Digital Commons Network^™

The Study Of The Perceived Effectiveness Of Resident Assistant Training At Rowan University, April Adams

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of training design, format and length in preparing RA's for their positions. The participants for this study included residence life professional staff, hall directors and resident assistants. Because the population was small, all members were sampled.

This study consisted of a survey that was administered to all current and eight former RA's as well as a similar survey that was administered to the professional staff and hall directors. This survey addressed the effectiveness of the current training designs, as well as training formats and length. Additional archival data came from …

The Impact Of Varying Teaching Style Techniques To Better Match Learning Styles In The Science Classroom, Karen M. Santoro

Theses and Dissertations

This paper will address the correlation between student learning styles and the mode of delivery employed for instruction, and the outcome: student test scores.

By integrating a learning style assessment with a teaching style assessment the researcher challenges the belief that science needs to be taught in a systematic, methodical fashion and varying teaching style will result in significantly higher test scores. The test scores of a class taught with traditional science teaching delivery (lecture style) and the test scores of a class taught with various teaching styles were then compared.

The method employed involved using a learning style survey …

The Relationship Between Gender, Grade Level, And Attitude Toward Reading For First Through Fourth Grade Students, Meghan T. Hayes

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between gender and attitude toward reading and grade level and attitude toward reading. This correlational study used a non-random, convenience sample population that was derived from an elementary school that houses one transitional-first grade, and five classes each of first, second, third, and fourth grades. The sample consisted of 153 first through fourth grade students. Forty-three students were in the first grade, thirty-four students were in the second grade, forty-three students were in the third grade, and the remaining thirty-three participants were in the fourth grade.

The Elementary Reading Attitude …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Self-Esteem, Academic Achievement, And Popularity On Fourth And Fifth Grade Students, Carolyn M. Arata

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to find two relationships. The first relationship is between academic achievement and self-esteem and the second relationship is between self-esteem and popularity among fourth and fifth grade students.

The population used for the purpose of this study was a multiage classroom consisting of both fourth and fifth grades. The classroom was located in southern New Jersey. The population consisted of both male and female students. The students were given a questionnaire to measure personality and the Nonsexist Personal Attribute Inventory for Children which measured self-esteem. Academic achievement was measured by averaging grades, from mathematics, …

A Study Comparing Students' Attitudes Toward School In 2000 And In 1979, Rachel C. Hayes

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare students' attitudes toward school in grade 4 and grade 10 in 1979 and 2000. The researcher analyzed the data gathered from the surveys of 47 students in grade 4 and 47 students in grade 10. The students surveyed attended a private elementary school (grade 4) and a public high school (grade 10), both located in southern New Jersey. The instrument used, the Student Sentiment Index, was analyzed by means of independent t-tests. The results of the 2000 implementation of the survey were then compared to the 1979 administration of the same survey. …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Reading Attitude And Gender In Fourth Grade Children, Crisalinda C. Byro

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between reading attitude and gender, to compare reading attitudes between boys and girls on academic and recreational reading, and to attempt to show the difference in reading attitudes between boys and girls in the fourth grade. The seventy-nine (79) subjects who participated in this study were taken from the total population of the three fourth grade classes in a public elementary school in a suburban area in southern New Jersey. The Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS; McKenna & Kear, 1990) was used to assess reading attitudes. Mean reading attitude scores …

Computers In The Classroom – Do They Really Make A Difference In Student Learning?, Colleen Fitzgerald

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the utilization of computers in the classroom would increase student learning. The participants were eighty-two seventh grade students from Demarest Middle School in Demarest, New Jersey. The students were organized into four heterogeneously mixed classes. The study was conducted over approximately two weeks. All students received introductory instruction on amphibians and frog anatomy and physiology. Two classes then completed the traditional specimen dissection, while the other two classes completed a computer-simulated dissection. The classes then switched and performed the alternative dissection procedure. Their performance was measured by the results on the …

Multicultural Teacher Education, Carol L. Birnbohm

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to create a method of incorporating multicultural thinking with current curriculums. The main goal was to have the teachers learn that multicultural education is not a one-day, once a year event, but rather a philosophy that must be a part of their everyday lessons and discussions.

