Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Father Absence On Adolescent Depression, Sexual Attitudes, And Substance Use, Nicole M. Hurtack

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between father absence and depression, sexual attitudes, and substance use on adolescents. Data were collected from forty-nine high school students (28 males, 21 females) from ninth to twelfth grade from a private high school in Pennsylvania. The Beck Depression Inventory-II was used to measure levels of depression. A sexual attitudes and substance use, and family demographic survey were also administered. The results of this study provided no support for the hypothesized relationship between adolescent adjustment and father absence. Father absence did not significantly predicted sexual attitudes, depression or substance …

Childhood Obesity And Depression, Leslie N. Horton

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Obesity is a commonly experienced health issue. Children who suffer from obesity may experience medical concerns such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension (American Obesity Association, 2006). Obese children may also face psychological consequences. An overweight child may experience criticism from peers while finding it difficult to participate in age-related activities. Considering this fact, one can understand why psychological effects of childhood obesity are of concern. The purpose of this study is to examine the links between obesity and childhood depression, rated by the Childhood Depression Inventory (CDI-2). Twenty-nine children were administered the CDI-2. Activity level and age of children …

A Study Of West Virginia Secondary Public School Library Media Centers And Library Media Specialists And Their Use Of 21st Century Technology Tools, Kimberly Ann Bickel Sigman

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Twenty-first century learning, learning that teaches global and wellness awareness, and civic and business literacy, is essential for students to become vital, contributing members of society. In order for students to participate in an environment of 21st century learning, the attainment of 21st century skills is essential. Twenty-first century skills encourage students to collaborate, communicate, critically think, and reflect. Such skills involve the use of technology tools – 21stcentury tools – which include computers, Internet, production software, and communication processes. Literature establishes school library media centers as sites where students find many types of 21st century tools. Staffed by school …

Mugc Summer Enrichment Program And Reading Achievement: Program Evaluation, Melissa A. Varian

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This purpose of this study is to determine if participation in the Marshall University Summer Enrichment Program enhances children’s reading skills and to determine if a gender difference was evident in reading achievement scores. DIBELS was used to determine reading achievement scores at the beginning, middle, and end of program. The data obtained were compared using a General Linear Model-Within Subjects Factors through ANOVA to determine the mean of benchmark 1 and 3 as well as the significance level of the reading scores. The findings of this study indicated no differences in Oral Reading Fluency in total scores or in …

School Counseling In West Virginia: An Examination Of School Counselors And Implementation Of Wv Policy 2315, Christine J. Schimmel

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Since the inception of the profession of school counseling there has been confusion and inconsistency about what the appropriate role of the school counselor should be. Beginning in 2002, the State of West Virginia followed a nationwide movement to attempt to clarify the role of the school counselor by implementing Policy 2315, West Virginia's policy on Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling. However, since the creation of the policy, no statewide study has been conducted to determine if West Virginia school counselors are fully implementing the policy which is based on the American School Counselor Association‟s National Model for school counseling programs. …

What Law Enforcement In West Virginia Know About Stalking Crimes, Sandra Kiser-Griffith

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Emerging research is beginning to reveal how prevalent, and dangerous, stalking can be, especially in situations that involve domestic or former domestic partners. As front line responders to stalking-related crimes, it would seem imperative that law enforcement personnel have extensive training and be knowledgeable about a broad range of stalking-related issues. A victim’s well-being can be directly impacted by the actions and interventions of the officers handling his or her case. Unfortunately, however, many states, including West Virginia, still do not require that officers receive stalking training. In an attempt to establish how well informed law enforcement officers in West …

The Relationship Of Globalization In The Development And Success Of The Chilean Wine Industry, Jeanette Kripas

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This thesis considers the economic geography of location, distribution and spatial organization of activities across the earth by focusing on the aspects of international trade and development. This will be accomplished by examining the process of globalization within the Chilean wine industry. This research explores several themes: 1) Globalization as a process, including the effects such as interdependence and global brands; 2) The role of globalization in the development of the wine industry; and 3) Whether or not the development of the wine industry accounts for generally positive attitudes toward globalization in Chile. Data analysis includes an examination of how …

Mental Health And Business Professionals’ Employment-Related Perceptions Of Individuals With Psychological Disorders, Kevan Mock

