Education Commons^™

Value Added By Using Joint Displays In Mixed Methods Research, Elizabeth Svoboda

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Mixed methods research collects, analyzes, and integrates rigorous qualitative and quantitative methods to gain a deeper understanding of a phenomenon than would be gained by using either method alone. Integration is one of the key features of mixed methods research and consists of mixing qualitative and quantitative research in a systematic way to generate new inferences or follow-up studies. However, the process of integration can be challenging to draw on expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methods, decide when and how to integrate qualitative and quantitative research, and combine multiple data sources in a coherent way to generate new inferences. …

Practical Recommendations For Mixed Methods Sampling In Psychological Intervention Research: A Mixed Methods Case Study, Analay Perez

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Sampling is integral to the research process and, if not appropriately addressed, can affect the meta-inferences of the mixed methods study. Sampling is also closely related to recruitment, retention, and additional methodological components. Sampling issues are magnified in social and health sciences intervention research due to the temporal placement of data collection and analysis. Limited research has examined sampling based on researchers’ rationales and decision-making across mixed methods psychological intervention research. This study explored this phenomenon to develop and refine a list of practical recommendations for sampling in mixed methods that were tested using content validity.

Using an exploratory sequential …

The Examination Of Nonparametric Person-Fit Statistics As Appropriate Measures Of Response Bias In Ordered Polytomous Items, Mark F. Beck

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Survey research is ubiquitous within the social sciences; however, surveys are vulnerable to response biases. Response biases introduce construct-irrelevant variance into survey responses, which degrades the accuracy of conclusions drawn through the use of surveys. Nonparametric person-fit statistics have been shown to accurately identify response biases in dichotomous response data but are not well studied in polytomous response data. This study examines the accuracy of nonparametric person-fit statistics in polytomous response data. A 6 x 4 x 4 x 2 simulation study was conducted, with type of aberrancy (6), number of response options (4), dimensionality (4), and test length (2) …

Assessing The Role Of Biology Undergraduates' Metacognitive Calibration And Neural Activity During Model-Based Reasoning, Mei Grace Behrendt

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Metacognition refers to the critical awareness of or ability to monitor, regulate, control, and sequence of one's thoughts and performance. There is limited research that examines the relationship between metacognition and (a) academic performance and (b) general cognition among undergraduates. Moreover, there is an even greater paucity of literature that focuses more specifically on undergraduate biology students’ neural activity in relation to their metacognition.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between undergraduate life sciences students' metacognitive calibration, i.e., their capacity to self-evaluate their own performance, and their behavioral performance and brain activity during a biological error reasoning task. Thirty-four …

Correlation Of The Anterior Salience Network With Attention: A Resting-State Fmri Analysis, Matthew Brooks

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Background: Some studies have broadened our understanding of attention while other studies have used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) analyses to identify brain regions that are functionally connected and may be associated with salience processing. This thesis sought to examine the relationship between the anterior salience network and attentional control. The current study hypothesized that resting-state functional connectivity between regions of the anterior salience network would be associated with attentional control ability. Methods: Forty-eight college-aged students completed the affective Stroop task to assess attentional regulation ability. Accuracy on trials of the task was examined in correlation with resting-state functional …

An Intersectionality Framework On The Role Of Student-Teacher Relationships On Student Social Outcomes, Kenji Madison

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This research aimed to build on the great wealth of knowledge on student-teacher relationships, social competence, and peer outcomes while utilizing a different approach integrating race and gender. The view of intersectionality may influence those who join in reading this research to consider race coupled with student gender as a strong influence affecting the formation of a relationship as instrumental as the student-teacher relationship.