Nineteen teachers and 102 students were surveyed from Cherokee High School. There were nine males and ten females in the teaching category. There were 52 male students and 50 female students.

The surveys were distributed twice to each group. The survey was first given prior to any training …

A World Of Difference: A Multicultural Program, Newton Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to develop aggregated understandings of bias and how it affects violence in a school's culture using action research. The study, through A World of Difference Program's Anti-Bias Study Guide and peer interventions, will result in improved cultural relations. At this stage in the research, bias is studied and acknowledged.

A fifty thousand-dollar grant was awarded to Atlantic City's Board of Education, with one school piloting the program. The A World of Difference Program focuses on training, education, and interactive activities. Student and teacher volunteers who do the work will recognize and realize, through communications, …

Not More Important – Just Different: Concerns Of Middle School Female And Male Students, Marianne W. Gaffney

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the specific needs of middle school females in order to develop a curriculum for an after school female program. This program would enhance the growth of female students ages eleven to fourteen.

After school meetings were held weekly for three months with female students in Orchard Valley Middle School. Attendance at these meetings ranged from eight to twenty girls. From these meetings, concerns pertinent to female students were identified. A survey was developed to determine the focus of middle school student concerns. The hypothesis being that males and females in middle school …

An Administrative Internship Experience At Maple Shade Junior/Senior High School, Maple Shade, New Jersey, 1999-2000, Frank Jankowski

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop a plan that would allow teachers in the junior high at Maple Shade High School to incorporate technology into their lessons on a more consistent basis. The use of technology would improve learning and better prepare our students for the future.

The intern used interview and survey as data gathering techniques for the project. The intern brought meaning to the data through a thorough analysis of interview responses. Also, surveys were collected, coded, and analyzed.

Teacher preparation and prior teaching experience were cited as reasons behind the fear of technology. Staff claimed …

The Renaissance Concept And The Effect Of Positive Reinforcement On Student Performance, Henry N. Kobik

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of extrinsic rewards on the extrinsic and intrinsic motivation levels of high school students. To complete this task, 118 students were chosen to complete a series of surveys which measured perceived levels of academic performance and motivation. This process allowed the students to not only respond in a multiple choice format but also provided the opportunity for written feedback as well. Further information on the topic was gathered from discussion with these students. All of the participants were chosen through random selection using the school roster and they represented the …

A Multicultural Club At Hammonton High School, Mildred Peretti

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study examines the attitude change among rural high school students regarding diversity and tolerance presented through a multicultural club. Fifty randomly selected students and parents of the high school were pre-tested using a survey instrument measuring needs assessment and an attitude profile. Data analysis was conducted using percentages of each of the four questions asked. The entire student body was then exposed to various multicultural facts and experiences promoted through a multicultural club. Activities included daily factual announcements, a trivia contest of information retrieval, guest speakers, music, assemblies, displays of heritage's artifacts, and relevant content knowledge integrated …

Predictor Of Gender Role Attitudes: Family Composition Or Subject's Gender, Viviann F. Olmedo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate what would be the greater predictor of gender role attitudes: family composition (dual vs. single parent households) or the subject's gender on a population consisting of sixty-three college students ranging in age from nineteen through fifty-six.

Subjects were given a packet that contained four questionnaires related to: family composition/general information, parental responsibilities, subject's responsibilities and BEM inventory. All sixty-three subjects completed this survey to the best of their abilities.

The relationship between family composition (dual vs. single parent households), the subject's gender and their gender role attitudes (BEM scores) went unsupported.

Brain Gym And Its Effect On The Reading Comprehension Of Third Grade Students With Learning Disabilities, Stacey P. Bundens

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to research the effects of the Edu-K/Brain Gym program on the reading abilities of learning disabled students. Fourteen students who had been diagnosed as learning disabled and enrolled in a self-contained third grade classroom participated in this study. The experimental group received fourteen days of treatment twice a day for ten minutes. The control group received no treatment. Pre- and post-test measures on the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test were compared to determine the progress of the students.

