Educational Psychology Commons^™

Understanding The Role Of Childhood Poverty In Doctoral Motivation And Persistence, Amanda J. Rockinson-Szapkiw, Lucinda S. Spaulding, James A. Swezey, Carolyn Wicks

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Addressing Our Needs: Maslow Comes To Life For Educators And Students, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

In the mid-1950s, humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow created a theory of basic, psychological and self-fulfillment needs that motivate individuals to move consciously or subconsciously through levels or tiers based on our inner and outer satisfaction of those met or unmet needs. As a parent and educator, I find this theory eternally relevant for students and adults, especially in our classrooms. After studying it over the past couple of years, my graduate and undergraduate students have decided that every classroom should display a wall-sized diagram of the pyramid, as students and teachers alike place pins and post-its on the varying tiers …

Tier 2 Intervention: Detention, Scott Fluke, Amber Olson, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Detention is one of the primary discipline strategies used by teachers and administrators across the country in elementary, middle, and high schools. Despite its popularity, very little research has been conducted on its effectiveness. What little research there is suggests that detention, particularly lunch detention, can be effective for some students; especially those who are not likely to repeatedly break school rules. However, detention is unlikely to be effective for students who repeatedly receive office referrals. It is recommended that before issuing a detention, teachers and administrators review records for the student in question. If the student has received …

Principals' Perceptions Of Teacher Ineffectiveness In Elementary Classrooms And How They Relate To Specific Content Areas, Steven Franklin

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The current dissertation was effected to contribute to the existing literature on teacher evaluation. More specifically, the study utilized principals' perceptions to identify what principals, who often evaluate teachers, believe are the most frequent causes of teacher ineffectiveness. For this dissertation, the researcher extended a study by Torff and Sessions (2005). In that study, the authors measured principals' perceptions of the causes of teacher ineffectiveness within high school classrooms. This study extended Torff and Sessions' (2005) research by including elementary school principal perceptions, investigating whether differences exist in elementary school principals' perceptions when asked to rate teacher ineffectiveness across specific …

The Impact And Effectiveness Of Student-Centered Classroom Structure, Amie P. Westberg

Mathematics Graduate Theses

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effectiveness of student-centered learning as an alternative classroom structure. It is important that we continually reflect on our teaching methods and explore alternatives that can help give our students the best chance to succeed. While the literature is mixed with regard to which classroom style is best, there are many sources showing the benefits of student-centered instruction over a strictly teacher- centered classroom. Sources also showed that teachers do not need to choose exclusively one style of teaching, and that a blended classroom using a variety of teaching styles can be …

Tiers 2 & 3 Intervention: Lowering Course Grades: A Traditional Discipline Consequence, Natalie Hoff, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

The act of lowering a student’s course grade has been utilized by schools in the past; however, in the eyes of the court this is seen as unconstitutional. Students’ grades are supposed to be a reflection of academic performance and should not be raised or lowered according to non-academic misconduct. Therefore, schools must consider taking alternative action in the face of student misbehavior.

Lowering course grades is a traditional disciplinary consequence which lacks logic and which may violate the law. It is without evidence regarding effectiveness in changing student behavior. No endorsement of its use should be implied in …

How Much Value Is Added By Value Added Models? An Analysis Of Teachers’ Performance Over Time Using New York State Assessment Data, Mariana Ristea

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

There is a strong movement to evaluate teachers on the basis of students’ performance. To compare teachers fairly, as each may have a mixture of students with different abilities in a given subject area, one should account for variables reflective of students’ subject knowledge and background when entering a course. Most methods of control consist of highly sophisticated statistical models mostly difficult to explain to educators who are being evaluated using such methods. This research presents two value-added methods that could be replicated by using in-house resources and standardized student assessment data which are either continuous or ordinal. One method …

Tier 3 Intervention: Family Group Conferencing, Ann O'Connor, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

The family group conference model is a useful tool for bringing together members of a family, a school, and a community to create a plan and offer support for students with chronic behavioral or mental health needs, as well as students who might otherwise be suspended or expelled for a variety of behavior serious incidents. It is an effective restorative practice for teaching offenders about the harm they caused (Bazemore & Umbreit, 2001). In the school setting, conferencing helps to address the power imbalances between school officials and the student and community. In the conference, everyone must listen respectfully, …

