Education Commons^™

An Examination Of Self-Efficacy In Master’S Level Counselor Trainees, Matthew G. Rushlau

Dissertations

This research is an investigation into changes in individuals’ belief of self-efficacy as they advanced through master’s-level counselor training. Differences were examined between reported levels of beliefs of self-efficacy for a group of 30 master’s students involved in counselor practicum training and 31 master’s students involved in basic counseling coursework. Participants completed the Counselor Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE) (Larson et al., 1992) at the beginning and end of an academic semester. Data generated by the COSE included an overall score on beliefs of counselor self-efficacy along with five subscale scores of various aspects of counseling, consisting of Micro-Skills, Process, Difficult Client …

The Relationship Of Reading Recovery Teachers' Efficacy To Length Of Service And School System Support, M. Louise Moon

Dissertations

Existing research results directly relate teachers’ efficacy to student outcomes and to continuing staff development and school context; however, little work has been done to investigate these relationships for Reading Recovery teachers. Reading Recovery (RR) is an early intervention program designed to assist first grade children who are having difficulty learning to read and write. This program requires ongoing staff development and an implementation plan designed to provide appropriate school context; therefore, survey data were collected from Reading Recovery teachers to study relationships between teacher efficacy and (a) their length of service in Reading Recovery and (b) support for RR …

The Impact Of Selected Barriers On Students Completing Community College In Michigan, Terri Lynn Burt

Dissertations

Research studies have been conducted to investigate barriers that inhibit the ability of adult students to obtain a postsecondary education (Powell, 1989; Shields, 1990). These studies suggest that there are three distinct categories that could be used to describe this phenomenon: (1) situational, (2) dispositional, and (3) institutional. The overall purpose of this study was to determine what barriers, if any, are experienced by nontraditional African-American students in selected Midwest community colleges in comparison to White adult students according to selected demographic variables (e.g., age, sex, marital status, number of children, employment, status, income, and race). More specifically, this study …

The Effects Of Counselor Skills Training On Levels Of Counselor Cognitive Complexity, David K. Duys

Dissertations

This study measured the impact of an intensive counseling skills training course on levels of cognitive complexity in novice counselors. Graduate level counseling students were assessed at the beginning of a basic counseling skills training course and again at the end of the course by obtaining written responses to a stimulus questionnaire. A control group was recruited consisting of other graduate counseling students who were taking other courses during the same time interval and who were not exposed to the basic counseling skills course. Participants in the control group were tested using the same instrument and their scores were compared …

The Relationship Between Organizational Culture And The Practice Of Program Evaluation In Human Service Organizations, Lorraine Marais

Dissertations

There are many obstacles for human service organizations in evaluating programs. Some of these barriers are the difficulty in defining human behavior and the change that needs to be evaluated, human service programs that take a long time to show results, agency capacity to do evaluation, and cost (Young, Hollister, Hodgkinson, & Associates, 1993). Another subtle yet powerful influence on the practice of evaluation in nonprofit organizations may be organizational culture (Schein, 1990). If an organization is going to employ self-evaluation, an organizational culture may be needed that will support such efforts. This study was designed to assess the relationship …

A Comparison Of Reported Teacher Selection Practices Of Elementary Principals In Michigan To Recommended Selection Methods, John E. Jarpe

Dissertations

Teacher selection is a complex, critical school personnel function. School leaders in Michigan’s districts will be hiring more teachers as projected enrollment increases and pending teacher retirements combine to open teaching positions. This study examined the effectiveness of teacher selection practices as they compared to selection methods described in administrative textbooks, journal articles, and research studies.

Thirty-six Michigan elementary principals reported their school building and district selection procedures. Qualitative analysis focused on their transcribed responses to interview questions about the aspects of teacher selection. The principals represented public schools that combined varying grade levels of kindergarten through sixth grade.

