Educational Psychology Commons^™

Primed For Sport Coaching: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study Of A Six-Week Intervention, Pete S. Paciorek

Dissertations

This six-week pilot study was conducted using grounded theory from “What Works in Character Education” (Berkowitz & Bier, 2014) and specifically the “PRIMED for Character Education” framework (Berkowitz, 2021) applied to 11 high school sport coaches. The three key ideas of focus were on whether the PRIMED framework could increase the coach-participants’ commitment to character education, self-efficacy as character educators, and self-identification as Servant Leaders in an effort to “nurture the flourishing of human goodness” (Berkowitz, 2021) of our youth and, in this case, specifically, high school student-athletes.

With millions of youth involved in sport in North America and across …

Growth Mindset Intervention And Its Impact On Productive Struggle In The Eighth-Grade Mathematics Classroom, Jordy Wilson

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

This study aims to seek means to increase student productive struggle while adhering to the strenuous performance demands by our school systems. This study examines connections between growth mindset interventions, attitude towards struggle, and productive struggle in the mathematics classroom. Growth mindset interventions have been shown to change mindsets and to help students become more willing to engage in challenging problems and deal with difficult situations and struggle. Productive struggle is the engagement with difficult problems with the understanding that breakthroughs occur from confusion and struggle and has been linked with students’ conceptual understanding in the mathematics classroom. It has …

Defining Business As Usual In Preschool Interventions For Challenging Behavior, Eleanor Bold

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Challenging behavior (CB) is a major barrier to service delivery in preschool classrooms. Persistent CB has been found to significantly impact children’s academic and social success long-term, especially amongst children from historically minoritized populations and those with disabilities. Numerous evidence-based intervention strategies exist to prevent and reduce CB, yet preschool teachers continue to voice a desire to increase their capacity to do so in the classroom due to high rates of CB continuing to be observed. This dissertation seeks to address this research to practice gap by ascertaining the current baseline intervention practices utilized to manage CB in preschool classrooms …

Tier Ii Behavioral Intervention: A Direct Comparison Of Two Versions Of Class Pass, Madeline Cordle

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Disruptive behaviors are some of the most difficult behaviors for teachers to address in schools. They can take multiple forms in the classroom, and can impact the student displaying them, as well the rest of the learning environment in terms of academic engagement. Disruptive behaviors are believed to be displayed by students for the purpose of attaining social positive and social negative reinforcement. These behaviors also tend to fall into a higher level of need based on MTSS/PBIS tiered support models. Typically, disruptive behaviors fall within Tier II level of need, where universal supports are not enough, but intensive, individualized …

Investigating The Effectiveness Of The Positive Reinforcement Components Of Tootling, Kennedi J. Alstead

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Disruptive behavior in the classroom can have a negative impact on students’ academic and social outcomes. Additionally, teachers have expressed difficulty with implementing class-wide behavioral interventions that address this problem. Tootling is a class-wide, positive behavioral intervention that has been shown to increase prosocial behavior and academic engagement, as well as decreasing disruptive behavior in the classroom. Tootling is derived from another form of positive peer reporting and is considered the opposite of tattling. In tootling, students report on their peers’ prosocial behaviors. This intervention has multiple components that assist in its effectiveness. Specifically, there are three components with aspects …

Body Dissatisfaction And Disordered Eating Among College Women’S Social Networks: An Investigation Of Perceived Changes Following A Dissonance-Based Body Image Intervention, Rachel I. Macintyre

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Body dissatisfaction is associated with numerous health consequences and is pervasive among college women. Effective interventions exist that reduce body dissatisfaction in college women by helping them resist sociocultural pressures to conform to the appearance ideal, such as the Body Project. Yet research is limited on whether social and behavioral processes help participants reduce their engagement in sociocultural appearance-ideal messages and contribute to the intervention’s effectiveness. The primary purpose of the present study was to examine these social and behavioral processes, including the changes in college women’s social networks associated with their participation in the Body Project. Undergraduate and graduate …

