Education Commons^™

A Systematic Review Of Practices Utilized By Administrators To Support Teachers With Classroom Management, Ciara Waggoner

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An administrator’s role in supporting teachers has been a topic often discussed in literature. A less mentioned administrative function is their role in supporting teachers in classroom management strategies related to teaching and setting expectations. Problem behaviors in the classroom have a negative impact on student outcomes. Administrators can help address problem behaviors through the use of four effective administrator practices areas identified by Grissom et. al. (2021): (a) instructionally focused interactions (b) building a productive school climate (b) facilitating collaboration, and (c) managing personnel and resources. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify: (1) Which of the …

The Relationship Between Participation In Chorus And The Acquisition Of Higher-Order Reasoning Skills Among Middle School Students, Jason M. Streun

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This predictive correlational study examined the relationship between participation in chorus and the acquisition of higher-order reasoning skills among middle school students. Although the education profession focuses on ways to engender higher-order reasoning skills in their students, today’s high-stakes climate so rigorously addresses STEM subjects that it tends to ostracize music from the discussion. Thus, the significance of this study lies partly in its endeavor to better understand the connection between linguistic development and reasoning, the positive influence that participation in choral music can potentially wield in the acquisition and improvement of linguistic skill, and, correspondingly, the attainment of higher-order …

The Predictive Relationship Between Student Food-Insecurity And Basic Psychological Needs Within College Students, Andrew Joel Tlucek

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In recent years, researchers have determined food insecurity affects a college student’s grade point average (GPA), mental health, campus status, and social life. While each of these findings is valuable for post-secondary faculty and their decision-making, none can determine whether a student’s basic psychological needs are affected by their food insecurity (FI), which is paramount in a student’s success inside and outside of the classroom. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a predictive relationship between the severity of a student’s food insecurity and their basic psychological needs satisfaction. To accomplish the study, one hundred …

Alignment Of Multi-Tiered Support Systems Following A School-Based Suicide Risk Assessment: Exploring The Lived Experiences Of School-Based Mental Health Professionals, Lorraine Z. May

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of school-based mental health professionals (SBMHP) alignment of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) with completed suicide risk assessments (SRA). This qualitative, phenomenological study investigated the experiences of SBMHP with school-based SRA and MTSS. The experiences of SBMHP regarding aligning MTSS with completed SRA prior to this study were unknown. The social ecological model (SEM) provided the framework as it outlines the multiple systems that SBMHP should consider when aligning interventions within a MTSS when working with students, while Joiner’s interpersonal theory of suicide (ITS) provided the grounding for suicidal behavior. …

Learning Through Play At School Ukraine: Final Research Report, Rachel Parker, Amy Berry, Kellie Picker, David Jeffries, Prue Anderson, Oksana Zabolotna

Student learning processes

The Learning Through Play (LTP) at School Research Study Ukraine was a four-year intervention study funded by the LEGO Foundation and implemented by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Ukrainian Educational Research Association (UERA). The intervention was a two-year professional learning program that blended online, and face-to-face learning called the Teacher Innovative Play Program (TIPP). The TIPP was designed based on documented evidence that reports that teachers need opportunities to experiment and reflect to change practice. The study was guided by three research questions which were revised following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian armed forces …

Denial Of Pregnancy Or Cryptic Pregnancy, Nadia N. Shuriah, Elaine Mcfarland, Bethany Spenn, Kaisha Butz Mcmanus

BIO4960: Practicum in Biology I

Denial of pregnancy, or cryptic pregnancy, presents a complex situation where individuals are unaware of their pregnancy until the late stages of labor. This study delves into the multifaceted nature of concealed and denied pregnancies, exploring their prevalence, factors contributing to them, and their implications for both individuals and healthcare systems. By reviewing relevant literature and case studies, we aim to illuminate the difficulties healthcare providers face in identifying and managing cases of denial of pregnancy. Additionally, we stress the significance of proactive screening and comprehensive care to ensure the well-being of mothers and infants. This research endeavors to deepen …

Efficacy Of Patient Education And Duloxetine, Alone And In Combination, For Patients With Multisystem Functional Somatic Disorder: Study Protocol For The Edulox Trial, Cecilia Pihl Jespersen, Heidi Frølund Pedersen, Maria Kleinstäuber, Per Fink, Kaare Bro Wellnitz, Eva Ørnbøl, Andreas Schröder, Johanne Liv Agger, Lene Vase, Nanna Brix Finnerup, Lise Kirstine Gormsen

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background

Multisystem functional somatic disorder is characterized by specific patterns of persistent physical symptoms with a complex biopsychosocial etiology. The disorder can lead to disability and personal suffering. Current treatment options require specialized settings, therefore patients often wait a long time to receive specific treatment.

