Thesis (Ph. D.)--Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, IN, 2001. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 317-324) and indexes.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oklahoma, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [226]-231).

Thesis (Ph. D. (Psychology)--University of Pretoria, 2001. / Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web. Includes bibliographical references (p 263-266).

Today, and for the last 20 years, the Blanco Bowling Club and Café has seen a decrease of active membership and faces real challenges to maintain relevance in an ever-evolving world of technology, activities, entertainment and economic uncertainty. Ninepin bowling is spread over four mostly rural counties in Texas’ Hill Country with 18 different alleys, including Blanco. Though Blanco’s population has grown over the last 50 years, its bowling club’s membership hasn’t. Blanco, a town of 2,205 people is a rural outlier statistically – it has grown every 10 years since the 1950s. From 2000 to 2010, Blanco’s population grew by over 33 percent, more than double Texas’ average and almost five times the national growth rate. Several factors could account for Blanco’s growth, but being roughly 45 miles from both Austin and San Antonio and being located on a state highway doesn’t hurt. Gourley suspects that now more than ever people are calling Blanco home while working in nearby population centers. They don’t get out into the community as much. The club, and to some extent the town itself, is and has been under a quiet assault from the modern world. / text

Current research proposes that rumination, perseverating on thoughts about one's feelings and problems, predicts the severity, likelihood, and duration of depression (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2000; Spasojevic & Alloy, 2001). One factor that might affect rumination outcomes is the level of abstraction one adopts when thinking about negative experiences. A growing body of research demonstrates that adopting a non-abstract, concrete perspective (e.g., focusing on specific details and sensations) reduces rumination (e.g., Watkins, Baeyens, & Read, 2009). Additionally, some empirical evidence suggests that abstract thinking (e.g., focusing on values, meaning, and general concepts) increases rumination when focusing on negative content (e.g., Watkins, 2004). In contrast, other experimental studies suggest that there are types of abstract processing that reduce rumination (Kross & Ayduk 2008; Rude, Mazzetti, Pal, & Stauble, 2011). This study built on the research supporting positive effects of abstract processing. The primary aim of this study was to determine if there are types of abstract processing that, when used in conjunction with concrete processing, can reduce rumination and can do so to a greater extent than concrete processing alone. Participants were asked to examine negative experiences that were particularly bothersome and write about them from one of three perspectives: a) a mixed condition that encouraged participants to explore their abstract values and connect them to concrete thoughts and actions; b) a concrete condition that encouraged thinking only about concrete thoughts and actions; and c) a control condition that directed participants to write about their daily routines. A sample of 252 college students completed measures of rumination, OGM, and depression at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and a two week follow-up. Results indicated that the treatment effects significantly interacted with initial depression, such that participants who had high initial levels of depression had significantly lower rumination and depression in the mixed and concrete conditions compared to the control condition following the intervention. Findings suggest that treatment differences in depression were meditated by changes in rumination. The limitations and implications of the results are discussed in the context of the current literature. / text

Commuter rail infrastructure often adds value to neighboring properties. The best methods to measure changes in values require baseline data from a year prior to system implementation. The current planning of a commuter rail in Austin, TX presents the need to document property values for future studies. The report records 2005 property values from Travis and Williamson Central Appraisal Districts, using GIS to group the data by various distances away from the proposed train stations. In addition, a large set of secondary improvement data and census demographic information about each site has been accumulated. Future researchers will be able to conduct matched-pair and multivariable regression models with the data, and rely on the station descriptions for a solid understanding of the sites and their relationships. / text

