Education Commons^™

A Study Investigating Parental Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Of Children With Autism, Kristy Kratz

Theses and Dissertations

This study intended to look at the relationship of obsessive compulsiveness between parents of autistic children and parents of non-autistic children. A screening instrument in the form of a questionnaire was used to screen for traits and characteristics of obsessive compulsive disorder. A sample of 60 adults was used: 34 parents with children with autism and 26 parents of non-autistic children. The sample was further broken down into mothers and fathers of autistic and non-autistic children. Three hypotheses were tested using statistics such as Chi-Square measures. Results indicated that there was no relationship between parents of autistic children and non-autistic …

An Evaluation Of A Character Education Program On Students With Developmental Disabilities, Andrew Disque

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a character education program on students with developmental disabilities. Both the experimental (n=20) and the control (n=14) groups were administered a pre-test during the same week. Following this, a six-week character education program was implemented with the experimental group. A post-test was then administered to both groups. Two hypotheses were generated; primarily, character education would improve post-test scores in the experimental group compared to pre-test scores from within that group and post-test scores from the control group. Secondarily, behavioral data would display a decrease in maladaptive behaviors for the …

An Investigation Of Rowan University Students' Attitudes Toward Homosexuality, Annmarie Panarello

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to investigate undergraduate student attitudes toward homosexuality. Between group differences were explored in terms of (a) gender, (b) religious affiliation, and (c) year of study. One hundred and twenty nine Rowan University undergraduate students participated by answering a homophobia scale questionnaire, and a demographic questionnaire. A three-way analysis of variance revealed significant differences in mean scores between men and women, affirming that women scored lower on the homophobia scale than men. No other between group differences were found to be statistically significant. Implications for future research are discussed.

Children Of Divorce Versus Children Of Intact Families And Their Adjustment To College, Kimberly Martin

Theses and Dissertations

Children of divorce and children of intact families grow up in very different worlds. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects that being a child of divorce has on later adjustment in college. A sample of 95 undergraduate students were administered the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire. Of the 95 students, 18 reported being from divorced families, two reported parental death, and 75 reported their parents still being married. Results indicated that the age a child experiences their parents divorce can have a significant impact on their later attachment to college and social adjustment to college. More …

Teacher Job Satisfaction And Teacher Burnout As A Product Of Years Of Experience In Teaching, Kristin A. Camilli

Theses and Dissertations

As job satisfaction in adulthood has become an important source of personal fulfillment, research in this area has increased in recent years. Teacher job satisfaction and burnout are among the most important factors contributing to the problem of teacher retention. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether years of teaching experience is a predictive factor of job satisfaction and burnout. The study included 60 participants ranging in teaching experience from 1 year to 44 years. It was hypothesized that teachers who have been in the profession for 1-2 or 3-10 years will be less satisfied and will …

Factors Influencing The Educational And Occupational Choices Of Women, Jennifer Bertino

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine self-efficacy in mathematics and various motivating factors among female college students who choose college majors in traditionally female-dominated fields as compared to those who chose college majors in traditionally male-dominated fields. The Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale and an adapted version of the College Survey were administered to forty-six female college students. Differences between groups in the outcomes of the surveys were measured using a one-way ANOVA for the MSES and a chi-square and gamma test for individual items from the College Survey. The findings were that the MSES indicated differences between the groups …

The Relationship Between Living Situation And Diagnosed Disability In Maltreated Children, Jaime Fleigel

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between type of placement and diagnosed disability in maltreated children. Forty maltreated children from New Jersey's child protective service agency were used in this study to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in diagnosed disability in maltreated children with regard to living situation. A review of records was conducted to determine whether the subject had a diagnosed disability and an independent samples t-test was used to analyze the data. Results indicated that there was a relationship between placement type and whether there was a diagnosed disability.