School Psychologists' Beliefs, Perceived Competence, Knowledge, Social/Norms Expectations, And Implementation Of School-Based Trauma-Focused Interventions, Amanda Rian Hanrahan

Theses and Dissertations

Two out of every three children will experience a traumatic event before the age of 16 (APA, 2008). Due to a variety of barriers, many of these children will not receive the mental health treatment and support they need (GAO, 2009). Researchers have identified School Psychologists as the primary school-based mental health professionals to provide services in schools (Jaycox et al., 2007). The present study aimed to better understand the prevalence of childhood trauma, analyze the factors that lead to increased intervention implementation for School Psychologists, and identify factors that decrease the negative association between barriers and implementation frequency of …

Strengthening The School-Family Partnership: Parents' Experiences With The Parents In Partnership With Educators Program (Pipe), Courtney Cadieux

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Parents in Partnership with Educators (PIPE) program was developed as a brief intervention for families who are struggling to communicate with schools around the needs of their child. It includes instruction in communication and conflict resolution strategies. Parents are also provided with support at school meetings to help them implement these strategies. The goal of this thesis was to explore why parents enrol in the PIPE program and what they gain from their involvement. In Study 1, file reviews were conducted of ten families, eight of whom also participated in an interview about their experience. Interview transcripts were analysed …

The Experience Of Students With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder During The Transition To Middle School, Hannah M. Berry

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The transition to the middle school setting from elementary school has been the subject of research for decades as data shows a decline in academic success, socio-emotional health and motivation for students. There is a lack of research based transitional programs to support the needs of students at this time, specifically those with special needs. Though the name and specific criteria for students with ADHD has shifted, the impact this neurological disability has on students and learning is comprehensive. Symptoms of this disorder reach and affect each part of the student and their school experience, as well as those around …

The Effects Of A Retrieval Practice Intervention On Undergraduates’ Monitoring And Control Processes Using Performance Feedback In A College Classroom, Meganclaire Cogliano

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The present study examined the effects of a classroom intervention on students’ metacognitive monitoring of retrieval practice performance feedback and metacognitive control of future study decisions. The sample included 103 undergraduate students enrolled in five sections of an introductory educational psychology course. A true experimental design was used to randomly assign students to trained (n=49) and control (n=54) conditions within each section.

During the semester, students completed a pre- and post- metacognitive awareness inventory (MAI), 10 practice-tests, 10 feedback monitoring assignments, and a cumulative final examination. The feedback assignments required students to identify areas of mastery (i.e., well-learned topics) and …

The Application Of The Specific Learning Disability Exclusionary Clause As Practiced By Virginia School Psychologists, Kaitlynn Carter

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

When special education eligibility is being determined under Specific Learning Disability, the exclusionary clause needs to be carefully considered. The current study was concerned with the exclusions of cultural factors, environmental or economic disadvantage, and limited English proficiency. The study used a semi-structured interview to explore when and how the exclusionary clause is considered by school psychologists in Virginia and what type of impact it has on eligibility decisions. Ten school psychologists were contacted via the email database of the Virginia Department of Education and completed a phone interview. Grounded theory was used to investigate the themes and ideas regarding …

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy With A Teacher Component: Outcomes Examined In A School Setting, Kelly Marie Holmes

Dissertations

Trauma exposure among youth is common and can result in long-term social-emotional, behavioral, and academic problems (Finkelhor, Turner, Hamby, & Ormrod, 2011; Kronenberg et al., 2010). Fortunately, there are interventions that can ameliorate these problems. In particular, trauma-focused, interventions are effective in reducing trauma related symptomatology and problems among youth (Cary & McMillen, 2012). Trauma exposure among youth is common and can result in long-term social-emotional, behavioral, and academic problems (Finkelhor, Turner, Hamby, & Ormrod, 2011). Additionally, most youth receive mental health services in schools (Green et al., 2013). Fortunately, there are school-based, trauma-focused interventions that have been found to …

