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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

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Educational psychology

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Years Of Teaching Experience And Descriptions Of Educational Situations, Dana J. Stapleford Dec 2003

Years Of Teaching Experience And Descriptions Of Educational Situations, Dana J. Stapleford

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This study examined the relationship between years of teaching experience and the type of descriptions given of educational situations. Participants were certified teachers with 1 to 27 years of teaching experience and preservice teachers with 0 years of teaching experience. A coding system was developed as an objective method for extracting participants' descriptions of actions and consequences pertaining to student and teacher behavior. Results did not support the original hypothesis that a relationship would be found between years of teaching experience and the descriptions made. However, several other relationships among certain characteristics of the descriptions were found.;The typical description made …


Assessment Of Students' Motivation To Use Computer Tools In A Web -Enhanced Counseling Course, Ying-Ying Kuo Aug 2003

Assessment Of Students' Motivation To Use Computer Tools In A Web -Enhanced Counseling Course, Ying-Ying Kuo

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Increasing numbers of professional counseling educators recognize the importance of information technology in counselor education, but the majority of members in the counseling community still lack interest in using computer tools for their professional development. How to motivate them to acquire these necessary skills is a problem in counselor education. This study provided a motivating web-based instructional (WBI) design for a web-enhanced course and examined counseling students' motivation to use computer tools in the course. It focused on four research questions that examined (1) how students' use of computers changed; (2) the impact of web-based instructional (WBI) features on their …


Effect Of Computer Practice Of Component Gait Training Facts On Choice Of Ambulation Aid And Gait Pattern By Physical Therapist Assistant Students, Beverly R. Born Aug 2003

Effect Of Computer Practice Of Component Gait Training Facts On Choice Of Ambulation Aid And Gait Pattern By Physical Therapist Assistant Students, Beverly R. Born

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Health care educational programs are challenged to provide efficient and effective instructional strategies to teach students both the foundation knowledge and problem solving skills that they need to provide quality health care services. In the present study, computer-based text passages and quizzes were used to teach physical therapist assistant (PTA) students the component facts and principles needed for the higher level skill of choosing ambulation aids and gait patterns for patients in described clinical scenarios. The research questions were (a) whether learning component gait training skills would result in better ability to choose ambulation aids and gait patterns for patients …


Evaluation Of A Whole-Class Token Economy To Manage Disruptive Behavior In Preschool Classrooms, Holly A. Filcheck Aug 2003

Evaluation Of A Whole-Class Token Economy To Manage Disruptive Behavior In Preschool Classrooms, Holly A. Filcheck

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The behavior of children in a preschool classroom was assessed to evaluate the effectiveness of two classroom management approaches: (a) strategies already employed by the teachers, and (b) the Level System. Strategies already employed by the teachers were those that they currently used in their preschool classroom. This phase was considered the baseline or "A" treatment phase. The Level System is a new program that utilizes strategies including a token economy, stimulating rewards, strategic attention, and labeled praise to manage a range of behaviors exhibited by children in the classroom. This was considered the "B" treatment condition. These two approaches …


Instructors' Message Variables And Students' Learning Orientation/Grade Orientation And Affective Learning, Leeanne M. Bell Aug 2003

Instructors' Message Variables And Students' Learning Orientation/Grade Orientation And Affective Learning, Leeanne M. Bell

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The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among instructors' message variables and students' learning orientation (LO), grade orientation (GO), and affective learning. Participants were 193 students (109 men, 83 women) enrolled in introductory communication courses at a large eastern university. Participants completed the Revised Self-Disclosure scale (Wheeless, 1978), the Humor Orientation scale (Booth-Butterfield & Booth-Butterfield, 1991), a narrative scale created for this study, the LOGO II scale (Milton, Pollio, & Eison, 1986) and the Instructional Affect Assessment Instrument (IAAI) (McCroskey, 1994). Results indicated instructors' message variables were not significantly related to students LO/GO, no significant differences among …


Measurement Of Attitude Toward Educational Use Of The Internet In An English Composition Course With A Comparison Of Traditional -Aged And Non-Traditional-Aged Students, Diana Gail Duran May 2003

Measurement Of Attitude Toward Educational Use Of The Internet In An English Composition Course With A Comparison Of Traditional -Aged And Non-Traditional-Aged Students, Diana Gail Duran

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Attitude is tied to behavior, and writing behaviors seem to be affected by using a computer. Technological advances have forever changed the way educators view the process of writing, including the way students learn, how they feel about the way they are learning, and their subsequent behaviors. Numerous studies have indicated that using computers to write changes the way students write, what they write, and the quantity and quality of that writing. However, studies disagreed about how these changes occur, whether they are positive or negative (or neither), and what psychological dynamics, such as attitude, are involved, to what degree, …


Reinforcement And Punishment During Programmed Instruction, Stephen C. Scherer May 2003

