Education Commons^™

Class-Wide Respect And Social Support Skill Training To Increase Peer Interactions Of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Melanie Orton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The demand for effective social skills interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders is a pertinent issue for school-based professionals. One approach to increase appropriate social skills is to involve peer support by training a few socially competent children to positively interact with a student with an ASD. Potentially, training larger groups of children could result in increasing the number of different peers who would actively support positive interactions with their classmates with ASD. Thus, the present study investigated the effect of a class-wide peer-training strategy on the percentage of positive social interaction and number of peer contacts for three …

Evaluation Of The Usu Retirement And Savings Seminar, Diana Burk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Consumers need to acquire financial knowledge and confidence in order to take effectual actions to accumulate adequate retirement wealth and improve their overall financial well-being. Thus, quality financial education programs are needed to empower consumers to achieve these goals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Utah State University (USU) Retirement and Savings Seminar as measured by participant satisfaction and participants‘ financial knowledge, financial confidence, and financial behavior change compared to a similar group of non-participants. The program evaluation was guided by a logic model developed for the seminar.

Data for this study were collected …

Effects Of High-Interest Writing Prompts On Performance Of Students With Learning Disabilities By, Kelsey J. Chlarson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The following study was done to examine the extent to which high-interest narrative writing prompts for 12- to 13-year old students in special education increase accuracy and total words written (TWW) in a 3-min timed writing sample compared to low-interest writing prompts.

Students who will participate will be individuals from a sixth- and seventh-grade special education language arts class who have been classified with LD. In this study, participants select high-interest writing prompts as story starter topics as preferred prompts for writing tasks. Initially, participants will select high- and low-interest writing topics using a prompt selection procedure. Given 40 potential …

The Relationship Between Family Functioning, Family Resilience, And Quality Of Life Among Vocational Rehabilitation Clients, Kristi P. Openshaw

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

While there has been extensive research on the quality of life for people with disabilities, very little research has been conducted on the way in which families impact the quality of life of these individuals. This study focused on how family dynamics impact the quality of life for people with disabilities who are clients of state vocational rehabilitation agencies. Specifically, family flexibility and cohesion, as well as family resilience, were the independent variables; quality of life was the dependent variable.

It was found that family functioning and family resilience play an important role in the quality of life for people …

Latency As A Dependent Variable In Trial-Based Functional Analysis, Elizabeth Dayton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The following research project consisted of two parts. The first was a data analysis of previously collected data. The second was conducted in local public schools at no cost to the teachers, students, or schools. Many individuals with disabilities engage in aberrant behaviors that negatively affect their lives and the lives of those around them. The following research paper examined a tool currently being used in schools (trial-based functional analysis; FA) to determine its effectiveness at identifying the function of an individual’s behavior.

The trial-based FA is an assessment tool that is accessible to classroom teachers to help them identify …

An Investigation Of The Doctoral Dissertation Literature Review: From The Materials We Use To Prepare Students, To The Materials That Students Prepare, Melynda H. Fitt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

To reduce the risk of repeating prior research efforts or choosing incorrect research methods, a sound literature review should be performed before undertaking a new study. As such, the literature review occupies a well-defined role in the research process. It is natural to assume much research has been done in how these skills are taught to future scholars. However, this is not the case. Research in this area is limited and varied. This dissertation builds on existing efforts and fills in a portion of the missing research. This work examines some of the textbooks used to teach doctoral students literature …

Measuring The Differences In Spatial Ability Between A Face-To-Face And A Synchronous Distance Education Undergraduate Engineering Graphics Course, Scott D. Greenhalgh

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A study was conducted in the Engineering and Technology Education Department at Utah State University by Scott Greenhalgh and Gary Stewardson to measure and compare a face-to-face engineering graphics course with a synchronous distance education engineering graphics course by identifying the impact of the teacher's physical presence on students' spatial ability. This study is unique because it involves laboratory classes in a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) field with greater emphasis on hands-on laboratory experiences and skills rather than mastery of information and knowledge. The potential for impact of the study extends beyond a few courses in a specific …

The Effects Of Early Identification And Intervention On Language Outcomes Of Children Born With Hearing Loss, Catherine A. Callow-Heusser

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study included a comprehensive review of the literature in which the effects of early identification of hearing loss and intervention on language outcomes were investigated. Previous reviews of studies were not comprehensive in their coverage and did not include a common measure for comparing results across studies. Without a more rigorous analysis of the primary research, conclusions drawn from these reviews are tenuous. The review of primary studies showed they exhibit many methodological problems including weak experimental designs, small sample sizes, attrition or questionable sample selection methods, differences in length of treatment and characteristics of the participants, and inadequate …