This study aims at finding out values in the curriculum of formal schooling and private tutoring in China’s context. Value is an important component of education. As schools’ values have great influence on students’ developing values, it is significant to study values experienced by students in both formal schooling and private tutoring. The present study adopts a qualitative research method with case studies of two secondary students who go to both public formal schools at weekdays and private tutorial institutes at weekends in Guangzhou, China. Data collection consists of documents and interviews. The present study identifies and analyzes stated values in the curriculum of both formal schooling and private tutoring and values perceived by students. Comparison between these two educational systems is drawn. Also, comparison between stated values and perceived values are being made. Distinctive differences in values between formal schooling and private tutoring are identified as collectivism vs. individualism, curriculum for moral education vs. nil curriculum for moral education, and non-consumerism vs. consumerism. The two systems also share similar values such as quality and efficiency on teaching and learning and success on scores. There are some gaps between what educational institutes claim and what students perceive in practice. They are all-round development vs. all-subject development on exam success, student-centre development vs. economic efficiency and aspirations in life vs. success in realistic world. The findings suggest a need to rethink the educational aims in an era of transformation in China. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Conceivably there has never been a better time to talk about character and moral education than now, especially in light of the critical need to better serve our society, our nation, and our world. The development of any society or nation is measured on its moral values, and this study explores the values acquisition in a school. It attempts to answer the question: What values have students acquired from their schooling experiences, and what are elements of the school that had contributed to this process? This study aims to add to the fuller picture of values education in Hong Kong through a thick description of the culture of a local secondary school named Wah Yan College, Kowloon (WYK). To unearth the intricacies of student beliefs and practices, I have stayed in the field for a year to gain "native experience" of life at WYK. The direct contact and discussions with students and alumni had enabled me to untangle the web surrounding the meanings students attach to values as a concept. Through observation of the school life at the case school, I began to appreciate how students negotiate these meanings. The purpose of this study was to capture the unique world of a school, hence a variety of methods including interviews, observation, and document analysis were adopted. Values are acquired by students in a variety of ways at WYK. Students do not only learn in the classroom, but also beyond their classrooms through non-study activities, where they are encouraged, or even required, to make decisions on their own, with no repercussions. There are more than ninety student clubs and societies at WYK, which provide students opportunities to develop wide interests, activities and responsibilities, as well as their knowledge and skills, via their experiences in these non-study activities. This liberal way of values teaching enables students to become autonomous learners in learning a set of values rather than being a passive recipient of the values taught in school. Moreover, spending their formative years at WYK, students are cultivated with a sense of identity among themselves. A tradition is formed this way, special to WYK, from generation to generation. Values that are core to this family are not easily lost, even after students graduate. The characteristics of WYK habitus included: holism, consistency, and continuity. The values WYK upheld, and subsequently taught to and acquired by its students were conducted in a holistic fashion via different "subsequent experiences" - in the forms of lessons, gatherings and extra-curricular activities. This process of value acquisition through the activities and experiences of everyday life at WYK serves as a living example of habitus. While it followed the same pattern of many other habitus, one cannot expect the case of WYK to be replicated overnight. The elements of its habitus can be identified and the model be re-produced. They can be used by schools and educators alike who would like to breed the kinds of values they prefer. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

My narrative case study focuses on how one family uses the exhibitions and educational resources at the Denver Art Museum. I gathered stories of the family’s experiences at the museum in order to determine what their choices reflected about their family values and how they integrated those experiences into their daily lives. This study draws upon socio-cultural and constructivist learning theories by proposing that each family member contributes their prior knowledge and life experiences to the process of making meaning and drawing connections within the art museum. Moreover, even though the family acted as a social learning group, each member constructed personal knowledge in different ways from their shared experiences. I used narrative analysis and coding as means to interpret the meanings of the family’s stories. In addition to identifying the family’s values regarding art museum learning, findings pointed to the imperative need for museum educators to address preparing adult learning partners for visits to art museums with children. The lack of current research pertaining to family learning in art museums was a chief motivator for conducting this study (Sterry & Beaumont, 2006). Research of family interactions in museums has largely focused on non-art museums (Borun, 2002; Borun et al., 1998; Ellenbogen, Luke, & Dierking, 2007). Family art museum experiences are distinct and should be studied separately from those in other types of museums. Research, such as this study, that look specifically at how families use art museum exhibitions and educational resources will address the lack of literature and emphasize the value of art museum experiences for life-long family learning. / text

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