Patient education is considered important in most treatment programs, but has only been investigated sparsely as a stand-alone treatment. Pharmacological treatment is limited to tricyclic antidepressants in low doses with not antidepressant properties. Duloxetine has been found effective in single organ functional disorders. As a treatment for multisystem functional somatic disorder, duloxetine could reduce symptoms …

Discussing Patient Emotions In Audiology: Provider Experiences With The Implementation Process Of Hearing Loss Psychological Inflexibility Screenings, Sydnee Grigsby, Karen Muñoz, Guadalupe G. San Miguel, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate barriers and facilitators experienced by clinical educators and graduate students when talking with patients about difficult emotions and thoughts related to their hearing.

Method: A longitudinal observational design was used, and an Implementation Research Logic Model guided the process. Five clinical educators and five graduate students participated in the study. Participants completed pre- and post-measures and attended individual debriefing sessions during the eight-month study period.

Results: Four themes emerged from the debriefing sessions: (1) learning process, (2) confidence (3) barriers, and (4) supervision. Participants described that the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-Managing Child Hearing Loss …

Blacks' Intergenerational Trauma Triggered By Police Misconduct, Anselma Johnayala

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A plethora of studies on intergenerational trauma and a nascent body of studies regarding policing are amalgamated in this phenomenological research approach. This phenomenological study aimed to understand the adverse experiences of Black individuals’ interactions with law enforcement and how these involvements contribute to the transmission of trauma. The intergenerational trauma of Blacks’ experiences could be processed through Critical Race Theory (CRT), Personal Construct Theory (PCT), and Bowen’s Multigenerational Family Systems Theory (BMFST). Each theory explains the relationship between a person’s experiences, the generational response and functioning, and the existence of racial bias as proliferated in the oppression of one …

Acer’S Mathematics Anxiety And Engagement Strategy (Maes): A Framework, Sarah Buckley, Kate Reid, Catherine Pearn, Shani Sniedze

Student learning processes

The Mathematics Anxiety and Engagement Strategy (MAES) was established by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in 2018 in response to declining mathematics achievement and participation among Australian students. Findings from the 2022 cycle of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) show that 15-year-old students in Australia had significantly lower levels of mathematical literacy than students in 2003 (De Bortoli et al, 2023). The 2022 results also showed that male students outperformed female students and only 30 percent of students from more disadvantaged backgrounds achieved the National Proficient Standard in mathematics compared to 72 percent of students from …

Diminished Adolescent Social Well-Being During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Michael J. Furlong, Mei-Ki Chan, Erin Dowdy, Karen Nylund-Gibson

Psychology Faculty Publications

Managing the COVID-19 pandemic involved implementing public health policies that disrupted students' lives, creating conditions that substantially influenced their mental health and well-being. Subsequently, research focused don the mental health sequelae of increased depression and anxiety, but the possible impacts on adolescents' social well-being have been largely unexamined. Social well-being is essential to youth's overall mental health and can be diminished even without symptoms of depression and anxiety. This report explored heterogeneities in changes in adolescents' social well-being from pre-COVID-19 to post-restrictions using longitudinal data from adolescents attending middle and high schools in California (N = 1,299; 49.9% female). …

An Examination Of Psychological Flexibility As A Mediator Between Mental Health Concerns And Satisfaction With Life Among Autistic Adults, Ty B. Aller, Heather H. Kelley, Tyson S. Barrett, Benjamin Covington, Michael E. Levin, Maryellen Brunson Mcclain

