This study was designed to examine psychology graduate students' attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women. It was hypothesized that the following variables would predict participants' attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women: participant gender, amount of client contact with gay men and lesbian women, and gender role attitudes. Additionally, a measure of social desirability was included to investigate the validity of responses. Data were analyzed by conducting an independent t-test, a correlated t-test, and hierarchical multiple regression. Results indicated that gay men were viewed more negatively than were lesbian women. As expected, participants' gender role attitudes significantly predicted their attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women. Contrary to predicted outcomes, results indicated that neither participant gender nor client contact predicted attitudes toward homosexuality. Finally, results suggested that participants were not engaging in socially desirable responding. Implications of this study for research, theory, and practice are discussed. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

The purpose of the research was to look at how editors at Gannett, America's largest newspaper chain, perceive the role of journalism graphics and graphic artists in the newsroom.Nineteen editors from newspapers of various circulation sizes, participated from across the country. They sorted Q statements that covered areas related to journalism graphics as: use of color, balancing graphics with other content, graphics relationship with design, reader needs, and how graphics serve literacy.An analysis of the Q statements collected for this study showed two distinct factor types. They were identified by this researcher as the Communitarians and the Zealots.The Communitarians were characterized as trying to balance graphics with other aspects of journalism such as story, photo and design in an attempt to put the reader first. They were unwilling to elevate graphics to a necessity in presenting a story. The Communitarians saw graphics as one tool among many to conveyinformation.The Zealots saw graphics as an absolute necessity for any worthy journalistic endeavor. They saw graphics as the answer to attracting young readers, to serving a population with literacy issues, and to enhancing any work the newspaper is doing. The Zealots rejected statements that did not show graphics in the most positive way.Two camps emerged within the Gannett ranks regarding journalism graphics. The Zealots hold on to the allure of color and graphics made popular by USA Today in the 1980s and early 1990s. Communitarians acknowledged that graphics are an effective tool, but considered the practice of similar importance with other methods of conveying information. / Department of Journalism

The purpose of this Q study was to learn broadcast news professors' attitudes on the current state of local television news. The researcher also wished to uncover if professors with primarily teaching experience have different attitudes on local television news than professors with primarily professional broadcast experience.Nineteen professors in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan sorted Q statements regarding the quality of local television news. An analysis of their Q sorts found the participants fell into three categories: the Ultra-Critics, the Moderate-Critics, and the Minimal-Critics.The Ultra-Critics were very critical of local television news and had virtually nothing positive to say about the topic. The Moderate-Critics had some positive thoughts about local television news, but were still very critical. The Minimal-Critics were critical of local television news, but still had many positive thoughts on the industry.The researcher also found that professors with primarily professional broadcast experience were much more critical of the industry than professors with primarily teaching experience. / Department of Journalism

The main purpose of this study was to investigate whether a difference existed between attitudes, subjective norms, and behavioral intentions of employees regarding self reported use or nonuse of PHPD. The study also investigated if there was a difference between selected demographic variables and the attitudes, subjective norms, and behavioral intentions of employees regarding use or nonuse of PHPD. Fishbein and Ajzen's (1975) Theory of Reasoned Action was the theoretical framework for this study. A convenience sample of 250 employees at two automotive component manufacturing plants located in the Midwest completed the demographic sheet and Employee Use of PHPD questionnaire.Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to determine the internal consistency of the questionnaire subscales, and the alpha scores ranged from 0.66 to 0.81. Findings revealed a significant difference in attitudes between the self reported use and nonuse groups (F=93.34, df, 1, p<.0001). A significant difference in subjective norms between the use and nonuse groups (F=52.14, df, 1, p<.0001). Findings also revealed a significant difference in behavioral intentions between the self reported use and nonuse groups (F=128.54, df, 1, p<.001). A significant difference was found between age, gender, and self reported use or nonuse ofPHPD. Younger female respondents used PHPD more frequently than male middle aged respondents.Despite the fact that this study found evidence of positive attitudes and subjective norms, the findings did not support behavioral intentions. Most of the respondents (86.4%) supported the use of PHPD as an important part of responsible work safety, but their self reported use of PHPD was only 33.4%. More than half (65.6%) of the respondents reported never or almost never using PHPD. The findings were not consistent with the constructs of TRA, that attitudes and subjective norms are predictive of behavioral intention and thus behavior. / School of Nursing

