Educational Psychology Commons^™

Is Adding More Indicators To A Latent Class Analysis Beneficial Or Detrimental? Results Of A Monte Carlo Study, Christian Geiser, Ingrid C. Wurpts

Psychology Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine in which way adding more indicators or a covariate influences the performance of latent class analysis (LCA). We varied the sample size (100 ≤ N ≤ 2000), number, and quality of binary indicators (between 4 and 12 indicators with conditional response probabilities of [0.3, 0.7], [0.2, 0.8], or [0.1, 0.9]), and the strength of covariate effects (zero, small, medium, large) in a Monte Carlo simulation study of 2- and 3-class models. The results suggested that in general, a larger sample size, more indicators, a higher quality of indicators, and a larger covariate …

In-Service Teachers' Perceptions Of Students With Emotional Behavioral Disorder, Cassandra Schreiber, Ashley Kuemper

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Teachers play an important role in the education of children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). While parents and caretakers often are aware of their child’s difficulties, educators witness the child’s level of progress (VanGelder, Sitlington, & Morrison-Pugh, 2008). Teachers are these students’ first advocates within the academic setting. According to one study, a majority of teachers working with these students are planning on leaving their positions within the next five years (Adera & Bullock, 2010). Another study found that special education teachers are more likely to leave their position than those in general education fields such as math and …

An Evaluation Of A Mediational Model Of Adolescent Global Life Satisfaction, Michael D. Lyons

Theses and Dissertations

This study extended previous research by simultaneously examining determinants and presumed psychosocial mechanisms related to the development of individual differences in adolescent life satisfaction, based on Evans‟ (1994) proposed model. Specifically, this study assessed the relations between personality (extraversion, neuroticism) and environmental experiences (stressful life events) on early adolescents‟ global life satisfaction as mediated by approach and avoidance coping behaviors using a sample of 529 students from one middle school in the south eastern United States. The results of this study found partial evidence to support Evans‟ model. Statistically significant relations were found for a number of individual pathways between …

The Importance Of Family-Systems Theory In Masters-Level School School Counseling Curriculum: A Study Of Faculty Perceptions, Gwen Gold

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the perceptions of Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) master's-level school counseling program coordinators and faculty members about the importance and relevance of family systems theory and techniques coursework in their program curriculum. Family-systems theory coursework is lacking in two-thirds of those accredited programs, although mandated by their major accrediting body, CACREP. CACREP issued curriculum standards and guidelines to ensure proper training of school-counseling students and the American School Counselor Association--the foundation that expands the image and influence of professional school counselors through advocacy, leadership, collaboration, and systemic change--has issued guidelines for the …

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) …

Test-Retest Reliability Of Curriculum-Based Measurement Written Expression Probes, Mallory Hart

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Despite the growing popularity and utilization of Curriculum-Based Measurement for assessing students’ academic skills and for progress monitoring, little attention has been devoted to the area of written expression. Very few studies have been conducted to assess test-retest reliability. Only three previous studies were identified that examined the test-retest reliability of written expression curriculum-based measures. To address this issue, the current study examined the test-retest reliability of five common scoring procedures with students in grades 2, 4, and 6. A one-week time interval was used. Results indicated that while test-retest correlations were statistically significant and often at a moderate to …

An Investigation Of The Soar Study Strategy For Learning From Multiple Online Resources, Tareq Daher

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

This dissertation investigated the effects of the SOAR study strategy for learning from multiple online resources. SOAR includes the components of Selection, Organization, Association, and Regulation. In past research, the effects of SOAR training were investigated with one online resource and with students studying provided or partially provided materials following training. This dissertation examines the effects of SOAR when learning from multiple online resources and when students create their own study materials following training and thus addresses this research gap. One hundred thirty-four (134) college students were assigned randomly to the control or experimental groups. All students participated in online …

