Education Commons^™

A Comparison Of The Home And School Behaviors Of Pre-School Age Autistic And Pdd Children, Debra L. Ribatsky

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the kinds of behaviors that were displayed in school and at home by autistic and PDD children of pre-school age. A group of twenty children were selected for this study. The children's parents and teachers answered questionnaires regarding different types of behavior exhibited by the children at different times. T-tests were conducted to compare the total amount of autistic type behaviors shown in the home environment versus in the school setting. The sub-tests of the questionnaire were also analyzed using t-tests. A significant difference was found between the overall amount of typical …

The Effects Of School-Based Mentoring On At-Risk Youth, Barbara Dobzanski

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of school-based mentoring on at-risk youth. The study was conducted on a group of clients from a Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization. The clients were individuals who are at risk of academic and social failure or difficulty. The experimental group consisted of 21 students who were receiving mentoring services on a weekly basis. The control group consisted of 18 students who remained on a waiting list to be mentored. The variables examined were self-concept, behavioral and developmental issues, and academic performance. The extent, if any, to which mentoring benefits an individual …

A Study Of Self-Concept As It Relates To Academic Achievement And Gender In Third Grade Students, Grace S. Woods

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a positive relationship exists between self-concept, academic achievement, and gender. The subject sample consisted of fifty-two students from a suburban public school district in southern New Jersey. Twenty-seven females and twenty-five males participated in the study. The Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale was used to evaluate self-perception. Academic achievement was evaluated with the use of math and reading grades from the students' report cards. The correlation coefficient results indicated that a significant relationship between self-concept and both reading (.291) and math (.307) achievement exists. Frequency polygons were used to display the distribution …

Prevalence And Psychological Correlates Of Eating Disorders Among College Women, Lisa M. Lyons

Theses and Dissertations

Eating disordered behaviors of fasting, binge-eating, and vomiting and purging have increased in prevalence and are approaching epidemic proportions. It is estimated that 1 in 100 females age 12 to 18 are anorexic, while as many as 1 in 4 college-age women are thought to be bulimic or engage in other forms of disturbed eating. Research indicates that those who are eating disordered are more dissatisfied with their bodies, have lower self-esteem, and have a greater tendency to endorse sociocultural mores regarding thinness and attractiveness. The present study investigated a) the prevalence of eating disorders among college women, and b) …

Increasing Sensitivity Toward Handicapped Children Through Inclusion, Christine Nicole Brookbank

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to observe the benefits for non-handicapped students in an inclusive setting. The hypothesis suggested that regular education students would be more sensitive and aware of handicapped individuals when they are read stories about handicapped individuals and participate in a sensitivity program than regular education students who do not receive this form of intervention. The Acceptance Scale for Kindergarten-Revised (ASK-R) helped to assess fifty-eight second graders' perceptions of handicapped individuals. The difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of Classroom B (experimental group given sensitivity program and read stories regarding individual differences; has included child) …

A Study Analyzing The Ability Of The Yellow Brick Road Screening Test To Predict Future Academic Achievement, Nancy Lazzaro

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of the Yellow Brick Road kindergarten screening instrument to predict future academic achievement using CAT scores as indicators of student performance. There were 31 subjects used in this study. Subjects were selected randomly from the respective elementary school population. The study followed a longitudinal design. Yellow Brick Road scores were obtained, in addition to CAT scores in grades 2, 4, and 6. All scores were recorded anonymously with the permission of the respective school Board of Education.

The data was analyzed using a paired sample T test. Based on the …

A Descriptive Analysis Comparing The Academic Success Of Student Athletes And Non-Student Athletes, Daniel P. Crowe

Theses and Dissertations

This study was undertaken to measure and compare the academic success of student athletes and non-student athletes. The suggested hypothesis was that student athletes would perform better academically because of factors relating to accomplished goal setting and discipline. This study implies that student athletes are more prepared for academic success because of their goal oriented behaviors.