Reinforcements As An Intervention In Children With Bipolar Disorder, Rachel Agin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test social and token reinforcements as an intervention to help eliminate behavior problems that are common in children with Bipolar Disorder. The subject was a six-year-old Caucasian boy diagnosed as bipolar. The experiment was performed during eight non-consecutive group therapy sessions. It was hypothesized that there would be a significant difference in behavior from the baseline measures as compared to post-reinforcement measures. The hypothesis was proven wrong however, because results show the baseline and post-reinforcement measures were almost identical. It was concluded that although the results were not significant, the data shows there …

The Effect Of A Mentoring Program On The Self-Esteem Of First Year, Learning Disabled College Students, Nathanael I. Barnes

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a mentoring program on the self-esteem of first year, learning disabled, college students. A self-esteem assessment was administered prior to the start of the mentoring process. After the students participated in the program for a semester and a half the same self-esteem assessment was given again to determine the change, if any. Also during this time the self-esteem assessment was given to a group of non-learning disabled students in the same manner. The participants attended Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. The participants varied in socioeconomic, race and major …

The Effects Of An Integrated Whole Language And Phonics-Based Instructional Spelling Program On Student Spelling Ability And Self-Concept, Kimberly B. Biberman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to create an integrated phonics and whole language approach to teaching spelling to regular education and resource students. The sample included thirty-nine fourth grade students, which were split into an experimental and a control group. Students in the experimental group completed a spelling pretest and ten weeks of instruction implemented by the researchers. The students in the control group also completed a pretest and completed spelling instruction as followed by the required fourth grade curriculum.

After the study was completed, both groups completed a spelling posttest as well as a self-concept scale in relation …

Using The Personality Type System To Assess Personality Types Of Social Workers, Stephanie Anne Canal

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a tendency for a certain personality type among social workers. Sixty-four social workers were given the Personality Type System and a demographics information sheet. The Personality Type System is a self-report inventory that categorizes personality on four scales: extraversion/introversion, sensation/intuition, thinking/feeling, and perceiving/judging. The demographics information sheet categorized the participants in five areas: gender, age, marital status, childhood family dynamics, and years of social work experience. The scores and categories were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations. The personality test scores indicated that the social workers had …

Second Language Acquisition: A Study Of A Constructivist Approach To Teaching Versus A Varied Approach, And Its Effectiveness In A First-Year Spanish Class At The Secondary Level, Christina Di Mento Ferus

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a Constructivist approach to teaching, or a varied approach is most effective in teaching a first-year Spanish class at the secondary level. The sample for this study consisted of 40 high school students enrolled in a Spanish I course. All students were given a pretest at the beginning of the second marking period. The test was developed by the researcher, and covered all the concepts that were to be taught throughout that marking period. One class was instructed using a Constructivist approach to teaching, while the other class received a varied …

Personality And The Effective Teaching Disposition: An Exploratory Study, Laura G. Norton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the possible role personality dispositions plays in the effectiveness of an educator. Fifteen special education teachers deemed as particularly "effective" by administrators and fifteen special education students enrolled in introductory level special education classes participated in this study. Indicated in previous studies as important to self-reflective processes, the personality traits of Emotional Stability, Original Thinking and Vigor were analyzed by the Gordon Personal-Profile Inventory, completed by both groups. Special education teachers only completed a General Information Questionnaire to provide background and job satisfaction information. Independent t-tests were used to determine differences between …

A Study To Assess Motivational Factors In Pursuing Higher Education: A Multicultural Perspective, Reta R. Ramos-Rios

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to (a) determine the motivational factors of students attending Camden County College in Blackwood and to (b) determine if their cultural background played a part in them choosing collective or individualistic reasons to attend. One hundred students were surveyed. Each student was given a survey of 16 questions, eight questions measured individualism and eight measured collectivism. A one-way MANOVA found that the students from Camden County College demonstrated individualistic characteristics regardless of race. The average responses for going to college were more individualistic than hypothesized However, Latinos and African Americans still scored higher on …

The Relationship Between The Time Spent Reading At Home With Parents And Reading Achievement, Robbin F. Reed

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to offer support for reading to your child at home during the early elementary years to increase your child's reading readiness at school. It is hypothesized that the more time parents spend reading to their child at home the higher their scores should be on reading assessments. The sample population consists of 15 students, in grades kindergarten and first, from a parochial school located in southern New Jersey. The parents completed a questionnaire and the Marie Clay's Concepts About Print test was administered to the children. The Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was used …

The Effects Of Confidence And Intention To Learn On Performance In Reading Comprehension Tests, Anthony John Rosamilia