Restructuring of health care has become widespread in hospitals across the United States. The emphasis on reducing healthcare costs has forced many organizations to redesign the roles and responsibilities of care givers. The American Hospital Association (1990) reported that 97% of hospitals were using unlicensed assistive personnel for care.The purpose of the study was to determine if registered nurses in central Indiana were utilizing delegation in the workplace and to determine if the use of unlicensed personnel affected nurse satisfaction with work. The theoretical framework was General Systems Theory.The population (N=292) was registered nurses working with unlicensed assistive personnel in a four-hospital network. The number of participants was 66 (23%). The questionnaire, who Helps You with Your Work?, was utilized. Participation was strictly voluntary and the identity of the participants was kept confidential.Data revealed that 95% of nurses who responded were utilizing unlicensed assistive personnel in the workplace. Delegation of certain tasks, such as bed making, weighing of delegation and the personnel should be broadened patients, and measuring and recording intake and output, was occurring. Nurses were not delegating more complex tasks, such as monitoring IV infusions or assisting physicians with examinations.Nurses, overall, were only slightly satisfied with work, as evidenced by a mean of 3.3 (3=neither satisfied or dissatisfied). Job satisfaction was not significantly related to utilization of unlicensed assistive personnel.Unlicensed assistive personnel were being utilized in hospitals in Central Indiana. Nurses were responsible for work delegated to unlicensed assistive personnel. Nurses should realize the importance of determining capabilities and limitations of unlicensed assistive personnel. Job satisfaction was not significantly related to utilization of unlicensed assistive personnel.Future research on the subject utilization of unlicensed assistive to include more than four hospitals. Job satisfaction needs to be measured using different staffing patterns and workload as well as the utilization of unlicensed assistive personnel. The data supported the need for further research on delegation, job satisfaction and the utilization of unlicensed assistive personnel. / School of Nursing

A study was conducted to determine what attitudes Indiana religion editors and reporters hold toward religion news and what attitude patterns exist among them.Using Q Methodology, this study explored the attitudes of religion reporters and editors at 22 Indiana daily newspapers. Newspapers included in the study had a religion reporter or editor who covered local religion news.The concourse for the study was developed by using statements from Ranly's 1977 study and from articles from trade and scholarly journals. The Q-sample included a total of 54 statements related to personal religious beliefs, the state of religion news and working as a journalist.The subjects completed a questionnaire, which included questions about their professional and religious background, and interviews were conducted with the subjects.The typical Indiana religion reporter was: a Caucasian female who had worked as a journalist for less than 10 years, who had held the position of religion reporter for less than five years, who held a bachelor's degree in journalism or English, and who had at least one college religion course. She had exposure to religion while growing up, is now involved in religious activities, and attends church weekly.QMETHOD software was used to tabulate the Q-sorts, and the investigator determined that two factors could be drawn out from the results. Hypothetical reporter types were labeled as "moderate" and "traditional." There was a high correlation between the two factors. Moderates were more news-oriented in their approach. They believe that religion news should be covered like any other news topic. Traditionalists were more faith-oriented. They believe that their faith and their jobs are not conflicting. / Department of Journalism

Nationally, physicians have been slow to adapt to the use of the Internet as a tool of communication for the business of medicine. To understand the reasons for this and to determine if physicians in Indiana follow this national trend, a Q analysis was used to measure their attitudes toward the Internet. Q analysis allowed the researcher to quantify subjectivity.This study focused on physicians who are members of the Indiana State Medical Association, an organization representing nearly 8,000 of the state's doctors. Physicians were of different race, sex, age, specialty and geographic location as to be representative of Indiana physicians.For this study, twenty-eight physicians ranked a series of forty-eight statements along a bipolar continuum called a Q sort. Each subject was asked to rate the forty-eight statements on a nine-point most agree (+4) and least agreed (-4) scale.Analysis of the twenty-eight Q sorts collected for this study provided three factor types. Those who comprised Factor I were labeled the "Futurists." The view that emerged from this group was that the Internet is seeping into every facet of the American health experience and will change the business of medicine. The highest number of physicians fell into Factor 2. This group comprised 39 percent of the participants. Factor 2, named the "Skeptics," showed interest in the Internet along with many concerns. Those physicians from Factor 3 strongly disagree that the health care system is behind the times in the information revolution. Named "Easy Navigators," physicians in this group responded that they effortlessly find their way around the Internet. Analysis suggests Indiana physician attitudes toward the Internet are concurrent with those nationally. / Department of Journalism

