Education Commons^™

Video Display Terminals And Psychological Stress: A Study Of The Acclimation Process, Walker Michael Parmelee

Dissertations

The acclimation process that employees of a large manufacturing company underwent after the introduction of video display terminals (VDTs) to the workplace was studied. In an attempt to understand the acclimation process, employees' mood states, perceptions of the work setting and their reactions toward the VDTs were assessed. This study followed secretaries (N = 11) through the initial phases of converting from a traditional to an automated office. The subjects were observed four weeks prior to and eight weeks after the introduction of VDTs. The secretaries' stress levels were monitored by the Profile of Mood States. The secretaries' perceptions of …

Experiencing Scale Discrimination Between More And Less Productive Psychotherapy Sessions, Drevis L. Hager

Dissertations

Previous studies have failed to detect differences in experiencing (EXP) between more and less productive psychotherapy sessions. This study explored the possible relationship between EXP and session productivity and examined the efficacies of the conventional versus an alternative method of applying the EXP Scale.

Six client-therapist pairs audio recorded 52 psychotherapy hours, and after each independently completed a session productivity questionnaire. More and less productive sessions were selected based on the clients', therapists', and the clients' and therapists' combined responses. EXP ratings were made of 8-minute audio recorded segments, first using conventional mode and peak scores, and then using alternative …

The Effects Of Adventure Activities On An Objective Measure Of Self-Concept, Marjorie Ellen Bethke

Masters Theses

Although a plethora of studies have linked experiences in adventure education to the enhancement of self-concept, virtually all have been faulted on methodological grounds. In this study the inferential leap from test performance to actual behavior was narrowed, if not eliminated, by utilizing systematic direct observation as an alternative to self-reports. A single behavior, hugs, was isolated as an indicator of self-concept. Eighth grade Outdoor Education students were observed over a baseline period, then engaged in a short-term, intense, adventure education experience. A second baseline revealed an appreciable increase in the rate of hug behavior under select circumstances. The data …

An Analysis Of Conduct Disordered Boys’ And Their Parents’ Perceptions Of Their Family Social Environments, John Rolph

Dissertations

Conduct disordered behavior of male adolescents constitutes a major social problem. There are many disagreements among clinicians and researchers about the factors which cause and maintain antisocial child behavior.

The purpose of this study was to learn more about the differences between two types of conduct disordered boys and their families: Stealers and Aggressors. The Family Environment Scale Form R and Form I were used to obtain parental and child measures of perceptions of family social climates. The Health and Daily Living Form was used to obtain measures of parental mental and physical health, social resources, and family life change …

Hemisphericity And Reading Comprehension: A Study Of Black Students From Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds, Linda Hampton Wesson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to determine relationships between cognitive asymmetry, gender, and reading achievement of black students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The sample consisted of black students from Central High School, a school of 1300 students located in an economically deprived area in eastern Arkansas. The sample was administered tests to determine right/left cognitive asymmetry and level of reading comprehension. The purpose of this study was to determine relationships between cognitive asymmetry and reading comprehension for males, females, and the total population of black, low socioeconomic students. The study also investigated differences in cognitive asymmetry between the male and female …

A Logistic Discriminant Analysis Of Factors Affecting The Attrition And Retention In An Outpatient Treatment Program For Female Alcoholics, James Loser

Dissertations

The study was conducted in the context of three conditions related to alcoholism which impact Western society: the destructive effects of the disease, the paucity of research concerned with female alcoholics, and the problems of early termination from residential treatment.

The specific purpose of the study was to investigate the feasibility of using demographic and personality variables of female alcoholic outpatients at a residential facility to: (a) predict probable program completion for female residents at the time of admission and (b) predict probable premature terminations at the time of admission.

The Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation Behavior Scale (FIRO-B) and the …

An Investigation Of Variables Related To Successful Foster Care Of Juvenile Delinquents, John Charles Weiks

Dissertations

This research was designed to investigate the outcomes of foster care placements involving delinquent youth placed by a juvenile court in regular foster family homes and more specialized treatment group homes (TGH). Forty predictor variables were identified through a survey of probation officers and a review of the literature. The major research question was to determine which of these variables were significantly associated with outcome of foster care placements. A second research question was to determine whether there were different variables related to foster family placement outcomes as compared to TGH placement outcomes.

The case records of 233 youth removed …

An Analysis Of The Correlation Between Coping Factors And Clinical Symptoms, Justin Morgan Wilson

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between coping skills and clinical symptoms in the context of a stressful situation. The study gave support to Lazarus' cognitive model of stress. This conceptualization of stress is based on the dynamic relationship between intertwining variables.

The sample consisted of 336 male recruits ranging in age from 17-34 who were beginning basic training on March 11 and 12, 1986. Coping style was measured by the Ways of Coping Checklist Revised and clinical symptoms were measured by the Cornell Medical Index Health Questionnaire. Both questionnaires were given on the second day …

Readers' Forum: Belief In Testing, David Moshman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Peter Glick and Mark Snyder's article [“Self-fulfilling Prophecy: The Psychology of Belief in Astrology,” May/June 1986] provides an important account of a deep-seated irrational tendency in human reasoning. They describe how people tend to test hypotheses using a verification strategy—that is, by seeking information that would sup-port the hypothesis. Such a strategy does not really test the hypothesis since it does not look for—and is thus unlikely to find—disconfirming evidence. This may account for the failure to reject not only astrology but a variety of myths, superstitions, and stereo-types.

Executive Personality Types: A Comparison Of Military And Civilian Leaders In A Single Organization, John Edward Dewald

Dissertations

Differences between comparable military and civilian upper-level leaders in a single military organization were examined in terms of personality types. The survey instrument used was the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which was developed for use in personality assessment of normal individuals through the practical application of C. G. Jung's (1921/1971) theory of psychological types. Thirty pairs of executives were surveyed. Each participating pair consisted of a chief and his deputy, one military and one civilian, who shared the same office, authority, and responsibilities. Response to the survey was 100 percent.

Two sets of findings emerged from this study, the first …

An Investigation Of The Effect Of Daily Tests On The Retention Of Knowledge Of Malaysian Students In The Re-Orientation Program, Rokiah Mohamed

Masters Theses

Seventy Malaysian students participated in the 7-day Re-Orientation Program and were divided into two groups; 20 students were in Group 1, the group that took the daily tests and 50 students were in Group 2, the group that took the final examination only. The results of the final examination revealed a significant difference between the two groups, t (68) = 5.895, p< .05. The means of Groups 1 and 2 were 30.75 and 24.26 respectively. The correlations between the scores of the daily tests and the final examination scores were also statistically significant at p< .05 where n = 20. A post hoc analysis was done to further support the data. It is suggested that further research can be done using knowledge tests in programs that run for longer periods of time to improve students' retention of knowledge.

Development Of The Concept Of Inferential Validity, David Moshman, Bridget A. Franks

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

An argument is valid if its conclusion necessarily follows from its premises, regardless of whether the premises and conclusion are empirically true or false. This research tested the hypothesis that understanding validity of inference (including its differentiation from empirical truth) is a relatively late development. Students in Experiment 1 were asked to sort sets of deductive arguments. None of the fourth graders used validity as a basis for distinguishing arguments, while 45% of the seventh graders and 85% of the college students did so. Experiments 2 and 3 explored whether the dramatic age difference could be narrowed by (a) varying …

Efficacy Of A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Approach In Improving Academic Performance Of Low-Achieving Elementary-Age Children, John Brian Markey

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Low-achieving students tend to be "externals," lack mastery orientation, and often do not "take responsibility" for learning. Through the cognitive behavioral approach in this study, the goal is to help the low achiever become better at self-monitoring and encoding information.;Low-achieving students from two elementary schools were pre- and posttested using the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test (to measure reading achievement), Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (to measure self-esteem), and the Children's Academic Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (to measure intrinsic motivation). The teachers completed, as both a pre and post measure, the Devereux Elementary School Behavior Rating Scale II to measure student classroom behavior. Thirty …

