This creative project documents the effects of deregulation on the trucking industry. Through the use of DVD, the viewer learns all about the culture of trucking and the way it has changed in the past 30 years since deregulation. In August of 2006, I logged over 4,000 miles speaking with four different drivers. The result is a DVD consisting of a documentary, video short stories, photo journals, audio recordings and a flash card game, teaching the viewer about the trucking culture. / Department of Telecommunications

Following the assumption that the study of culture is as important as the study of the language in a linguistics program, the author has devised a course in American culture for Spanish high school graduates who are preparing their entrance examination to the University.This course in American culture consists of three units, each unit having two parts.In the first part the author presents a topic in American culture which can be used either as an outline for a teacher to give a lecture or as a reading assignment for the students.The three topics area"The Cities","The American Blacks" and "The Political System".These topics have been chosen because the situation in regard to all of them differs considerably in Spain; thus the study becomes relevant.The second part of these units consists ofa study word list,comprehension questions,a list of topics for discussion and a list of further read ins.

This thesis used the results of two nationwide studies to describe the values associated with youth in the counter culture and to compare these values with those of other youth and adults in the general population. The purpose of this description and comparison was to determine if there is a significant difference between the values of counter cultural youth and those of other segments of the population.Results of the study showed that the group of young, well-educated protestors sampled had large percentages of liberals in four value areas. It was suggested that this group represented a vanguard of the counter culture. Additionally, the results indicated that among collegeeducated adults up to the age of forty there were above average percentages of liberals. These results give tentative indication that the counter cultural values studied were notlimited to youth.

Tribal solidarity is an important feature in the national election for Kuwaiti parliament as tribes practice it as a concrete reality through their competition with each other or with other Kuwaiti groups. By utilizing participant observation and applying the theory of interpretive anthropology, this study interprets how and why tribal members demonstrate such solidarity. In this sense, the thesis concentrates on interpreting the meanings of social actions and thoughts of these tribal members toward their collectivities and, then, on what kinds of benefits these tribal collectivities may provide. The study also indicates the interrelationships between tribal solidarity and other sociocultural systems (political, economic, psychological, social systems, etc.), which together show how tribal people modify and justify their actions and thoughts to benefit from their solidarity in the national election for parliament and other social contexts. In conclusion, Tribal solidarity is a part of large symbolic system, the Bedouin culture, which exemplifies a historical and social attachment between one and his tribe. It also reflects such political and economic benefits for members of a tribe in their daily cooperation with one another. / Department of Anthropology

The purpose of the study was to develop an ethnohistorical record of the American Indian Movement with an emphasis placed on portraying of the Indian view of the organization. In the course of the study, the movement was examined to determine its validity as a social organization within Indian society. To accomplish the task, the movement's social roles were assessed on four levels: the individual level, the social group level, the Indian societal level and the greater American societal level. Two main research strategies were employed in the data collection process. First, participant-observation was carried out during a two-year term as a non-Indian member of the movement. Much of the data collected gave indication of the internal social structure and social dynamics of the organization. Secondly, interviews were conducted during the membership period and additionally, during a three-year period as a resident on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The data collected in this manner included firsthand accounts movement activities and public opinion of the movement. Findinds. 1. The American Indian Movement functions within Indian society on the individual level as a social enclave to aid socially disenfranchised Indian individuals re-enter Indian society. 2. On the social group level, the movement presents a viewpoint on socio-political issues that differs from the monolithic position typical of the IRA tribal governments. 3. The American Indian Movement serves Indian society as a catalyst for social change, an endorsing force for tradition and culture, and as an advocate on behalf of Indian people. 4. The movement functions as a social reform movement to the greater American society by bringing Indian issues to the levels of national and international attention. 5. Structurally, the American Indian Movement is a formal social organization with a blend of traditional and acculturated social components. The American Indian Movement is clearly a valid functioning social organization within Indian society. The movement has successfully integrated socially to all levels of society. Although the efforts and strategies employed by the movement have been sensationalized by the media and provoked a negative controversial image, the American Indian Movement has made positive contributions to Indian society.

