http://hdl.handle.net/1957/7144 2013-06-19T12:42:01Z 2013-06-19T12:42:01Z McKee, Mollie A. http://hdl.handle.net/1957/39455 2013-06-17T21:48:07Z 1990-05-04T00:00:00Z

An empirical investigation of critical thinking, dogmatism, and gender McKee, Mollie A. Many educators are currently revising their curricula to include critical thinking. However, there are factors which apparently allow some students to become better critical thinkers than others. Such factors are the concern of two mentors of this researcher: Ron Manuto and Lloyd Crisp. Both the Manuto and Crisp (1987) and the Crisp and Manuto (1987) studies inquired into possible characteristics relating to critical thinking, as measured by the Watson- Glaser Critical Thinking Test, form A (1980): dogmatism, self-distortion, gender, age, and academic major. The first hypothesis of this study predicted that there was an inverse relationship between dogmatism and critical thinking, a hypothesis supported in the Manuto-Crisp (1987) study. The second hypothesis predicted that males would score higher on the Cornell Critical Thinking Test (1985) than would females. Crisp and Manuto found that males scored significantly higher on the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Test than did females. An aim of this study was to determine whether the use of different critical thinking measures would generate different findings. The final area of investigation of this study was a research question: Do females and males score differently on dogmatism? The first hypothesis of this study predicted that there would be an inverse relationship between critical thinking and dogmatism and was supported by the findings. The critical thinking and dogmatism findings of this study were very similar to the results of the Manuto-Crisp (1987) study indicating that the two different critical thinking measures apparently do not generate different results when relative to Rokeach's Dogmatism Scale. The second hypothesis of this study was that males would score higher on the Cornell Critical Thinking Test than would females was not supported by the findings. Males scored higher than females, as predicted, however not significantly higher. Finally, the findings of this study indicated that males scored significantly higher than females on Rokeach's Dogmatism Scale. Graduation date: 1990

1990-05-04T00:00:00Z McKelvie, Loni M. http://hdl.handle.net/1957/39426 2013-06-17T18:43:59Z 2013-05-29T00:00:00Z

The emerging church movement : an exploratory case study of its environmental and political attitudes McKelvie, Loni M. To date, no investigation of the Emerging Church Movement has made an effort to examine the environmental and political views of its members. Despite the vast research on the politics and environmental opinions of American evangelicals, little is known about where the majority of members of the Emerging Church Movement are on the political spectrum or how they view environmental protection and climate change issues. As an exploratory case study, this thesis advances our understanding of the Emerging Church Movement by considering these issues and how the movement influences its members. Using interviews and participant-observation, this thesis utilized qualitative methods to analyze and compare the environmental and political views of emerging church members against those of traditional evangelicals. There were three main findings from this research: (1) members of the Emerging Church Movement are more politically moderate than their evangelical counterparts; (2) social action calls were heard in church services rather than political action calls; and (3) environmental protection, though seen as important, did not appear to be a prominent issue in the Emerging Church Movement. The findings from the research suggest that there were both differences and similarities among the views of emerging church members and traditional evangelicals. The methods and practices employed in this study present a usable framework for future research, while the findings prompt new and interesting questions for future research on the nascent study of the Emerging Church Movement. Graduation date: 2013

2013-05-29T00:00:00Z Thornburg, Kori A. http://hdl.handle.net/1957/39390 2013-06-13T17:55:40Z 2013-05-30T00:00:00Z

Beauty and the beast : the rhetorical construction of the female in mixed martial arts Thornburg, Kori A. More women compete in sports currently than ever before. However, the historical tensions which relate to their participation--as athletes and as females--remain. Mixed martial arts (MMA) has proven to be the most visible introduction of females into sports that have traditionally been considered exclusively for men. Gina Carano and Cristiane Santos were the first women to headline a major MMA event. Through their participation they violate conventional standards of womanliness and highlight complexities associated with the social standards of femininity. This study examines how rhetoric produced by the male voice constructs the identity of the female in MMA. Karlyn Kohrs Campbell's "The Rhetoric of Women's Liberation: An Oxymoron" is applied as a method to the rhetoric employed. The purpose of this study is to determine how substantive and stylistic features operate within the rhetoric to construct the identities of Carano and Santos. This thesis indicates the important insights that can be yielded when rhetorical criticism is utilized. Graduation date: 2013

2013-05-30T00:00:00Z Allen, Daniel P. http://hdl.handle.net/1957/39077 2013-06-10T21:07:25Z 1988-10-13T00:00:00Z

Predicting in situ hearing aid reponse from pure tone hearing tests and ear canal resonance Allen, Daniel P. Real ear measurements are being used to predict and validate hearing aid fittings. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the hearing aid response as measured by real ear measurements to pure tone hearing thresholds and ear canal resonance. In order to test this hypothesis clinically, data were collected from 13 satisfied hearing aid wearers of 24 custom canal hearing aids. Results revealed that pure tone thresholds and canal resonance together is not a significant predictor of hearing aid response as measured by real ear measurements, at 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz. But at 3000 and 4000 Hz, ear canal resonance is a significant addition to the fitting model of pure tones. Because of the limited sample it can be stated that canal resonance appears to be a significant predictor of hearing aid response as measured by real ear measurements at 3000 and 4000 Hz. Graduation date: 1989

1988-10-13T00:00:00Z