The data shows that the experimental group made only slight gains in the area of Word Comprehension. …

A Study Examining The Importance Of Early Intervention On Premature Development, Suzanne F. Appleby

Theses and Dissertations

Every year, thousands of babies are born prematurely or at low birth weight. As a result, many of these children are confronted with health and developmental issues. The purpose of this study was to examine the importance of early intervention on premature development. It was hypothesized that premature children, who were initially denied early intervention services, would eventually be in need of services at a later time, and these children would be in need more than full-term children. The present study consisted of a sample of fifty-four children: twenty-seven pre-term and twenty-seven full-term. The subjects were collected from the Child …

Teaching For The Enhancement Of Self-Esteem Of Adolescents With Learning Disabilities, Kathy Carney

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine if participation in structured, self-concept enhancing classroom activities would improve the self-esteem level of adolescents with learning disabilities. Forty-eight high school students identified with learning disabilities participated in this study. One-half of the students served as the control group and worked with the same teacher. The other 24 students were in the experimental group and were instructed by a different teacher who conducted lessons aimed at improving students' level of self-esteem over a period of 15 weeks. Self-esteem scores were obtained by administering the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory to all participants during the …

Comparisons Between Add/Adhd Diagnosed And Non-Diagnosed Boys, Pre-Kindergarten Through Grade Eight, Daniel Del Vecchio

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of the Conners' Teacher Rating Scale-Revised: Short Form (CTRS-R: S). The CTRS-R: S is an instrument used for the assessment of attention-deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) and related behavioral problems in children and adolescents. The study included 225 boys in grades Pre-Kindergarten through eight. The subjects were divided into two groups. Group one consisted of 165 boys who were not diagnosed with ADD/ADHD; Group two consisted of 61 boys who had been previously diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. A second analysis regrouped the sample by grade-groups that were consistent …

A Comparison Of Academic Growth In Emotionally Disturbed Students In Private Vs. Public School Settings, Thomas J. Diaz

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to measure the academic growth, in the areas of reading and math ability, between students who are classified emotionally disturbed and placed by the school district in private, out of district schools with similarly classified students who remain in district programs. Other indicators of academic success, such as attendance and frequency of suspension were also compared, statistically, between the two groups. Yet other factors, such as grade retention, counseling and student investment were compared loosely. Sixty high school students, (thirty from each setting) comprise the two groups. Previous academic testing from the 1997/98 school year was …

The Relationship Between Locus Of Control And Academic Achievement And The Role Of Gender, Smriti Goyal

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between Locus of Control and academic achievement, and discussed the possibility of gender differences. Past research indicated a positive correlational relationship between internal scores and high academic achievement. Overall, the research regarding gender found males to be more internal than females. In this study, the 77 subjects were 10th grade American History students, placed in three different class levels, according to academic achievement the prior year. The Rotter's Internal-External scale was administered to all the subjects during History class. These scores were then separately correlated with academic class level and gender. The statistical analysis found …

The Effects Of Journal Writing On Self-Concept In Group Therapy, Kimberly A. Moffitt

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of journal writing on children's self-concept in group therapy. It was hypothesized that students using journal writing would receive higher scores on a self-concept measurement than students who did not participate in journal writing.

The sample included 29 students from a school-based mental health program in kindergarten through eighth grade. Subjects completed a pre and post test using the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale. Subjects in the experimental group participated in four weeks of journal writing between the pre and post tests while subjects in the control group did not. Test …

Gender Role Stereotyping In Occupational Choices, Paul Michael Rodrigo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to see if students' occupational career choices were gender role stereotyped. The subjects making up this study were from a middle/upper class suburban area located in southern New Jersey. 192 subjects in fifth grade, 201 subjects in eighth grade, and 280 subjects in twelfth grade participated in this study. The percentage of males and females for each grade was close to a 50% split. This study was conducted using a survey, which asked the subjects what their choice for a career was at that time. Choices were compared to a listing of careers from …

Comparison Of Students Eligible For Special Education Services Who Are Involved In Extra-Curricular Activities And Those Not Involved, Lisa M. Owen

Theses and Dissertations

The difference in academic achievement of students eligible for special education services who are involved in extra-curricular activities and those not involved was studied. Academic achievement referred to the report card grades and semester grade point averages of the students. Extra-curricular activities included those associated with the high school. The purpose of the study was to identify the differences in academic achievement between these two groups of students.