This study identified research-based components for an effective anti-bullying policy and arranged them according to Bronfenbrenner's (1989) ecosystemic framework. It was hypothesized that the prevalence of different types of bullying was lower in elementary schools with a greater comprehensiveness of anti-bullying policies. Independent variables included the rated presence of anti-bullying components in school policies at four ecosystemic levels: microsystemic, mesosystemic, exosystemic, and macrosystemic. Dependent variables consisted of students' self-report of the occurrence of four types of bullying: attacks on property, and physical, verbal, and social bullying.Two hundred and thirty-one students from six elementary schools completed the Multidimensional Peer-Victimization Scale (Mynard & Joseph, 2000). The majority of students were African American. Three focus groups (students, parents, and school personnel) were also conducted in each school to gather information about anti-bullying policies. Independent raters blind to the hypothesis rated the information from the focus groups using the Comprehensiveness of Anti-bullying Policies Scale; a reliable measure designed for this study. Further, this information was evaluated through content analysis.Results of a One-Way (Comprehensiveness of Policies and Programs) Between Subjects MANOVA revealed a greater prevalence of verbal and physical victimization associated with schools having a lower comprehensiveness of anti-bullying policies and programs. Social victimization and attacks on property did not vary, however, as a function of the comprehensiveness of a school's policies.A supplementary 2 (Gender) x 2 (Comprehensiveness of Policies and Programs) Between Subjects MANOVA yielded no significant interaction between gender and the comprehensiveness of anti-bullying policies. A main effect for gender was found to be significant, however. Boys reported a higher level of physical bullying than girls.Content analyses showed focus group participants perceived physical bullying as more severe than the other types. Participants also reported harsher consequences to address such bullying. It is possible schools convey greater intolerance for physical bullying, hence its lower prevalence.It is concluded that schools' anti-bullying efforts should involve all ecosystemic levels. In addition, policies must include all types of bullying and communicate equal intolerance for each. Implications for theory, counseling, research, and anti-bullying policies are discussed. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

This research focused on the gap in data and theory on occupational mobility between historians researching the nineteenth century and sociologists researching the twentieth century. City directory listings on Muncie, Indiana provided the source data for a re-assessment of the blocked-mobility thesis asserted by Robert S. and Helen M. Lynd in the Middletown (1928) study of Muncie. The Middletown Index of Association was developed to analyze rates and trends in intra-generational occupational mobility.The results showed that the rate of upward mobility varied on the basis of the rate of industrialization, and both phenomena declined in the period under study. Thus, while upward mobility was decreasing, as reported by the Lynds, that decrease occurred with the deceleration rather than the advent of industrialization.Out-migration significantly increased through time contributing to a decelerating rate of urbanization, but low-status laborers continued to migrate out of the labor force at a significantly greater rate than skilled and white-collar workers. The "floating prolitariat" continued as a phenomenon in Muncie into the twenties. As a city declining in regional dominance, Muncie served as a "stage" in the movement of rural populations into increasingly larger cities.The association of high status to persistence in the labor force was matched with significantly greater residential persistence by skilled and non-manual workers. Social control was found to be more plausible than affluence as an explanation of the strong individualistic faith of the Muncie working class.

The social structure of high schools is characterized by a hierarchy of various groups to which adolescents can identify. These crowds provide reputation-based identities which are particularly salient among adolescents. Although research has provided information regarding crowd structure, less is known about effects of membership. An adolescent's crowd membership can be an important source of social identity and positive self-esteem. Social identity theory is useful in explaining this process by describing how people's psychological motivations interact with their understanding of a social situation to influence cognition. For members of low-status groups, affiliation does not readily provide a source of positive social identity. Therefore, individuals use identity-maintenance strategies to maintain self-image. In this study, I explore perceptions of ingroup homogeneity as an identity-maintenance strategy within adolescent crowds. I also examine whether membership in the more stable racial and gender categories influence the use of homogeneity perceptions in identity management. My findings indicate that membership in one group influences cognition regarding membership in a group with an entirely different social structure. / Department of Sociology

There is no abstract available for this dissertation. / Department of Educational Psychology

This was a descriptive study based on identifying and assessing factors that impinge on the potential development of learners. A probability sample of 50 learners was selected from 5 high schools in the Mafikeng District in the North West Province. A questionnaire identifying and assessing factors that impinge on the development of learners was designed and administered by the researcher. The literature reviewed identified the following factors as detrimental to the potential development of learners: lack of parental involvement, lack of finances, attendance and lack of resources. Strategies such as community support groups, up to date technology in schools to be provided by the department of education and parental involvement strategies were also revealed in the literature study. It was hypothesized that lack of parental involvement and lack of finances accounts more on the potential development of learners. The result obtained correlated with the hypothesis that lack of parental involvement of learners and lack of finances are the major factors that impinge on the potential development of learners. / (M.A. LSC) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2003