Education experts' predictions of increasing demand for vocational and technical education presents a unique opportunity for technical colleges to position themselves to take advantage of this trend. However, it also places a great deal of pressure on the leaders of those colleges to aggressively develop and manage institutional image in order to remain competitive.The leadership of Ivy Tech State College (formerly Indiana Vocational Technical College) realized in the early 1990s that they must institutionalize marketing and image management to remain in the forefront of technical education in Indiana. To counter public confusion about Ivy Tech that resulted from 30 years of decentralized marketing and advertising, the college changed its name, developed a new logo, and launched its first statewide advertising program to increase public awareness of the institution and to improve its public image.The primary purpose of this study was to determine and assess the current institutional image of Ivy Tech and what image the college should project, all from an internal perspective. The hypothesis asserted in this study is that a difference exists between what internal publics think Ivy Tech's current image is and what they desire the college's image to be.In conducting the study, 90 representatives of Ivy Tech's internal constituencies were asked to sort two sets of 91 statements. One set of statements indicated the image they believe the public has of Ivy Tech, while the other set indicated the image they believe the college should project. Each statement was ranked on an eleven-point most agree/most disagree scale. The completion rate for both sets of sorts was 74 percent (67 of 91). Responses were computer tabulated using the QMETHOD factor analysis program.The first sort, which dealt with what Ivy Tech's internal publics think the college's current image is, revealed a two-factor solution. Factor One is referred to in the study as the Realists. Factor Two is referred to in the study as the Boosters. The two-factor solution indicated that a difference does exist among the college's internal publics regarding what they believe Ivy Tech's current image is.Factor One, the Realists, believe the college has an image problem. This group believes the public has, at worst, a negative image of Ivy Tech, and at best, a lack of understanding and/or knowledge of the college. Factor Two, the Boosters, believe Ivy Tech has a favorable image with the public and the reputation of a quality institution.The second sort, which dealt with the image Ivy Tech's internal constituencies think the college should project, revealed a one-factor solution. The one-factor solution indicated consensus among internal publics relative to the image Ivy Tech should project.Responses to both Q sorts indicated five basic messages that should be conveyed specifically and clearly to the public. They are:1. Ivy Tech is a real college.2. Ivy Tech has a wide variety of educational programs.3. Ivy Tech provides a quality education that prepares graduates for the jobs that will be in demand in the next century.4. Ivy Tech instructors are as knowledgeable asinstructors at other institutions.5. Ivy Tech graduates can and do continue theireducations at four-year institutions. / Department of Journalism

This study documents the most salient factors associated with the decline in hunting participation in Indiana. Data for the study were obtained from interviews and a survey of Indiana residents conducted in 2008. Respondents were classified as current hunters, former hunters, nonhunters, or anti-hunters. The most salient reasons respondents cited for the decline in hunting participation in Indiana were: less access to private land, lack of time, urbanization, and changing values among the younger generation. The major reasons that former hunters discontinued participation were lack of time, loss of interest, cost of licenses and equipment, and lack of available hunting partners. For nonhunters, the major reasons for non-participation were that they were not brought up into hunting, had other leisure activities during the hunting season, and were not willing to kill animals. The major reasons anti-hunters did not participate were that they had ethical problems with hunting, were not willing to kill animals, were not brought up into hunting, and don’t eat meat. The results of this study found that declining participation in hunting is the result of changing socio-economic factors in American society and not of any adverse ecological factors in America’s natural environment. Based on the results and comments from respondents, wildlife management agencies would gain the most from efforts to retain hunters, as opposed to try to recruit new hunters from the ranks of people who have no interest in it or are former hunters. / Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management

Gardens do not grow without human interest; however, human interest is not sufficient to support a garden if soil quality is unsatisfactory. This study asked two questions about gardening in Muncie, Indiana, USA: (1) how interested are residents in gardening? (2) how well can residents garden, based upon selected soil properties? Mailed surveys and telephone calls addressed the first question. Fifty-eight percent of respondents indicated they gardened. Compared to non-gardeners, gardeners rated their soil quality higher, modified soil more comprehensively, and were more interested in helping others garden. Survey response bias and non-response bias occurred. Soil analysis addressed the second question. Soil pH and soil organic matter were satisfactory for gardening. Soil Pb levels were above the federal threshold of 1,200 mg kg-1 in only three (5%) sampling locations. More than adequate, and at times excessive, levels of P and K were found. This thesis includes recommendations for future research. / Soil and gardening in urban environments -- Muncie residents are interested in gardening -- Muncie soil is suitable for gardening. / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only. / Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management