Education Commons^™

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. …

Evaluation Of The Feasibility Of A Two-Method Measurement Design For The Assessment Of Healthy Physical Activity Behavior In Youth, Amelia A. Miramonti

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

Purpose: Assess the reliability and validity of self- and parent-report survey responses regarding physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviors, and PA self-efficacy and determine if these data can be combined with objective physical activity monitor data to model the latent construct healthy physical activity behavior (HPAB).

Methods: 126 underserved 4^th-5^th grade students participated in a 12-week after-school nutrition, cooking, and physical activity program (WeCook: Fun with Food and Fitness). Participants and parents (n=103) completed surveys pre- and post-program and participants wore PA monitors for one week at PRE and POST. Unidimensionality and internal consistency reliability were …

Using Bayesian Multilevel Models To Control For Multiplicity Among Means, Michael J. Zweifel

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

It is well known that the Type I error rate will exceed α when multiple hypothesis tests are conducted simultaneously. This is known as Type I error inflation. The probability of committing a Type I error grows monotonically as the number as the number of hypothesis being tested increases. A class of methods, known as multiple comparison procedures, has been developed to combat this issue. However, in turn for maintaining the Type I error rate below α, multiple comparison procedures sacrifice power to correctly reject false hypotheses. The loss of power is exacerbated when variance heterogeneity is present.

In …

Blended Learning: Use Of Demonstration Videos In An Undergraduate Food Preparation Lab, Lauren Elizabeth Rathman

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

Technology is rapidly advancing and changing how education is delivered. Blended learning, an emerging teaching style in flipped classrooms, incorporates technology in the form of online supplemental materials accessible to students prior to attending a traditional class. Incorporating technology into the learning process has been proposed as an effective way to meet the educational needs of the iGeneration. This study investigated the effect of online demonstration videos on learning scientific concepts in NUTR 245 Scientific Principles of Food Preparation Lab. The second lab section, (experimental group) received the intervention, online videos, before completing pre-lab quizzes, lab assignments and lab reports, …

Depression Among Chinese Lbc: Understanding Depression In Context Of A Family-Oriented Culture, Lanyan Ding

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

Background: Left-Behind Children (LBC) refers to children who are under 18 and must live separately from at least one of their parents for longer than six months because of parents’ labor migration (Zhou & Duan, 2006). The long-term family separation might greatly impair the family environment and increase the risk of developing depression among LBC. This research examined the relationships among family structure (left-behind status), caregiving, and child depression using archival data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses.

Methods: In Study 1, multilevel regression analyses investigated how contextual factors (family structure …

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. …

Effects Of An Ipad-Supported Phonics Intervention On Identifying And Generalizing Consonant Blends, Caitlin Kendrick

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

Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate the individual sound within words and is a crucial predicator of reading skills. Students with reading and writing difficulties often struggle with phonemic awareness tasks. Technology contributes to early literacy skills through providing means of communication, phonemic awareness instruction and comprehension skills. This study is an extension upon a previous study that evaluated the effectiveness of an iPad supported phonics intervention on identifying and generalization of consonant blends. A multi-element single case research design was used to address the following two research questions: 1) Is there a functional relation between the …

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 …

Sentence Instruction Intervention On Elementary And Middle School-Aged Students At-Risk For Emotional And Behavior Disorders, Kayla Monique Ramos

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

Researchers have found that students with emotional and behavioral disabilities (EBD) typically struggle during all stages of the writing process and they are the most under-researched category of writers. A promising new approach to teaching sentence writing is Sentence Instruction. The present study investigated the effects of Sentence Instruction on students at-risk for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. A single case, multiple probe design across three students was used. The intervention led to an increase in complete sentences and percent of correct word sequences.