Reinforcement And Punishment During Programmed Instruction, Stephen C. Scherer

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Recommendations for improving answer accuracy during programmed instruction have included the use of punishment to decrease the rate of students' responding and to prevent careless mistakes. The effects of punishment during programmed instruction, however, have not been clearly identified. There is evidence that punishment increases attention and decreases response rates during learning tasks, but other effects on student responding, including escape from the learning task, have not been systematically examined. The present study was designed to systematically examine the effects of punishment as well as extinction during programmed instruction. Four college students were recruited to earn money while working on …


Gender Differences In Test Anxiety, Angela Marie Josephine Fiore May 2003

Gender Differences In Test Anxiety, Angela Marie Josephine Fiore

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The research regarding overall general test anxiety and sex difference is contradictory at best. There is no clear answer to the research question concerning general test anxiety and sex difference according to the literature. An experiment using the modified Suinn Test Anxiety Behavior Scale (1971) was conducted to detect differences between the sexes with regard to test anxiety. There was no overall significant difference between the genders; however, when a multivariate regression was conducted to account for variability contributed by age and class, there was a statistically significant difference. This finding can be perceived as an indication that it is …


Instructional Alternative For Underprepared Students, Deborah A. Thomas May 2002

Instructional Alternative For Underprepared Students, Deborah A. Thomas

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This quasi-experimental study examined the use of daily drills as a supplemental instructional alternative for underprepared students enrolled in General Psychology courses at a midwestern open-admission community college. Underprepared students were defined as those students whose Nelson-Denny Reading Test score fell below community college entrance level criteria. Daily one-minute drills of course content were provided to all participants in the experimental group. Lectures, discussion, and class activities were provided to both groups. The experimental and control group were compared using retention data, reading scores, and exam scores. Although more students in the experimental group withdrew from the course, most withdrew …


Effects Of Electronic Communication On Culture Shock Of Spouses Of International Students, Diana Bennett May 2002

Effects Of Electronic Communication On Culture Shock Of Spouses Of International Students, Diana Bennett

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Culture shock is a serious problem for spouses of international students. This recollection study looked at use of telephone, web phone, email, chat, and online newspapers as predictors for culture shock. Fifteen spouses of international students at a mid-Atlantic university were interviewed with the same rated questions asking them to recall how they felt: When they first arrived in the United States, during their first six months here, during their second six months here, during their third six months here, and at the time of the interview. For the same time periods, they were also asked how many times a …


Factors Contributing To College Freshmen Placed On Academic Probation, Lee Ann Vecellio Aug 2001

Factors Contributing To College Freshmen Placed On Academic Probation, Lee Ann Vecellio

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The responses of college freshmen placed on academic probation to a survey examining the factors leading to their poor academic performance were studied to ascertain the perceived problem areas. One hundred and seventy-two college freshmen selected factors concerning motivation, time management, social, and financial components, which they believed contributed to their poor academic performance during their freshman year. For males, inadequate balance between time and other activities was perceived as the number one factor contributing to their demise. On the other hand, females selected lack of academic motivation as their number one factor. Interestingly, these factors were reversed when identifying …


Relationships And Differences On Self -Regulated Learning, Parental Involvement, Homework, And Academic Achievement, Among High School Students In Rural West Virginia, Samuel R. Heastie May 2001

Relationships And Differences On Self -Regulated Learning, Parental Involvement, Homework, And Academic Achievement, Among High School Students In Rural West Virginia, Samuel R. Heastie

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The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among self-regulated learning (SRL), parental involvement (PI), homework (HW), and cumulative grade point average (CGPA), and the differences between gender on these variables for high school students in rural West Virginia. Research was conducted at a rural high school, grades nine through 12, in North Central West Virginia. Participants in the study comprised of 50 students and 35 parents, for a combined total of 85 participants. Data were collected for students and parents from teachers' grade book, students' records, and two survey instruments---Bandura's Children's Self-Efficacy Scale (1990) and The Parent …


Burnout, Stress And Social Support Among Doctoral Students In Psychology, Kelli Lee Weaver Dec 2000

Burnout, Stress And Social Support Among Doctoral Students In Psychology, Kelli Lee Weaver

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The relationships between burnout, stress, and social support have been evaluated across a number of populations within the helping professions. However, no published studies have addressed the relationships between the aforementioned variables among doctoral students in psychology. As a result, the current study attempted to expand knowledge of the relationships between burnout, stress, and social support specifically among Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology doctoral students. Results suggested that Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology doctoral students are generally similar in their reports of burnout, stress, and social support. However, several differences were observed between the groups, and these differences are reported. …


Breastfeeding Personal Efficacy Beliefs Of Women University Students, Ann Pollard Cleveland Dec 2000

