Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
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Item Variations in Vocalizations of Fin Whales, Balaenoptera physalus, in the St. Lawrence River(1980) Edds, Peggy Louise; Buchler, Edward; Animal & Avian Sciences; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)Recordings were made of vocalizations from fin whales, Balaenoptera physalus from a fixed hydrophone in the St. Lawrence River between 28 June and 27 September 1979. Land-based observers monitored activity from a hillside hut while recordings were being made from a shoreline site. Photographs of dorsal fin variations were used to identify distinctive individuals. The 1522 sounds recorded were classified into 11 categories based on frequency and temporal characteristics. The predominant call was a descending sweep of frequencies. Parameters measured for this downsweep exhibited a dichotomy of characteristics which indicates calls with initial frequencies below 40 Hz have less variability than calls with initial frequencies above 40 Hz. In general, solitary animals produced primarily the lower frequency downsweeps. Higher frequency downsweeps were recorded from pairs or trios of fin whales. Solitary individuals did not exhibit unique variations in downsweep parameters. No clusters of values which might indicate uniquely individual ranges were consistently present in multiple animal recordings. The data suggest that the variability of fin whale vocalizations is primarily contextual rather than individual.Item Knowledge and Attitudes of Montessori Teachers of Young Children as a Context for Guiding the Normalization and Self-Construction Process(1994) Schaefer Zener, Rita; Flatter, Charles; Human Development & Quantitative Methodology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)The purpose of this study was (1) to investigate the degree of agreement between AMI trained Montessori teachers' knowledge and attitudes and Montessori's recommendations for guiding the process of normalization among young children and (2) to discover the reasons for differences from those recommendations. Normalization is the central process in the Montessori method. Except for a study by this investigator (Zener, 1993) guiding the process of normalization had not been researched since Montessori's work some forty-five to eighty-five years ago. Therefore, this investigation also provided current teacher experiences of guiding the process of normalization. One hundred sixty five Montessori teachers attending various regional and national conferences were surveyed with knowledge and attitude scales. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10% of the participants. Mean scale scores from 4.0 to 5.0 on a five degree Likert scale and a SD less than 1.0 were projected as satisfactory levels of agreement with Montessori's recommendations. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the scales, and content analysis was used to analyze the interviews. T-tests and ANOVAS indicated that demographic variables were not significant to the results.Item Riots and Revolution: Food Riots in the Department of the Seine-et-Oise, 1789-1795(1994) Sanyal, Sukla; Cockburn, James; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)This dissertation is a diachronic study of the food riots that broke out in the department of the Seine-et-Oise from 1789 through 1795. The purpose of the dissertation is to study one of the most common forms of popular protest in France in all its complexity. This study traces the riots downs the years and situates them within a specific political and economic context. It argues that as the Political and economic circumstances changed, the riots changed in form and content from market riots to stoppages of convoys to invasions into the homes of farmers. The dissertation also examines how the Revolution affected the rioters, not only in their material lives, but in their thinking and ideology as well. Chapter II traces the breadth and scope of the riots. Chapter III is a study of the connections between the policies of the revolutionary governments towards the commerce of foodstuff and the outbreak of the riots. It is shown that the riots changed in form over the years as the rioters sought to deal with the consequences of governmental legislation at different periods. Chapter IV examines the causes of the riots. It studies the long term and short term causes of the riots as well as the immediate causes. In this context, the chapter examines the social structure of the Seine-et-Oise , the effects of the policy of liberalization of the commerce of foodstuff and the effects of war. Chapter V studies the motivations, the organization and the composition of the riot groups. It argues that the Revolution had a direct impact on the mentalities of the rioters. As the years progressed the outlook of the rioters became steadily more radical, and they came to believe that political rights, and a Constitution which protected their interests, would alone solve the problem of subsistence in France. The sources for this study are the administrative records, police records, judicial records, legislative edicts, price lists and propaganda pamphlets found in the Archives Nationales at Paris, the Departmental Archives at Yvelines and Corbeil-Essonnes and the Bibliotheque de la Ville de Paris.Item Infant and Juvenile-Directed Care Behaviors in Adult Toque Macaques, Macaca Sinica(1985) Baker-Dittus, Anne; Animal & Avian Sciences; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)The identity of care-givers, and the distribution of