Recreation Patterns And Decision Drivers For Hispanics/Latinos In Cache Valley, Utah, Jodie J. Madsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As the Hispanic/Latino population grows in the United States, increased attention is being given to how and why Hispanic/Latino recreation differs from Anglo recreation. Concerns over equal access to natural resources and recreation have led researchers to question the causes for the differences in recreation choices. The discussion has largely focused on the restrictive effects of ethnicity and the marginal position of minorities in society creating recreation patterns in which minorities are practically nonexistent in wildland recreation areas. Stepping away from the negative valuation about dissimilarities in Hispanic/Latino versus Anglo recreation, this study of Hispanics/Latinos in Cache Valley, Utah focuses …

Social Factors That Influence Religious Motivation Of College-Age Lds Young Adults To Read Religious Texts: A Qualitative Study, Dustin R. West

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This qualitative study investigated the religious motivation of college-age LDS young single adults. In particular, this study sought to answer the following question: “What are the contexts and social factors that influence religious motivation of college-age LDS young adults to study religious texts?” To examine this question, a phenomenological approach was used to explore what participants had in common with feeling motivated to read religious texts. The primary sources of data came from one-on-one interviews that describe the personal experiences and perspectives of 10 college-age LDS young single adults. Sociocultural theory guided the analysis and interpretation of data and findings. …

Using Graphic Organizers With Scriptural Text: Ninth-Grade Latter-Day Saint (Lds) Students’ Comprehension Of Doctrinal Readings And Concepts, Mark D. Potter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated the effect of instruction that included graphic organizers on LDS seminary students’ ability to understand scriptural text and their ability to identify doctrines in scriptural text, utilizing a repeated measures, quasi-experimental design involving 209 ninth-grade student participants. The participants were randomly assigned by class to one of two treatment groups. Participants in the treatment group received instruction using graphic organizers with the standard curriculum and participants in the comparison group received instruction using only the standard curriculum. Three different measures were employed to measure the effectiveness of the graphic organizers intervention: (a) a multiple-choice test of LDS …

A Functional Assessment Of The Use Of Virtual Simulations To Train Distance Preservice Special Education Teachers To Conduct Individualized Education Program Team Meetings, Lee Landrum Mason

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The individualized education program (IEP) is a critical component of providing special education services to children with disabilities, outlining the services and modifications that will be provided to help them make progress towards the general curriculum. While simulations have been shown to be an effective means of teaching special education policies and procedures, this can be challenging when working with distance students. The purpose of this study was to identify and examine how virtual simulations function to train preservice teachers learning to conduct IEP team meetings.

Seven preservice special education teachers enrolled in a mild/moderate distance degree and licensure program …

Reflective Redo Within A Three-Dimensional Simulation And Its Influence On Student Metacognition, Reflection, And Learning, Jon M. Scoresby

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects on a student’s metacognition, reflection, and learning in a specifically designed educational simulation supported by unique technology. The simulation allows players’ actions to be recorded for the purpose of review to identify mistakes. The simulation also allows students to start at and redo actions while fixing previous mistakes instead of starting over at the beginning of a new scenario. When starting at the mistake or point of failure, as identified by a facilitator, during the redo of the initial saved scenario, students reflect on the actions performed during the initial …

Utah Public School And Lds Released-Time Program Relations: Perspectives And Practices Of Principals From Both Institutions, Casey Wayne Ashcroft

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This qualitative study examined the relationship between Utah public high schools and Latter-day Saint (LDS) released-time seminaries through the perspectives and practices of principals from both institutions. The study followed methods consistent with phenomenological research. Data were analyzed through a theory of social exchange. Sites and participants were purposefully selected using a criterion phenomenal variation strategy. Sites included six Utah public high schools with LDS seminaries adjacent. Participants included the public school and seminary principals at those sites. The overarching question that guided the study was: How is the professional relationship between the public schools and LDS seminaries in Utah …

"Struggling" Adolescent Writers Describe Their Writing Experience: A Descriptive Case Study, F. Jean Mcpherron

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Four adolescents identified as struggling writers in an English language arts classroom were interviewed about their perceptions of a writing task--how they judged their capability to succeed, how they ranked their passion, persistence, and confidence about writing, and how they responded to classroom activity. Student perceptions of self-efficacy and the related self-beliefs of motivation and interest as well as self-regulation were stated and implied as students described a planning worksheet, instructional scaffolding, peer interactions, and ownership of their writing. Wersch's view of mediated action and Engestrom's model of activity systems were the lens through which the students' descriptions were analyzed. …

