents responsible for the problem; ownership of condominium units; male complainants; Administrative Action, Exceptionally Cleared, and Voluntary Compliance dispositions; 1-300 or 301-600 units within a condominium property; and founded division judgment. Using simple analysis of variance, it was determined that the average processing time differed significantly in each set of data grouped by the independent variables of disposition and year complaint was received. / Major categories of condominium consumer complaints were listed in previous studies. Five such complaints were found to be of concern in Florida: loss of deposits, management and maintenance contracts, facilities leases, increasing periodic assessments and restrictions upon future sale, lease, or rental of individual units. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-03, Section: A, page: 1031. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

A study was conducted to obtain information concerning costs and rewards of having children as perceived by the college students in India. The study sample consisted of 160 undergraduate students from the University of Udaipur, India. The sample had 40 students from each of the following four groups: Hindu males, Hindu females, Muslim males, and Muslim females. A Likert-type questionnaire covering various aspects of costs and rewards of having children was administered to the students. / The study shows that there are significant sex and religion differences among college students in India in their perceived costs and rewards of having children. In general, the female college students, Hindu and Muslim, valued children more, as compared to male students in terms of several rewards of having children such as continuity of family name, tradition, and security in old age. Female students generally agreed with a statement such as "A girl becomes a woman only after she is a mother." Improvement in social status on being a mother was also found to be an important reward for female students. / Male students in general and Muslim students in particular expressed significantly higher peer pressure to have children. This study also revealed that, Muslim students did not advocate birth control measures strongly as compared to Hindu students. / Hindu and Muslim college students in India overwhelmingly indicated that children were expensive to raise and they also felt that children do limit parent's activities. However, female students placed the financial cost of children low to moderate and did not think that children caused any marital disharmony. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-10, Section: A, page: 4334. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

This exploratory study was undertaken to determine if elderly ambulatory women are adequately represented in the present system of garment sizing. Two-hundred and five women (114 white and 91 black) volunteered from five Tallahassee senior citizens activities centers. Their ages ranged from sixty-five to ninety-six with a mean of 73.912. Thirty-three body measurements were taken on each subject and statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, Pearson Product Moment Correlations (r), factor analysis, partial correlations, and multiple regressions. / Data were examined to determine similarities and dissimilarities of body measurements between the present study and O'Brien and Shelton's 1941 investigation from which the present system of sizing standards were developed. Of the thirty-three measurements compared, twenty-five were significantly different between the two studies. Among those found to be dissimilar were bust, waist, abdominal extension, and hip girth. / Statistical analysis yielded selected body measurements found to be key indices for reliably predicting other body measurements. From these indices, five alternative sizing systems were developed: height/weight, height/bust, weight/waist height, bust/waist height, and abdominal extension/waist height. Indices from both the horizontal and the vertical measurements were selected for each sizing system. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-10, Section: A, page: 4335. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-09, Section: A, page: 4929. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-09, Section: A, page: 4930. / Thesis (Educat.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

The purpose of this study was to analyze textile motifs represented in The John and Mary Carter Collection of Pre-Columbian Peruvian Textiles, Florida State University. Objectives were (1) to investigate literature providing the historical context of pre-Columbian Peru, a description of Peruvian textiles, and specific textile motifs; (2) to identify and classify selected motifs by source, artistic interpretation, and arrangement, and to suggest possible cultural interpretations. / A preliminary examination was conducted to select the sample of 153 fabrics having an identifiable motif(s). The data collection worksheet was designed, tested, and revised. Each textile was visually examined. Data were recorded and tabulated. Motifs were described and possible cultural associations were suggested. / Fifty-seven geometric shapes were found. Every textile (100%) contained at least one geometric shape. Fifteen textiles (10%) had one or more stylized motifts believed to be plants. One hundred and five fabrics (69%) included one or more motifs presumed to be animals. Twenty-one textiles (14%) contained motifs believed to be human figures and faces. Motifs resembling implements were found on two fabrics (1%). Ten fabrics (7%) contained motifs classified as ambiguous. The most frequently encountered arrangements were one-way, border, or a combination of the two. / Works of sixteenth century chroniclers provided added insights into Peruvian cultures. Textile artisans selected their broad design repertory from familiar objects, plants, animals, and human forms. Some domesticated animals such as dogs and guinea pigs were not generally employed as textile motifs. Motifs might be depicted in a geometric or stylized interpretation and may have had both decorative and symbolic functions. Fabrication techniques were related to interpretation. The predominance of one-way and border arrangements reflected the use of the back-strap loom. / Textiles were excellent vehicles for the spread of religious and cult symbols and the quipu was useful in recording numerical observations. These aspects gave textiles a communicative function. The artisan's labor as well as the finished fabric were regarded with such value that professional weavers worked full-time and were state-supported. The persistence or change of motifs over time allows researchers to make inferences as a provenience and data of unidentified specimens. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-06, Section: A, page: 2537. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