Thirteen …

Preparation For The Gre, Corina Groeger

Dissertations

The present research consisted of two empirical studies and a literature review. The first study was a systematic replication of the studies by Miller, Goodyear-Orwart, and Malott (1996) and Vunovich and Malott (1997). Fourteen undergraduate students and one graduate student participated in four intensive, extensive, structured Graduate Record Examination (GRE) preparation courses that met for seven weeks and lasted between 99 and 140 hours. The courses offered a monetary reward for students who met a minimum of 92% for attendance and participation during the course. The results of this study showed statistically significant mean improvements of 145 points for the …

Fostering Reflective Thinking In First-Semester Calculus Students, Pamela Crawford

Dissertations

This study focuses on the fostering of reflective thinking in students in a reform calculus course through completion of homework assignments incorporating reflective tasks, and the effect of these assignments on student understandings of calculus and conceptions of mathematics. The study, conducted in Fall 1997, involved two sections of first-semester calculus at a large midwestern university and used quantitative (n = 25, 18) and qualitative (n = 7) techniques.

Homework assignments incorporating reflective tasks included asking students to compare and contrast textbook ideas; to write about how obstacles were overcome as they attempted exercises; to develop concept maps organizing and …

The Effects Of Writing Assignments On Second-Semester Calculus Students' Understanding Of The Limit Concept, Melanie A. Wahlberg

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of writing assignments on second-semester calculus students’ understanding of the limit concept, using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The study involved two sections of second semester calculus (n = 37, 34) at Western Michigan University during the fall semester of 1997.

The treatment group completed six writing tasks focusing on the mathematical concept of limit. These conceptually-oriented writing assignments replaced some of the problem sets that the instructor would have normally assigned. The control group did not engage in writing tasks but handed in problem sets more frequently than the …

The Comparison Of Selection-Based And Topography-Based Verbal Behavior Across Populations, Carl T. Sundberg

Dissertations

Michael (1985) distinguished between selection-based (SB) and topography-based (TB) verbal behavior. Several studies comparing the ease of learning the two systems have shown conflicting results. The data indicate that subjects with fewer lower verbal skills have done better with TB systems (subjects with developmental disabilities in studies by Hodges & Schwethelm, 1984; Sundberg & Sundberg, 1990; Weirmanski, 1984; Wraikat, 1991; Wraikat, Sundberg, & Michael, 1991; and the bottom half of subjects in Cresson, 1994). The higher functioning subjects have done better (or have not shown a difference) with SB systems. (Bristow & Fristoe, 1984; Stratton , 1992; Tan, Bredin, Poison, …

A Study Of Local-Cosmopolitan Orientation With A University Support Staff, Sharon Carr

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the local-cosmopolitan orientation of a subset of university support staff members and to examine the relationship between that orientation and (a) gender, (b) age, (c) years of service, (d) percentage of business/financial tasks in one’s job, (e) percentage of time spent in direct contact with students, and (f) the self-perception of how essential one’s job is to the mission of the university. The local-cosmopolitan concept used was based on the definition by Qouldner (1957) and includes his three elements: loyalty, operational style, and reference group use. Each one of these elements, as …

The Role Of Ethnicity Among International Students In Adjustment To Acculturative Stress, Mohd Tajudin Hj Ninggal

Dissertations

This study examined whether there were differences in six acculturative stress themes among three Malaysian ethnic groups who were enrolled at Western Michigan University during the Fall, 1997 semester. The study also investigated whether the following demographic attributes: (a) gender, (b) academic major, (c) financial sponsorship, (d) family socioeconomic status, (e) type of residential setting, and (f) scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) affected Malaysian students in relation to the six acculturative stress themes: (1) Perceived Discrimination, (2) Homesickness, (3) Perceived Hate, (4) Fear, (5) Culture Shock, and (6) Guilt.

A total of 138 respondents …

Implications Of Changing To 4 By 4 Semester Block Scheduling For Secondary Students With Learning Disabilities, Sandra Kay Wayne

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of changing from a traditional schedule to a block schedule on selected school-related behaviors and measures of secondary students with learning disabilities and their regular education teachers. Areas of impact that were addressed included school performance measures of student success rates, attendance rates, and discipline referrals as well as affective measures of levels of students' active engagement in learning activities, the variety of teaching and learning modes used, and the amount of individualized teacher attention given to students.

