Education Commons^™

Consequences Of Math Anxiety And Stereotype Threat: An Intersectional Perspective, Jennifer E. John Buck

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Individuals with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills are highly valued for their contribution to the U.S. workforce and society. However, women and some people of color enter STEM fields at lesser rates than do White men. Math anxiety and stereotype threat have been found to cause math performance decrements for women and some people of color. Presently, it is not clear how math anxiety and stereotype threat might work together to dually influence math performance and subsequent STEM participation. The current study focuses on a diverse sample of 295 undergraduate students who were randomly assigned to one of …

Improving Community College Students' Interest, Utility-Value, And Performance: How Does Future Time Persective Influence A Utility-Value Intervention?, Elsa Maria Mason

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The economic benefits of academic success and completion are long-lasting. Students who attend community colleges can stand to benefit a great deal by completing a 4-year degree or even a 2-year degree. Unfortunately, these students often begin their higher education journey not fully prepared for college-level coursework. Students often fail to see how their college coursework relates to their lives and in turn, don’t hold interest or perceive value for the course and consequently do not perform well. Using Eccles et al. (1983) expectancy-value theory this study tested how community college students would respond to a utility-value intervention in which …

The Effects Of Background, Classroom Assessment Competence, Self-Efficacy, And Self-Perceived Assessment Skills On Classroom Assessment Practices Of Teachers In India, Manognya Murukutla

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Teacher-conducted assessments are necessary to gather important information to facilitate student learning and academic success. Unfortunately, there is an inconsistency in teacher knowledge of assessment and assessment practices. While previous research identified a gap in teacher competence and teacher perceptions of their competence, and this affects classroom assessment practices that then impact student learning, the research is limited, outdated, and not grounded in any theoretical framework. This study addresses gaps in literature and establishes self-efficacy as a theoretical framework in which classroom assessment can be studied. Data were collected in India, and a path analysis and a Kruskal Wallis non-parametric …

Research Methods For Education With Technology: Four Concerns, Examples, And Recommendations, Daniel B. Wright

Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education Faculty Research

The success of education with technology research is in part because the field draws upon theories and methods from multiple disciplines. However, drawing upon multiple disciplines has drawbacks because sometimes the methodological expertise of each discipline is not applied when researchers conduct studies outside of their research training. The focus here is on research using methods drawn largely from psychology, for example, evaluating the impact of different systems on how students perform. The methodological concerns discussed are: low power; not using multilevel modeling; dichotomization; and inaccurate reporting of the numeric statistics. Examples are drawn from a recent set of proceedings. …

School Readiness Profiles And Growth In Academic Achievement, Qianqian Pan, Kim T. Trang, Hailey R. Love, Jonathan Templin

Educational & Clinical Studies Faculty Research

The purpose of this research was to identify the presence of different school readiness profiles and to determine whether profiles could differentially predict academic growth. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study: 2010-11 (ECLS-K: 2011) public data set was used, and participants were 14,954 first-time kindergarteners. The age of entering kindergarten ranged from 44.81 to 87.98 months with a mean of 76.13 months. In Study 1, a six-dimensional construct of school readiness was used: health, self-regulation, social and emotional development, language development, cognitive development, and approaches to learning. Results revealed 41 profiles with the top six school readiness profiles covering 85% of …

Family Environment Variables As Predictors Of School Absenteeism Severity At Multiple Levels: Ensemble And Classification And Regression Tree Analysis, Mirae J. Fornander, Christopher A. Kearney

Psychology Faculty Research

School attendance problems, including school absenteeism, are common to many students worldwide, and frameworks to better understand these heterogeneous students include multiple classes or tiers of intertwined risk factors as well as interventions. Recent studies have thus examined risk factors at varying levels of absenteeism severity to demarcate distinctions among these tiers. Prior studies in this regard have focused more on demographic and academic variables and less on family environment risk factors that are endemic to this population. The present study utilized ensemble and classification and regression tree analysis to identify potential family environment risk factors among youth (i.e., children …

Reconciling Contemporary Approaches To School Attendance And School Absenteeism: Toward Promotion And Nimble Response, Global Policy Review And Implementation, And Future Adaptability (Part 1), Christopher A. Kearney, Carolina Gonzalvez, Patricia A. Graczyk, Mirae J. Fornander

Psychology Faculty Research

School attendance is an important foundational competency for children and adolescents, and school absenteeism has been linked to myriad short- and long-term negative consequences, even into adulthood. Many efforts have been made to conceptualize and address this population across various categories and dimensions of functioning and across multiple disciplines, resulting in both a rich literature base and a splintered view regarding this population. This article (Part 1 of 2) reviews and critiques key categorical and dimensional approaches to conceptualizing school attendance and school absenteeism, with an eye toward reconciling these approaches (Part 2 of 2) to develop a roadmap for …

Effects Of Creativity Instruction In Science On Creative Thinking And Science Achievement In Chinese Students, Yun Peng

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study investigated the effectiveness of the 3eT instructional model designed by Hong (Hong, 2012a; Hong, O'Neil, Drobick, & Beisel, 2013) that focused on increasing students' creative-thinking ability. 120 seventh-graders in China participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to the experimental or the control group. They learned a segment of a science curriculum unit with instructional materials developed based on the 3eT model which aimed to encourage students to use creative thinking techniques.

