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The purpose of the study was to investigate cultural aspects that influence customer perception of service quality in the hotel industry, specifically those that influence Eastern and Western respondents. A questionnaire was developed to assess cultural differences on perceptions, which included a modified version of the SERVQUAL scales, an instrument used to measure service quality. The convenience sample consisted of students enrolled in the MBA program at a Western university (N=152; Eastern=57.9%, Western=34.9%, Other=7.2%). Findings indicated that there were no significant differences between Eastern and Western cultures in perceptions of service quality. A sample questionnaire is included.

The problem of this study is to determine the stability of interest of male and female students at the various age levels in the School of Education of North Texas State Collage, Denton, Texas. To be more specific, the problem is to determine the relationship of age, sex, or both upon stability of interest.

This study was undertaken to determine what differences are found among personality characteristics of superior students, in special English classes, who score high on a standardized achievement test and superior students in the same classes who score low on this test. A second dimension of the study was to determine whether the same personality characteristics are evident among superior students in these classes at the eighth, tenth and twelfth grade levels.

A large amount of research has been conducted that establishes that students of all ages hold conceptions about a variety of science topics that are not in line with accepted scientific beliefs. These preconceptions have been identified in a variety of ways in research situations; this study focused on how secondary science teachers actually attempt to diagnose students' preconceptions in the classroom and the understanding the teachers have about these preconceptions. The use the teachers made of any information gathered in a diagnosis and the reasons for a lack of diagnosis were also investigated. Four experienced science teachers were studied in depth, they were interviewed three times and classroom observations were conducted for nine weeks. The teachers' classroom practices, questioning techniques, understanding of students' preconceptions, and assessment of students' understanding were all analyzed. In this study, the teachers did not use any formal strategies for diagnosing students' preconceptions such as concept mapping, interviews, journals, or writing prompts. The teachers studied claimed that it was important to conduct diagnosis but only one teacher was seen to actually do so. The teacher who did use class discussions as a strategy for diagnosis was the most experienced teacher of the four and also the teacher with the strongest subject matter background. The other three teachers all claimed that they did do diagnosis of preconceptions by questioning their students but they were not seen to do this in their classes. The conclusions from these results are that the teachers did not have a complete understanding of the concept of diagnosing students' preconceptions in order to use that information to attempt conceptual change. The teachers' beliefs were not consistent with their practices in this situation; they may have had certain constraints on them that inhibited the translation of their beliefs into practice. The implications are that preservice and inservice teachers may need to be trained about the importance of, the strategies involved with, and the justification for diagnosing students' preconceptions in the regular classroom environment. Teachers must have an understanding of students' preconceptions and the effect they have on students' learning. / Graduation date: 1999

Previous research on academic dishonesty in colleges and universities has consistently shown unacceptable rates of cheating, yet inconsistent reports of sex differences in cheating. Sex differences in cheating were studied in relation to sex role orientation and attitudes towards cheating, and in light of a distinction between two types of cheating; cheating to benefit oneself and cheating to benefit another. 256 undergraduate students completed anonymous surveys to tap their sex role orientation, attitudes towards cheating, and reported frequency of cheating. Although females reported having more disapproving attitudes towards cheating than males, they reported engaging in cheating just as much as males. Sex role orientation was not directly related to cheating, but female-associated characteristics were related to attitudes towards cheating, which, in turn, were strongly related to cheating behavior. It was also found that participants reported engaging in more cheating to benefit another person than cheating to benefit themselves. / Department of Psychological Science