care to young are examined in a free-ranging polygynous primate, Macaca sinica. Care behavior is used as one measure of investment in young. There is no evidence that dominance rank influences offspring sex, but high-ranking mothers provide more care to newborn infants than do low-ranking mothers. Mothers provide more care to infant and first year sons than to daughters. This supports Dittus's suggestion (1979, 1980) that mothers should schedule care to sons and daughters differently, providing high levels of care to sons before they emigrate from the natal group. Care to daughters is low per unit time, but continues over a long period because daughters remain in the natal group. Adult females, other than the mother, tolerate, groom and support young. These behaviors are low cost, relative to the high cost behaviors of nursing and carrying, which only mothers provide. Young tend to associate with adult female relatives. Unlike male-biased maternal care, adult female care is biased towards female young; and female young return care more than do male young . Adult female rank is positively correlated with the amount of support adult females provide to female young, and the amount of grooming they receive from female young. Adult female rank has no effect on any measure of association between adult females and male young. Taken together these findings suggest that reciprocal altruism has been important in shaping adult female interactions with young. Adult and subadult M. sinica males direct the low cost, affiliative behaviors of hugging, carrying and grooming towards male infants; and direct aggressive behaviors towards female infants. I suggest that the distribution of behaviors reflects their value to male and female young. Affiliative behaviors to male infants, and aggressive behaviors to female infants serve to channel infants into association with adults from whom they can learn appropriate sex-typical behaviors, and as such benefit both male and female infants. High cost care behaviors of support in agonistic interactions, and protection are provided only by the adult male, and are provided to male and female young equally.Item A SELF-SELECTED QUALITATIVE STUDY EXAMING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A FATHER AND HIS SON WHO HAS ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD)(1996) Kilcarr, Patrick; Flatter, Charles; Human Development & Quantitative Methodology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)The purpose of this interpretive study was to examine the relationship that exists between a father and his son Who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Since very little information is extant describing the relationship between a father and his son with ADHD, an interview format was developed to explore paternal perceptions, affect, and behaviors in relation to raising a son with ADHD. Sixteen fathers from an upper-middle class socioeconomic environment, participated in a one hour phone interview. These interviews were tape recorded and later transcribed. The interview attempted to answer the five research questions driving this study. The narrative data was interpreted by using a qualitative research method developed by Ranata Tesch. method involved extracting themes (specific participant responses) and collapsing the themes into larger-overarching categories called metathemes. Metathemes represent shared thoughts and perceptions held in common by all participants. Ten metathemes emerged from the data. The metathemes included such topics as a father's decision to place a child on medication and how and when to use behavior management strategies. Editorial comments from the author preceded response segments from participants (these segments were indented and single spaced). The data indicated that fathers share a unique relationship with sons who have ADHD. Prior to diagnosis, the majority of fathers described the relationship as tense, frustrating, and often unfulfilling. The relationship following diagnosis was described as significantly more Positive and rewarding. This was attributed to two specific changes: 1. the advent of education for fathers' regarding ADHD issues; and, 2. medication. Fathers agreed that the most effective behavior management strategy was to remain calm, educated, and realistic regarding their Childrens' behavior. The intention of this research was to generate further questions regarding the father-ADHD son relationship. The results of this study are not and cannot be generalized to other cultlures or social groups. Further research is needed which addresses the impact of race, class, and culture on the father and son with ADHD relationship.Item PREDICTIVE ACCURACY OF THIRD AND FIFTH GRADERS ON LINGUISTIC AND NON-LINGUISTIC COMPREHENSION MEASURES: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERFORMANCE ON GRADUATED PASSAGE QUESTIONS UNDER LISTENING AND READING CONDITIONS AND THE STANDARD PROGRESSIVE MATRICES(1981) Alexander, Patricia; Garner, Ruth; Teaching, Learning, Policy & Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)This study, as an investigation of predictive accuracy, examined the relationship of subjects' performance on a non-linguistic measure of comprehension, the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices, to their performance on linguistic measures of comprehension, graduated passages and questions from the Barnell-Loft Specific Skills Drawing Conclusions Series. These linguistic passages and questions were presented under silent reading and listening conditions. All third graders and fifth graders at a suburban