Patterns of students' perceptions of a creative person were compared between the experimental group and the control group. Content analyses of students' narrative responses elicited …

Animal Assisted Therapy And Support Animals, What Mental Health Professionals Know And Understand, Alexandro H. Velez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Animal-assisted therapy can greatly benefit mental health professionals with clients in and out of the school settings in many ways. It is believed mental health professionals are successfully implementing Animal Assisted Therapy, even though some are not. Mental health professionals who are not using Animal Assisted Therapy are not doing so as the result of various variables, such as lack of information, knowledge, training, certification and policies, which prevents them from using Animals Assisted Therapy with clients and the community. It is also believed some mental health professionals are using animals as part of therapeutic interventions without proper training. The …

Allocation To Groups: Examples Of Lord's Paradox, Daniel B. Wright

Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education Faculty Research

Background Educational and developmental psychologists often examine how groups change over time. Two analytic procedures – analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and the gain score model – each seem well suited for the simplest situation, with just two groups and two time points. They can produce different results, what is known as Lord's paradox. Aims Several factors should influence a researcher's analytic choice. This includes whether the score from the initial time influences how people are assigned to groups. Examples are shown, which will help to explain this to researchers and students, and are of educational relevance. It is shown that …

Medical Student Mistreatment: Understanding 'Public Humiliation', Jesse D. Markman, Thomas M. Soeprono, Heidi L. Combs, Ellen M. Cosgrove

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction: Mistreatment in medical school is an enduring problem in medical education. Little is known about the concept of ‘public humiliation,’ one of the most common forms of mistreatment as identified on the AAMC Graduation Questionnaire. The objective of this study was to further investigate ‘public humiliation’ and to understand the underpinnings and realities of ‘public humiliation’ in medical education. Method: Focus groups of medical students on clinical rotation at the University of Washington School of Medicine were conducted over one and a half years. Qualitative analysis of responses identified emergent themes. Results: Study results included responses from 28 third …

Preparing Students For A Bright Outlook: Survey Of The Preparation Of High School Counselors For Advising On Technician Careers, Sarah L. Ferguson, Benita Kluttz-Drye, Katrina A. Hovey

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

This paper details a survey study of high school counselors’ awareness of and comfort with advising students in technician/technologist careers. The survey focused on careers designated as Bright Outlook by the US Department of Labor to explore familiarity with these careers, the effectiveness of the current career advising process, and recommendations on additional support or resources. Results indicate participants were more familiar with technician/technologist careers in health and medicine than those in engineering or other areas of science. Counselors acknowledged the importance of familiarity with a career in the career advising process, but communicate a number of challenges they face …

The Experience Of Students With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder During The Transition To Middle School, Hannah M. Berry

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The transition to the middle school setting from elementary school has been the subject of research for decades as data shows a decline in academic success, socio-emotional health and motivation for students. There is a lack of research based transitional programs to support the needs of students at this time, specifically those with special needs. Though the name and specific criteria for students with ADHD has shifted, the impact this neurological disability has on students and learning is comprehensive. Symptoms of this disorder reach and affect each part of the student and their school experience, as well as those around …

Exploring The Utility Of Mindfulness In The Elementary School Classroom, Sarah M. Wells

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Current evidence supporting the efficacy of mindfulness training in the K-12 setting is quite limited. In addition there is a lack of theory that is committed explicitly to explaining how a direct mindfulness-achievement effect might appear. This study builds a promising foundation for helping address this gap in the existing literature. Framed within the context of a limited source model of self-regulation, academic achievement and perceptions of third, fourth, and, fifth graders participating in a 3-week mindfulness training program were examined across variables of executive control, and emotional regulation. Mindfulness training produced observed emotional and cognitive benefits, including increased executive …

Motivation And Gesture In Foreign And Second Language Development: A Sociocultural Study Of Chinese Learners Of English, Lixian Tian