206 students participated in the experiment. There were 141 athletes and 65 non athletes. Those who were described as an athlete were a participating member of a varsity sport. The students were all members of a local Catholic high school. With the permission of …

A Study Examining The "I Like Me" Program And Its Effects On Self Esteem, Julie Ridgway

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the "I Like Me" Program and determine if the implementation and use of the "I Like Me" Program, in addition to the standard curriculum, in a second grade classroom will significantly increase the students' levels of self esteem as compared to students who are only exposed to the standard health and social studies curricula.

Two samples of students were pretested using the Piers-Harris Children's Self- Concept Scale. The "I Like Me" Program was implemented into one of the two classrooms (Sample B) over a 20 week period of time. The program consisted …

Social Engagement: Depressogenic Factors In The Elderly, Joell P. Worster

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine whether those elderly nursing home residents who maintained social engagement would be less depressed then those elderly nursing home residents who did not maintain social engagement. The study consist of 21 residents who resided in a nursing home. All subjects were given the Geriatric Depression Scale and asked to respond to the 30 question by yes or no. A Mann Whitney Test was performed on the depression scores from the results of the Geriatric Depression Scale. The results were significant with the prediction of the study. Those elderly residents in the nursing …

A Study Of The Formal Operational Thought Ability Of College Students, Justin J. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This study was undertaken to measure the formal operational thought capacity of the college student and unveil any gender differences regarding this ability. Formal operational thought is important to the success of every student because it implies the ability of humans to reason scientifically and analytically and to think abstractly.

34 male and 40 female college students were selected from an on-campus apartment facility to be part of the study. The sample ranged in age from 17 to 21 and represented class standings from the freshman to senior level. The subjects included 45 Caucasians, 9 Hispanics, 17 African-Americans, and 3 …

Can A Specific Personality Type Predict Positive Rape Attitudes?, Elisha Wilkinson

Theses and Dissertations

Despite increased societal awareness, negative reactions are still common experiences for women disclosing incidents of sexual assault to social network members. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to try to identify one personality type that may be compassionate and empathetic to the victim of a rape. The participants of the study were eighty-two Freshmen, from a Northeastern College. The population contained approximately half males and half females, ages ranging from eighteen to forty-five, with a wide variety of racial backgrounds. The Understanding Scale from the PRF was used to test the participants' levels of compassion, and the Rape Attitudes …

The Effects Of Elementary Peer Mediation Program On Disciplinary Action In The Schools, Elizabeth Anne Haws

Theses and Dissertations

Peer mediation programs offer students options. Students can choose mediation instead of name-calling, yelling, or letting conflicts grow until they explode into violence. Little is known about the effectiveness or manner of implementing these programs. This study examines 62 black male students in grades 4, 5, and 6 from a Burlington County, New Jersey, suburban, public K-6 elementary school. Some data suggest disciplinary action is decreased with a cadre approach to peer mediation established in the school. More attention should be paid to evaluating peer mediation and conflict resolution programs. Under peer mediation programs, students in conflict and peer mediators …

An Analysis Of Individual Education Program Goals And Objectives For Preschool Handicapped Children And Their Relationship To Curriculum, Joann M. Mccormick

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to formulate a system whereby Individual Education Plan goals and objectives can be written, and curriculum adapted, to meet the unique needs of the preschool handicapped child.

Research of current literature on preschool IEP's and curriculum was conducted before surveying preschool handicapped programs in the Gloucester County New Jersey area. Thirty-two survey instruments were mailed to twenty-one school districts. The surveys included questions in two areas; first, respondents were asked to report on teacher and program information such as teacher certification, experience, number of children in the program, and hours spent in the program; …

A Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Reading Instruction In A Resource Center Pull-Out Program Versus A Regular Education Program, Barbara Groff

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a resource center pull-out program and a regular education program with in-class support as reading instruction placement options for students with learning disabilities.

A criterion-referenced reading inventory was administered to each subject in September to assess word recognition in isolation and reading comprehension. The assessment tool was readministered in March to obtain data in order to establish the gains made by each student.