Maryland parochial school served as the study population from which twenty subjects at each grade level were randomly selected. This sample was comprised of eighteen males and twenty-two females. All subjects received all treatment levels which consisted of four tasks administered in two sessions. Session I included the administration of the Raven's, with the added verbalization of item C-9, and passages and questions presented in a silent reading mode. In Session II all subjects completed passages and questions presented in a listening mode and the Slosson Intelligence Test. The graduated passages and question were contained in Comprehension Inventory I and II which were administered in counterbalanced format. Half of the subjects received Inventory I as the listening task and II as the silent reading task, while half received Inventory I as the silent reading task and II as the listening task. The first question under research in this study was whether there was a relationship between linguistic and non-linguistic predictive accuracy. A multiple correlation technique was used to ascertain the relationship between the Raven's and the listening and silent reading linguistic comprehension measures. A correlation coefficient significantly different from zero was achieved in the comparison of subjects' performance data for these tasks. The second question addressed by this study was whether the relationship between the non-linguistic and the listening linguistic measure of predictive accuracy would be stronger than the relationship between the non-linguistic and the reading linguistic measure of predictive accuracy. Through the use of a partial correlation technique it was determined that the relationship between the Raven's and the listening task was not statistically stronger than the relationship between the Raven's and the silent reading task. Both partial correlations, however, were determined to be significantly different from zero. The third question investigated by this study was whether there was a significant relationship between the Raven's, as a non-linguistic measure of predictive accuracy, and the Slosson, as a linguistic measure of intellig ence. The coefficient produced by the Pearson Product-Moment technique was assessed to be significantly different from zero. Finally, the study sought to ascertain if there were developmental differences in predictive accuracy. At test for related samples produced significant differences for all outcome measures in the direction of the fifth-grade subjects. These findings confirmed the hypothesis that older students would perform the specified tasks at a higher level of predictive accuracy than younger students. Possible explanations of the outcomes of this investigation, and their relationship to research in the areas of language/thought, analogous reasoning, intelligence/cognition, reading/listening and comprehension/prediction were discussed, along with implications for theory, research, classroom and diagnostic practices.Item A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Demonstrations, Verbal Statements, and Hands-on Experiences on Correcting a Misconception of First-Graders Regarding Magnets(1987) Benbow, Ann E.; Lockard, J. David; Teaching, Learning, Policy & Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)The purpose of this study was to compare the relative effectiveness of five instructional interventions which were designed to correct a size-related science misconception in a group of first graders. The particular misconception chosen for the study is the belief that larger magnets are always of greater strength than smaller magnets. These interventions consisted of: a. a demonstration lesson, b. a hands-on lesson, c. a verbal statements lesson, d. a demonstration-plus-verbal statements lesson, and e. a hands-on-plus-verbal statements lesson. At the beginning of each magnet lesson, students were first exposed to evidence contradicting the size-related magnet misconception. This was followed by the introduction of cognitive conflict via the use of a small weak rectangular magnet and a larger strong rectangular magnet to pick up paper clips. Finally, students interacted with two (apparently) identical rectangular magnets of clearly differing strengths. The second major component of each intervention was the use of iron filings and a magnet to "show" lines of force. The purpose of this last activity was to give the students some information about magnets that would assist them in accommodating the events witnessed in the first part of the intervention. Subjects were tested three days before the treatment, one day after treatment to determine change of knowledge effect, then six weeks after treatment as a check for knowledge retention. Six subjects were randomly chosen from each treatment group to be interviewed using a format based upon Novak's Interview-about-Instances (1984) prior to the instruction, and on two occasions (one day, and six weeks) after the instruction. It was hypothesized that a demonstration treatment would result in the highest frequency of students who received a score of 100% on four misconception-related items on the post-test. It was also hypothesized that the demonstration treatment would result in the greatest retention. Analysis of both test scores and interview data indicates that, although there is strong support for the corrective properties of a demonstration which directly confronts the misconception that a necessary direct relation ship exists between magnetic strength and magnet size, a demonstration alone is not more effective than all of the remaining treatments in achieving change of knowledge or retention. Therefore, there is a lack of support for both research hypotheses. Both treatments containing demonstrations, however, were more effective in achieving correction of the size-related misconception than the treatments consisting of a hands-on treatment alone and verbal statements alone.Item The interaction between a parasitic barnacle, Loxothylacus panopaei (Cirripedia, Rhizocephala), and three of its crab host species (Brachyura, Xanthidae) along the east coast of North America.