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation study investigated motivation as related to goal-directed activity and gesture awareness as well as their interplay in second and foreign language development in different English as a foreign language (EFL) and English as a second language (ESL) contexts. This study included four groups of Chinese learners of English. The first EFL group consisted of college students in China learning English without intention of studying abroad (G1) and the second EFL group in China included Chinese learners of English who were learning English to prepare to study abroad (G2). Participants in the first ESL group were living and studying …

Motivation And Online Information Literacy Instruction: A Self-Determination Theory Approach, Francesca Marineo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Information literacy skills, including critical thinking and problem-solving skills, are imperative for academic, personal, and professional success. Unfortunately, many students graduate only to be more daunted than ever by the vast amount of information available to them and increasingly rely on convenience over quality in their information-seeking behaviors. This study hoped to address this by increasing students’ motivation for engaging in an online information literacy module. Using self-determination theory (SDT) from the field of motivation, motivationally-supportive modules were designed to support students’ feelings of autonomy and competence and ultimately grades on their final research assignment. Experimental conditions included providing relevance, …

Personality Patterns Of Students Who Make A Threat Of Targeted School Violence, Tawnya Michelle Ayim

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Although school shootings date back to the 1760’s (Dixon, 2005), recent attacks at schools in our country have raised awareness of school violence. This study investigates how students from one large school district responded to the personality pattern items on the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory, Second Edition after having made a threat to harm another student or staff member. Personality patterns were investigated in the overall sample, as well as within groups designated to be at a Low/Moderate risk level and High/Imminent risk level following a threat assessment. The minimal Differences between the sample for the current study and the …

The Roles Of Biophilic Attitudes And Auditory Stimuli Within Attention Restoration Theory, Jason B. Boggs

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Attention Restoration Theory indicates that interacting with nature allows one’s fatigued, directed attention to be restored. This effect has been documented and produced through directed interaction with nature, such as a walk in the park, as well as through indirect interactions (e.g., photographs). The current dissertation was designed to: 1) investigate whether and how biophilic attitudes affect the attention-restoring effects incurred from interactions with nature, and 2) extend the research on ART by assessing the impact of nature-related audio stimuli. A total of 184 participants completed an assessment of biophilic attitudes, engaged in attention fatiguing exercises, and participated in one …

Exploring Relations Between Motivation, Metacognition, And Academic Achievement Through Variable-Centered, Person-Centered And Learning Analytic Methodologies, Wonjoon Hong

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The three studies that comprise this dissertation examine relations between student characteristics, motivations, metacognitive learning processes, and academic achievement. Methodologically, the dissertation demonstrated the potential of multiple types of approaches

and data resource types. By employing multiple approaches including variable-centered, person-centered, and learning analytics, researchers can understand learning processes from various angles. In addition, through this triangulation by multiple types of methodological approaches, educational theories could be more thoroughly verified and supported by various empirical findings. Multiple types of data resources are related to analytical methods.

The purpose of the first paper was to examine relations between achievement goals and …

Conversational Movement Dynamics And Nonverbal Indicators Of Second Language Development: A Microgenetic Approach, Kristine Marie Bragg

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation study extends on current understandings of gesture and embodied interaction with the eco-social environment in second language development (SLD) while introducing new aspects of movement analysis through dynamical modeling. To understand the role of embodiment during learning activities, a second language learning task has been selected. Dyads consisting of a non-native English-speaking student and a native English-speaking tutor were video recorded during writing consultations centered on class assignments provided by the student. Cross-recurrence quantification analysis was used to measure interactional movement synchrony between the members of each dyad. Results indicate that students with varied English proficiency levels synchronize …

A Qualitative Study Of School Psychologists' Perception And Interpretation Of Their Professional Identity, Elizabeth A. Sanders

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The primary focus or aim of this qualitative multiple-case study was to increase understanding of how experienced school psychologists define themselves as professionals within the field, taking into consideration the profession’s collective or organizational identity, the parameters established by the organization, and the actual performance of the job within the educational setting. Specifically, this study examined how the individuals’ definitions had changed over time and what lived experiences led to development and change in professional identity. Six school psychologists with 10 or more years of experience from a large urban Southwestern school district’s school psychology department were invited to participate. …

Changes In Beliefs Towards Children, Personality, And Future Social Studies Teachers: An Analysis Of Survey Data, Peter D. Wiens

Teaching and Learning Faculty Research

For many years, teacher education has focused on the centrality of the learner in the educational process. This study examined how preservice teachers’ beliefs regarding children changed over the course of a teacher education program. It also examined the role of personality indicators in that change. Preservice social studies teachers were administered surveys in each year of a teacher education program to assess participants’ beliefs towards children and their personality type. Participants’ beliefs about children became more child-centered and personality type was a predictor of these beliefs.

