Educational Psychology Commons^™

Exploring Intensive Longitudinal Measures Of Student Engagement In Blended Learning, Charles R. Graham

Faculty Publications

In this exploratory study we used an intensive longitudinal approach to measure student engagement in a blended educational technology course, collecting both self-report and observational data. The self-report measure included a simple survey of Likert-scale and open-ended questions given repeatedly during the semester. Observational data were student activity data extracted from the learning management system. We explored how engagement varied over time, both at the course level and between students, to identify patterns and influences of student engagement in a blended course. We found that clarity of instruction and relevance of activities influenced student satisfaction more than the medium of …

Fostering The Spiritual Development Of Undergraduates Through Service-Learning, Michelle C. Sterk Barrett

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

By integrating spiritual development theories with Sanford's theory of challenge and support and study findings, this mixed methods study examines how spiritual development may be occurring through service-learning. The relationship between service-learning participation and spiritual growth is analyzed by addressing the following research questions: 1) Does spiritual growth occur among undergraduates participating in service-learning? 2) Which aspects of the service-learning experience relate to the occurrence of spiritual growth? 3) What role do "challenge" and "support" play in the process of spiritual growth?

The 272 study participants are drawn from the Boston College PULSE Program, a service-learning program that requires 10-12 …

A Phenomenological Study Of Facebook Messages From Female Friends To Middle School Girls And The Multi-Dimensional Effect On Self-Esteem, Eileen Elizabeth Hegel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study investigated positive and negative Facebook messages from female friends to middle school girls and the multi-dimensional effect on self-esteem. This study also examined what role these messages play in female friendships. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit nine participants, 13 years old, the minimum age to have a Facebook account or 14 years old, in the 7th or 8th grade in the South Atlantic region of the United States. Gilligan's theory of moral development underpinned this study. Data collection included a descriptive survey, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, semi-structured interviews, journals, and site artifacts. The questions framing the …

Teenage Mothers Who Go On To Earn A College Degree: A Phenomenological Study, Jena Kerry Salazar

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to discover the shared experiences of the two percent of women who have obtained a college degree by age 30 after having been a teen mother. Most studies dealing with the issue of teen pregnancy focus on the adverse consequences of becoming a teen mother; however, this study focuses on the success stories. The central research question addressed by this study was: "What were the unique experiences shared by the teen moms who graduated college by age 30 that accounts for their educational success?" This phenomenological study used a questionnaire, surveys, and …

Using A Multisystemic Approach To Examine Youth Risky Sexual Attitudes And Behavior, Chamane Melissa Simpson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The current investigation examined the relationship between the risky sexual attitudes/behavior of 18 to 24 year old college students (N = 250) and variables from the self-, family, and peer systems. The variables that were used to predict participants' risky sexual attitudes and behavior included gender, three self-esteem constructs (i.e., global self-esteem level and parental/peer approval contingent self-esteem), and participants' perceptions of their parent/caregiver and peer's attitudes toward risky sex. Lastly, social desirability was used as a control variable.

Taken together, the goals of the study were to: (a) determine whether global self-esteem level or parental/peer approval contingent self-esteem would …

A Spelling Pronunciation Strategy Helps College Students Remember How To Spell Difficult Words, Turkan Ocal

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Drake and Ehri (1984) showed that children could utilize a spelling pronunciation strategy in order to remember spellings of words. One purpose of the current study was to determine whether college students could also benefit from a spelling pronunciation strategy in remembering spellings of 20 commonly misspelled words. The second aim of the study was to examine the contribution of decoding skill, exposure to print and vocabulary knowledge in explaining variance in general spelling ability of college students. Based on Share's (1995) self-teaching hypothesis, each of these predictors was expected to explain unique variance in the ability to remember the …

Strategies To Reduce Foreign Language Anxiety In Adult Efl Students Of The European Union, Kathleen Hershner