Breastfeeding Personal Efficacy Beliefs Of Women University Students, Ann Pollard Cleveland

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Many women do not initiate breastfeeding although breastfeeding promotes their baby's health. Three reasons why women do not breastfeed are women's mental organization, cultural beliefs about breastfeeding, and women's breastfeeding personal efficacy beliefs. The conceptual framework for personal efficacy beliefs is Bandura's social-cognitive theory (1992, 1995, 1997). This dissertation used a new research instrument to examine women university students' breastfeeding personal efficacy beliefs. The instrument was tested by mail survey techniques that resulted in a 70.6% respondent rate. University women's personal efficacy beliefs about breastfeeding factored into five factor subscales. In order of magnitude, the personal efficacy belief factors were …


Adapting Parent -Child Interaction Therapy To Train Head Start Teachers In Behavior Management, Alisa B. Bahl Aug 2000

Adapting Parent -Child Interaction Therapy To Train Head Start Teachers In Behavior Management, Alisa B. Bahl

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Efforts toward greater inclusion of children with a range of presenting problems have resulted in increasingly more children with difficult behavior in non-specialized classrooms. Unfortunately, teachers report that they have not been trained adequately to work with children who exhibit extreme behaviors. It is important, therefore, that effective methods of training teachers are empirically investigated. In clinical settings, strategies for training parents of young children with disruptive behavior disorders have substantial empirical support. Therefore, using these techniques to train teachers is a logical step. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy is one empirically validated parent training approach that uses coaching as a means …


Investigating Spelling Through Generative Instruction, Linda Ross May 2000

Investigating Spelling Through Generative Instruction, Linda Ross

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The present study examined the components of generative instruction through the teaching of spelling rules. In Experiment 1, the effects of direct versus passive instruction and rate building versus equal-time practice were examined. Forty undergraduate students with below average spelling skills participated. Although there were better performances under passive instruction on some aspects of the posttests, and improved performance with rate-building practice on others, these results were not systematic and were contradicted by other results. The effects of rate building versus an equal amount of practice on the training and posttest application of spelling rules were examined in Experiment 2. …


Parental Influences On High School Student Achievement And Goals, Richard K. York May 2000

Parental Influences On High School Student Achievement And Goals, Richard K. York

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The present study examined parental influences on educational and career goals of high school students. Data on educational and career goals from the Perceived Life Chances Interview were derived from 124 rural adolescents. One hundred of their mothers and 36 of their fathers completed the Inventory of Parental Influence which consists of five subscales of Parental Involvement/Help, Psychological Support, Parental Pressure, Pressure for Intellectual Development, and Time Management/Monitoring. Responses from the Perceived Life Chances Interview were qualitatively analyzed in order to derive categories that reflected the varying responses from participants. These categories served as dependent variables in a series of …


Effects Of Cumulative Practice On Mathematics Problem -Solving Behavior, Kristin Hobbs Hazlett May 2000

Effects Of Cumulative Practice On Mathematics Problem -Solving Behavior, Kristin Hobbs Hazlett

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Mathematics education has long been in need of improved methods of instruction, particularly in the area of problem-solving skills. This study compared three methods of training rules about laws of exponents and order of operations. All three training methods used the same mastery criterion for training each rule and included the same number of practice trials during review sessions that preceded each test. The difference between conditions involved what types of problems were presented during the reviews. For each review session, the cumulative group (n = 11) practiced 50 problems covering all rules learned up to that review. The simple …


The Implementation Of Learning Strategies In The Design Of An On-Line Medical Course Supplement, Lee Ann Hill May 1999

The Implementation Of Learning Strategies In The Design Of An On-Line Medical Course Supplement, Lee Ann Hill

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Given the charge of integrating technology in the medical school curriculum, faculty members are faced with the challenge of designing new materials for their courses. Often, these materials become on-line resources such as hypermedia and electronic communication. Strategies may assist students who are unfamiliar with on-line materials to use such materials more effectively. This study investigated the elaborative interrogation strategy used in conjunction with on-line materials to promote more efficient processing of difficult material. Twenty second-year medical students volunteered to participate in the study. The course in which they were enrolled required the use of an on-line lecture supplement. The …


Identification Of Math Anxiety Subtypes, Aline Elizabeth Rabalais Dec 1998

Identification Of Math Anxiety Subtypes, Aline Elizabeth Rabalais

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Conceptualizations of mathematics anxiety, as well as factors that are empirically related to it, were identified from the existing literature. These factors are test, evaluation, trait, and state anxiety, as well as gender and level of math ability. Differences in these factors were hypothesized to distinguish subtypes of highly math anxious individuals from one another. In order to determine whether subtypes exist, cluster analyses were performed on a sample of 96 highly math anxious college students. The results revealed three clusters distinguished by completion time on two versions of a math test and age. Furthermore, participants' responses on a variety …