Response To Intervention Implementation And Special Education Eligibility In Rural Wisconsin Schools, Jessica Golburg

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate differences among special education enrollments for specific learning disabilities (SLD) and other disabilities within districts using school-wide response to intervention (RTI). Differences between rural and suburban school districts during the phases of the insufficient criterion rollout for SLD identification were explored as were environmental factors' impact on RTI implementation. Systems theory framed how concerns in rural districts impact the ability to use RTI data for special education enrollment. The research questions examined prevalence rates of SLD and other disabilities, compared RTI implementation fidelity in rural and suburban districts, and explored environmental …

Tootling With A Randomized Independent Group Contingency In A High School Setting, John Dylan Ken Lum

Dissertations

Tootling is a procedure where students report their classmates’ positive and prosocial behavior. The present study examined the effects of tootling on students’ disruptive and academically engaged behavior in three general education high school classrooms. An A-B-A-B withdrawal design was used to assess the effects of the intervention. Students wrote tootles anonymously on paper slips and placed them into a marked container. Unlike previous tootling studies, a randomized independent group contingency procedure was used to reward the students to reduce the number of steps required to implement the intervention. At the end of the class period, teachers randomly drew three …

The Effect Of A Font Intervention For 4th And 5th Graders With Dyslexia, Steven L. Powell

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Dyslexie is a font developed by Christian Boer specifically to enhance reading fluency in students with dyslexia. The present study examined its potential impact on the performance of 36 4^th and 5^th grade students with SLD on story reading. We found that Dyslexie, when compared to other common fonts that have been adjusted to control for Dyslexie’s large size and spacing, appears to have no effect on readers’ ability to read text correctly, comprehend text, or read faster.

The Effect Of Font Type On Sight Word Reading Performance Of 4th And 5th Grade Students With Reading Disabilities, Denton S. Warburton

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Reading interventions are a crucial component to combat barriers associated with reading difficulties. Within the education realm, nearly 50% of students who receive special education supports have a Specific Learning Disability (Gargiulo, 2006). As a result, the development and implementation of effective and targeted interventions is critical. Christian Boer developed a font called Dyslexie to help remediate reading difficulties of individuals with Dyslexia (Boer, 2011). However, studies by de Leeuw (2010) and Pjipker (2013) provide inconsistent supportive evidence, regarding the effectiveness of Dyslexie. The current study sought to examine the effectiveness of Dyslexie as compared to Arial on sight word …

It Takes Two: Compatibility Of Perspectives Between Students And Teachers And The Effects Effort Has On Student Academic Achievement And Subjective Well-Being, Leah E. Bracey

Senior Projects Spring 2017

This research study examined the unique matching of perspectives between teachers and students on the notion of who is assumed to be responsible for student academic achievement and subjective well-being. Students (N=190) in grades 9-11 and teachers (N=19) from a Newark, New Jersey public magnet high school completed various locus of control, classroom climate and well-being psychological questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and correlational tests were conducted for the analysis of the data. The surveys provided an in depth understanding of the distribution of perspectives which existed in this academic institution. Students found themselves, more often than not, feeling responsible for their …

Inclusive Settings: Rti In The General Education Classroom, Brittany Graves

Honors Projects

The premise of this study was derived upon seeing a severe need for professional development in my current field work experience. I set out to determine a possible solution to the lack of cohesion among general and special educators evident in my local school district. This small town rural school is looking to expand RTI, and intervention technique, to decrease gaps in education for at risk students. With issues of cohesion and professional development evident, I collected and analyzed data in order to determine a way the school district can still incorporate and expand their Response to Intervention (RTI) practices. …

Eighth Grade Mathematics Intervention: Improving Student Self-Esteem And Content Knowledge Of Targeted Mathematic Skills, Stephanie Hart