Meta-Analysis Of Studies Investigating The Effects Of Father Absence On Children's Cognitive Development, Stephanie Ann Salzman

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was the integration of the father-absence research to determine the effects of father absence on children's cognitive development as assessed by standardized intelligence, aptitude, and achievement tests and school grades. The study used the quantitative integrative review methodology of meta-analysis through which the findings from individual studies were integrated and relations between the study findings and characteristics were explored. The meta-analytic approach involved transforming the findings of individual studies to a common metric (i.e., effect size), describing and coding the characteristics of the studies, and then using the analysis of variance and multiple regression …

Bill 82 & The Waterloo County Board Of Education: A Process Consultation, Ellen Num

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The following thesis is a descriptive study of the perceived implementation of the Amendment to the Education Act 1974, more commonly known as ‘Bill 82.’ The context of this research was presented from the perspective of community psychology, more specifically, a process consultation approach utilizing the techniques of organizational development (O.D.). A cross-sectional sample of 434 voluntary participants were surveyed in this study. Respondents were selected across all levels of personnel within the Waterloo Country Board of Education and the sample consisted of: elected board trustees, upper administration, central office staff (consultants) and operations personnel (principals, vice-principals, teachers, and guidance …

The Effectiveness Of Cognitive Restructuring And Paradoxical Directives Counseling Interventions Of Adolescent Self-Esteem : A Comparative Study, David Alvin Hall

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This study investigated the relative merits of the paradoxical directives (PD) counseling techniques to the more didactic cognitive restructuring (CR) intervention. It was hypothesized that subjects in the PD groups would show an improvement in self-esteem, a reduction in depression and anxiety, and a change reflective of a more internal locus-of-control orientation to a degree significantly greater than the CR and the control groups.;The sample consisted of sixty eighth grade volunteers, twenty from each of three middle schools in a local area school district. Six groups were formed of ten subjects each, two groups for each treatment and two groups …

An Analysis Of The Personal Need Systems Of Obese College Freshmen, Lila Louise Annaloro

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This study compared the personal need systems of obese, underweight, and normal weight college students. The Picture Identification Test (PIT) was mailed to the 1984 and 1985 entering freshmen classes at the College of William and Mary. From the 1984 class, 576 students completed the Picture Identification Test (PIT), and from the 1985 class, 505 students completed the PIT. The PIT data from those subjects who met the classification for the weight groups were included in the study. The criteria for the weight groups were set from the 1983 Metropolitan Life Insurance Company weight tables. Height and weight measurements for …

An Investigation Of The Efficacy Of Group Counseling With Emotionally Disturbed Middle School Students, Michael Scott Grainer

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of group counseling on the self-concept of emotionally disturbed students in a public middle school. This study examined the efficacy of non-directive group counseling and structured group counseling and compared the two approaches.;Method. Thirty middle school students diagnosed as emotionally disturbed and enrolled in self-contained special education classes at four different schools were subjects in the study. Two classes were assigned to receive non-directive group counseling and the other two classes received structured group counseling. Both groups received their respective group counseling for ten weeks. Pre and posttesting was …

Middle/Junior High School Guidance Programs: Recommended Guidelines And Services For Counselors, A. Nadine Boyer

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Descriptive Investigation Utilizing A Family Systems Perspective To Study Elementary School Children Who Frequently Become Seekers Of Nurse Support (S.O.N.S.) And Their Families, David Bruce. Fletcher

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

It has been accepted that in order to maximize the educational growth of a child, the student should experience instruction in a consistent, uninterrupted fashion. Children who are disruptive, act-out, or otherwise obstruct the flow of knowledge may encounter problems when they must build upon information not learned at an earlier time. Students who frequently complain to their teachers of health issues or are sent to the nurse repeatedly, may suffer because of this break in their learning experiences. This research is directed toward exploring possible variables that may set children who frequent the nurse (Seekers of Nurse Support or …