Education Commons^™

A Qualitative Study Exploring Attachment Through The Context Of Indian Boarding Schools, Melissa D. Olson (Zephier)

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

This is a qualitative phenomenological exploration looking at how Indian boarding schools impacted Indigenous families and indicators of how their attachment was affected. Thirty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 individuals who attended Indian boarding schools and 13 descendants of those who attended these schools. The interviews were conducted on a Northern Plains reservation where approval was obtained from that tribal college and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Results indicate knowledge sharers in both groups, individuals who attended boarding schools and those who descended from these individuals experienced critical impacts to their ability to form intergenerational attachments with subsequent generations due …

Relationship Between Personal Distress And Aggression Is Moderated By Nucleus Accumbens Volume, Yuan Ta Poh

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

Studies into the relationship between empathy and aggression has found that the effect is weak (Vachon et al., 2014). This weak relationship is observed through aspects of empathy interacting with aspects of aggression in different ways depending on the types of empathy and aggression being measured. The present study utilized neuroimaging approach to examine the relationship among empathy, aggression and nucleus accumbens (NAc) volume. Forty nine college students underwent magnetic resonance imaging scans and completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index as well as the Reactive-Proactive Questionnaire. Using FreeSurfer, bilateral NAc volumes were obtained for statistical analysis. Hierarchal regression analyses were utilized …

Through Their Eyes: Photo Stories About Family Strengths In Johannesburg, South Africa, Megan Ribbens

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

A study by DeFrain, Asay and Geggie (2010) outlines six characteristics of strong families. This qualitative case study investigates one of the six qualities. Using an adapted photovoice research method, 12 parents in Johannesburg, South Africa describe what spending enjoyable time looks like in their personal and community context. Additionally, they outline the barriers that keep families from enjoyable activities. Qualitative data for analysis included: photographs, written descriptions, compiled activity lists, and focus group discussion. Open, axial, and selective codes and theme analysis were used to analyze the data. This study hopes to contribute to the understanding of the strengths …

The Influence Of Proximal And Distal Familial Factors On Preschool Children's Inhibitory Control And Social Emotional Skills, Amy Encinger

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

Children in the United States experience higher rates of poverty than any other age group, including elderly adults and the poverty rate of young children (0-5 years) is considerably higher than that of older children (Proctor et al., 2016). There is an extensive body of research examining familial socioeconomic status (SES) and the influence on the skills and behaviors of young children; however, common key indicators of family SES may not fully depict the ways in which children living in poverty/low-income homes are influenced by economic disadvantage. The focus of the current study is to explore the ways in which …

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 …

Micro-Credentialing: Establishing A Wyoming Framework, Ignacia Goicolea

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

Micro-credentialing has become a buzz word in professional development. This new frontier has become a national trend in many areas, from business to industry. The landscape is being defined by private vendors instead of traditional educational enterprises. Vendors are competing to define and control the micro-credentialing market and take micro-credentials beyond its current context of primarily professional development to potentially, in their vision, replace testing, credentialing, and higher education overall. With the promise of expedited completion and competency, substantially lower costs, and ease of access, micro-credentialing is becoming a threat and opportunity as a disruptive and catalytic innovation for higher …

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 …

Emergent And Early Literacy Opportunities For Children With Visual Impairment With/Without An Additional Disability, Susan Pope

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

Introduction: This study examined implications of literacy instruction for children with visual impairment (VI) with/without an additional disability at a specialized preschool in a large Midwestern city. Methods: Teachers participated in interviews and revealed their perspectives for providing literacy instruction, and students were video recorded participating in literacy activities. Literacy opportunities were coded for themes. Results: Six themes of literacy opportunities emerged from this study (i.e., literacy opportunities, accessibility, frequency, assessment, settings, and cues for understanding). Results provide evidence of instructional strategies, challenges and strengths described by teachers, types of activities used to promote literacy and the frequency and accessibility …

Assessing The Effects Of Extended Practice On Letter Naming Fluency, Samantha Page Cooper

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

The purpose of this dissertation study was to assess the additive effect (beyond mastery instruction) of extended practice. A multiple baseline design across child participants was used to assess the effects of extended practice of letter names on the rate of correctly identified letter names per minute specific to three Blocks of letters. The study involved three pre-kindergarten children enrolled in preschool located in a medium sized suburban city in Nebraska. Within the study, each child was exposed to three experimental conditions: (A) Baseline, (B) Extended Practice and (C) Outcome Assessment. The (A) Baseline condition covered one, two or three …

Effects Of Informational Text Instruction For Students With Or At-Risk For Disabilities: A Meta-Analysis, Mackenzie Burk

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

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to investigate the impact of informational writing interventions on informational text writing outcomes for 4^th to 12^th graders with or at-risk for disabilities. Informational text writing is heavily used in daily lives and not enough attention is brought to how the informational text writing is taught. A total of nine studies with 39 effects sizes were included. The studies included were coded by the first author and a graduate research assistant for specific design features (e.g., age, interventionist, dosage, teacher effects). The results indicated that informational writing instruction had positive impacts on …

Effects Of The "Write Sounds" Program On Handwriting And Phonics Skills, Pam Bazis