The research population consisted of six high schools in south and central …

The Relationship Between Leadership/Followership In Staff Nurses And Employment Setting, Elaine S. Vandoren

Dissertations

This study tested the hypothesis that staff nurses in hospitals used different leadership and followership behaviors than staff nurses in home care settings. Leadership behaviors were measured using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Bass, 1995); followership was measured using Kelley’s Followership Style Questionnaire (1992). Three hospital and home care agencies belonging to a private nonprofit corporation in the Midwest provided data. A total of 136 surveys were used in data analysis; 57% of distributed surveys were returned.

Differences between the hospital and home care staff nurses were not found. Self-perception, difficulty in applying clinical behaviors to the MLQ, unknown aspects of …

A Content Analytic Investigation Of Hate Speech Codes On The Public University Campus, Sue A. Haldemann

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Social Support Intervention For Mothers Of Typical And Special Needs Infants And Toddler: An Outcome Evaluation, Deborah Blake Krueger

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

924:10: A Service-Learning And The Law: An Analysis, Bernardien Austin

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Patterns And Correlates Of Cavaas Performance By Students With Spina Bifida And Attention Problems, Susan Boyle-Fields

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Ex Post Facto Descriptive, Comparative, And Correlational Study Of Two Groups Of High School Special Education Students, Roberta L. Colbert

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Acculturation And Social Skill Development Among Chinese Immigrant Families, Yue-Ching Chen

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Gallup Poll Data Regarding The Public's Assessment Of The Public Schools From 1986-1995, Biancalana Venette Meucci

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Secondary School Teacher Attitudes Toward Instructional Technology Use In The Context Of Motivation Theory, Timothy G. Sassen

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Perspectives: Public High School Principles Of Illinois 1996 Blue Ribbon Schools Of Excellence On The Design And Supervision Of Reading Programs In Their Repective Schools, Jerry Lee Anderson

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No abstract provided.

Sending An American Indian Voice: D'Arcy Mcnickle: Educator, Anthropologist, Historian: An Intellectual Biography, Bonnie Jean Adams

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No abstract provided.

A Comparative Study Of Moral Judgment Development Of Pregnant Teens, Dalia Ovdat May

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No abstract provided.

Compulsory Bicycle Helmets: A Necessity Or A Superfluous Solution?, Geraldine A. Brown

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Integrated Thematic Instruction : A Descriptive Case Study Of Students' Attitudes Toward School And Learning, Ginger Heinrich O'Neal

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to describe the operational form of the innovation— Integrated Thematic Instruction within the context of its implementation. An embedded single case study design was used to carry out this gualitative study, with Integrated Thematic Instruction (ITI) as the unit of the case study. The questions that guided the study were: What does ITI look like when implemented by the teacher? What are the contextual elements of implementation of this program? What variations are found in the implementation of this innovation by different teachers? A review of related literature revealed the historical, philosophical, and theoretical …

Relationships Among Expectations Of Reentry Problems Of International Students Living In On-Campus Apartments And Off-Campus Housing At Andrews University And Selected Student Characteristics, José R. Bourget-Tactuk

Dissertations

Problem. Andrews University has maintained a large international student population throughout the years, but no previous study exists that examines expectations of reentry problems among international students. Consequently, neither has there been data collected on important demographic variables influencing the sojourn experience of this group, nor does there exist information about relationships among demographic variables and specific reentry areas that shape the students' expectations about the return home.

Method. The Expectations of Problems Upon Return to the Home Country Among International Students at Andrews University survey instrument was developed. Descriptive statistics were used to discover demographic characteristics and frequency of …

A Comparison Of Standardized Measures Of Achievement And Ability With Locally Normed Curriculum Based Measures Of Reading In A High Achieving District, Ann Elizabeth Gleeson

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Intertextual Reading And Critical Analysis Of The Discipline Of Educational Psychology: Disrupting The Dominant Discourse, Suzanne Gallagher

Dissertations

No abstract provided.