Eighteen students participated in the study. The subjects are boys and girls between the ages of ten and twelve who attend adjacent school districts. All students …

A Comparison Of New Jersey Certification Requirements For Educational Diagnosticians With Six Other States, Elizabeth O'Neill

Theses and Dissertations

This study compares the New Jersey certification requirements for educational diagnosticians with the requirements of six other states. Child Study Team compositions were also examined. The search was narrowed to six states when interviews with state licensing agencies and state universities did not yield comprehensive information. In order to obtain more in-depth information, the research was conducted via phone interviews with employees from counties within each of the six states. Information received was hand recorded. Raw data was converted to percentages. None of the other six states required additional certification for the educational diagnostician who determines eligibility for special education. …

An Analysis Of The Individual Education Plan For Preschool Handicapped Children And Its Relationship To Classroom Curriculum, Karlene E. Zimmerman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and implement an improved model for Individualized Education Plans which can be utilized in a preschool handicapped program. A questionnaire consisting of 12 questions pertaining to goals, objectives, curriculum and teaching strategies was distributed to twenty teachers of preschool handicapped children. Fifteen questionnaires were returned. Forty-six of the teachers stated that they felt a general satisfaction with the content of the IEPs especially when written by themselves. Dissatisfaction was expressed with the amount of time the Child Study Team spends visiting the PSH classroom. They also expressed dissatisfaction with the amount of …

A Study On Effective Inclusion And Its Academic And Social Impacts On The Mildly Learning Disabled, Maria Naugle

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis project was to determine the effectiveness of placing mildly learning disabled (LD) public elementary school students (grades three, four, and five) in a fully inclusive general education setting with necessary support services, specifically collaborative teaching. Students involved in the study were classified perceptually impaired in accordance with N.J.A.C. 6:28, and placed in an in-class support (ICS) classroom, instructed by both a general education and special education teacher. Academic achievement data, as formally measured on the California Achievement Test (CAT 5) and functionally measured through teacher assigned report card grades, was analyzed. Social functioning (self-concept and …

A Comparison Of Selected Measures Of Academic Performance And Student Behavior At Bryan Senior High School Before And After Implementation Of Block Scheduling, Margaret M. Naylon

Student Work

This study examines the effects of a restructuring effort: the implementation of block scheduling in an Urban Nebraska public high school. Scheduling is a valuable resource for school improvement. Scheduling is frequently overlooked, even though it is more often the structure of an organization than the inadequacies of the people who work within it that cause the problem (Bogdan, 1992). Despite research findings which indicate the traditional schedule may not be the most effective, most American schools are organized in the same pattern as they have been for the past seventy years (Carroll, 1990). Block scheduling is a relatively new …

The Relationship Between The Degree Of Collegiality And The Utilization Of Technology In The Secondary Social Science Classroom, Douglas S. Newton

Student Work

The purpose of this study is to answer the following research questions: 1. Is there a significant difference in technology utilization between secondary Social Studies teachers identified as having high collegiality and those secondary Social Studies teachers identified as having low collegiality? 2. What is the correlation of secondary Social Studies teachers’ degree of collegiality with their corresponding perceptions toward the classroom utilization of technology? 3. What is the correlation of secondary Social Studies teachers’ age with their corresponding perceptions toward the classroom utilization of technology? 4. What is the correlation of secondary Social Studies teachers’ educational achievement with their …

Experiencing Abortion: A Phenomenological Investigation, Kathryn Rea Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

This project provided a description of women's experience of abortion. In-depth, non-directive interviews were conducted with ten adult women in which they were asked to describe what stood out for them about their experience of abortion. Transcribed interviews constituted the raw data, and a method informed by hermeneutic analysis was used for purposes of describing the thematic structure of the experience. Findings indicated that this structure was defined by four themes: (1) Wrong and Right Aspects; (2) Issues of Life and Death; (3) Absence or Presence of Support; and (4) A Hard Thing to Go Through. These themes were always …

A Tale Of Two Brothers : A Retelling Of A Jewish Folktale For Young Children, Meredith A. Glass

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Contains an original retelling of a Russian Jewish Folktale for K-1 readers. Curriculum applications, children's responses, and discussions of uses of folklore are included.

An Integration Of 'Social Environment' Into The Symbolic Interactionist Paradigm, Tom Riley

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Sociology by Tom Riley on May 1, 1998.