(1993) Alvarez, Fernando; Reaka-Kudla, Marjorie; Animal & Avian Sciences; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)Rhizocephalan barnacles parasitize primarily decapod crustaceans (Bocquet-Vedrine 1968, Overstreet 1983). The principal effect of the parasites is often the permanent sterilization of the hosts (Bocquet-Vedrine 1972, O'Brien & Van Wyk 1984). Regardless of the processes involved, the end result of the infection is the creation of non-reproductive individuals that will use resources that otherwise would be available to the healthy traction of the host population. The potential impact on the host population then resides in the accumulation of sterile resource-using individuals in each generation. Prevalences of barnacles on anomuran and brachyuran crabs have been reported in a number of studies (e.g., Walker 1985, Hawkes et al. 1986, Johnson et al. 1986, Wardle & Tirpak 1991 ). Rhizocephalan infections can reach very high levels locally, suggesting that entire host populations may have a greatly reduced reproductive capacity. However, in most host species, the pattern of distribution of parasites is not uniform throughout the host's range. I examined the crab-rhizocephalan interaction using the system composed by the barnacle Loxothylacus panopaei and three of its crab host species: Panopeus lacustris, Eurypanopeus depressus, and Rhithropanopeus harrisii, occurring along the east coast of the North America. Through experimental infections conducted in the laboratory, it was determined that B. harrisii of a wide range of sizes could be infected by L. panopaei. The complete life-cycle of the parasite was manipulated in the laboratory. Neither host molting frequency nor host molt increments differed significantly between parasitized and control crabs. Host survival was significantly reduced during the parasite's developmental period; the heaviest mortality of the host occurred in the megalopal stage.Item Women Correspondents in Vietnam: Historical Analysis and Oral Histories(1988) Martin, Christine; Hiebert, Ray; Journalism; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)Although women correspondents have covered wars since the Spanish-American conflict, it was not until the Vietnam War that they achieved full access to the battlefield and equal opportunities to cover all aspects of the conflict. Easily attained army accreditation, the burgeoning women's movement and the unique nature of the Vietnam War - a Third World, essentially, political conflict - combined to offer women reporters unprecedented opportunities to cover the war and to prove themselves as worthy members of journalism's elite crew - war correspondents. More women covered Vietnam than any other war. They focused their coverage primarily on the "human interest" angle and the effects of war on its civilian and military victims. This traditional women's focus took on a new prominence in Vietnam, where an understanding of the social and political underpinnings of Vietnamese culture was essential to the success of the American war effort. As a result, the traditional news definition of war as battlefield was widened and the "women's angle" became central to war correspondence. This study presents an historical analysis of the evolution of the role of the woman war correspondent, from the Spanish- American conflict to Vietnam, and presents the oral histories of 10 women who worked as war correspondents in Vietnam.Item PERFORMANCE OF THE VIOLIN CONCERTO AND SONATAS OF JOHANNES BRAHMS WITH AN ANALYSIS OF JOSEPH JOACHIM'S INFLUENCE ON HIS VIOLIN CONCERTO(1997) Hsieh, I-Chun; Heifetz, Daniel; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)This dissertation consists of a performance project and extensive studies of selected works by Johannes Brahms, including the Violin Concerto, Sonatensatz, and three Violin Sonatas. The performance project was presented in two recitals at the University of Maryland, College Park, on November 14, 1997, and November 16, 1997. The first recital featured Brahms' s Sonatensatz in C Minor, Violin Sonata No. I, Op. 78 in G Major, and Violin Sonata No. 3, Op. 108, in D Minor. The second recital included Brahms' s Violin Sonata No.2, Op. 100, in A Major and Violin Concerto Op. 77, in D Major. Section One gives an overview of this dissertation project. Section Two introduces the violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim, his relationship with Johannes Brahms, and Brahms' s life and major violin works. This section also analyzes Joachim' s performance practice and his teaching style. The end of this section focuses on the influence of Joseph Joachim on Brahms' s Violin Concerto and indicates the differences between Brahms' s original manuscript and the version suggested by Joachim. Section Three is composed of the programs of the two recitals. Section Four consists of program notes for the two recitals. The first recital was performed by I-Chun Hsieh, violin and Roy Hakes, piano. The second recital was performed by I-Chun Hsieh, violin and Chia-Hsuan Lee, piano.