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Experiencing mental health concerns (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress) can have negative effects on satisfaction with life (SWL) for autistic adults. Current mental health supports that may promote SWL do not effectively meet the needs of autistic adults, often due to deficits-based approaches. Methods: To begin addressing the gap in research surrounding mental health supports among autistic adults, we designed a preregistered longitudinal study that used structural equation modeling to assess 289 autistic adults from the Simons Powering Autism Research (SPARK) program to determine if progress toward ones values, a strengths-based component of psychological flexibility, is a potential …

Response To Commentary: The Framework For Systematic Reviews On Psychological Risk Factors For Persistent Somatic Symptoms And Related Syndromes And Disorders (Psy-Pss), Paul Hüsing, Abigail Smakowski, Bernd Löwe, Maria Kleinstäuber, Anne Toussaint, Meike C. Shedden-Mora

Psychology Faculty Publications

Persistent somatic symptoms (PSS) are common in all fields of medicine. Current classification systems for mental disorders in this field, i.e. Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD; DSM-5) or Bodily Distress Disorder (BDD; ICD-11), now stress the relevance of psychological features associated with the physical complaints. It is well known that psychological criteria are among the relevant risk factors for the development and/or worsening of persistent physical symptoms, however, the selected diagnostic criteria remain subject to debate. Numerous psychological concepts have been studied and discussed in the scientific field. However, empirical evidence remains scattered, individual factors have not been reviewed systematically, and …

Increasing Transcultural Competence In Clinical Psychologists Through A Web-Based Training: Study Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial, Selina Studer, Maria Kleinstäuber, Ulrike Von Lersner, Cornelia Weise

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background In mental health care, the number of patients with diverse cultural backgrounds is growing. Nevertheless, evaluated training programs for transcultural competence are missing. Barriers for engaging in transcultural therapy can be identified in patients as well as in therapists. Besides language barriers, clinical psychologists report insecurities, for example, fear of additional expenses when involving a language mediator, ethical concerns such as power imbalances, or fear of lack of knowledge or incorrect handling when working with patients from other cultures. Divergent values and concepts of disease, prejudices, and stereotyping are also among the issues discussed as barriers to optimal psychotherapy …

A Dakota Cultural Intervention’S Influence On Native Students’ Sense Of Belonging: A Cbpr Case Study, Heather J. Peters, Teresa R. Peterson, The Dakota Wicoḣaƞ Community

Psychology Publications

This community-based participatory research case study demonstrates how Dakota Wicoḣaƞ utilized Indigenous and feminist epistemologies to create, implement, and evaluate a cultural intervention, the Mni Sota Makoce: Dakota Homelands Curriculum, to increase Native 6th- and 10th-grade social studies students’ peoplehood sense of belonging (Tachine et al., 2017). Findings demonstrate Native students liked the curriculum and reported an increase in support and a decrease in invalidation of their sense of belonging. While the curriculum provided a source of racial-ethnic socialization, some European American students criticized the curriculum, which likely negatively impacted 6th-grade students psychological sense of school membership (Goodenow, 1993). Results …

Reach, Adoption, And Maintenance Of Online Acceptance And Commitment Therapy At A University: An Implementation Case Study, Carter H. Davis, Korena Klimczak, Ty B. Aller, Michael P. Twohig, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Faculty Publications

College students are undergoing a mental health crisis and existing clinical resources at universities may be inadequate to meet their needs. One solution to this problem could be the use of self-guided, online programs for mental health that can be easily distributed to students. A persistent issue, however, is the transition from program development to implementation of a self-guided program at campus-wide scale. We describe, in a self-narrative format, the steps taken to translate an online program we developed based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), called ACT Guide, from a research context to a campus-wide service at our university. …

Understanding The Virginia Literacy Act, Candace Bechtold, Kimberly Bridges, David Naff, Joan A. Rhodes, Valerie Robnolt, Tara Davison, Suzanne Alexandre, Michael Crusco, Karli Johansen, Amber Butler, Allison Yandle, Jennifer Askue-Collins, Jean Samuel, Sharrie Merritte, Regina Frazier

MERC Publications

This research and policy brief from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) offers an overview of the Virginia Literacy Act. It is structured to explore the following questions: 1) What are the recent trends in reading achievement in Virginia? 2) What are the policy implications of the VLA for Virginia school divisions? 3) What does the research say about Science of Reading (SoR)? 4) What core instructional programs are approved to meet the VLA? It concludes with a series of key takeaways and recommendations.

