Thesis (M.S.)--Eastern Illinois University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 32-35).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University.

In Hawthorne criticism there is a tendency to categorize The Scarlet Letter as allegory and then fail to distinguish it carefully from traditional forms of this literary mode. Hawthorne is not, in this work, an allegorist of the same ilk as Bunyan or Spenser because his allegory is not a didactic strategy imposed from without but an emblematic structure that evolves from and is governed by internal necessities of the tale. A failure to understand the nature of these necessities leads us to an overly theologized view of Hawthorne’s purposes and achievement in The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne's own moralizing editorials tend to complement the brazenly emblematic function of characters such as Pearl and Chillingworth and create the appearance of traditional religious allegory. Pearl and Chillingworth are punitive, avenging figures and resemble the stock allegorical images of guilt and penitence that afflict Hester and Dimmesdale in the aftermath of their crime. Their distinction lies in that they are not everyman's guilt, as a Bunyan of Spenser might depict them, but they specifically incarnate the self-torment Hester and Dimmesdale are prey to. Their roles fulfill primarily a psycho-allegorical scheme rather than any patently Christian parable of sin and expiation. The clues to this psychological priority Hawthorne gives his allegory are contained in the author's frequent allusions to the "mutability" of the substantial world and the extent to which the perturbed perceiver may "extend his egotism over the whole expanse of nature", creating events and omens which reflect his internal disorder. There is evidence that Dimmesdale himself inflicts Chillingworth on his person just as he, miraculously or otherwise, carves an "A" upon his bosom. It is Dimmesdale who consents to being attended by the leech by reason of his "fascination" for this man of science with his probing intellectuality. Dimmesdale's culpability in creating the presence of Chillingworth is further underlined by Hawthorne's observation that the minister's only "real existence on this earth, was the anguish in his inmost soul." Chillingworth's appearance and the increasingly demonic nature of his character is thus an inevitable byproduct of Dimmesdale's increasing introversion into the turmoil of his mind. Similarly Pearl's emblematic being usurps the humanity of her character as a result of her direct relation to Hester's psyche. Hester dresses Pearl in lavish finery with "morbid purpose" just as she embellishes the appearance of the letter on her dress. These are the superficial clues to the extent to which Hester creates the punishing role Pearl's personality fulfills. Hester's sense of guilt, like Dimmesdale's is sufficiently severe to re-create the realities of the external world and create the embodied phantoms of her inward strife. Hawthorne's psychological allegory creates a state of surreality in the world of The Scarlet Letter; a dream state where "the Actual and the Imaginary" do meet and the meeting ground is the interior of the human heart. Our insight into the minds of Hester and Dimmesdale derives from our participation in their anguished distortion of experience and their projected allegory. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to determine if an experimental group of children would make significant improvements in their ability to discriminate and order alphabet letters after a systematic reinforcement program of sensorimotor experiences with letters. The study involved tactual manipulation in learning the discrimination of, the order of, and the position of the alphabet letters in the child's own name. The hypotheses were made: l. There will be a significant difference between the experimental population and the control population with respect to the ability to order and place in sequence the letters in each child's name , after the completion of a systematic program of sensori-motor experience. 2. There will be a significant difference between the experimen tal population and the control population with respect to visual-perceptual discrimination, or positioning, after the completion of a systematic program of sensori -experience. Twenty four children , 12 in an experiemntal group , 12 in a control group, six boys and six girls , between the ages of three years and six months and four years and six months were selected at random from the Utah State University Laboratories . Preceeding the actual collection of data a pilot study was conducted on a similar group of 12 children using the proposed pretest. During the free-play in the Laboratory , each child was asked to go with the author to play a game. The first time with the author , and prior to the pretest , the child was given a brightly colored stacking cone to manipulate for the purpose of establishing rapport and self-confidence within the child. Each child in the experimenta l and control groups was given a pretest to test the ability to discriminate and order letters from in !heir own first name . The experimental group received a systematic sensori-motor experience twice a week dealing with letter discrimination. The control group received no experience in letter manipulation after the pretest. Each child set his own pace and was given the post-test only when he stated he was ready. At the time the majority of the experimental group was receiving their post-test the control group receivee! theirs. The findings support both hypotheses with the difference of the experimental group and the control group showing significance at the . 05 level for hypothesis one and between . 05-. 01 level for hypothesis two .

The study focuses on the effectiveness of a Greek Leadership class at a university in northern California. Changes in leadership practices were analyzed using Kouzes and Posner's LPI (Leadership Practices Inventory). The LPI was distributed as a pretest and a posttest survey. Analysis in changes of LPI outcomes together with analysis of the four additional questions indicate that the course has a positive impact on students perception of their ability to inspire a shared vision.

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BACKGROUND: Since 2010, nurses in Massachusetts public schools have conducted state-mandated Body Mass Index (BMI) screening of first, fourth, seventh, and tenth graders and communicated results in a letter to parents/caregivers. The objective of this study was to explore parents’ responses to the BMI letter and their experiences with weight-related language used by health professionals. These two areas were examined in the context of parents’ health literacy skills and readability of the letter. METHODS: Readability of the letter was calculated using five common formulas. One-hour focus groups were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide with a convenience sample of parents/caregivers of 8- to 14-year-old obese children participating in a weight management program. Parents were asked to share reactions to 10 weight terms in random order. Parents also completed a written version of the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) health literacy assessment. Focus group data were transcribed verbatim, and content analyses conducted to identify emergent themes. Descriptive statistics were calculated for NVS scores. RESULTS: Reading-level estimates of the BMI letter ranged from fifth to seventh grade. Twenty-nine individuals participated in eight focus groups (83% female, mean age 41 yrs+9 yrs, 59% self-identified as Hispanic/Latino). NVS scores for 12 participants (41%) indicated a possibility (n=7) or high likelihood (n=5) of limited health literacy. “Emotions” emerged as a major theme. Parents expressed concern, guilt, fear, anger, rationalization, skepticism, and acceptance regarding the letter and weight-related terms. Parents had mixed reactions to the letter: finding the information helpful, voicing concern about privacy and self-esteem, and displaying confusion when interpreting the weight status. A majority (67%) of parents who expressed confusion about the letter or weight terminology received an NVS score indicating a possibility or high likelihood of limited health literacy. Among the weight terms, parents preferred weight, weight problem, and unhealthy weight more than obese or extremely obese. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first known study to evaluate how parents respond to and comprehend the Massachusetts BMI letter. Emergent themes could be used to inform quantitative assessment of communication challenges associated with the letter. This study has implications for respectfully and effectively communicating BMI results nationwide.

Book Summary: Eighteen chapters covering assessment, trans-generational, and constructive techniques share contributors' adaptations of the family counseling literature to clinical realities.

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No description available.