The Effect Of Textbook Format On Mental Effort And Time On Task, Antonio Lamar Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The relatively little amount of time that some college students spend reading their textbooks outside of lectures presents a significant threat to their academic success. One possible solution to this problem is the use of digital games as an alternative to outside-of-class textbook reading, but a review of previous research did not reveal much information on their efficacy when compared to traditional textbooks. Using Astin's theory of student engagement as a framework, the purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to determine whether a significant difference in engagement, as indicated by mental effort and time on task, existed for college …

Evaluating The Use Of Tootling For Improving Upper Elementary/Middle School Students' Disruptive And Appropriate Behavior, Abigail Melanie Lambert

Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to extend the literature on a positive peer reporting procedure called Tootling. There has been limited research on the effectiveness of the Tootling intervention for reducing disruptive behavior in the classroom (Cihak, Kirk, & Boon, 2009; Lambert, 2012). Additionally, Tootling has primarily been utilized with lower elementary school students, and the present study evaluated the intervention procedures with upper elementary/middle school students (i.e., sixth and seventh grades). The current study also examined the effects of the Tootling intervention on individual target students referred for disruptive behavior in addition to classwide student behavior. An …

Principal Emotional Intelligence And Teacher Perceptions Of School Climate In Middle Schools, Ashley Dawn Meadows Allred

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the correlational relationship of principals’ emotional intelligence on the perceptions that teachers have of a school’s climate. The Organizational Health Inventory for Middle Schools (OHI-M) served as the assessment for teachers’ perceptions of the school climate or the overall health of the organization. Principals’ emotional intelligence competencies were assessed using the Mayer Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test version 2, hereinafter referred to as the MSCEIT V.2.0. Participants of the study included 22 principals of public middle schools in Mississippi. There was an average of 45 teachers employed at each middle school.

A Pearson …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of The Good Behavior Game With General Education High School Students Utilizing A Changing Criterion Component, Rachel Ritter Mitchell

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the interdependent group contingency procedure known as the Good Behavior Game (GBG) with upper-level (i.e., 10th, 11th, and 12th grade) general education high school students utilizing a changing criterion design. The effectiveness of the GBG has been investigated with a variety of behaviors across many developmental levels; however, limited research has been done at the high school level. To date, only a few studies have examined the effectiveness of the GBG with a general education high school population, one with a single 9th grade classroom (Kleinman & Saigh, 2011) …

Dogmatism, Coping, And Spirituality : Predicting Mental Health Among The Religious And The Secular., Jonathan T. Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Religiousness has frequently been found to positively predict numerous types of beneficial mental health variables in previous literature. These results have often been inferred by scholars to mean that secular groups have poorer levels of mental health despite rarely including secular populations in studies. An ideological diverse sample of 4,667 respondents provided usable data in the current correlational study that measured the relationships between general dogmatism levels, existential belief strength, spiritual coping, spiritual harmony (i.e., the degree to which one lives in accordance with their self-defined values) and six indicators of mental health. The sample was comprised mainly of agnostic, …

Recognition Of Romantic Relationship Danger Signs., Kelley Quirk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Romantic relationships are a strong source of personal well being for many individuals, with unhealthy partnerships promoting greater distress and dissatisfaction. Several variables have been identified in the literature as “danger signs” which seem to predict current and/or future relational discord. These danger signs are expressed within couple communication (such as invalidation or escalation) and behaviors (such as physical violence and controlling actions). However, little is known about individual variability in the ability and willingness to accurately identify these danger signs. The current study explores this gap in the literature. Specifically, seven video vignettes of interactions between two partners (actors) …

Answering The Call : An Examination Of Multicultural Competence Among Academic Advising Professionals., Tia Noelle Dumas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examined the relationship between background characteristics and multicultural competence among academic advising professionals at a large, public, urban research institution in the southern United States. It begins with a brief overview of ethical principles in academic advising, focusing on the responsibility academic advisors have to advise all students equitably. The dissertation study is guided by a conceptual framework grounded in student departure theory (Tinto, 1975, 1987, 1993), learning-centered academic advising (Lowenstein, 2005), culturally sustaining pedagogy (Paris, 2012), and multicultural competencies in helping and advising (Pope, Reynolds, & Mueller, 2004) to argue for an understanding of culturally responsive advising …