Master's Projects and Capstones

One of paradoxes in adult foreign language learning is that older learners must communicate in the very language, in this case English, they struggle to acquire. The discomfort that arises from needing to use deficient or non-existent skills in a new language is more acutely felt in adults than children. Adults approach learning new languages with an assumed level of control over themselves and their environment and can easily become frustrated when they're unable to maintain their usual levels of confidence and competence, which can lead to foreign language anxiety. FLA is a specific kind of anxiety defined as an …

3 Things Students Desire To Hear From Teachers, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

A year and a half ago, I decided that I needed to return to the K-12 classrooms and really experience ground-level teaching, testing, core standards, differentiating, and emotionally connecting with children and adolescents in ways I had not for many years. I have been and still am an assistant professor in the school of education at Marian University, but the environments, experiences, and my own learning have grown and changed immensely from returning to the classroom 18 months ago.

I asked the university for a course release, taking the lectures, research, and strategies into the early adolescent grades. And three …

A Study Of The Evolution Of Mindfulness Practice In An Early Childhood Classroom, Katherine Berninger

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper studies the use of mindfulness practice in a preschool classroom. Combining participant observation, personal journaling, and interviews with children, this study explores the relationship between the introduction of mindfulness practice, changes in classroom culture, and growth in emotional vocabulary.

Teaching Self-Management Skills Through Social Studies Content Lessons, Christy Folsom, Marietta Saravia-Shore, Karvelee Adu, Hector Cabrera

Publications and Research

Candidates learn to teach students self­‐management skills of criteria setting and self-­evaluation using the TIEL (Teaching for Intellectual and Emotional Learning) lesson plan to formulate questions that elicit thinking and social emotional learning, plan guided practice that teaches students criteria-­setting and self-­evaluation skills. Learning to explicitly teach students evaluation skills within lessons prepares candidates to expand the teaching of self­‐management skills to include planning and decision making within a project-based unit culminating project.

The Nurtured Heart Approach: An Odyssey Of Discovery And Implementation, Mary Sanford, Alexandria Pacheco

Publications and Research

The Nurtured Heart Approach (Glasser) is a methodology for behavior management, which emphasizes Positive Behavior Support. The candidate, Alexandria Pacheco, of her own initiative, began using this approach in her self-contained class of students with severe behavior disorders a year ago. Impressed with its effectiveness, her school principal asked her to conduct a Professional Development workshop for the school staff and faculty on the Nurtured Heart Approach.

Teachers’ Efficacy For Supporting At-Risk Students And Their Perceived Role In Dropout Prevention, Kimberly Knesting-Lund, Brent O'Rourke, Anthony Gabriele

Faculty Publications

Research on the construct of teacher efficacy has demonstrated its positive relationship to a number of student outcomes, such as improved academic achievement, increased levels of self-efficacy, and a stronger belief in their ability to solve a math task and their motivation for completing it. Based on these findings, this research considered the possibility that teacher efficacy for supporting at-risk students could be related to their understanding of high school dropout, potentially suggesting ways to improve schools’ dropout prevention efforts. This study was an initial exploration of the relationship between high school teachers’ perceived efficacy for supporting at-risk students and …

Critical Thinking Skills Across The Semester In Lecture And Team-Based Learning Classes, Zachary L. Buchin

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The purpose of this study was to compare critical thinking and higher-order thinking skills across the semester in lecture and team-based learning classes. Team- based learning classes utilize techniques that were thought to foster an increase in critical thinking and higher-order thinking skills when compared to lecture classes. The Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment S2 (HCTA S2) was used to measure critical thinking skill changes and Bloom’s Taxonomy coded higher-order thinking questions on the final exam. Raw score changes on the HCTA S2 and scores on the higher-order thinking questions on the final exam were compared between the two classes. No …