Teacher Reflection Among Professional Seminary Faculty In The Seminaries And Institutes Department Of The Church Educational System, Ryan S. Gardner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This qualitative study aimed at exploring and explaining the practices and processes of teacher reflection among a group of professional secondary-level religious educators in the Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as seeking to understand the perceived impact of those reflective practices on the professional development of these teachers. The researcher described, analyzed, and interpreted the data to develop a mid-range grounded theory for explaining the process of teacher reflection in a way that could lead to the improvement of teacher reflection among these teachers as an integrated function of professional development. …

Basic Concepts In Early Education Programs For Children With Hearing Loss In Listening And Spoken Language Classrooms, Katherine L. Powell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mastery of basic concepts is an academic building block for preschool children in early education programs. Research shows that understanding basic concepts (e.g. top, under, fast, now, all, behind, full and short) is important for academic success and higher order thinking. Experts in the field of concept acquisition agree on six strategies for teaching basic concepts. These strategies include: using positive examples and negative examples, highlighting critical features of concepts through continuous conversion, isolating the concept, the order in which the examples are presented, and teaching generalization. This study investigated the extent to which nine preschool teachers of children with …

Evaluating The Effects Of Reinforcer Choice And Reinforcer Variation On The Response Rates Of Children With Autism, Alice Ann Keyl Austin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Motivating individuals with autism can be challenging for clinicians and educators seeking to increase skills or decrease problem behaviors. Even when highly preferred reinforcers have been identified, they tend to lose their effectiveness over time. Over the years, several strategies have been developed to maintain the effectiveness of reinforcers. Reinforcer variation has been demonstrated to attenuate decreases in responding associated with repeated exposure to a single reinforcer. Another strategy that has been used to help maintain responding is allowing an individual a choice among reinforcers. Several researchers have suggested that providing choice among several reinforcers may produce the same effects …

Evaluation Of A High School Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (Siop) Implementation, Samuel L. Ray

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many school systems across the USA have implemented sheltered instruction observation protocol (SIOP) strategies to help their English language learners (ELLs) master core content while they learn English. Most studies have reported positive results from using SIOP strategies with ELLs. Elementary and middle school studies were available, but studies of SIOP implementation in a comprehensive high school were lacking. This action research project was initiated by teacher leaders (department chairs) and the school principal. It included a year of combined SIOP training and implementation. After the first academic year of utilizing SIOP school-wide, an anonymous electronic survey was used to …

The Social Validation Of Institutional Indicators To Promote System-Wide Web Accessibility In Postsecondary Institutions, Heather Ann Mariger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Internet is an integral part of higher education today. Students, faculty, and staff must have access to the institutional web for essential activities. For persons with disabilities, the web is a double-edged sword. While an accessibly designed website can mitigate or remove barriers, an inaccessible one can make access impossible. If websites that provide necessary information are not accessible, those with disabilities will be unable to independently complete their daily tasks or compete in the modern world.

Project GOALS (Gaining Online Accessible Learning through Self-Study) has developed a document outlining a set of four institutional indicators of Web accessibility. …

Orchestrating Classrooms: A Collaborative Inquiry Study Of Novice Teacher Community Building, Leah G. Welte

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Creating a community of learners with and among students in a collaborative classroom environment provides the keystone for developing the skills necessary for success in the 21^st century. Some preservice teachers envision that community building can enhance the learning experience for them and their students and want to learn and employ the necessary strategies. This study examined whether such a desirous group of novice teachers could identify the key factors they believed comprise community building and could successfully establish a community of learners during their first full year of teaching, supported by participation in a collaborative inquiry group.

Four …

Social Skills Intervention For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Survey Of School Psychologists, Amanda S. Day

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Social skills interventions for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are needed as the number of students with ASD are increasing in educational settings. The purpose of this study was to investigate school psychologists' perceptions on the effectiveness and generalization of social skills interventions for students with ASD. Training and confidence of providing services to students with ASD was also examined in the study. A survey was administered to a sample of school psychologists from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). In total, 221 responses were received and 136 of those responders indicated that they have implemented or organized …