Learning Through Play At School: Ukraine, 2019-2024, Rachel Parker, Amy Berry, Kellie Picker, David Jeffries, Prue Anderson, Oksana Zabolotna

Student learning processes

The Learning Through Play at School Research Study Ukraine was a four-year longitudinal intervention study funded by the LEGO Foundation and implemented by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Ukrainian Educational Research Association (UERA). The study was implemented between 2019 and 2024, during COVID-19 and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian armed forces. Despite, at times, insurmountable challenges, the professional learning intervention was successful in supporting most teachers to progress from a surface level understanding of learning through play to a deep level. In addition, almost all children’s literacy and social-emotional skills grew significantly from start …

What I Think I Learned, Andrew S. Gibbons Iii

Faculty Publications

A retrospective review of fifty years of research and development experience showing the connectedness of the author’s theoretical ideas to practical application. An effort to show designers how over the span of a career new ideas begin as work-related insights and discoveries that by problem solving flow together to create a unique personal view of design and designing. Encouragement for individual designers to be willing to experiment with new ideas that may step beyond received practice and to learn from those experiences, even to the extent of testing and adopting new worldviews that may differ from the general view. Encouragement …

Act-Enhanced Behavior Therapy For A Hispanic Adult With Trichotillomania: A Case Report, Marissa L. Donahue, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Trichotillomania, also known as Hair-Pulling Disorder, is characterized by recurrent pulling out of one’s hair over brief episodes or sustained periods of time and results in hair loss. ACT-enhanced behavior therapy (A-EBT) has been shown to be an effective approach in the treatment of trichotillomania by promoting psychological flexibility around hair pulling urges and teaching stimulus control and habit reversal training. However, there is limited support of A-EBT for clients with an ethnic minority identity. This case report focuses on an adult, Hispanic female client, Luna (pseudonym), who received eight sessions of A-EBT for the treatment of trichotillomania. At post-treatment, …

Playing To Grow. Roundtable Interview On Games, Education, And Character, Owen Gottlieb, Matthew Farber, Paul Darvasi

Articles

In this roundtable interview moderated by Paul Darvasi, lecturer at the University of Toronto and co-founder of Gold Bug Interactive, Owen Gottlieb and Matthew Farber discuss research and practice at the intersection of religion, character education, and games in schools. Gottlieb is an associate professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology, founder and lead faculty at the Initiative in Religion, Culture, and Policy at the MAGIC center, and founder and director of the Interaction, Media, and Learning Lab at RIT, where he specializes in interactive media, learning, religion, and culture. Farber is an associate professor of educational technology and coordinator …

Peer Mentoring Program For Psychology Major Students: A Promising Prospect, Nadia Calderon

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Many first-year and second-year undergraduate students face challenges and abundance of college resources they may not know how to use. Learning about campus resources and dealing with these challenges could help students thrive academically and personally in the college environment. We gathered survey data from 87 students from seven sections of the Bridgewater State University Orientation to the Psychology Major (OPM) course. In one of these sections, we implemented a Peer Mentoring Program (PMP). We also hosted psychology-focused events in which 48 psychology major students attended and filled out feedback questionnaires. In this study we aimed to analyze the effectiveness …

Forgiveness In Education: A Qualitative Analysis Of The Forgiveness Experience For Educators, Corinne D. Denhartog

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Forgiveness is as powerful as it is complex. Evaluating how teachers understand and practice forgiveness has potential applications within broader forgiveness theory as well as more practically in discussions of both teacher health related to practicing forgiveness and student learning of forgiveness. The present study sought to gather qualitative insights related to teacher understanding of forgiveness, teacher practice of forgiveness within their jobs, and teacher opinions on forgiveness education. A total of six semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with groups of two to four public school teachers. Results indicated that there is variety in understanding amongst teachers of what …

Youth Identity And Postsecondary Decision Making In A Rural State: Evidence Of A College For All Master Narrative, Jayson Seaman, Cindy L. Hartman, Andrew D. Coppens, Erin H. Sharp, Sarah Jusseaume, Molly Donovan

