Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Student Perceptions Of School And Teachers In The Classroom, Sonji Jones-Manson

Dissertations

Much of the existing education research on student outcomes has focused on gaining a better understanding of student cognition and behavior, considering affect primarily as the role of a mediator or moderator to cognitive or behavioral outcomes. Student satisfaction with school is an affective outcome that is shaped by their relationships with their teachers. Though research on affect as an outcome has increased, it has not been well-understood and often ignored in models of understanding student outcomes. This qualitative study adds to the body of research on student affect as an outcome by collecting data from current high school students …

The Long-Term Consequences Of Adolescents' Comparative Economic Position In School, Kiwoong Park

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The goal of this dissertation project is to investigate how adolescents’ comparative socioeconomic positions within their schools shape their short- and long-term outcomes, including later health, educational expectations and attainment, and the risk of having a nonmarital first birth. Although social comparison theory posits that individual well-being depends on the standings of others with whom one compares oneself, as well as on one’s own absolute standing, the empirical evidence of the theory has been mixed and controversial. This project argues that inconsistent findings may arise from difficulty in measuring reference groups, temporal ambiguity between exposures and outcomes, and methodological limitations.

Acculturative And Psychosocial Predictors Of Academic-Related Outcomes Among Cambodian American High School Students, Khanh Dinh, Traci L. Weinstein, Su Yeoung Kim, Ivy K. Ho

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

This study examined the acculturative and psychosocial predictors of academic-related outcomes among Cambodian American high school students from an urban school district in the State of Massachusetts. Student participants (N = 163) completed an anonymous survey that assessed demographic characteristics, acculturative experiences, intergenerational conflict, depression, and academic-related outcomes. The main results indicated that acculturative and psychosocial variables were significant predictors of academic-related outcomes. Specifically, Cambodian and Anglo/White cultural orientations and depression played significant roles across the four dimensions of academic-related outcomes, including grade point average, educational aspirations, beliefs in the utility of education, and psychological sense of school membership. This …

Symposium: Introduction: The Fortieth Anniversary Of Title Ix, Erin E. Buzuvis

Faculty Scholarship

The five articles in this Symposium issue reflect on harassment and bullying in schools, the equal treatment of a high school girls basketball team, and an annotated bibliography on the subject. The articles speak to the effectiveness of Title IX legislation.

Learnlocal| Place - Based Education Community Planning Meets Classroom Education, Holli Andrews

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Partnerships between planners and high school teachers add a dynamic element to local planning. Youth who are engaged in community-driven efforts provide a fresh perspective for long-term objectives. They are not inhibited by the old ways of doing things. They exhibit ownership in the conditions of their community, and they show enthusiasm for becoming involved. Young people bring modern ideas to the planning table. Planner-teacher partnerships enhance opportunities for broad community development as well. By bringing local planning into classroom education, there is an opportunity to increase the level of participation through parents, family members, caregivers and youth groups. With …

Wessel, Rachel (Fa 262), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 262. Paper: "My High School Years" written by Rachel Wessel for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Smith, Stephen Michael (Fa 233), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 233. Paper: "The Cruising Tradition" written by Stephen Michael Smith for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Grant, Erin M. (Fa 235), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 235. Paper: "Goal Posts and Parking Lots" written by Erin M. Grant for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Involving Undergraduate And High School Students In Research: Opportunities, Challenges, And Rewards, Shashi S. Nambisan

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Historically student involvement in research at Universities and Colleges has primarily revolved around those in graduate programs. However, the NSF’s Research Experience for Undergraduates program and ABET’s evaluation criteria regarding undergraduate participation in research are examples of efforts and initiatives over the last decade to target and include undergraduate students in research efforts. Going one step further would be including high school students in such efforts. This paper summarizes efforts, experiences, and initiatives over the last six years at the UNLV Transportation Research Center to include undergraduate and high school students in research projects and lessons learned from the same …

Impacts And Effects Of Service-Learning On High School Students, Bryan Richard Rossi

Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship

In the ten years this researcher has spent preparing to complete the requirements for a Ph.D. in Education Policy and Administration, he has come to see some of the transformations society and education have gone through. This has been fascinating to examine in parallel the educational transformations and human development of work and research in various schools. On the one hand, there have been the developments of the "macro-education" world through the Department of Children, Families and Learning, the state legislature, the news media, and the role of the university in education policy. On the other hand, there have been …

Tools For Inclusion: Stories Of Success: Using Networking And Mentoring Relationships In Career Planning For Students With Disabilities And Their Families, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Jennifer Schuster, Mairead Moloney

Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

This brief gives examples of how students and families have successfully used networking and mentoring to learn about jobs and find employment, and gives students tools to build and use their personal networks throughout the career planning process.