Role Of An Aquatic And Non Aquatic Environment On Trunk Muscle Activation, Jeanne P. Vandenberg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Low back pain (LBP) is a widespread problem affecting a number of people. Traditionally treated by nonoperative approaches the recent development of water currents and treadmills imbedded into pools has spurred physical therapists and athletic trainers to incorporate the use of aquatic therapy into their rehabilitation programs. OBJECTIVE: Determine if select trunk muscle activity levels are different in water-based exercises compared to land-based exercises. METHODS: 11 healthy male participants age 25.9 ± 5.53 years, whom did not have a history of and were not currently experiencing LBP or injury. Muscle activity was monitored via electromyography (EMG) at the rectus abdominis …

Evaluating Reliability And Validity Evidence For Merrill's 2007 5 Star Instrument, Max Hale Cropper

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Merrill’s 2007 5 Star instrument, hereafter called the M-5 Star, is based on Merrill’s well recognized First Principles of Instruction. However, the instrument has not been tested for reliability and validity. In a pilot study, Cropper’s version of his instrument (C-5 Star) showed some reliability and validity evidence, but the M-5 Star needed similar evidence. To address this gap in the literature, the purpose of this study is to assess the reliability and validity evidence for M-5 Star. Raters were drawn from a graduate course in online course evaluation and asked to rate a sample (N = 6) of …

Fluency Instruction In Contemporary Core Reading Programs, Brady E. Donaldson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Core reading programs (CRPs) provide the curriculum and guide reading instruction for many classroom teachers. The purpose of this study was to conduct a content analysis of reading fluency instruction in current (2008-2011 copyright) grade 2 and 3 top-selling core reading program lessons to answer the following two research questions: (1) How do core reading programs recommend that fluency skills be taught? (2) How do reading fluency instructional practices in core programs compare to evidence-based reading fluency instructional practices defined in current research? The results of the analysis revealed that fluency instruction is more prevalent in current core reading programs …

Characterizing High School Students' Systems Thinking In Engineering Design Through The Function-Behavior-Structure (Fbs) Framework, Matthew D. Lammi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The aim of this research study was to examine high school students‟ systems thinking when engaged in an engineering design challenge. This study included 12 high school students that were paired into teams of two to work through an engineering design challenge. These dyads were given one hour in their classrooms with access to a computer and engineering sketching paper to complete the design. Immediately following the design challenge, the students participated in a post hoc reflective group interview.

The methodology of this study was informed by and derived from cognitive science‟s verbal protocol analysis. Multiple forms of data were …

Housing Factors Associated With Marital Satisfaction, Samantha J. Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to assess the direction and magnitude of the relationship between levels of marital satisfaction and two main housing variables--the housing burden ratio and the amount of home equity. The influence that these variables have on levels of marital satisfaction was mediated and moderated by how satisfied couples were with their homes and their finances, as well as their perceived experience of economic pressure. The results ultimately provide insights that can improve both couple well-being and financial/housing situations by pinpointing factors that account for the variance in marital satisfaction.

This study used existing data from …

What Classroom Observations Reveal About Primary Grade Reading Comprehension Instruction Within High Poverty Schools Participating In The Federal Reading First Initiative, Rebecca S. Donaldson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Reading comprehension is one of the most critical academic skills to be acquired in school; therefore, the comprehension instruction provided by teachers is of utmost importance. This study examined 3 years of classroom observation data to describe the comprehension instruction provided by kindergarten through third-grade teachers who were participating in the federal Reading First reading reform initiative within 22 high-poverty Title I schools located in rural, suburban, and urban school districts in one western state. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used to analyze data collected during 325 three-hour observations of classroom literacy instruction to identify both the quantity and …

Improving The Quality Of Teacher Support In Anticipation Of The Instructional Use Of Technology: An Action Research Study, Darren E. Draper

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The formation of the Canyons School District brought with it unique opportunities for assessing current practice, implementing change, and evaluating the effectiveness of that change. Accordingly, this action research project served as an effective initial step in accomplishing this series of tasks. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to describe the instructional technology needs of teachers, as well as the related support efforts provided in a public school district.

Data gathering methods included a district-wide needs assessment survey of school-based licensed personnel (N =1,313). Additionally, the utilization of focus group protocol on an existing district technology committee …

The Effect Of Direct Instruction In Teaching Addition And Subtraction Of Decimals And Decimal Word Problems On Students At Risk For Academic Failure, Heather Hoopes Small

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated the effects of a direct instruction program on the ability of elementary school students identified as at risk for math failure to add and subtract numbers with decimals, and complete addition and subtraction word problems with decimals. Direct instruction has previously been shown to increase the math skills of special education and general education students. This study examined the extent to which these students could master these skills in six hours of instruction, with carefully designed sequences of examples and strategy instruction in word problems. The study took place in two elementary schools. The participants were fifth …