Education, Not Restriction, Is Key To Reducing Harm From Offshore Gambling, Sally Gainsbury, Alex Blaszczynski, Brett Abarbanel

College of Hospitality Faculty Research

Australian internet gambling policies have been refined and prohibitions on illegal gambling sites clarified in recent years. These offshore sites not only pose potential harm to consumers in the form of fraudulent and deceptive dealings, but also have long-term consequences through reducing the tax dollars generated by the licensed market. Our research takes a closer look at why gamblers use offshore sites, and the implications of this for policymaking.

Mental Health Research Productivity Of Nasp-Approved School Psychology Programs: 2010-2015, Mala Nash

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With the evident need for mental health support of children and adolescents, there are identified professionals prepared to provide services within the school setting. The school psychologist is considered a key resource for providing mental health services such as preventive and crisis response (Dwyer, 2004; Armistead, 2008). Based on our country’s mental health needs and the significant role that schools can make in meeting those needs, it is pertinent to take a closer look at the literature specifically related to mental health. This review focused specifically on the field of school psychology’s contribution to mental health literature and established a …

Malingering Undetected Successfully: Does Extrinsic Motivation And Coaching Have A Significant Impact?, Jennifer Golanics

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The present study examined the effectiveness of a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) coaching (i.e., providing information about mTBI symptoms) and motivational incentive (i.e., a $50 gift card lottery) on the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) test performance. The sample included a total of 162 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in an introductory educational psychology course. Participants were randomly assigned to one of six conditions: coached plus warning instruction and motivation incentive, coached instruction and motivation incentive, uncoached instruction and motivation incentive, coached plus warning instruction and no motivation incentive, coached instruction and no motivation incentive, and uncoached instruction and …

Epistemic Beliefs And The Innovation-Decision Process: A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Faculty Classroom Assessment Practice, Sharon G. Peterson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study focuses on epistemic belief change and the innovation-decision processes of 193 faculty who participated in a professional development workshop series on classroom assessment. From this study population, focus groups were conducted with a criterion-based research sample of 30 workshop participants (i.e., spring workshop completers n = eight, spring workshop non-completers n =eight, fall workshop completers n = seven, and fall workshop non-completers n = seven). Very little attention in higher education research is devoted to how faculty conceptualize new knowledge during professional development, and how decisions about new knowledge affect existing knowledge. This study addresses this gap by …

Assessment Of A Peer Mentoring Program To Build Capacity For Course Development And Delivery, Steven J. Burian, Mercedes Ward, Sajjad Ahmad, David Lawrence Stevenson, Tariq Banuri, Muhammad Aslam Chaudhry, Rasool Bux Mahar, Jeffery D. Ullman

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Building capacity in higher education in under-developed countries is critical for meeting many of the local development objectives. There have been numerous approaches to improve the abilities of professors to develop and deliver courses. Structured independent learning using published resources (e.g., books, online), workshops, seminars, and mentoring are among the most common. This paper describes a peer mentoring program to build capacity of professors in Pakistan teaching water resources and environmental engineering courses. The program is delivered remotely using an online learning management system, Canvas. The peer mentoring is conducted at weekly intervals with the structured learning facilitated through Canvas. …

The Effects Of A Retrieval Practice Intervention On Undergraduates’ Monitoring And Control Processes Using Performance Feedback In A College Classroom, Meganclaire Cogliano

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The present study examined the effects of a classroom intervention on students’ metacognitive monitoring of retrieval practice performance feedback and metacognitive control of future study decisions. The sample included 103 undergraduate students enrolled in five sections of an introductory educational psychology course. A true experimental design was used to randomly assign students to trained (n=49) and control (n=54) conditions within each section.

During the semester, students completed a pre- and post- metacognitive awareness inventory (MAI), 10 practice-tests, 10 feedback monitoring assignments, and a cumulative final examination. The feedback assignments required students to identify areas of mastery (i.e., well-learned topics) and …

Dialectical Teaching Strategies For First And Second-Year Students, Nathan M. Slife

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

An oppositional or bi-polar understanding of meaning (Rychlak, 1976). This ancient understanding of meaning has many applications for instructors.

The Design And Validation Of A Rhythm Span Task, Elizabeth Hofschulte Collins

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to design and validate a rhythm span task. Existing rhythm span tasks do not address important elements of rhythm and music such as tempo (speed), length (duration in beats per minute), and complexity (level of syncopation). This rhythm span task includes every combination of these criteria. The rhythmic sequences were presented with a piano sound from computer audio speakers. To align with traditional simple span tasks, the rhythm span task required participants to reproduce the rhythmic sequence. Results from this study showed that length was a significant factor for difficulty. Short rhythms were found …