In a sample of 10,886 (8489 White, 2397 Black) students from third to fifth grade, the research completed three aims: characterizing the relationship between teacher rated closeness and conflict and students’ social outcomes in fourth and …

Neurobehavioral Correlates Associated With Melodic Intonation Therapy For Adults With Nonfluent Aphasia, Caitlin Norquist

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Recent trends in neuroimaging, as it relates to the field of communication disorders, have shed new light on the nature of neuroplasticity and reorganization of brain function as it pertains to recovery from nonfluent aphasia following Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT). However, demographic limitations in these client populations necessitate synthesis across individual studies to form meaningful patterns for application to clinical practice. We conducted a systematic review of all studies involving pre-and post-treatment neurological and behavioral measures following MIT treatment for adults with nonfluent aphasia. Ten studies were identified for synthesis involving a variety of languages, treatment conditions, and neuroimaging and …

Investigating The Fit Of The Generalized Graded Unfolding Model (Ggum) When Calibrated To Irt Generated Data From Dominance And Ideal Point Models, Abdulla Alzarouni

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The assessment of model fit in latent trait modelling, better known as item response theory (IRT), is an integral part of model testing if one is to make valid inferences about the estimated parameters and their properties based on the selected IRT model. Though important, the assessment of model fit has been less utilized in IRT research than it should. For example, there have been less research investigating fit for polytomous dominance models such the Graded Response Model (GRM), and to a lesser extent ideal point models such as the Generalized Graded Unfolding Models (GGUM), both in its dichotomous and …

Relationship Of Early Life Maltreatment To Self Regulation During An Affective Stroop Task, Sophie Tonjes

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Background: Previous research has found that childhood maltreatment is associated with emotional regulation difficulties, as well associations with brain structures, such as the amygdala and hippocampus. However, there are individual differences in the effect of maltreatment on emotional regulation, and this relationship may be dependent upon amygdala or hippocampal volume. The present study hypothesized that amygdala or hippocampal volume would moderate the relationship between maltreatment and emotional regulation. Method: Forty-nine college students were assessed for their history of parenting and participated in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study. Moreover, to measure emotional regulation skills, participants completed the Affective Stroop task, …

Exploring Supervisor Experiences Of Hope In Clinical Supervision: A Phenomenological Approach, Robert Byrom Jr.

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Supervisory experiences have been identified as one of the primary resources for the clinical training of psychotherapists with respect to both the development of necessary skills and the ability to cope with encountered difficulties. This phenomenological study explored the experiences of clinical supervisors in a current supervisory relationship with one or more supervisees. Specifically, this study explored how supervisors experience their supervisory relationships, how supervisors conceptualize hope as it relates to supervision, how supervisors express hope for their supervisees, and how supervisors promote hope within supervision. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with between 3 to 15 individuals recruited from counseling psychology …

The Role Of Faculty In Fostering Psychosocial Wellbeing Among University Students, Kelley Wick

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The transition to college represents a major life event, and successfully navigating this shift has implications for students’ psychosocial wellbeing. While there is ample support for the idea that social relationships can facilitate student wellbeing during the transition to college, there is limited understanding of the unique role faculty may play in supporting students. The aim of this study was to determine the relation of faculty support to student wellbeing and self-efficacy, independent of peer support and student level of stress. Additionally, the primary questions were to examine whether self-efficacy mediated the relation of faculty support to student wellbeing, and …

Career And Technical Education Teachers’ Beliefs About Developing Students’ Motivation To Write, Katie Graham

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Students in the U.S. write poorly. Although postsecondary and workplace writing expectations continue to rise, writing instruction has largely remained unchanged over time. As a result, student writing outcomes continue to fall below expectations from both an assessment and hirable proficiency standpoint. Career and Technical Education (CTE) provides a unique opportunity to motivate students who are otherwise disengaged in writing (ACTE, 2009). The benefits of helping students develop their writing-self efficacy has well-documented support (Bruning & Horn, 2009; Bandura, 1997; Pajares 2003; Pajares & Valiante, 2006). However, little is known about the writing opportunities provided in CTE classes or CTE …