Faculty Publications

This study examined the normative messages that inform youth postsecondary decision making in a predominantly rural state in the northeastern U.S., focusing on the institutionalization and circulation of identity master narratives. Using a multilevel, ecological approach to sampling, the study interviewed 33 key informants in positions of influence in educational, workforce, and quality of life domains. Narrative analysis yielded evidence of a predominant master narrative – College for All – that participants described as a prescriptive expectation that youth and families orient their postsecondary planning toward four-year, residential baccalaureate degree programs. Both general and domain-specific aspects of this master narrative …

Exploring The Impact Of Cultural Event Attendance On Undergraduate Students' Perceived Sense Of Community At A Dual-Mission University, Post Covid: A Predictive Correlational Study, Jared Stephenson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative predictive correlational study was to determine how accurately a sense of community (the criterion variable) can be predicted from cultural event attendance (predictor variable) for undergraduate students at a dual-mission university, post-COVID. This study is grounded in the Sense of Community Theory and is significant to students and other higher education stakeholders in determining where to focus efforts regarding student involvement that promotes a sense of community. This research utilized the Sense of Community Index-2 to gather data through a convenience sampling method, recruiting 84 participants from a large dual-mission university in the western United …

A Phenomenological Study On Veterans’ Military Sexual Trauma And Its Impacts On Intimate Partner Relationships, Jaretta A. Buckholtz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe active duty and military veterans’ experiences with intimate partner relationships after a sexually traumatic event. The theory guiding this study is attachment theory. Therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), and eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), demonstrate they could help victims of military sexual trauma (MST) minimize the suffering of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), substance use disorder (SUD), and a host of other debilitating diseases that may have developed as the result of their MST, which could cause difficulties in their intimate partner …

Value Added By Using Joint Displays In Mixed Methods Research, Elizabeth Svoboda

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Mixed methods research collects, analyzes, and integrates rigorous qualitative and quantitative methods to gain a deeper understanding of a phenomenon than would be gained by using either method alone. Integration is one of the key features of mixed methods research and consists of mixing qualitative and quantitative research in a systematic way to generate new inferences or follow-up studies. However, the process of integration can be challenging to draw on expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methods, decide when and how to integrate qualitative and quantitative research, and combine multiple data sources in a coherent way to generate new inferences. …

Value Added By Using Joint Displays In Mixed Methods Research, Elizabeth Svoboda

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

Mixed methods research collects, analyzes, and integrates rigorous qualitative and quantitative methods to gain a deeper understanding of a phenomenon than would be gained by using either method alone. Integration is one of the key features of mixed methods research and consists of mixing qualitative and quantitative research in a systematic way to generate new inferences or follow-up studies. However, the process of integration can be challenging to draw on expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methods, decide when and how to integrate qualitative and quantitative research, and combine multiple data sources in a coherent way to generate new inferences. …

Embracing Uncertainty: A Narrative Case Study On Teacher-Learner Relationships Through Restorative Justice Practices In Education, Zachary Schafer, Guy Trainin

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Restorative justice practices in educational settings recognising trauma and extreme life circumstances have become increasingly relevant since the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing impacts of climate change. This narrative inquiry uses Clandinin and Connelly’s suggestions for data collection and narrative structure to describe the interactions between one teacher and one learner over the course of two years in a programme created as an alternative to school suspension. Using a dual framework combining a variety of perspectives from restorative justice practices and Chen’s model of uncertainty management in science education, the researchers iteratively and thematically analysed the teacher-learner interactions. The storied …

Merging Acceptance And Commitment Therapy With Exposure Exercises To Treat Social Anxiety In A Teen, Caleb D. Farley, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) often develops during teenager years, and it is important to conceptualize developmentally appropriate interventions. Exposure therapy framed from a perspective of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) shows promise for decreasing pathology and increasing wellbeing. This case illustrates the process through which exposure therapy was integrated with ACT to elicit meaningful outcomes in a case of SAD with a 16-year-old female. Treatment outcomes assessed included engagement in values-based activities as well as assessments of depression, social anxiety, separation anxiety, generalized anxiety, experiential avoidance, and contextually targeted school-based wellbeing. Intervention centered on learning ACT principles through relatable metaphors …