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

Reading and writing rely on related foundational literacy skills (e.g., phonological processing, phonological memory, phonemic awareness; Brooks et al., 2011; Graham & Hebert, 2010, 2011; Sanders et al., 2018). Therefore, students struggling with reading often have writing problems, including handwriting (Kandel et al., 2017; Sanders, Berninger, & Abbott, 2018). It is often difficult to determine the source of writing difficulties as they could come from uncertainty in how to form the graphemes, poor spelling skills, or organizational deficits (Berninger et al., 2008). This study aimed to determine the usability, feasibility, and promise of an integrated handwriting intervention on 33 students …

Well-Being In Trans And Gender Diverse Individuals: An Investigation Of Chosen Family Support, Kendal Cassidy

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

Trans and gender diverse (TGD) individuals experience unique minority stressors that increase their experiences of psychological distress, and prior research has suggested social support may have protective factors for these unique stressors (Başar et al., 2016; Bockting et al., 2013; Clements-Nolle et al., 2006; Hull & Ortyl, 2018; Pflum et al., 2015; Lombardi et al., 2002; Staples et al., 2018; Tebbe & Moradi, 2016); however, little is understood about chosen family for TGD populations, and how chosen family might relate to minority stressors and mental health. It is also understood that mental illness and well-being reside on separate continuum, but …

Principal Wellness: Principals’ Managing Their Wellbeing, Leah Richardson

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

Principals continue to search for the formula with the power to strengthen their leadership skills that will have an impact on achievement. Principals addressing their wellbeing is a strategy that can benefit the effectiveness of the use of their leadership skills. The purpose of this study was to describe principal wellness through the literature on the topic and to provide strategies for principals to manage their wellness. The review of the research and literature addressed principal wellness and included topics such as: principals working in isolation, developing healthier habits to minimize adverse health impacts on principals, engaging and modeling self-care, …

Grace Steinberg Day: Barrier Breaker, Terri Deayon

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

The purpose of this historical case study was to explore the challenges, issues, life, and legacy of Grace Steinberg Day. The study was designed to identify the personal attributes, professional characteristics, and leadership qualities that Grace possessed. Grace Steinberg Day enrolled at the University of South Dakota Law School, in the late 1940’s (Campbell, 2016). Day was the only female, in the law class of 175 students, as well as the only Jewish student. She graduated, passed the bar, and ultimately launched a solo practice in 1950. During this era, women attorneys were not the norm and Grace endured a …

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 …

Vibrotactile Threshold Estimation In Neurotypical Children, Elizabeth Hoffman

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

Experimental findings are limited concerning the vibrotactile sensitivity of the glabrous hand and perioral face in neurotypical children. Additional research examining vibrotactile detection thresholds (VDT) in neurotypical children would further understanding of tactile perception in children and help create a more robust understanding of somatosensory development across the lifespan. This research has applications in diagnostics for neurological disorders affecting vibrotactile sensation in the hands and face. The proposed study will use an adaptive single interval up-down threshold tracking algorithm to measure VDTs at 5, 10, 50, 150, 250, and 300 Hz for the glabrous hand and perioral face in a …

Use Of A Novel Whole-Body Imaging Approach To Predict Resting Metabolic Rates In Athletes, Nicole Vencil

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

Prediction of energy expenditure allows for calculation of appropriate energy requirements, which is especially important for athletes. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the greatest contributor to total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) and is typically measured via indirect calorimetry. Indirect calorimetry is not always available, which results in the need for predictive equations. Most predictive equations have been developed with participants resembling the general population and have not been found to be appropriate for athletes, as they may incorrectly predict RMR due to the unique differences of body composition between athletes and the general population. The purpose of the present study …

Characteristics That Motivate A Volunteer Workforce: A Case Study Of One Of America’S Largest Volunteer Organizations, Jono Anzalone

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

A vast amount of research exists on organizational development and leadership theory targeted for organizations with a paid workforce as well as literature that discusses volunteer motivation and management. However, existing literature fails to address leadership theory, practices in organizational development, and performance improvement for a volunteer-led workforce, one in which both volunteer and paid staff compose the workforce. A bridge of the gap in literature is needed to help inform training and development practices of the American Red Cross and other non-governmental organizations. In addition, high volunteer turnover and low satisfaction has a costly impact on organizations critical …

The Development Of Generativity Among College Student Leaders Who Mentor: A Growth Curve Analysis, Hannah Sunderman

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

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine generativity development among college student leaders who mentor. There were four research objectives: (a) the nature of change in generativity among college student leaders who serve as a Leadership Mentor for three years, (b) the predictive relationship between generative concern and generative behavior at Time One, Time Two, and Time Three, (c) the moderating effect of having been or currently being an informal or formal mentee on generativity levels and generativity development, and (d) the influence of participant sex (i.e., male or female) on generativity level and generativity development. Participants completed …

Ecological Art Exhibition As Transformative Pedagogy, Stacey Skold

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

Environmental degradation is considered one of the biggest issues facing humankind. The problem is deep and global with fast fashion playing a significant, yet underrealized role. Scholars have established that developing the sustainable behaviors necessary to mitigate the effects of environmental degradation is a complex process, that knowledge of environmental degradation alone is insufficient to develop sustainable behaviors, and that both attitudinal and behavioral transformations are necessary for global environmental action and stewardship. As a result, researchers have called for new approaches to environmental education to promote transformative learning.

Art experiences can function as a powerful tool in learning and …

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., …