The problem of the study was to create a valid and reliable instrument which would measure the diabetes knowledge of college students.To reach this goal, a pool of questions containing 49 items was developed after an extensive review of the literature which addressed diabetes risk factors, diabetes knowledge, college students and health knowledge, instrument development and knowledge measurement. A nine member jury of experts composed of health education professors, those knowledgeable in instrument development, and diabetes health care providers determined content validity for the pilot test instrument which reduced the pool to 34 items. The instrument was then pilot tested on 46 Ball State University undergraduates in a personal health course. The results were analyzed and had a whole test reliability, using the Kuder-Richardson 20, of .76.General education students (n = 522) at Central Michigan and Ball State Universities were the subjects for the administration of the revised instrument. The revised instrument included 27 items. The final instrument contained 26 items and had a whole test reliability coefficient, using the Kuder-Richardson 20, of .78. In addition, it discriminated between the upper and lower 27% groups in terms of total test score, had item-test reliability coefficients of .11 or greater, and the item difficulty ranged from .17 to .87. / Department of Physiology and Health Science

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 study was to determine the association of college student smokers' perceptions of nicotine dependence and measurements of loss of autonomy. The participants of the study were students enrolled in 7 randomly selected large (N > 170) core curriculum classes at Ball State University, during spring semester 2003. Using a cross-sectional data collection process, participants completed a 33 item survey consisting of questions from the Hooked on Nicotine Checklist and National College Health Risk Behavior Survey. The design of this study was to determine whether student smokers' perceive themselves as dependent on nicotine and how this was associated with a measurement on a loss of autonomy scale. Descriptive statistics, chi square, and univariate analyses were used to analyze the data. The majority, 64%, of participants had smoked sometime in their life, with 30% being classified as current smokers. Significant associations were found between the following variables: loss of autonomy and participants' perceptions of nicotine dependence, loss of autonomy and amount of cigarettes smoked, loss of autonomy and the number of years smoked, and perceptions of addiction and the number of years smoked. Gender and race were not found to be significantly associated with loss of autonomy or perception of nicotine dependence. Further analysis showed that as the consumption of cigarettes increases to an average of 2-5 cigarettes a day, chance of losing of autonomy also increases. / Department of Physiology and Health Science

There is no abstract available for this thesis. / Department of Home Economics

As new methods of communication have been created by technological advances, it has become important to examine how students use these methods to interact with other students, the campus community, and the world. This study at Ball State University helped researchers understand how students communicated online in order to create policies regarding online communication. Data were gathered using the qualitative methodology of responsive interviewing. Students and administrators were interviewed (luring May and June of 2006. The data were analyzed by identifying important themes, trends, and concepts among the data according to Rubin & Rubin's (2005) model. The study found that institutions should create educational opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to learn about online communication technologies. These educational sessions should include how to use the technologies, the potential for their misuse, and the responsibilities attached to their use. The study concluded that existing policies should be used to address online policy violations. / Department of Educational Studies

This study attempted to determine whether or not there was a gender difference in students' ethical expectations of the public relations profession. Forty-two Ball State University public relations students participated. The students were given 49 statements that either supported or opposed a specific action that a public relations practitioner may take in an ethical dilemma, or a belief that public relations professionals may hold. Each student was asked to indicate how strongly he/she agreed or disagreed with each statement.The students' answers were analyzed using the QMETHOD factor analysis program. Two groups of individuals were defined: Factor I, "Female Dominated"; and Factor II, "Male Dominated." As the names indicate, the defining characteristic of these groups was the gender composition. The majority of females in the study fell into the first group, and the majority of the males in the study fell into the second group. Factor I z-scores were predominantly positive, whereas Factor II z-scores were predominantly negative-the results were close to perfect mirrors of one another. The findings supported the researcher's hypothesis that there is a gender difference in ethical expectations. / Department of Journalism

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the RN to BSN student's perceptions about what they need from curricula and the faculty to meet their educational goals. In addition, the study looked at the relationship between student identified needs and those identified by the faculty in regard to the RN to BSN curriculum.Evidence was collected using three focus group interviews with RN to BSN students and three focus group interviews with faculty who teach in RN to BSN programs. The number of participants in faculty focus group totaled 13 while participants in student focus groups totaled 16 participants. Individual follow-up interviews were conducted with participants from five of the six focus groups.A total of 50 concepts and a total of 20 subcategories were identified as significant as a result of the student data analysis. Seven themes emerged from the data analysis: 1) reasons for seeking BSN degrees (personal reasons, job advancement or maintenance, bridge to graduate school); 2) curricular content (nursing research, nursing leadership/management, health assessment, politics, computer technology, and general education); 3) curricular outcomes (professionalism, professional self-esteem, critical thinking); 4) institutional factors (advising and admissions processes, separation from traditional BSN students); 5) teaching methodologies (discussion, sharing, student presentations); 6) adult learning principles (self-direction, choices, peer learning, respect for experience); and 7) accommodations (acknowledgement for multiple roles, convenience, flexibility, credit for previous work, choices, physical environment). / Department of Educational Studies