Estimating School-Level Achievement In Belize, Betty Jean Usher-Tate

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation consists of five chapters: introduction, literature review, methodology, results, and discussion with final thoughts. The research design of this dissertation study attended to structures, cultures, and characteristics associated with, and specific to, the Belize education system. The processes for data collection and types of analyses were appropriate, yielded meaningful results, and served as a segue for national application. The Belize Educator Survey was developed to capture the educators’ voices and illuminate their relationship to educational achievement in Belize. The Belize Educator Survey was piloted and revised with direct input from educators and experts who work in the Belize …

Training Teachers To Differentiate Instruction To Address Work Completion Problems In Math, Elisabeth Kane

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation investigated an adaptation of functional analysis methodology, performance deficit analysis (PDA), and its use in training teachers to differentiate instruction for students having difficulty completing independent math seatwork. Participants included three middle school teachers and one of their students who was referred for having difficulty completing his or her work. Behavioral skills training was used to individually train each teacher to interpret her student’s PDA data, determine if the student had a skill or performance deficit, and select appropriate motivational and instructional strategies to increase the student’s performance. To answer the research questions, a multiple-baseline-design across teachers was …

Finite Population Corrections For Two-Level Hierarchical Linear Models With Binary Predictors, Steven Svoboda

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Answering social science research questions about clustered data necessitates collecting data using sampling schemes, which may result in hierarchical data structures. Hierarchical liner modeling (HLM) techniques are required to account for the interdependency of observations due to clustering. However, traditional HLM assumes the target population is infinitely large or near enough to infinitely large for practical purposes (i.e., the sample consists of less than 5% of the target population). Often times, the assumption of an infinitely large target population may not hold.

The current study was conducted in two separate phases using Monte Carlo simulation methods. First, the continuous predictors …

Conjoint Behavioral Consultation With Latinx Families And Children: What Works For Whom?, Samantha Eastberg

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Latinx students in the United States are at risk for unmet mental and behavioral health needs (Kataoka, Zhang, & Wells, 2002; Toppelberg, Hollinshead, Collins, & Nieto-Castañon, 2013) and are disproportionately referred for special education and disciplinary consequences (Moreno & Segura-Herrera, 2014). Effective approaches and interventions are needed to address behavioral and socioemotional concerns for Latinx students; Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC) is one such approach. CBC is an indirect problem-solving approach designed to build socioemotional skills and decrease maladaptive behaviors in children (Sheridan & Kratochwill, 2008). Preliminary research demonstrates that CBC is effective for Latinx children and families (Clarke et al., …

Assessing Quality In Mixed Methods Research: A Case Study Operationalizing The Legitimation Typology, Analay Perez

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Quality in mixed methods research (MMR) has been an ongoing topic of discussion over the past two decades. One of the obstacles of assessing quality in a MMR study is developing credible inferences from the integration of quantitative and qualitative approaches (Plano Clark & Ivankova, 2016). Some researchers have designed a variety of strategies for assessing quality of a mixed methods study as a whole (Teddlie, & Tashakkori, 2003; Onwuegbuzie & Johnson, 2006; Tashakkori, & Teddlie, 2003), but there is no general consensus among researchers on which methods to use. The aim of this intrinsic, exploratory case study was to …

Effects Of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation On Student-Teacher Interactions, Sonya A. Bhatia

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Young children with disruptive classroom behaviors are at-risk for negative interactions with their teachers (Nelson & Roberts, 2000), which put children at increased risk for long-term negative social, academic, and behavioral outcomes (Sutherland & Oswald, 2005). Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC) is an evidence-based family-school partnership intervention focused on strengthening relationships and promoting continuity and consistency between children’s key environments (Sheridan & Kratochwill, 2008). The efficacy of CBC on child outcomes and parent-teacher relationships has been demonstrated (Sheridan et al., 2017); however, no research has determined whether CBC improves student-teacher interactions.