Theses and Dissertations

The present study was designed to better our understanding of human memory acquisition and recall by investigating what role, if any, confidence plays in tasks of academic performance and attempting to provide construct validity to the concept of intent to learn and its related principles of deep processing, attention to meaning, and elaborative rehearsal. 147 participants, whose confidence was manipulated prior to testing, were placed in one of four groups: High Confidence, Low Confidence, Control, and Spelling (no intent to learn). All participants were asked to read a short story adapted from the WIAT (the Spelling group asked only to …

The Effect Of Rock Music As A Source Of Auditory Distraction On The Reading Comprehension Of Undergraduate College Students And The Relationship Between Distractibility And Achievement, Meghan Eileen Rush

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this experimental research study were to (a) examine the effect of rock music as a source of auditory distraction on the reading comprehension of sixteen undergraduate college students; and (b) assess the relationship between distractibility and achievement. Participants in the study were given two reading comprehension examinations in two conditions: music and silent control. Achievement was measured by self-report of grade point average. Statistical analysis of the main effect of rock music on reading comprehension, using a repeated measures t-test, found no significant effect. Additionally, no significant correlation was found between distractibility and achievement. Problems with the …

Using Applied Behavior Analysis To Increase Compliance With A Child With Autism, Rachael Simon

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to take an in depth look at ways to modify the specific behavior compliance of a child diagnosed with autism. The subject studied was a two year eleven month year old female who had a diagnosis of severe to moderate autism. Over a five week period, applied behavior analysis, a behavior technique used for individuals with autism, was implemented into her educational programming. Data was collected over this five week period and a one way mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) was completed in order to see if her compliance rate had increased after using …

Individual Learning Versus Group Learning In A Suburban Second-Grade Classroom, Devonn Grimm

Theses and Dissertations

There has been a great debate about which learning style is the best for all students. Some propose that individual learning situations enhance the education a student is receiving. However, perhaps a group learning environment would help inclusion and special education students, as well as their average or above average peers. Research indicates that there are benefits and drawbacks to each different teaching style. The present study investigated the difference between group and individual learning styles and their impact on students' individual academic scores. A single second-grade classroom containing many types of students was manipulated and observed. For eight weeks …

Positive Reinforcement As An Intervention For Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder And Schizoid Personality Disorder, Dana H. Kagan

Theses and Dissertations

Positive reinforcement is effective when used as an intervention for children with inappropriate behaviors. Children with the diagnosis of Schizoid Personality Disorder (SP) and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may exhibit inappropriate behaviors that inhibit their quality of life. When appropriate behaviors are paired with rewards or reinforcements, there is an increase in the likelihood of such behaviors reoccurring. When four appropriate behaviors were reinforced by stickers for a child with SP and ADHD, the behaviors increased, therefore inappropriate behaviors decreased. The data that was collected was analyzed by a two-way ANOVA test. Several types of reinforcement interventions were researched …

Academic Dishonesty: A Study In The Magnitude Of And Justifications For Academic Dishonesty Among College Undergraduate And Graduate Students, Bryan Hendricks

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the degree to which college undergraduate and graduate students cheat as well as to examine if the justifications for cheating differed amongst these groups. Cheating behavior scores and justifications for engaging in academically dishonest behavior scores were obtained from 138 college undergraduate and graduate students through the use of a survey. One-way analysis of variance revealed a significant difference between the underclassmen, upperclassmen, and graduate students group reporting cheating behaviors. Post hoc tests revealed that underclassmen reported significantly higher levels of cheating than upperclassmen and graduate students. Graduate students were found to …

Nasp Standards And Rowan School Psychology Graduates: Does Knowledge Transfer To On-The-Job Skills?, Kristine E. Dipalo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether Rowan University is preparing their school psychology graduates to deliver school psychology services according to professional standards set forth by NASP. This study examined the relationship between interns' self evaluations and supervisors' ratings on a measure of job performance. The information gathered was further correlated with job satisfaction. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data from the questionnaires. The results from this study indicate that there is a correlation between self-ratings and supervisors' ratings of job performance. This does not correlate with job satisfaction. The graduates of the school psychology …