Cash On The Table? A Behavioral Analysis Of Refund Claimants And Annuitants In The Illinois Teachers' Retirement System, Martin F. Lueken

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation documents pension benefit choices made by public school teachers enrolled in the Illinois Teachers' Retirement System (TRS), where they choose between taking a lump-sum withdrawal of their refundable contributions and deferring a pension benefit. The analysis explores the extent to which vested teachers enrolled in TRS separate from service with positive pension wealth, estimates how much money is "left on the table" at a conventional discount rate, and investigates what types of teachers display higher or lower discount rates as indicated by cashout patterns. To control for the relative attractiveness between choices, the analysis relies on three central …

Writing Apprehension Of Black Students At A Private Historically Black Four Year Liberal Arts Institution, John Wesley Mcallister

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of writing apprehension among first generation students at a Private Historically Black Institution. Participants were 103 college students from the central region of Arkansas at a Private Historically Black Institution of which 103 students responded to the survey completely. All of the respondents were administered the survey in four different sections of the freshman seminar courses. The survey consisted of a demographic section and the Writing Apprehension Test. The writing apprehension test was created by Daly and Miller (1975) to determine an individual's level of writing apprehension. Student's views, opinions …

Implicit Theories Of Intelligence And Learning A Novel Mathematics Task, Nathan Oehme Rudig

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The social-cognitive model of motivation states that students adopt a theory of the nature of intelligence that guides their goals in academia and their responses to academic setbacks. Students who believe intelligence is an unchanging entity within them are more likely to adopt goals to display high ability, hide low ability, and respond helplessly to failed schoolwork. Conversely, a student who believes intelligence is a measure of effort and persistence will be motivated to gather knowledge and acquire new skills. The current study investigated the role theories of intelligence play in the field of mathematics understanding. In two experiments, participants …

Reducing Court-Related Stress Through Court Education: Examining Child Witnesses, Attorneys And Parents, Brittnie Turquoise Watkins

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Court education presents a useful approach to addressing children's stress, anxiety or fear related to testifying. The current study uses a pretest-posttest design to evaluate whether Kids' Court School (KCS), a court education program in Clark County, Nevada, reduces court-related stress in child witnesses. In addition, attorneys' and parents' concerns related to various elements of the child's impending testimony, are evaluated. The measure used to assess stress was the Court-Related Stress Scale (CRSS), a 10-item Likert scale adapted from the Stressfulness of Life Scale. In addition, open-ended questions were posed at the time of posttest. The CRSS was administered to …

Effects Of Internalizing Behaviors On Processing Speed And Academic Fluency, Kristen Bjork

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study explored the relationships between internalizing behavior problems, processing speed and academic fluency. Internalizing behaviors are behaviors typically associated with depression and anxiety, such as withdrawal, somatization, and excessive worry. This study focused on the impact of these behaviors on an individual's ability to efficiently process information, as well as perform simple academic tasks quickly. The following measures were used: WISC-IV Coding and Symbol Search scores as a measure of processing speed, WJ-III Tests of Achievement Math Fluency and Reading Fluency scores as measures of academic fluency, and BASC-2 Parent Rating Scale scores for internalizing behaviors. Data gathered from …

Roles And Relationships In Learning And Teaching: A Case Study Of The Development And Worldwide Implementation Of A New Religious Curriculum, Melissa Noel Hawkley

Theses and Dissertations

This in-depth case study examines perceptions of teacher and learner roles and relationships that were the basis for common understanding in the creation and implementation of the new youth curriculum, Come, Follow Me: Learning Resources for Youth, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The assumptions and beliefs of teachers and learners directly influence each other in their perception of their roles and thus, directly influence the type of teaching and learning they engage in. The curriculum was intentionally designed to help members of the Church teach and learn for conversion. Teachers who understand both their role and …