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Mental health and business professionals’ employment-related perceptions of 6 psychological disorders (i.e. alcoholism, insomnia, major depression, social phobia, post- traumatic stress disorder, obesity) were examined. The 33 professionals (n = 18 mental health; n = 15 business) evaluated each disorder on 18 employment-related dimensions (e.g. employability, productivity, trainability). Specifically, they evaluated the perceived likelihood of each of the 18 employment-related dimensions being associated with each of the 6 psychological disorders (1 = not likely; 5 = highly likely). Perceptions of the 33 mental health and business professionals were compared with the perceptions of college students (n = 106) obtained in …

Not Your Father’S Border: An Examination Of The Border In Northern Ireland And Its Relevance To The Global Change In The Importance Of World Borders, Aaron Patterson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Humanity has long maintained barriers separating specific entities from others. Ranging from cultural, religious, financial, and racial differences among a few others, the reasoning behind borders has remained a purely human endeavor. But our current golden age of technology has somewhat shrunk, or at least reassessed the necessity for borders. The boundaries of today, while many remain in the same locations as in the past, are vastly different from the borders created by previous generations. Globalization, a relatively new term, has made communication simple and fast. The noticeable result has been, of course, better communication between locations, and thus easing …

Differentiating Young Adult Social Smokers On Psychological Constructs, Stacy M. Saunders

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A number of researchers have sought to examine psychosocial correlates of smoking behavior and identify differences amongst proposed smoker sub-groupings on measures of psychological constructs; however, few studies to date have investigated the subset of smokers commonly known as social smokers. The recent emergence of the social smoker subtype has led to an upsurge in research on smoking patterns and cessation programming. This dissertation attempts to explore psychosocial differences that may exist between regular smokers and those who identify themselves as social smokers. Further, this study investigated the levels of cigarette dependence, addiction, smoking frequency, perceived health threat of light …

Teacher Burnout: Locus Of Control And Its Correlation To Teacher Burnout And Job Satisfaction, Kimberly A. Bevis

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Teacher burnout is a significant problem in education today. While studies have researched the possible reasons behind it and the effect it has on students and teachers, this study proposed to investigate the correlation between teacher burnout, locus of control and job satisfaction. Surveys were sent to 102 teachers who taught kindergarten through 12th grade in two school districts in Southeastern Ohio. Of the 53 surveys that were returned, 28% of the teachers demonstrated burn out, 40% were dissatisfied with their jobs, and 20% had an external locus of control. There was a moderate correlation between the Rotter IE Scale, …

Small Town Urban Revitalization: The Effect Of Pullman Square On Downtown Huntington, West Virginia, Amy R. Blankenship

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

After many years of being the center of shopping, business and entertainment, the downtown began to decline nationally. This decline began after the end of WWII and ran concurrent to the beginning of suburbanization and the emergence of large, indoor shopping malls. Many cities began to realize the importance of a healthy downtown and implemented strategies to revitalize their downtown. This thesis focuses on the emergence of Pullman Square in Huntington, WV, its effect on the downtown, and how it has spawned other retail development and revitalization strategies throughout the city center.

Balancing Belief : The Resolution Of Belief Dilemmas, Andrew J. Borders Iii

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Societies create their own worlds and, once created, these worlds have to be maintained. In particular, the plausibility of these worlds has to be legitimized for each new generation. The purpose of this thesis is to develop an instrument that will measure how Christians maintain the plausibility of their religious world. I have constructed a survey that will explore the social matrix encompassing a person’s religious beliefs, the actual beliefs themselves, and the extent to which they are certain of these beliefs. To determine how Christians maintain the plausibility of their religious beliefs in an increasingly secularized world, I have …

Teacher Skill And Response To Intervention In West Virginia Pilot Schools, Janna Christy

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

As a program evaluation, the West Virginia Department of Education implemented a Response to Intervention (RtI) approach to the identification of students with learning disabilities in the spring of 2005. Eleven pilot schools were used in the West Virginia RtI program evaluation. The purpose of this study was to assess the change that resulted in teacher skills as a consequence of the implementation of the RtI model. It was hypothesized that teachers’ skills will significantly change in a positive direction as result of the implementation. A pre-post survey design was utilized to evaluate the outcome. Significant positive changes were reported …

The Relationship Of Dynamic Indicators Of Basic Early Literacy Skills (Dibels) Oral Reading Fluency And The Terra Nova, 2nd Ed. Performance On Ohio Grade 3 Reading Achievement Assessment, Linda Adkins Ford

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between performance on the DIBELS ORF Benchmark 2, the Terra Nova, 2nd Ed., and reading proficiency on the Ohio Grade 3 Reading Achievement Test. The research question examined the wisdom of using both the DIBELS ORF Benchmark 2 Indicator and the Terra Nova, as predictors for the Ohio Grade 3 Reading Achievement Test. After gathering archival data for the 136 students involved, a Pearson-Product Moment Correlation was used to determine this correlation. Data was additionally analyzed using a Hits and Misses Table. Results produced a significant, positive correlation between DIBELS …

Grade Retention As Perceived By Principals, Debora Ann Galford

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examined the perceptions of principals regarding academic, social, or emotional outcomes and alternative interventions to grade retention. The principals were asked to respond to the survey on grade retention as an intervention. Following the initial survey, an article entitled, “Grade Retention and Promotion” (Jimerson, Graydon, Pletcher, Schnurr, Kundert, & Nickerson, 2006) was given for review and post-survey was administered.

