Educational Psychology Commons^™

School Psychologists And Suicide Risk Assessment: Role Perception And Competency, Kristen Herner Erps

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

As the second leading cause of death for adolescents, suicide has become one of the biggest concerns for school personnel. School psychologists are often expected to be the most competent and able to lead in suicide prevention efforts, however, studies have shown a lack of preparedness in crisis intervention and, more specifically, suicide risk assessment. This study surveyed practicing school psychologists (N = 92) to explore their perception of both their role and competency in suicide risk assessment. While school psychologists reported having varying roles within their district related to suicide risk assessment, the majority endorsed having a role at …

The Goal-Driven, Resilient, And Influential Teens Program In Kentucky High Schools: The Impact On Social And Emotional Learning And Influencing Factors, Brant Von Goble

Dissertations

In order to assess the effects of the Goal-driven, Resilient, and Influential Teens (GRIT) program on social and emotional learning and academic performance in high schools throughout Kentucky, data from several sources were compiled and analyzed. These sources included results from the Student Engagement and Performance (STEP) survey, an instrument developed by the Rock Solid Evaluation Team at Western Kentucky University and administered yearly to high school students and teachers, and school-level academic and socioeconomic data from the Kentucky Department of Education. Additional data on fidelity of GRIT program implementation were obtained from FranklinCovey, the GRIT program’s developer and publisher. …

To Cheat Or Not To Cheat: Impacts Of Learning Disability Status And Impulsivity On Cheating, Mckenzie Perdew

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Impulsivity is associated with academic dishonesty and deficits/disorders related to learning disabilities (LD). Despite separate connections made between impulsivity and academic cheating and between impulsivity and LD, there is little information in the literature regarding whether the impulsivity feature of some LD is related to higher rates of academic dishonesty among students with LD. We measured history of academic dishonesty, tolerance of academic dishonesty, and impulsivity in 83 Amazon Mechanical Turk participants. An independent samples t-test revealed that participants with LD exhibited higher levels of dysfunctional impulsivity compared to neurotypical (NT) peers. Dysfunctional impulsivity was associated with increased cheating tolerance. …

Toward A More Perfect Definition Of Learning: Using Biomarkers To Predict And Assess Learning Performance, Samuel J. Hunt

Dissertations

This study seeks to establish groundwork for a new definition of learning based on neurogenesis capable of guiding future educational policy and practice. The purpose of the research was to: (1) produce separate increases in neurogenesis and intelligence, (2) measure the changes in neurogenesis using protein biomarkers, and (3) correlate increases in levels of the protein biomarkers with increases in intelligence. The study employed a randomized pretest-posttest, control/comparison group research design. Thirty-eight fourth- and fifth-grade students with diverse academic needs were divided into three experimental groups: chess, exercise, and combined; with an additional control group. Pre-post measures included intelligence (RSPM) …

Intrinsic And Extrinsic Motivation: Abraham Lincoln As An Adult Learner, Warren Greer

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Over the last two decades, research has identified factors that foster versus undermine human motivation and well being with important implications for learning and performance. Much of the research is concerned with intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation and autonomous versus non-autonomous learning environments. The data suggests that learning and performance are often significantly enhanced in autonomy-supportive environments that foster intrinsic motivational perspectives. This study examines the lived experience of Abraham Lincoln in the context of his adult learning motivation, forming a qualitative narrative around his adult educational experiences. It was hypothesized that Abraham Lincoln benefited from learning experiences with high levels …

Using Dweck's Theory Of Motivation To Determine How A Student's View Of Intelligence Affects Their Overall Academic Achievement, Keely P'Pool

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study explored how student intelligence was directly linked to the goals and motivation held by students when engaged in academic settings. Students were administered a questionnaire developed by Dr. Carol Dweck in which they responded to statements in order to determine their individual theory of intelligence. Once this was accomplished, multiple student variables (including but not limited to first semester GPA, second semester GPA, ACT composite score, age, and college coursework) were compared to their view of intelligence to determine if any correlations existed.

Results showed that there was no significant difference between students who viewed intelligence as malleable …

Academic Dishonesty In Online Education, Wren Allen Mills

Dissertations

This dissertation examined cheating attitudes and behaviors of undergraduates, especially those enrolled in online courses. While cheating is an established problem within the academy, it is also an issue on the job and has been in the spotlight in recent years, with ethics scandals in corporate America and plagiarism in the media. With this in mind, and the foundational philosophy of the Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education (Bureau of Education, 1928) and the American Council on Education’s (1937) Student Personnel Point of View, this study sought insight into students’ attitudes about cheating behaviors and practices of them in online courses …

Diagnostic Decision-Making: How Much Do Behavior Rating Scales Influence School Psychologists?, Lesley Ann Higgins

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Behavior rating scales are commonly used as part of the evaluation process throughout the field of psychology. Behavior rating scales help assess social, emotional, and/or behavioral problems in children, adolescents, and teens. Behavior rating scales indicate the severity of problem behaviors compared to a normative sample. Four scenarios were developed that varied scores on a behavior rating scale and the amount of other information that supported a specific diagnosis. A rating of the likelihood of a diagnosis was requested to see how much influence behavior rating scale scores have on diagnostic decision-making. Each of the four scenarios was sent to …