This study examined CBC’s effect on student-teacher interactions using a …

Using Self-Regulation To Predict Preschoolers' Symptomology Of Disruptive Behavior Disorders, Andrew White

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The use of brief rating forms completed by caregivers to identify children at-risk for developing behavioral disorders is common (Lane et al., 2009). However, identifying a behavioral measure assessing child-level variables (i.e., temperamental traits) which predict later behavioral concerns has potential to improve universal screening practices in the context of a multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) framework. Self-regulation (Rothbart & Bates, 2006) is a trait that is related to externalizing problem behaviors (e.g., Espy et al., 2011), and may be useful as a means to predict young children at risk for developing behavioral disorders. The purpose of this study is …

Weight Status, Bullying Involvement, And Internalizing Symptomology In Adolescents: Examining A Diathesis-Stress Model, Ana Damme

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Bullying is a pervasive societal issue that is consistently linked to negative outcomes that are emotionally, socially, behaviorally, and medically related. Most youth will encounter this negative life event in their childhood. The purpose of this dissertation was to use a diathesis-stress model perspective to assess the relations between the negative life event of bullying involvement, youths’ mental health, and youth weight status. Youth who have an unhealthy weight status are more likely to be involved in bullying than those with a healthy weight status (Browne, 2012; Puhl). Additionally, bullying and having an unhealthy weight status are related internalizing symptomology …

Deliberate Practice, Writing Self-Efficacy, And Self-Regulation Among Internet Novelists In China: A Phenomenological Approach, Shuangshuang Cai

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The focus of this study was the role of deliberate practice, writing self-efficacy and self-regulation in the lived experiences of Chinese internet literature novelists. This qualitative, phenomenological study presented the shared perceptions of this phenomenon drawn from interviews of Chinese internet novelists. The psychological aspects of these novelists were previously unexplored and this study helps to address the gap in the literature. The phenomenological method captured the experiences of the Chinese internet novelists and added this rich detail to the existing research literature.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen Chinese internet novelists, and related documents from other Chinese internet novelists’ …

Alcohol Expectancies Among Students In The City Of Pokhara, Nepal, Niran Tamrakar

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Alcohol plays a vital role in various aspects of Nepalese society. It also presents public health risks. Though adolescents in Nepal are at high risk for negative consequences from alcohol use, there is limited information available on their alcohol behaviors and beliefs. The present study aims to describe alcohol expectancies among a sample of secondary students in Nepal to identify and understand motivations underlying their alcohol-related behaviors. A self-report survey was administered to 591 students from different Englishmedium schools in the city of Pokhara. This study began with the Chinese Adolescent Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (CAAEQ), then used qualitative methods to …

The Development Of A Situational Judgment Test To Assess Collegiate Judgment: A Pilot Study, Jared Stevens

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Traditionally, colleges and universities have focused primarily on cognitive predictors (e.g., ACT/SAT scores, high school GPA), and have struggled to find an accurate and objective way of measuring non-cognitive skills, often resorting to personality measures or interviews, or deciding not to measure them at all. Recently, there has been a push for alternative forms of student selection that result in less adverse impact and do not ignore important skills and traits that are necessary to be successful in college (Peeters & Lievens, 2005; Atkinson, 2001).

Growing evidence suggests Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) may be one way to achieve this goal. …

A Mixed Methods Study Exploring The Relationship Of Cognitive And Motivational Factors To Sonography Student Performance, Renee Hathaway

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine relationships between sonography students’ levels of self-regulation and self-efficacy and their performance in a 16-week introductory vascular sonography skills laboratory course. Measures for the study were designed to yield qualitative and quantitative data related to student goals, strategies, and course performance, and were generated by both students and faculty. Qualitative data from the study included student self-reports of self-regulatory strategies and instructor evaluations of student performance, while quantitative data were provided by instructor and student ratings of performance, student self-efficacy ratings, and student reports on their use of deliberate practice. …

Exploring The Moderating Effects Of Racial/Ethnic Socialization, Academic Motivation And African American Racial Identity On The Relation Between Microaggressions And Mattering Of African American Students At Predominantly White Institutions, Lawrence Chatters