Adolescent Violence As Viewed By High School Students, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

On April 20^th, 1999 two high school students from Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado armed with a variety of firearms managed to kill 15 persons and injure many others in their school. Following this incident, a wave of bomb threats to schools throughout the country erupted and several adolescents and adults were arrested. Ten days following the incident we surveyed a total of 412 students from urban area high schools. All students have heard of the shooting, 80% felt sad about the incident, 90% felt hate for the shooters and sad for the victims. 3% felt indifferent …

Self Service: Self-Concept Enhancement In High School Students In A Service Learning Program, Sarah Foster

Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship

This study attempted to answer the question of whether participation in a high school service learning program can be linked to increases in measures of self-esteem in students. Proponents of service learning claim that it is a valuable means of engaging students, increasing comprehension, and fostering citizenship, but the positive psychological effects are often overlooked.

The Rosenberg (1965) Self-Esteem Scale was used to measure self-esteem levels. Personal interviews were also conducted and coded categorically into scales for self-values of competence, self-determination, personal unity, and moral worth. This coding was done according to a framework created by Gordon (1982). The results …

Student Participation In Community Service Activity, National Center For Education

School K-12

Increasing community service participation has long been a goal in the United States. Some examples of how this goal has played out in national policy are President Kennedy’s creation of the Peace Corps, President Bush’s creation of the Points of Light Foundation, President Clinton’s creation of AmeriCorps, and Congress’ adoption of the National Education Goals, which include the objective that all students will be involved in activities that promote and demonstrate good citizenship and community service. In part, the push for volunteer service reflects the idea that the act of volunteering would be beneficial to those who participate and might …

Virginia's Eastern Shore High School Students: Factors That May Impact Their Educational Aspirations, Valdimir Demont Handy

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Using 1995 Survey data collected from high school students on Virginia's Eastern Shore, this thesis investigated whether or not self-esteem and perceived parental expectations play a role in the educational aspirations of rural high school students. Results demonstrated that self-esteem and perceived parental expectations are both positively related to students' educational aspirations. Caucasians and females were found to have higher educational aspirations than their counterparts. Results also indicated that the relationship between self-esteem, perceived parental expectations, and students' educational aspirations does not vary significantly across ethnicity or gender in this rural population. The information from this study, coupled with previous …

The Prudential Spirit Of Community Youth Survey: A Survey Of High School Students On Community Involvement, Wirthlin Group

School K-12

Most of today's high-school teens (62%) feel their communities are good or very good places to live. But more say that conditions in their communities are getting worse (30%) than getting better (25%).

Crime and violence are the most pressing problems facing communities today, according to 36% of students. Other areas of concern are drug and alcohol abuse (cited by 18%), education (7%), economic problems (7%) and lack of youth programs (6%).

More than six teens in ten (62%) say the solutions to such problems lie in individual action rather than government programs. Only one in three (33%) favor government …

Self-Esteem, Sense Of Community, And Participation In Organized Sports: A Study Of Rural High School Students On Virginia's Eastern Shore, Michele K. Lee

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Using 1995 Survey data collected from high school students on Virginia's Eastern Shore, this study investigates how rural adolescents view themselves and their communities, and specifically how sports participation may affect self-esteem and sense of community. Adolescents, faced with a transition period between high school and adulthood, must begin to make choices such as attending college or technical school, entering the workforce, and/or moving away from their home communities. These choices are particularly important to the Eastern Shore because its economic vitality is in decline and its social vitality is hard hit by out-migration. Analyses of data from Northampton County …

Social Change In Rural Alaska: Attitudes, Sense Of Belonging, And Migration Intentions Of High School Students, Lisa R. Carley

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Using 1992 survey data collected from high school students in 15 Alaskan towns and villages, this study investigated migration intentions of adolescents. Previous studies on adolescents' migration intentions have concentrated on comparing youth in areas experiencing natural resource development with youth in other areas. However, these studies have found few differences based on rapid resource development. Previous analysis of the Alaska survey data shows few. if any, differences in migration intentions of students in an area with recent mineral development and students in a traditional fishing area. Differences were found between boys and girls and between town and village students. …

Moral Panic, Schooling, And Gay Identity: Critical Pedagogy And The Politics Of Resistance, Peter Mclaren

Education Faculty Articles and Research

"We are living at a time in U.S. cultural history in which the autonomy and dignity of the human spirit is being threatened rather than exercised. What makes it bearable is what is hidden from us, what is repressively desublimated. The current historical juncture is precisely that perilous mixture of historical amnesia and cultural intensity in which society is attempting to reinvent itself without the benefit of knowing who or what it already is."

