No description available.

This thesis investigates the relationship between the orientation of participants to voluntary associations and the orientation of associations to the wider society. By combining theoretical work from the field of voluntary associations with a theory of collective behaviour, a set of hypotheses is generated to analyze changes that have occurred it the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire, a Canadian patriotic organization for women. A typology of voluntary associations is constructed, and a brief review of secondary sources shows the applicability of our theory to a wide range of voluntary social movements. The data used for this study includes association files, minutes, magazines and newspaper reports. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

No description available.

No description available.

This study investigated the effect of clothing, posture, and sex of subject on inferences concerning sexual orientation and gender role. Subjects were a convenience sample of 327 students. The study wa sa 2 (masculine/feminine clothing) X 2 (masculine/feminine posture) X2 (sex of subject) between subject experimental design. Perceptions of sexual orientation were measured by a single item anchored at one end by homosexual and the other end by not homosexual.

The present study explored the impact of the individual difference, goal orientation, on the team intervention, debriefing, thus contributing insight into a previously unexplored component behind debriefing effectiveness. Three sub-dimensions of goal orientation were examined in terms of their influence on debriefing: learning goal orientation, performance-prove goal orientation and performance-avoid goal orientation. The outcomes investigated included elements of a successful debrief: self-correction, self-promotion and speaking up behavior. A sample (N=69) of undergraduate students at the University of Central Florida individually completed a goal orientation self-report measure and participated in a team debriefing session within their three-person teams. The audio-recorded debriefing videos were transcribed and coded line-by-line to indicate the presence of the outcome variables. Hierarchical multiple regressions were utilized to analyze the direct relationships between the specific goal orientation sub-dimensions and hypothesized outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Purpose: Education of the novice critical care nurse has traditionally been conducted by critical care educators in face-to-face classes in an orientation or internship. A shortage of qualified educators and growth in electronic modes of course delivery has led organizations to explore electronic learning (e-learning) to provide orientation to critical care nursing concepts. Equivalence of e-learning versus traditional critical care orientation has not been studied. The primary aim of this study was to examine the equivalency of knowledge attainment in the cardiovascular module of the Essentials of Critical Care Orientation (ECCO) e-learning program to traditional face-to-face critical care orientation classes covering the same content. Additional aims were to determine if learning style is associated with a preference for type of learning method, and to determine any difference in learning satisfaction between the two modalities. Methods: The study was conducted using a two-group pretest-posttest experimental design. Forty-one practicing volunteer nurses with no current critical care experience living in southwest Florida were randomly assigned to either the ECCO (n=19) or face-to-face (n=22) group. Those in the face-to-face group attended 20 hours of classroom instruction taught by an expert educator. Those in the ECCO group completed the lessons on line and had an optional 2 hour face-to-face discussion component. Pre-test measures included the Basic Knowledge Assessment Test (BKAT-7), modified ECCO Cardiovascular (CV) Examination, and Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI). Post-tests included the BKAT-7, modified CV Examination, and Affective Measures Survey. Results: The majority of subjects were female, married, and educated at the associate degree level. Their mean age was 39.5 + 12 years, and they averaged 9.9 + 11.7 years of nursing experience. The diverging learning style was assessed in 37% of subjects. Classroom instruction was preferred by 61% of participants. No statistical differences were noted between groups on any demographic variables or baseline knowledge. Learning outcomes were compared by repeated measures analysis of variance. Mean scores of subjects in both groups increased statistically on both the BKAT-7 and modified CV Examination (p= < .01); however, no significant differences (p > .05) were found between groups. Preference for online versus classroom instruction was not associated with learning style (X2 = 3.39, p = .34). Satisfaction with learning modality was significantly greater for those in the classroom group (t=4.25, p=.000). Discussion/Implications: This is the first study to evaluate the ECCO orientation program and contributes to the growing body of knowledge exploring e-learning versus traditional education. The results of this study provide evidence that the ECCO critical care education produces learning outcomes at least equivalent to traditional classroom instruction, regardless of the learning style of the student. As participant satisfaction was more favorable toward the classroom learning modality, consideration should be given to providing blended learning if using computer-based orientation programs. Replication of this study with a variety of instructors in varied geographic locations, expanded populations, larger samples, and different subject matter is recommended.

No / High temperature reversion tests have revealed a state of pre-existing molecular orientation in extruded polyethylene sheet. This state is related to differences in stress-deformation behaviour when specimens of the sheet are stretched along different angles with respect to the extrusion direction. An established large deformation, rate-dependent constitutive equation has been developed to model this material, by incorporating the pre-orientation by the addition of a strained Gaussian network. The level of pre-orientation is deduced from the dimensional changes on shrinkage. The constitutive equation is incorporated into the finite element package , and the shapes and drawing forces of tensile specimens extended at various angles to the extrusion direction are modelled.

Yes / We have studied the tensile behaviour of polycarbonate at large strains below the glass transition temperature. Experiments have been carried out at a series of constant temperatures and also under conditions of falling temperature. The specimens neck with a natural draw ratio of ~2, and the study focuses mainly on the necked material. Isothermal experiments reveal an elastic mechanism that initiates beyond the natural draw ratio. A model consisting of an Eyring process and two Gaussian elastic mechanisms is shown to be applicable to both the isothermal and anisothermal stress relaxation and stress-strain results. The same model also produces reasonable estimates of the stresses generated during the necking process. In addition, a simple relationship between isothermal and anisothermal stress relaxation is demonstrated.

Students who transfer from a community college to a university need to learn about their new environment in order to succeed academically at their new institution. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of attending an extended orientation on transfer students’ academic achievement. An extended orientation is a program hosted by the 4-year institution to teach new students about the culture, campus, resources, and opportunities offered. This study compared the academic achievement of transfer students who attended an extended orientation and a similar (based on GPA and number hours transferred) group of transfer students who did not attend an extended orientation. The academic achievement measures included the cumulative grade point average (GPA) at the transfer institution, the cumulative number of hours earned at the transfer institution, and the rate of retention to the following fall semester. This study used a quantitative research design using an independent t-test for GPA and number of hours completed, and a chi-squared test of independence for retention rates. The findings showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the transfer students who attended the extended orientation and those who did not. While the transfer students who attended had slightly higher GPA’s and number of hours completed, the difference was minimal and not significant. Similarly, although the retention rates for transfer students who attended the extended orientation were slightly higher than for those who did not attend, the difference was also minimal and not significant. The goal of the study was to give practitioners who develop and implement similar programs evidence on how to tailor specific programs to meet the needs of transfer students from community colleges to better assist them in their transition to their new institution.