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

By eighth grade some students believe they are “not good” and never will be successful at mathematics. Discouraged by poor grades, negative feedback from teachers or demoralized by repeated academic failure, these students disengage from their mathematics classwork. In some cases, mathematics intervention classes are a last chance to get them back on track to qualify for Algebra I in 9^th grade. The purpose of this study is to identify strategies to reengage students by increasing their academic content knowledge in mathematics and boosting their self-esteem and sense of belonging in the school setting. The review of the literature …

Comparing The Effects Of Two Utility Value Interventions On Graduate Students' Interest, Performance, And Perceptions Of Utility Value, Ivan Vladimirov Ivanov

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The present study compares the immediate and delayed effects of teacher- vs. student-generated utility value interventions on students' interest, performance, and perceptions of utility value. In addition, it examines whether sense of autonomy mediates the relationship between type of utility value intervention and performance. The study is grounded in self-determination theory and expectancy-value theory and adopts a 3x3 mixed model design, with random assignment of participants to two relevance instruction conditions and a control condition.

Findings suggest that the teacher-generated utility value intervention was more effective than the student-generated utility value intervention and the control condition in terms of increased …

A Study Of Risk Factors Of School Disengagement: Evidence From The Interrai Child And Youth Mental Health Instrument (Chymh), Li Sun

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

School disengagement (SD) places students at risk of dropout, academic failure and other negative psychological outcomes. Based on the data derived from a sample of southern Ontario children, this exploratory study aims to identify a wide context of risk factors associated with SD among 1298 school-aged students. Logistic regression model revealed that substance use, family functioning, Attention Distractibility Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and victim of bullying significantly predicted SD. Externalizing problem was slightly stronger than internalizing problem in predicting SD. Females, compared to males, were at lower risk for SD. Implications to decrease the likelihood of premature school termination were also …

The Effect Of An Email Intervention Tailored To Highly Ambitious Students On University Retention, Lauren Bahls

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study sought to increase student retention through the use of email interventions tailored to a specific group of ambitious students as determined by the Hogan Personality Inventory. Previous literature shows the relationship between ambition, the similar constructs of work drive and achievement seeking, and positive academic outcomes such as higher GPA, higher ratio of credits earned to credits attempted and increased likelihood of returning to the same institution. Focusing on students who rated high on ambition according to the Hogan Personality Inventory, the treatment group received emails with activities that may be of interest to help them build their …

An Examination Of Psychoeducation And Its Potential Modifying Influence On Alcohol Use Patterns Among Adults Reporting Co-Occurring Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms And Hazardous Alcohol Consumption, Sarah Jo Bujarski

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research has suggested that consumption of alcohol in the presence of elevated posttraumatic stress symptom (PTSS) may serve an avoidant function to cope with negative emotions. These coping-related motives for use are theorized to both maintain PTSS and relate to poorer prognoses in treatment for alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Treatments utilizing coping skills training, which typically also involves educating clients about the negative consequences of drinking alcohol to cope, suggest the utility of targeting coping behaviors to reduce alcohol use. These studies, however, have not attempted to isolate the effects of psychoeducation on alcohol-related factors. The current study investigated the …

Exploring The Impact Of Mindfulness On Adolescents: A Mixed Methods Approach, Poonam Desai

Dissertations

As social emotional learning gains greater focus, identifying effective interventions for high-risk students, such as students with Emotional/ Behavioral Disorder (EBD), becomes a priority. Mindfulness, as an intervention, offers a unique set of skills to increase emotional awareness and regulation, while also teaching key social emotional skills (Singh et al, 2007). Mindfulness, or the nonjudgmental observation of one's thoughts, feelings, and emotions, has roots in Buddhist philosophy, but is used secularly in the fields of psychology, medicine, and education (Baer, 2003). In this mixed methods study, the researcher aims to examine the experiences of adolescents who have EBD at an …

Program Evaluation Of The Strong Start Curriculum As A Selected Intervention For Early Elementary Students, Katherine A. Meyer