Tackling Society's Problems In English Class, Jim Burke

Special Topics, General

A high school teacher's impromptu unit on "Social Problems" gave his students an opportunity to develop their writing skills while expanding their concept of community.

"Leave School And Learn": Seekonk High School's Independent Study Program, Jay D. Anderson

Special Topics, General

Change comes slowly to education. Schools are bound by tradition and a high school curriculum often remains constant. There are many reasons for a curriculun1 not changing, including meeting the course pre-requisites for college admission. Often, however, there is a resistance to change. As a result, many students take the same courses as their parents took when in school.

A Multiculturally-Responsive Tenth Grade English Curriculum Nurtures An Appreciation For Individual Differences By Immersing Students In The Lives Of Others, Jayne Alexander

Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship

The goal of a practicum was that high school students in non-academic 10th grade English classes would develop an understanding of and appreciation for cultural differences. The English teacher challenged herself, her peers, her students, and the general school population (a regional high school in a growing community in the northeastern United States) to become more knowledgeable and appreciative of many cultures by expanding her own knowledge of ethnic groups; creating a faculty reading club; developing a curriculum that responsibly presented ethnic groups in a relevant format; designing activities that provided opportunities for interaction with other cultural groups and for …

Preliminary Review Of Research In Service Learning, James Krug, Richard J. Kraft

Special Topics, General

The following cursory review is taken from the Literature Review on Service Learning conducted by Mr. James Krug (1991) at the University of Colorado. Mr. Krug's research has been on the effects of service learning on four groups of high school young people: at-risk youth in a special program, student assistants (primarily minority) within the school, nature guides, and tutors at a primary school. Preliminary results indicate that, while all the experimental groups gained on measures of potency, activity involvement in the community, self-concept and other factors, the statistically significant growth at the .01 and .05 levels was found almost …

The Process Of Smoking Acquisition Among Girls And Boys (Year 8) At Balga Senior High School, Sharon Mcbride

Theses : Honours

Many smokers acquire their habit during adolescence, largely because of social forces experienced by people in that age group. In Australia, more girls than boys are smoking, and an increasing number of women are contracting diseases associated with smoking. More women are dying from Lung Cancer and female smokers make themselves vulnerable to a range of disorders related to fertility and pregnancy. The fact that more girls are taking up regular smoking has become an important health concern. This study explores gender related differences in smoking acquisition among a sample population of one hundred and six year eight students attending …

Selected Changes In Urban High School Students After Participation In Community Based Learning And Service Activities, Kathleen Parks Luchs

Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship

This study measured selected changes in high school students as a result of community involvement and participation in order to realize the goal of responsible citizenship. It was designed to ascertain whether students who experienced community service displayed more positive attitudes toward learning than students who had not experienced community service.

The study investigated changes in the areas of: student attitudes toward future life goals as measured by actual behaviors in planning and exploring careers, feelings of personal adequacy or inadequacy as measured by self-esteem in social situations, attitudes toward helping others as measured by social and personal responsibility indices, …

Educational And Career Aspirations Of Fremont High School Students, Murray Frost

Publications

The purpose of this report is to analyze the educational and career aspiration data from a survey of more than 1,000 Fremont High School students. The survey was administered in spring, 1980 and was part of a study on the needs and impact of Metropolitan Technical Community College in Omaha. Both this report and the larger study were conducted by the Center for Applied Urban Research of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The survey questionnaire and frequency distributions of the responses are included in the Appendix of this report.

Attitudes Of Secondary School Students In Israel Toward The Use Of Living Organisms In The Study Of Biology, Pinchas Tamir, Aliza Hamo

Attitudes Towards Animals Collection

The study deals with attitudes and views of 456 Israeli students in grades 7, 9, and 11 regarding the use of living animals in research and biology instruction. It was found that most students are interested in studying Jive animals through direct observation and experiment and feel that this kind of learning is superior to learning from secondary sources. At the same time, however, most students exhibit concern for and affection toward living organisms in general and higher animals, especially pets and "beneficial" animals, in particular. The need to consider both sides of the issue is highlighted, and practical implications …