The purpose of this study was to determine the overall effectiveness of and the level of engagement in performance assessment processes by Indiana school boards in relation to the Indiana School Board's Associations (ISBA) Code of Ethics as perceived by school administrators. Additionally, there were four objectives: (a) to determine what extent Indiana school boards engage in a process of formal evaluation of their own performance and effectiveness; (b) to determine if there is a difference in perceived compliance to the ISBA Code of Ethics for school boards who engage in school board performance evaluation compared to those school boards who do not; (c) to determine if there is a relationship between the educational background of school board members and school boards performing their duties according to the ISBA Code of Ethics; and (d) to determine the overall perceptions of Indiana school superintendents and randomly selected elementary and secondary principals as to whether school board performance is currently in accordance with the ISBA Code of Ethics. Research questions and hypotheses were developed to determine school superintendents' and randomly selected elementary and secondary school principals' perceptions and possible differences and/or relationships.A descriptive survey research procedure was used in this study, which sought information regarding the professional activities of each participant's school board in comparison to the ISBA Code of Ethics. The questionnaire was constructed in order to answer four research questions and three null hypotheses.The findings indicated: (1) 32.5% of Indiana school boards evaluate their own performance and effectiveness; (2) 67.5% of Indiana school boards do not evaluate their own performance and effectiveness; (3) school boards that engage in performance evaluation processes tend to adhere more strongly to the ISBA Code of Ethics in comparison with those school boards that do not engage in performance evaluation; (4) there was no relationship between the educational background of school board members and school board performance in accordance with the ISBA Code of Ethics; and (5) there did appear to be a significant difference between how superintendents and principals perceive school board performance when compared to the ISBA Code of Ethics. / Department of Educational Leadership

This qualitative study described and compared the cognitive apprehensions regarding drinking water quality (DW) in Muncie, Indiana, USA. The comparison was between two different, culturally elite groups using constructive-grounded theory. Eighteen semistructured interviews were conducted with both Arab (n=9) and American (n=9) participants. Five essential themes emerged from the interview data: the sensory properties of drinking water, pollutants, health concerns, information sources, and experience. The data from this study is grounded to the epistemologies regarding drinking water. The epistemologies differ between the Arab and American groups due to social factors, such as ethnicity, culture, and past experiences. The study showed that the two groups in the study perceived knowledge regarding drinking water in different ways. The study showed that the educated Arabs had different cognitive apprehensions regarding drinking water compared to educated Americans due to their previous experiences with drinking water quality in their home countries and their lack of interest in the local media. However, similar findings regarding beliefs about pollutants and diseases in drinking water were shared between the groups. The grounded study found that each group had different behaviors regarding drinking water, and it developed a theory that described how different epistemologies lead to different actions regarding drinking water among different ethnicities. Some recommendations based on the study findings endorse that the government agencies should provide a readily accessible publication about the drinking water quality to the community. It is recommended that the government agencies promote the dissemination of water quality studies’ findings through mass media, social media, and other means of communications with the public. In addition, recommendations should also be provided to enhance the local environmental awareness of international students at universities. / Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management

Community policing in Middletown (Muncie, Indiana) began in 1996 with the institution of Cop Shops. Cop Shops are small satellite stations that are equipped with a telephone and an officer that works in neighborhoods that have an above average amount of crime. The officer works with residents in these neighborhoods with the goal of reducing crime in these areas. Questions were put on the 1997 Middletown Area Survey that asked the citizens of Muncie what their attitudes were toward the Muncie Police Department. Interviews were also conducted with law enforcement officers in the Muncie/Delaware County area for information regarding the type of community policing system that is practiced in Muncie. Initial findings indicate that any type of contact citizens have with the Muncie Police Department, positive or negative, result in citizens viewing the police officers more negatively than those citizens who have not had any contact with the police. / Department of Sociology

The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable scale to measure attitudes toward teenage parents. The instrument, called the Attitude Toward Teen Parent Scale (ATTPS), was based on Robinson's (1988a) suggested myths about teenage fathers. The ATTPS consisted of 20, Likerttype items and was administered to 133 volunteer undergraduate students attending Ball State University. A series of exploratory principal component factor analyses were conducted to identify independent factors represented by the ATTPS. A four-factor solution, accounting for 54% of the variance on the ATTPS was retained . The internal consistency reliability for the ATTPS was .67. Two factors were interpreted as "psychological deviance" (alpha = .77) and "supportive involvement" (alpha = .66). The other two factors were not interpretable. These findings suggested that the ATTPS measured two independent constructs. It was suggested that future research should further test the validity and reliability of the ATTPS by focusing on the two interpretable factors identified in this study, and by increasing the items on the scale as well as the number of subjects tested. Further studies should also examine attitudes among different populations (e.g., varying by race, sex, age, profession) toward teenage parents. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