Lev Vygotsky Speaks: Early Childhood Curricula, Dakota L. Gagliardi

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Early childhood curricula have become a major source of conversation in recent decades. The desire for growth and reform in the education field has contributed to changing tides in the classroom, leading to more child-centered approaches that are believed critical in the acquisition of holistic development. Two such curricula that have received recent attention are Reggio Emilia and Tools of the Mind, both of which stem from the foundational beliefs of Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky. It is the aim of this paper to analyze both Reggio Emilia and Tools of the Mind in terms of how they compare to Vygotsky’s …

Exploring Graduate Student Parent Experiences: How To Better Support And Reduce Attrition In An Underserved Population, Christine R. Leaman

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Changes in the global economy, employer expectations, and cultural norms are causing a shift in the demographics of post-baccalaureate students. Out of necessity to support oneself in an increasingly demanding job market, female graduate student enrollment has been on the rise for a number of years. This, in combination with a general increase in the number of individuals enrolling in graduate degree programs while trying to balance the responsibility of raising children presents a growing problem for institutions of higher education. Graduate student parents are a population that requires additional and varying support services than those of the traditional graduate …

Then And Now: An Analysis Of Broad-Based Merit Aid Initial Eligibility Policies After Twenty Years, William K. Ingle, Jason R. Ratliff

Kentucky Journal of Higher Education Policy and Practice

Using Hall’s framework of policy changes, we sought to document and classify changes in initial eligibility and award provisions of broad-based merit aid scholarship programs at inception and present day. Our analysis revealed five first-order changes, two second-order changes, and only one third order change. Although the policy settings, instruments, and goals remained static in five states, the scholarship dollars in four of them have not kept up with increases in overall cost of attendance.

The Effects Of Problem-Based Learning On Mathematics Achievement Of Elementary Students Across Time, Brittany Marie Crowley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The present study specifically evaluated the long-term effects of problem-based learning (PBL) instruction on the mathematics achievement of students who demonstrated higher ability in the subject area than their comparable peers. Subjects included 65 students from six south-central Kentucky elementary schools who participated in Project Gifted Education in Math and Science (Project GEMS), a grant partially funded through the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program. The students were assigned to one of three conditions – PBL-Plus, PBL, or Control – based upon school of attendance. The participants were then administered baseline testing in the fall of the …

Acceptance Of Change: Exploring The Relationship Among Psychometric Constructs And Employee Resistance, Brian Dunican

Dissertations

Change is inevitable and can influence numerous events inside and outside an organization. The contrasting attitudes of acceptance and resistance to change are an increasingly interesting topic in today’s global, ever-changing, and competitive environment. Discovering the behavioral origins of employees’ reactions to change is an integral part of understanding the way in which individual mindset may play a role in coping with organizational change and resistance. This body of knowledge may give organizations insight for creating a competitive advantage over their counterparts. Conceivably, it can be argued that some researchers view change as a process of gradual adaptation that is …

Genetic And Environmental Interactions On Schizophrenia-Like Phenotypes In Chl1 Deficient Mice, J. Daniel Obray

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Schizophrenia is a debilitating disorder which is often characterized by dysregulation of the processing of sensory information. Schizophrenia has been shown to have a strong genetic component, as well as a strong environmental component. As such, a number of hypotheses such as the diathesis stress hypothesis have been developed to explain the etiology of schizophrenia. As most of these theories attempt to account for a genetic and an environmental factor, they are often viewed as double-hit models of schizophrenia. Several theories have emerged as potential explanations for the symptoms of schizophrenia. The dopamine hypothesis suggests that the basal level of …

Muslim Women: A Phenomenological Study Of The Effects Of Identity On Pursuing Higher Education, Rafael E. Harley

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The purpose of this study was to examine and explore the meanings, patterns, and essence of the lived experiences of Muslim women pursuing higher education, while developing a foundation for Muslim Women's Educational Identity Theory. The goal of the study was to develop a thorough and inclusive description of how identity formation affects the pursuit of higher education in order to increase awareness and develop programs that could improve the rate of pursuit of higher education for Muslim women. The importance of lessening gender bias amongst Muslims motivated this researcher to undertake this study. The research study involved a qualitative …