An Evaluation Of The Convergent Validity Of Multi-Source Feedback With Situational Assessment Of Leadership - Student Assessment (Salsa©), Heather Stroupe

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The current study assessed the convergent validity of the Situational Assessment of Leadership – Student Assessment (SALSA©), a situational judgment test (SJT), with multi-source ratings. The SALSA© was administered to ROTC cadets via Blackboard; multi-source ratings, which paralleled the leadership dimensions of the SALSA©, were administered via paper. Each cadet completed the SALSA© and was rated by 10 peers, his/herself, and at least one cadre (superior). SALSA© scores were not correlated with any of the corresponding dimensions on multi-source ratings, with one exception. Cadre ratings of Consideration/Team Skills were positively correlated with SALSA© scores on the same dimension. This finding …

Wku Scholar, Pamela Napier, Editor-In-Chief

WKU Scholar

No abstract provided.

Screening Preschoolers For Autism With Behavior Rating Scales, Amber Desiré Gross

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Early identification of autism is important in order to maximize the potential of intervention efforts. However, the identification of autism can require extensive training and experience. Psychologists routinely use behavior rating scales to assess children for various social, emotional, or behavioral problems when completing evaluations in the school or clinical setting. The focus of the current study is to determine whether a behavior rating scale can accurately distinguish between referred preschoolers with autism and referred preschoolers without autism. Parents of 82 preschoolers referred to a nonprofit child development clinic because of behavioral or developmental concerns completed two behavior rating scales …

Comparing Parent Ratings Of Referred Preschoolers On The Child Behavior Checklist And Behavior Assessment System For Children - Second Edition, Jennifer L. Bour

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

It is essential for school psychologists assessing children to use instruments that are reliable and valid. The focus of the current study is to determine whether or not the parent preschool versions of two popular behavior rating instruments, the Behavior Assessment System for Children – Second Edition (BASC-2; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000), are consistent measures of similarly-named behavioral constructs in preschool-aged children. Parents of 95 preschoolers referred to a nonprofit child evaluation clinic because of behavioral or developmental concerns completed both the BASC-2 and CBCL during an initial evaluation session.

The …

Analysis Of The Relationship Between Levels Of Ability Grouped Students & Their Attitudes Toward Teachers & The Learning Process, Martha Davis

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the ability grouping of a student and his/her attitude toward teachers and the learning process. Three groups of students enrolled in the Logan County School System in the spring of 1988 were administered the Arlin-Hills Attitude Survey. These groups of students were those who had been identified as gifted/talented, special education (EMH or LD) and regular class students. The findings of this study indicated that the three groups did not differ significantly in attitudes toward teachers or attitudes toward the learning process.

The Effects Of Various Kinds Of Background Music On The I.Q. Scores Of Ninth-Grade Students, L.C. Bud Johnston

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

One hundred 9^th-grade students were divided into four groups of 25 each through systematic sampling procedures. Each of the groups were tested, pre and post, by the Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test, forms J and K. During the pretest for all groups, the background condition of silence was observed. During the posttest, one group was again tested in silence. The other three groups were each tested to one of three background conditions: pop music, hard rock music, and soft rock music. Pop music played was characterized as more mellow, more melodic, and less intense than rock music. Hard rock …

A Study Of The Validity Of Undergraduate Grade Point Average And Graduate Record Examination Scores As Predictors Of Success In The Selection Of Masters Level Graduate Students In Psychology, Margaret Tandy O'Connor

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of the undergraduate grade point average (UGPA), the grade point average during the last two years of undergraduate work (LTYR), the Graduate Record Examination Verbal plus Graduate Record Examination Quantitative scores (GREM), the Graduate Record Examination Analytical Test score (GREAN) and the Graduate Record Examination Advanced Psychology Test score (GREAD) as predictors of graduate grade point averages (GGPA) in the Master of Arts degree program in Psychology at Western Kentucky University. The validity of the Graduate Record Examination Quantitative score (GREQ) as a predictor of grades received in the two …

A Follow-Up Study Of Selected Participants In The Youth Development Program (Drop-Out Program) Of The Jefferson County Kentucky School System, H. Wayne Cumbee

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Samples from four school year classes of students that participated in the youth Development Program, were interviewed in areas of family background, marital status, career status, educational status and interest in certain communication media. The data from the Interview Questionnaire was then collated. All participants had been classed as drop-outs or potential drop-outs. The school years involved were: 4969 through 1972-73. The results showed that fifty-six percent graduated the year they attended the program; twelve percent returned to regular school. Persisted and graduated; six percent went on to college and twenty-six percent received their graduation certificate or an equivalency (G.E.D.) …

Trends In Educational Thinking Respecting Classroom Control As Revealed Through Professional Periodicals 1960-1965, Jane Stevenson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the disciplinary trends in educational practice as reported in professional journals comprising the period 1960-1965 and emphasizing, particularly, discipline of pupils in elementary schools. Educational movements of the past concerning discipline have directly influenced that phase of present-day education. By considering the historical background of the problem, current conceptions and practices could be more adequately interpreted.

A Study Of The Effect Of Growth In Reading Achievement Upon The Total Personality Of The Child, Lillie Nix

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of reading achievement as measured by a standardized test of reading, upon the total personality of the child, as measured by a standardized test of personality.