The purposes of the study were (1) to develop the Haley-Hendrickson Person Preference Test, (2) to assess the reliability of individual and group forms of the test, and (3) to explore the influence of clothing, hair, and part-whole perceptual development on children's perceptions of persons. / Participating in the group study were 38 white middle-class second-grade children. In addition, 20 of these children were tested individually. The instrument consisted of female stimulus-figures, approximately eight years of age, presented in 12 sets of 4 figures. Hair and clothing variables were selected by judges to represent four distinct types for a second-grade child: yin most expected, yin least expected, yang most expected, yang least expected. These variables were presented in ink drawings with body type, posture, and face controlled. During the test, each child ranked the stimulus-figure from most preferred to least preferred and indicated a reason for his most preferred choice. As a measure of perceptual development, these answers and responses of the individually-tested children on the Picture Integration Test were categorized as parts, wholes, or parts-and-wholes. Although the stimuli on the Picture Integration Test and the Person Preference Test were different, children seemed to perceive them using the same perceptual regulations. Part or whole answers were more frequently given than part-and-whole answers on both tests. / Reliability of the Person Preference Test was determined by correlating rankings assigned by each child on test and retest and on individual and group forms. The number of children having correlation coefficients of 1.0 and .8 for each set was greater than could have occurred by chance. On this evidence, the researcher concluded that the test was reliable. / Children were found to perceive stimulus-figures differently when hair and clothing were manipulated. Concordance among subjects on the ranking of stimulus-figures was frequently higher for girls and for the group test than for boys or the individual test. The researcher concluded that girls were probably more opinionated as a group perhaps because the figures being ranked were girls. The group's presence seemed to alter the child's frame of reference, reinforcing a cultural stereotype even though there was no direct exchange among participants. / Significant preferences were found for some stimulus-figures over others. Significant preferences were less frequently observed among boys than among girls. Both sexes seemed to feel more strongly about hair preferences than about clothing preferences. The children did not seem to match hair and clothing variables according to personality type. For example, yin hair was preferred with yin and yang clothing. Yang hair and clothing were never significantly preferred when respondents had the opportunity to select yin variables. The preference seemed to reflect a highly accepted feminine stereotype among the children. The researcher proposed that clothing seemed to be used as a social manipulator making the stimulus-figure more acceptable. / Perhaps the presence of preferred clothing, even in combination with less desired hair, had a transference effect, creating a more acceptable Gestalt or overall image. When forced to choose a most preferred figure from a group of figures incorporating disliked variables, children frequently gave no reason as the justification for the choice. Some differences among boys and girls were found regarding most and least expected variables. Girls preferred least expected, and boys preferred most expected types. The Person Preference Test proved to be a functional instrument with numerous possibilities for future research. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-01, Section: A, page: 0136. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1972.

The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of individualized modular instruction as an alternative to a traditional lecture-demonstration method for teaching ten selected aspects of flat pattern design in a college course. Ten sets of individualized instruction materials were developed according to a systems approach model designed by Walter Dick and Lou Carey at Florida State University. The materials were tested and revised in a three-stage formative evaluation prior to classroom use. The instructional value of the materials was analyzed by comparing performance results of twenty-four students taught in a traditional lecture-demonstration class with performance results of sixteen students taught by the individualized instruction materials. / A pre-instruction attitude and experience survey first classified students as having high or low experience levels in flat pattern design based on prior clothing construction practice and, second, determined pre-instruction student attitude toward the flat pattern design course. A post-instruction attitude survey determined student attitude toward the subject after instruction and attitudes toward the instruction that had been received. Performance test scores and learning time were compared between methods of instruction and experience levels to determine instructional value of the materials. / The individualized instruction students had higher average test scores than the lecture-demonstration students on all ten performance tests. Learning time data showed that the individualized instruction students used an average of 141 minutes for all ten units of instruction compared to a total of 156 minutes used by the teacher of the lecture-demonstration class. / Students in both groups expressed favorable attitudes toward the flat pattern design course before and after instruction. Students also expressed favorable attitudes toward the instruction they had received. / Performance test results suggested that students working on the individualized instruction materials at their own pace had higher levels of mastery of the selected flat pattern design principles and techniques than students taught in a traditional teacher-paced lecture-demonstration manner. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-06, Section: A, page: 2536. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.