In an age of scarce resources and health care reform, it is important that computerized health care information systems be used effectively. The efficiency and effectiveness of computer applications in hospitals depends on the knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and motivation nurses have about use of computers. The purpose of this correlational study is to examine relationships among nurses' attitudes toward computer use with knowledge, satisfaction, beliefs, motivation, and individual characteristics. The study was a modified replication study (Burkes, 1991) using Vroom's (1964) expectancy theory as a framework. Burkes (1991) developed the instrument used in this study to measure nurses' attitudes toward computer usage knowledge, satisfaction, beliefs, and motivation. Demographic data will also be collected.The convenience sample included 66 nurses from one Midwestern Indiana hospital who agreed to participate in this study. Confidentiality was maintained and only group data was reported. Participation was anonymous and voluntary.Findings in this study support Vroom's theory that there is a relationship between beliefs and motivation, between satisfaction and motivation, and between beliefs and motivation. Age, level of nursing experience and level of education did not determine satisfaction, beliefs or motivation to use computer applications. Conclusions from this study were that knowledge levels can vary in regard to use. However, computer knowledge did increase computer-use beliefs. The study indicated the amount of knowledge may increase beliefs and effect computer use attitudes.Further research should try to determine if any demographic information is consistently a predictor of attitudes scores. This information could be helpful in enhancing a successful implementation and utilization of computer systems. There should be research in the variables that impact attitudes of nurses toward utilization of computers.This study is significant because findings will provide information about attitudes and usage of computers in areas of nursing practices. Benefits include increased information about nurses' attitudes regarding computers and variables that may relate to computer use. The usefulness of measuring beliefs, satisfaction and motivation has a practical value in assessment of attitudes to assist educators and organization to meet nurses' needs in settings where computerized nursing programs are utilized. This information may be used in developing teaching strategies for nurses' use of computers in these settings. / School of Nursing

The purpose of the study was to provide a descriptive data analysis for program planners on knowledge, attitudes, and behavior regarding organ donation among undergraduate students enrolled at Ball State University. An 84-item questionnaire was administered to undergraduate students. The subjects were obtained from a convenient sample.The data were analyzed using mean and Pearson's r to answer the research questions. The overall attitudes of the subjects were positive (M=20.88 out of a possible 26). The knowledge of the subjects toward organ donation was low (M=9.98 out of a possible 22). About one half of the subjects indicated that they are organ donors, by indicating on the survey that they have signed an organ donor card or a similar document. Attitude regarding organ donation (r =.232) was found to be a greater influence on willingness to become an organ donor than was knowledge about organ donation (r = .106). Recommendations are to submit results to program planners to help create more effective organ donation recruitment. / Department of Physiology and Health Science

The purpose of this descriptive study was to document and analyze the perceptions of family caregivers of non-institutionalized Alzheimer's patients about the benefits and limitations of Alzheimer's support groups. Survey methodology was used to survey caregivers and support group leaders from eight Alzheimer's support groups in the central Indiana area. Several of the major findings challenge the literature. These findings are as follows: The majority of caregivers attended the support group to receive information. None of the caregivers attended the support group due to frustration, and only one caregiver responded that relieving frustration was a benefit of participating in the support group. A majority of caregivers and support group leaders were positive about mixed (spouses and adult children) support groups. A majority of caregivers responded that they did not have guilt, anger, fears about caregiving in the future, or stress concerning their caregiving responsibilities. The study generated several implications that can be used by planners to improve support groups. / Department of Educational Leadership

This thesis examines a comprehensive planning model to determine the level of citizen participation attained in the process and to test the degree of representation of the planning policies contained in the plan as they relate to the attitudes and opinions of citizens. An evaluation questionnaire, developed from the Arnstein definition of citizen participation, was used to determine the level of participation. A survey was used to collect citizen opinions and attitudes which were compared to planning policies contained in the plan. Differences represent a lack of citizen representation. / Department of Urban Planning

The general purpose of this study completed in 1999 was to create an accurate, documented description of the experiences of nine students, three faculty members and two administrators in higher education in Chile during the military government 1973 - 1990.A qualitative approach was selected as the most appropriate methodology to' complete the study. A variety of methods and data collection strategies were used. The major data collection strategies were interviews and reviewing of primary and secondary written sources. The interviews were used to collect evidence concerning interviewees' experiences, as well as their attitudes, and perceptions regarding the events that occurred in higher education during the rule of the military government 1973 - 1990.The researcher decided to use a judgment sample of interviewees from the population based on their knowledge about the topic and their willingness to share their knowledge and experiences. Geographical representation, position within the institutions, kind of institution represented, and gender were major the considerations at the moment of selecting the sample too.Thanks to the U.S.A. Freedom of Information Act, which established an effective statutory right to access by any person or organization to federal government information, the researcher found official information that allowed for triangulation of evidence.The findings showed that the changes the military government implemented through their modernization of the educational system did not follow the historical trend of educational development in Chile. Furthermore, under the military government, policymaking in higher education was circumscribed to autocratic arenas, which usually coincided with government policy. Education was utilized to serve the purpose of the government. The educational system 1973 - 1990 failed to serve those with special needs. Free-market policies profoundly transformed education from a right available to all, to a commodity available in varying quantity and quality according to purchasing power of individuals.The impact of military government on higher education during the military rule was notorious and huge. Even though they were destructive in some aspects the military government did good things for the educational system. The issue in discussion is the price that was paid. / Department of Educational Leadership

This qualitative study investigated the attitudes and perceptions of the role of Residence Life Professionals in attending to the spiritual needs of undergraduate college students at Ball State University. This study examined how undergraduate college students view the role of Residence Life Professionals in attending to spiritual needs. The results of this study have particular significance for those who are responsible for the well being of college students on a daily basis and benefit the Residence Life system by allowing a better understanding of where Professionals and students stand on this issue. This in turn will help Residence Life Professionals and students establish realistic expectations of each other in the spiritual arena. The researcher conducted 12 interviews with undergraduate student at Ball State University and analyzed the data by coding themes. / Department of Secondary, Higher, and Foundations of Education