There were 193 subjects from a suburban high school in Southern New Jersey. The sample was from varying ethnic and economic backgrounds. They were eligible for special services under 8 different classifications, …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Locus Of Control, Behavior And Academic Achievement In 5th Grade Students, Dawn Zuber

Theses and Dissertations

This study attempted to investigate the relationship between locus of control, academic achievement and behavior in 5th grade students. It was hypothesized that locus of control would be more internalized with high academic achievement and less behavior problems. A total of 40 subjects participated. Data was collected using the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale, the Devereux Behavior Scale-School Form and the Metropolitan Achievement Test. Using this data, a relationship was measured using the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient (r). The results demonstrated significant correlations between all of the variables. The results were interpreted to mean that 5th grade students with an …

A Study To Determine The Basis Of Attrition Among Learning Disabilities Teacher/Consultants, Julie M. Mason

Theses and Dissertations

Fourteen certified learning disabilities teacher/consultants (LDT/C's) who are not working in that position were identified by the child study team director from their district. All fourteen responded to a survey that asked them to characterize their feelings about certain statements that pertained to the LDT/C position. A Likert rating scale was used to show how strongly the respondents agreed or disagreed with the statement.

Results were analyzed and it was revealed that five out of the fourteen who responded never worked as an LDT/C. Upon further review, it was also discovered that not one statement was answered the same by …

Personality Traits And Addiction Relapse Rates: Is There A Connection?, Lori Sadwin O'Leary

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine what differences, if any, there were in personality trait levels of Neuroticism and Conscientiousness between addicts/ alcoholics who relapsed and those who remained abstinent. It was hypothesized that high levels of Neuroticism combined with low levels of Conscientiousness would be associated with relapsing addicts and low levels of Neuroticism combined with high levels of Conscientiousness would be associated with abstaining addicts. Fifty-one subjects participated in this study and their personality traits were measured with the NEO-FFI, a self-reporting personality questionnaire. Relapse and abstinence were observed over a three-month period. A one-way ANOVA …

Establishing Validity In The Social Sexual Awareness Scale For Adults With Developmental Disability, Pauline N. Stuempfle

Theses and Dissertations

The present study seeks to establish data supporting convergent and concurrent validity of the Social Sexual Awareness Scale by correlating SSAS score with current status regarding competency to make the decision to engage in high risk sexual behavior as agreed by the IDT. The premise is that capacity to consent to high risk sexual behavior can be measured in a way that would enhance the decision making process of the court without detracting from its authority.

Archival data relating to IQ, adaptive functioning level, guardianship status, absence or presence of a secondary psychiatric diagnosis and previous IDT decisions as to …

Participation Of Special Education Students In Extracurricular Activities: Motivation And Effects On Academic Performance And Social Skills, Carolynn J. Cassaday

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines special education students' participation in extracurricular activities. This study involves 40 special education students in seventh and eighth grades. Each student was interviewed individually during one class period to answer a survey to determine their participation rate in extracurricular activities inside and outside of school. Their responses were recorded and analyzed to determine the rate of participation in extracurricular activities. The students were interviewed again during a forty-two minute class period to determine if they demonstrate appropriate social skills. These questions were answered with always, sometimes, or never. The results of this research study showed no significant …

The Effect Of Educational Placement On Self-Concept, Karin Dech Pescatore

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine self-concept of students from different placement settings. Academic, social, and general self-concepts were considered. Subjects were chosen from four placement settings: regular education classroom, basic skills instruction (BSI), resource room instruction, and self-contained special education classroom. A sample size of forty-eight students from grades five and six was used. Data was collected through the use of a self-concept scale as well as several student interviews. Data was recorded and analyzed on a computer using the StatView program. Mean scores and standard deviations were compared to determine differences in self-concept scores among the …

The Relationship Between The Congruence Of Vocational Interests And College Major And Self-Concept, Amina C. Husain

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not there is a relationship between the congruence (agreement) of an individual's vocational interests and academic major and the level of self-concept. This study reports on the level of self-concept and the degree of congruence between the selection of an academic major and their personality type or profile using the Self Directed Search (Holland, 1994). The level of self-concept was determined by using the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (Fitts, 1965). The congruence score was obtained by utilizing was the Zener-Schnuelle Congruence Index (Robbins, Harvey, & Kandefer 1978). Sixty college freshmen and …