The Effect Of The Estimate Of Resting Metabolic Rate On The Correlation Between Energy Expenditure As Estimated Using Self-Reports Of Physical Activity And Food Intake Records In Older Adults, Judy Hurd

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study measured total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) in adults at least 50 years of age. The goal was to determine the effect of the estimate of resting metabolic rate (RMR) on the relationship between energy expenditure estimates made using (a) self-reports of physical activity and (b) food intake records. The objectives were to determine if (a) RMR estimates based on body composition, body weight, and the metabolic cart were strongly related to each other, and (b) TDEE estimates based on a 7-day physical activity diary and a 7-day food intake record were more strongly related to each other when …

Attitudes Toward Inclusion: A Survey Of General And Special Educators, Debra M. Shinn

Theses and Dissertations

Whether or not the attitudes toward inclusion differ between regular educators and special educators was investigated. From the current literature reviewed, it was hypothesized that special educators would have a more favorable attitude toward inclusion than regular educators. Forty-nine regular educators and sixty-three special educators responded to a questionnaire. The results of an independent groups t test did confirm a statistically significant difference between the two groups. However, the significant difference revealed that, overall, regular educators had a more favorable attitude toward inclusion than special educators.

Over half of the regular educators believed that the challenge of a regular class …

The Effects Of Parental Values On The Prosocial Behaviors Of Preschoolers In A Private Vs. District-Funded Preschool, Janet Baratta

Theses and Dissertations

Earlier studies have shown that parental modeling and communication of values are significant factors in promoting prosocial behavior in young children. The current study was conducted to determine whether a relationship existed between preschoolers' prosocial behaviors and the importance their parents attributed to such behaviors. The prosocial behaviors of twenty preschoolers from a private preschool were compared to the behaviors of twenty preschoolers from a public, district-funded preschool. The preschool teachers from both schools rated the prosocial behaviors of the children based on how often they observed each child engaging in various behaviors. The parents rated how valuable they believed …

A Case Study Of The Effects Of Integration On Two Black High Schools In East Tennessee, Sheila R. Knaff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of integration on two black high schools and their communities in East Tennessee. The purpose of the study was to show how integration impacted these two communities both negatively and positively. The research method was qualitative and used the case study approach. Interviews of former students, teachers, and administrators of these two schools was a primary source of data collection. Further analysis of the data used the qualitative software package QSR NUD*IST 4.0. Data gained from the interviews, coupled with historical and current literature, as well as other published documents in relation to these two …

A Parent's Guide To Assisting Learning Disabled Children At Home, Sandra Elaine Baker

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Our schools are overcrowded, teachers are spread too thin, and often children with learning disabilities are left alone to get by in school (Rosner, 1993). Many of them end up falling through the cracks in the floor by middle school. Learning disabilities are not manifest in physical ways necessarily and many times go unnoticed and/or untreated (Bloom, 1996). This can be very damaging to a child both in an academic sense and in an affective sense. Self-esteem is lowered and sometimes continued failure in one scholastic area can mean failure in other areas such as reading which in tum affects …

Pre-Referral Portfolio Assessment For Limited English Proficient Students, Elizabeth Grayce Stevens

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

What can be done to ensure that the needs are met of children who are limited in proficiency of the English language? Such is the familiar query of educators and professionals alike. In fact, one elementary school principal stated that this question often presents itself as the first item of business when administrators meet together (Marian Waterman, personal communication, October, 1997). How do we know where to place a child? How do we evaluate progress? When progress is limited, how do we know if the child requires special education services? The answers lie in appropriate assessment.

One Common Life, Thelma Sheree Clove

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The day my Grandfather died, my little sisters and brother and I were all out of school for Christmas Break in 1993. For some reason, all of us kids were hanging out in the front room of our house in Henderson, Nevada. We were laughing and talking, then the phone rang. My mom was sitting in a chair next to the phone, and she picked it up right away.

A Quest For Educational Equality, Estella A. Galindo

Graduate Theses

Girls make up the majority of America's school children. Many of them are falling behind academically because they are treated educationally as second-class citizens. Using a qualitative research approach, this paper uses conversations with young girls to gather insights about gender issues in today's schools. Research suggests that sexist experiences subvert education, therefore, educational sexism must be eradicated.