The purpose of this study was to examine the continuum of choral singing from secondary choral organizations to choral organizations at selected higher education institutions in Indiana. Examined were two large state institutions and two private, liberal arts colleges. Two groups of college students who had high school choral experience were surveyed: 1. non-participants, and 2. participants. Participants in choral ensembles made up 1.33% of the total enrollments of the institutions studied. Thirty four percent of the selected students had high school choral experience. Choral ensemble participants' responses to a questionnaire were compared with non-participants' responses. The state institutions' student responses were compared to the liberal arts institutions' student responses.There do not appear to be universal reasons for students to continue or not continue singing in choral ensembles. The reasons appear to vary with the individual student and institution. However, there were trends observed. Students perceived themselves as being well enough prepared to participate in higher education choral ensembles. There is a discrepancy between the expectations of the college conductors and the students' evaluation of their preparedness. Literature appears to be a highly significant factor in the interest of all respondents. Students preferred to sing all types of music. Neither participants nor non-participants reported that classical literature was the focus of their high school choral programs. Participants perceive that the university is interested in them, while non-participants reported negative responses. Private respondents felt that the university was interested in their participation in choral ensembles more than public respondents. Many students decide before arriving on the higher education campus whether or not they will participate in college choral ensembles. The amount of credit given for singing in ensembles or academic loads seem to be a minor factor. It appears that parents do influence choral participation.Private institutions have a larger percentage of their populations participating in choral ensembles than do public institutions. The higher involvement of liberal arts college students in choral ensembles may be explained by the department's need for adequate manpower and the personalized recruiting policies. The personality of the conductor was important to the students surveyed. / School of Music

Two hundred thirty-eight undergraduates from a midwestern university completed the Hazan and Shaver Attachment Instrument to categorize themselves into three attachment styles: secure, insecure anxious/ambivalent, and insecure avoidant. They also completed the Parental Attachment Questionnaire (PAQ), The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales II (The FACES II), the Family Satisfaction Scale, and a Demographic Questionnaire.This study examined the attachment styles of undergraduates and measures of their parental attachments and family dynamics. It was hypothesized that the securely attached subjects would report significantly greater levels on three variables of parental attachment than would insecurely attached subjects. It was also hypothesized that securely attached subjects would report significantly higher levels on three variables of family dynamics than would insecurely attached subjects.Using multivariate analyses of variance designs, both hypotheses were supported. Subjects who were securely attached, when compared to those who were insecurely attached, reported significantly higher levels of parental attachment, in terms of: providing emotional support,fostering autonomy, and in the affective quality of their attachment to parents. Subjects who were securely attached, when compared to subjects who were insecurely attached, also reported significantly higher levels of adaptability, cohesion, and satisfaction in their families of origin.Results were discussed in relation to previous research on attachment styles and the studies of parental relationships and family dynamics in young adults. Methodological limitations were highlighted. Implications of this study and recommendations for future research were provided as well. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

The purpose of this naturalistic qualitative inquiry was to determine perceptions of experiences of nontraditional African American nursing students regarding their persistence in or departure from a baccalaureate degree nursing program. The literature reflects that although more people of color are enrolling in higher education, graduation rates remain dismal. Many studies have examined the problem from an institutional viewpoint with a focus on retention and attrition. The present study laid out a blueprint for qualitative research and focused on the individual student so that the problem was approached from the angles of persistence and departure. A bi-polar model of this educational issue was proposed to demonstrate this concept.Convenience sampling was used to identify participants who were assigned to separate focus groups. One group was composed of participants who were departers due to academic dismissal. The second group was composed of participants who persisted and were either currently enrolled or had graduated. Interview guides were developed and participants were interviewed in a focus group setting, followed by individual interviews. Data analysis identified emergent themes from the transcribed interviews that fell into the categories of educational climate, myth of homogeneity, and desire for a level playing field.The findings suggest that African Americans attending predominantly White institutions continue to face racism and oppression, supporting the conclusion of previous researchers on these issues. Implications from this study concluded that to reflect the changing demographics in society, higher education and specifically nursing education must become more inclusive.The conceptual framework for this study was based on the theories of McClusky (1963) from the field of adult education; and Tinto (1975, 1993) prominent in the field of higher education. McClusky's Power/Load/Margin Theory was found to be minimally supportive in describing the experiences of nontraditional African American BSN students. Participants identified barriers that related solely to their status as African Americans and thus eroded the level of Margin. Tinto's longitudinal model of institutional departure was found to be applicable to students who leave due to academic dismissal, an area not previously addressed in the model. Recommendations for further research were given. / Department of Educational Leadership