Advisors: Michael Hebert and John Maag

The Domain-General And Domain-Specific Profiles Of Computation And Problem-Solving Difficulties, Xin Lin

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

The purpose of the study was to explore the domain-general and domain-specific profile of two important mathematics difficulties. Three domain-general measures (working memory, processing speed, reasoning), and three domain-specific measures (language comprehension, mathematics vocabulary, math fluency) were completed among 125 Chinese 4^th grade students. Of these 125 students, 28 were classified as students with only calculation difficulties (CD), 34 were classified as having problem-solving difficulties (PD), 20 were classified as students with calculation and problem-solving difficulties (CPD), and 43 were typically developing (TD) peers. Multivariate analysis showed that, compared to TD, CD was associated with weakness in working memory …

Efficacy Of Differential Negative Reinforcement Of Alternative Behaviors To Improve Reading Comprehension, Nicole Goehring

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

This multiple baseline across participants design answered the question: is a differential negative reinforcement of alternative (DNRA) behaviors effective in improving reading comprehension accuracy. Students with emotional/behavioral disorders (E/BD) often display challenging behaviors during academic lessons, typically to escape tasks they perceive to be aversive or those for which they lack sufficient academic achievement. Several function-based interventions have been used to address misbehavior due to this function such as providing easier work or asking for a break. However, differential negative reinforcement of alternative behavior (DNRA) is an intervention that directly addresses escape from work for which students possess the requisite …

Effects Of Direct Instruction Flashcards And Reading Racetracks On Sight Word Acquisition And Maintenance For A Student With Autism, Chelsea Burton

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

A student’s abilities in literacy can be indicative of his/her ability to live successfully in our society (Rinaldi, Sells, & McLaughlin, 1997). The ability to read is an area of difficulty, particularly for many students with autism spectrum disorders. Two fundamental cognitive processes required for skilled reading are word recognition and reading comprehension (Spector, 2010). Struggles with word recognition hamper the ability of students with ASD to work towards the goal of literacy (Spector, 2010). Browder and Xin (1998) argued that sight word instruction is important because that knowledge provides a foundation for other functional academic skills. The purpose of …

A Sentence Construction Intervention For Elementary-Aged Spanish-Speaking Language-Minority Students With Writing Difficulties, Tim Andress

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

The present replication study used a multiple probe across participant single-case experimental design to measure the effect of a sentence construction intervention on Spanish-speaking language-minority students with writing difficulties. Participants were two males and one female, aged eight to ten. Dependent variables tracked were frequency of correct word sequences, incorrect word sequences, complete sentences, and incomplete sentences written in one-minute sentence construction probes. A pre-and post-test five-minute paragraph probe served as a secondary measure to determine whether sentence-level instruction improved paragraph-level writing. Results were an increase in frequency of correct word sequence and complete sentences for all participants, as well …

Parents Supporting Their Adolescents’ Independent Remedial Math Practice: The Effects Of A Multi-Component Intervention Package On Math Academic Performance, Mackenzie Sommerhalder

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

This dissertation examined the effects of high school students’ independent, remedial, home-based math practice while receiving parent support on math computation fluency. The multi-component intervention package encompassed both home-based remedial practice and parent support. Teacher interviews, normative assessments, and a performance-deficit analysis were conducted to identify high-school students who displayed math academic skill deficits. Next, identification and analysis of individual skills (e.g., multiplication, division) to be targeted for intervention occurred for each participant included in the study. A multiple-baseline across participants design was used to examine teaching high school students to choose effective instructional components for math computation and subsequently …

Parental Involvement Among Low-Income Filipinos: A Phenomenological Inquiry, Aileen S. Garcia

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

Parental involvement in children’s education is an integral component of young children’s academic achievement. In the Philippines, a developing country with high rates of poverty and input deficit in basic education, school dropout rates are high especially among the poor. Given that many children from disadvantaged backgrounds do not get enough support (PIDS, 2012) and many parents are not equipped with skills to support their children’s education, it is essential to investigate how Filipino parents can help and contribute to their children’s academic success. In response to the lack of parental involvement literature situated in the Philippine context, the present …

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 Dosage: Comparisons Of A High-Quality Program's Impact On Vocabulary And Social-Emotional Characteristics Between One- And Two-Year Cohorts., J. Joshua Byrd

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

This study investigated the effects of high-quality early childhood program dosage by measuring its associations with low-income children’s vocabulary and social-emotional characteristics. The current study also examined the different patterns of annual change between monolingual English-speaking children and Spanish-speaking English Language Learners (ELLs) in two dimensions of language development. The purpose of this study was to explore program impact at two levels of dosage per measure, Group 1 (single year of program) and Group 2 (two or more years of program). Results revealed significant increases in fall-to-spring PPVT-IV scores for English-speaking children in Group 2, significant decreases in Spanish PLS-5 …