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

African Americans remain underrepresented in higher education (Thompson, Gorin, & Chen, 2006) and experience subtle forms of racism called microaggressions (Sue et. al, 2007). The impact of microaggressions in post-secondary institutions may manifest in the achievement gaps that exist between African American and White people; moreover, they may influence the inequitable treatment of African American students by staff, teaching assistants and faculty (Ancis, Sedlacek, & Mohr, 2000; Becker & Luther, 2002). 108 African American undergraduate students at three Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) participated. The current study employed an online survey to explore relationships of microaggressions, racial/ethnic socialization, African American racial …

The Influence Of Context On Metacognition And Its Measurement, Markeya S. Peteranetz

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Metacognition enhances students’ efforts to effectively self-regulate their learning. It is a multifaceted construct that includes metacognitive knowledge, metacognitive regulation, and metacognitive experiences. Metacognition theory clearly indicates that metacognitive regulation should be impacted by the context in which the learning takes place, but little empirical research has attempted to show this effect of context on metacognitive regulation. The purpose dissertation of this was to investigate how context influences undergraduate students’ use of metacognitive regulation. To this end, an instrument (the Metacognition Inventory for Post-Secondary Students; MIPSS) that assesses metacognitive knowledge globally and metacognitive regulation as a context-dependent construct was created …

Examining The Relationships Between Prenatal Tobacco Exposure, Temperament, And Cognitive Ability In Early Childhood, Sam Pérez-González

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE) has been extensively researched and consistently associated with outcomes indicative of self-regulation deficits (e.g., ADHD, behavioral problems, and impaired cognitive function). Self-regulation is a multifaceted construct critical to children’s successful behavioral, emotional, and academic adjustment and involves the integration of a cognitive component (executive function) and a temperamental component (effortful control). Previous research suggests temperament may be a pathway through which PTE affects children’s future behavior and cognitive outcomes, but such studies have been limited to infancy and have not included measures of executive function. Thus, the current study had three aims: a) to examine clusters …

Multilevel Metric Invariance: A Monte Carlo Simulation, Elizabeth Svoboda

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Multilevel measurement invariance determines the extent to which a construct is measured in the same way across multiple hierarchical nested levels in the context of the current study. Lower-level parameter estimates may differ from parameter estimates based on higher-level aggregates in applied research settings. Multilevel metric invariance is a method to detect the presence of a noninvariant factor loading.

The purpose of the current study was to determine the utility of multiple-group multilevel – confirmatory factor analysis (MGM-CFA) for detecting metric noninvariance in nested data. The example context is noninvariance occurring between treatment and control classrooms with students (i.e., level-one) …

Effects Of Implicit Bias On Teachers’ Expectations Of Student Relationships, Colin Michael Mcginnis

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Numerous studies have considered the implications of child characteristics such as race and gender on the relationships with and expectations of students held by teachers. Yet, few studies among this body of research have focused on using direct measures of implicit associations held by teachers, and considered how these implicit beliefs may impact their interactions with students. The present study examined differences in teachers’ expectations of relationships and likelihood to intervene in typical and disruptive behaviors as a result of differing race and gender of students. Results indicated that teachers report being less tolerant of Black student’s disruptive behavior than …

You're Getting It!: How Preschool Teachers And Students Experience Literacy Tabletop Games In The Classroom, Katherine Sydik

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this qualitative instrumental case study was to examine affordances of literacy tabletop games in a preschool classroom environment as well as the experiences of young children between the ages of 3 and 6 and teachers playing the games. The following themes emerged from the research: “That’s How Games Are” relating to views about games and play, “How The Teacher Does It”, relating to developmentally appropriate educational practice for playing games with preschool children, “A Way to Keep Them More Engaged”, relating to preschool children’s motivation while playing literacy games, “Things Kids Need to Know for Kindergarten”, relating …