This study is an attempt to analyze some of the social psychological underpinnings of the contemporary trends in postponement of marriage and possible increase in singlehood in the U. S. Recent census data, for 1970-78 specifically, and for 1960 to date generally, show marked increases in that direction among the young marriageables 18 to 34 years old. / After reviewing the available literatue, we have identified three loosely defined categories of writings that exist on the topic, namely, "psychological-ideological", "structural", and "social psychological." For reasons of parsimony, as well as in view of other theoretical considerations, we favor the social psychological analyses as a source of our hypotheses in this study. Therefore, utilizing primarily social psychological theory and research we have proposed a model relating the peer group, the family, and selected personality variables to traditionalism in individual sex role perceptions and to singlehood predispositon, and stated thirteen hypotheses which were tested from empirical data gathered for the study. / The data were gathered by the use of a questionnaire which was administered to a probability sample of some four hundred and fifty undergraduate students on the campus of a small, private, independent, midwestern university in the fall of 1976. The actual sample size used in the analysis consisted of 394 students (233 males and 161 females): some 56 questionnaires had to be rejected for various reasons such as those with incomplete responses, or those completed by married or divorced individuals, etc. / The data tended to support some of our hypotheses and indicated rejection of others thus providing only selective support for our over all model. Our central hypothesis positing a negative correlation between the degree of traditionalism in individual sex role perceptions and singlehood predisposition was supported by our data for males only even though we obtained a somewhat low correlation (Gamma = -.130). For females we found a relatively stronger positive association (Gamma = +.37). It is our interpretation that the more the females perceive traditionalism in societal sex role definitions the more they are likely to choose the singlehood alternative. / It seems that future work and career plans may be important factors in current marriage postponement among the college females studied. We found a strong association between future work and career plans and singlehood for females (Gamma = +.622). Marriage interest in general is still very high in this generation and all but a small minority intend to marry ultimately. There is also strong attitudinal support for the "liberal" view of sex rule definitions in general. / Our most significant findings were in the area of male-female differences where we frequently found correlations in the opposite directions for the two sexes. The study found the males to be a bit more likely to uphold traditional view of sex roles. Whereas personality variables (assertiveness and dependence) appeared to be unrelated to the degree of traditionalism in individual sex role perceptions and to singlehood predisposition, happiness and conflict in the family of orientation seemed to influence marriage decisions. Males from happy families and females from unhappy families of orientation were somewhat more likely to choose marriage; at the same time there is low positive correlation between family conflict and choosing marriage for males and negative correlation for females in this respect. / We find it challenging to extrapolate from our data and analysis the implication that those men who marry or those who prefer to remain single choose those states for different, even opposite, reasons from those of the females. What meaning this has for the marriages of those who do marry and for the sex role relationships of those who remain single is an intriguing question somewhat beyond the scope of our present study.

The problem with which this study is concerned is the methodology that is used to assess the relationship between student perceptions of the college environment and student attrition. The population of the study was 329 students from a metropolitan community college who took the Student Opinion Survey, a publication of the American College Testing Service. Data on course withdrawals and non-return in a subsequent long semester were collected for the student population. The data results were analyzed statistically using analyses of variance, Pearson product moment correlation, multiple regression analysis using step-wise procedures, and factor analysis. Data were considered statistically significant at the .05 level in relation to seven hypotheses on combinations of variables that include areas of student satisfaction with the college environment, student background data, course withdrawal, and non-return in a subsequent long semester.

The problem of this study concerned illicit psychoactive drug use among community college students. A non-experimental design methodology, a survey, was used in this study. The population consisted of 149 students at 14 randomly selected public community college institutions throughout the United States. Three waves of mailings took place to increase response rate. Community college students appear to be knowledgeable regarding the deleterious physical and mental impact upon those who use drugs. Community college students appear to have a negative attitude toward drug use and toward those who use them. Community college students have an aversion to actual drug use. The illicit psychoactive drug of choice among community college students is marijuana.

The critical shortage of competent nurses, disillusionment, and high attrition rate among graduates entering the workforce provided the impetus for this investigation. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived level of empowerment among graduating nursing students of two basic nursing educational programs and the relationship of empowerment to selected variables. The selected variables were self-directed learning readiness, self-esteem, level in the program, and demographics. In addition, predictors of empowerment were investigated. A sample of 294 nursing students of associate and baccalaureate degree programs from five schools of nursing in the Mid-Atlantic region participated in the study. Instruments used were the Vincenz Empowerment Scale, Self- Directed Learning Readiness Scale, and Self-Esteem Inventory and a data sheet for demographics. The survey was completed from June to September 1994. Nursing students in general perceived themselves to have fairly high levels of empowerment, self-directed learning readiness, and self-esteem which was significantly higher for graduating students as compared to freshman students. There were no significant differences among the variables under study between baccalaureate and associate degree students or the type of institution they represented as private or public. Similarly, there were no differences in their perceived levels of empowerment, self-directed learning readiness, or self-esteem based on gender, racial/ethnic background, or affiliation with Student Nurses' Association. The wide variation in age and educational background ranging from high school to graduate degrees were associated with the participants' levels of self-directed learning readiness and self-esteem. In addition, participants who were involved in community organizations reported higher levels of empowerment. Regression analysis indicated self-directed learning readiness and self-esteem contributed significantly to the variance in empowerment. The findings add to the empowerment literature. Implications for nursing education include: (a) enhancing students' level of self-directed learning readiness and self-esteem may assist in empowering them, and (b) the basic educational process plays a significant role in nursing students' perceived levels of empowerment. / Ed. D.