Doctoral Dissertations

Consistent with the need for implementation research and prevention programming for students in schools, the current study evaluated the implementation and outcomes of Strong Start, a social-emotional learning program, as a supplemental intervention for students in kindergarten through second grade at risk for developing emotional and behavioral problems. This intervention took place during the first year of a county-wide restructuring of mental health supports and was part of a multi-tiered system of supports provided in schools. A mixed method program evaluation was conducted to examine four areas of interest. First, the contextual factors related to program adoption were examined; …

Self-Regulated Learning Intervention: Teaching Metacognition To Enhance School Performance And Motivation Of Middle School Students, Taylor K. Godfrey

Senior Theses and Projects

Self-regulated learning is comprised of motivation, cognition, and metacognition. This study aimed to improve eighth grade social studies students’ self-regulated learning and academic performance through the implementation of an intervention in the social studies curriculum. The intervention centered on exposing students to the different dimensions of metacognition (i.e., comprehending and being able to control one’s own cognitive processes) based on research findings that showed a link between metacognition and academic performance (Dignath & Büttner, 2008; Kistner et al., 2010). The intervention was designed to foster the students’ knowledge and use of metacognitive strategies through group work and cognitive discussions based …

Predictors Of School Administrator Responses In Bullying Situations: Implications For Bullying Prevention Programs, Aguib Diop

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate school administrators' responses to bullying situations and explore variables that predict their responses. Elementary, middle and high school administrators (n = 126) from school districts throughout Michigan participated in the study. Data were collected during the 2013-2014 school year.

Differences between beliefs about the causes of victimization were found in that school administrators were less likely to endorse normative beliefs about the causes of victimization than assertive or avoidant beliefs. School administrators were more likely to endorse assertive beliefs for girls than for boys. Empathy towards victims, perceived seriousness of the bullying …

Mystery Motivator Calendar: An Interdependent Group Contingency, Variable Ratio, Classroom Intervention, Eva Aleksandra Kowalewicz

Dissertations

Classroom behavior management problems are often seen as one of the primary barriers to achieving an educational environment conducive for academic and social-emotional growth of students. The literature indicates there is a need for evidence-based, easy-to-implement classroom behavioral interventions that align with the positive behavioral support philosophy. This study examined the effectiveness of the Mystery Motivator Calendar, an interdependent group contingency, variable-ratio, classwide intervention as a tool for reducing disruptive classroom behavior in eight diverse, general-education elementary school classrooms across seven different schools. The study employed a single-case, ABAB (baseline, intervention, withdrawal, reinstatement and follow-up), changing criterion design. The effectiveness …

Self-Modeling As An Intervention For Stuttering In Elementary Students, Jason Northrup

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Stuttering is a disorder involving disruptions and disfluencies in speech that impacts overall communication and affects approximately 1% of the population. In addition to speech disfluency, stuttering is often related to physical tension, embarrassment, fear, anxiety, and other negative social-emotional problems, especially for children and adolescents. Fortunately, research indicates that stuttering can be alleviated before becoming more advanced and complex as individuals enter adolescence and adulthood. Self-modeling, an intervention that involves individuals watching themselves engage in exemplary behavior, appears to be particularly effective for individuals who stutter and can be implemented in a school setting. The purpose of this study …

Using Function-Based Choice-Making Interventions To Increase Task Completion And Accuracy And To Reduce Problem Behaviors For Students With E/Bd, Michelle L. Ramsey

Communication Sciences and Disorders Dissertations

Two choice-making interventions (task sequence and where) were implemented by a classroom teacher to determine the effects on the percentage of task completion, accuracy, and classroom disruption for ten sixth through eighth grade students with E/BD in a residential math classroom using a reversal design. An FBA was conducted to determine the function of disruptive behavior during independent math practice prior to the implementation of the two choice-making interventions. The math teacher provided either choice of task sequence of the independent tasks or choice of where to complete the independent tasks. Results indicate that choice of task sequence matched avoidance-maintained …