The results of this study revealed that principals’ attitudes changed about using retention as an intervention in response to reading the article. These research results indicated that when research-based information on the negative effects of retention was presented, there …

Utilizing The Theory Of Planned Behavior To Explain Suicidal Intent, Pamela R. George

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Suicide has become a national and global problem, with the prevalence of suicide attempts increasing in recent years (Brown, Henriques, Sosdjan, & Beck, 2004; Kessler, Borges, & Walters, 1999). Even though research on suicide has identified risk factors and demographic characteristics to help aid in predicting who is at risk for attempting suicide, predictive models of intent of suicide have been unsuccessful in identifying particular individuals at risk of eventually dying by suicide (Cassells, Paterson, Dowding, & Morrison, 2005; Goldstein, Black, & Nasrallah, 1991; Powell, Geddes, Deeks, Goldacre, & Hawton, 2000). The purpose of this study is to propose an …

The Effects Of Response To Intervention On Referral Rates For Special Education Services, Christina Hare

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

It has been hypothesized in the literature that a Response to Intervention (RtI) model will reduce the number of referrals for special education services. The purpose of this study was to compare the number of special education referrals prior to the implementation of the West Virginia Department of Education pilot RtI project and the rates of referrals for special education services in the years following its implementation. Data was collected from two of the eleven pilot schools and analyzed collectively using a Chi-Square test. Results of this study showed that the RtI pilot project did not have a significant impact …

Cohesion, Instruction Time And Reading Performance At Mugc Summer Enrichment Program, Brenda S. Harvey

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine if team cohesion and instructional time at the Marshall University Graduate College Summer Enrichment Program (MUGCSEP) will be correlated with the measures of reading performance of students who attended the program. Archival data, collected during the 2006 and 2007 MUGCSEP, was used for this study. After performing a Pearson Product Moment Correlation, results yielded a statistically significant correlation between cohesion and reading performance in 2006 and a mildly inverse statistically significant correlation in 2007. Instructional time in 2006 also had a statistically significant correlation with reading performance. However, in 2007 results did …

Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales Racial Bias In Children With Disabilities, Veria Hicks

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Much has been written regarding bias in intellectual tests, in particular racial bias (Naglieri & Rojhan, 2001). Depending on the way intelligence is measured, a difference may be found between racial and ethnic groups. In the second half of the 20th century on the average, the mean IQ score of African Americans was one standard deviation below that of Caucasian students (Gerig and Zimbardo, 2002). This study addressed whether racial bias existed in the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS), and examined the relationship of the RIAS to other intelligence tests. The results were analyzed using a simple linear regression. There …

Examination Of Self-Efficacy And Locus Of Control In Protecting Community Integration Following Moderate To Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Agnieszka A. Hornich

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examines self-efficacy and internal locus of control beliefs as predictors of community integration independent of injury severity for a group of individuals with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury participating in an intensive life skills training program, Radical Rehab Solutions (RRS). Although the long-term affects associated with TBI vary depending on the type and severity of the injury, differences in recovery are seen for persons who appear to have identical injuries (Fuller, 1998). Traditional methods of predicting outcome based on measures of injury severity appear to be the most useful during the first year post-injury. Thereafter, neurological, psychological, …

Adhd Assessment Practices Used By General Practitioners, Pediatricians, Psychiatrists, And Psychologists In West Virginia, Kristal D. Jenkins

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder in childhood (NIH, 2000) and its prevalence continues to increase. ADHD is diagnosed by a variety of practitioners, including general physicians, pediatricians, psychiatrists, and clinical/school psychologists. There is little known regarding how these diversely trained professionals differ or may be similar in their beliefs regarding ADHD and their approach to diagnosis and treatment. The current study utilizes a survey methodology to address the commonalities and differences in the approaches these professionals take to conceptualize diagnostic criteria, etiology and course of treatment for children diagnosed with ADHD. The need for further …