A Comparison Of Vocabulary Learning From Joint Reading Of Narrative And Informational Books With Dual Language Learner Children, Deborah Bergman Deitcher

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

A Comparison of Vocabulary Learning From Joint Reading of

Narrative and Informational Books With Dual Language Learner Children

By: Deborah Bergman Deitcher

Advisor: Professor Helen L. Johnson

This study examined joint reading of narrative and informational texts in the home setting, between parents and their English-Hebrew dual language learning preschool children. Parent-child dyads were video-recorded while reading two sets of books; each set contained one narrative and one informational text on the same theme. Children's target word learning of 48 target words (12 words per book) of varying difficulty levels was measured from pretest to posttest. Results showed that children …

Helping Young People Resist At-Risk Behaviors, Gary L. Hopkins, Duane C. Mcbride, Jacqueline Moreno, Susan Armstrong, Joni Roberts, Donavan Andregg

Faculty Publications

This article will deal with some at-risk behaviors that are new to our times. Its goal is to provide a helpful kit filled with research-based strategies that teachers, parents, church and community leaders, counselors, health-care professionals, and others can use in their work with youth. In addition, the article will provide information that can be shared with young people who need to be aware of lurking dangers, as well as what strategies they can use both now and in the future, when they establish their own families. Because of the urgency of those matters, teachers and administrators should talk about …

Subvocalization And Speed Reading In The University Setting, Kathryn R. Pearson, Dr. Dillon Inouye

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Speed reading experts deem subvocalization as a significant obstacle to achieving optimal reading rates. Perhaps one of the most telling factors in assessing an individual’s capacity for speed reading is the presence or absence of subvocalization. Repressing this “phoenemic recoding” is a key step in many reading enhancement programs. However, this valuable step in maximizing reading ability and comprehension cannot be measured in most college-level readers.

The Education System In Tanzania, Amelia Kacher, Dr. Michael Bush

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I spent three months living with an African family in a little village of Marangu, Tanzania with hopes to learn about the education system in the area. This research included learning about the logistics of the system i.e., who goes to school, how much schooling is required, how the schools are run, and how effective the system seems to be. I wanted to learn of the views and attitudes towards education in general as well as the attitudes towards the system in Tanzania. I was interested in learning how education had affected their rich culture especially during their years as …

Instructional Practices Of Teachers And The Academic Success Of African American Males At The Elementary Level, Donna D. Lewis

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

How can teachers improve instructional practices during interactions with African American males, a demographic where reform initiatives have tried to reduce an achievement gap? This qualitative study will examine this issue from the perspective of African American male students and the teachers who teach African American male students. It will specifically focus on what instructional methods and overall beliefs contribute to the academic success of African American male students. Findings indicated that relationship building and culturally responsive teaching strategies were both critical components of improving achievement.

Regulatory Focus Theory, Isalt Team

iSALT Resources: Theories, Concepts, and Measures

No abstract provided.

Mexican American Adolescents’ Gender Role Attitude Development: The Role Of Adolescents’ Gender And Nativity And Parents’ Gender Role Attitudes, Kimberly A. Updegraff, Susan M. Mchale, Katharine H. Zeiders, Adriana J. Umana-Taylor, Norma J. Perez-Brena, Lorey A. Wheeler, Sue A. Rodriguez De Jesus

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Gender development has long term implications for education and career endeavors and family formation behaviors, but we know very little about the role of sociocultural factors in developmental and individual differences. In this study, we investigated one domain of gender development, gender role attitudes, in Mexican American adolescents (N = 246; 51% female), using four phases of longitudinal data across eight years. Data were collected when adolescents averaged 12.51 years (SD = 0.58), 14.64 years (SD = 0.59), 17.72 years (SD = 0.57), and 19.60 years of age (SD = 0.66). Mothers’ and fathers’ gender …

Adaptations For The Introvert Personality: Perceptions Of Fifth-Grade Students, Briana R. Wever

Education Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of A Central Virginia Alternative School : Do Students Benefit From Their Experience?, Anthony H. Francis

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if students benefited from attending a Central Virginia alternative school, defined as a remedial alternative school which scaffolds students both socially and academically so they may return to their base school. Twelve students took part in the study that examined the academic indicators of grade point average, attendance, and number of disciplinary infractions as well as students’ perceptions of their experiences. The difference in trust levels was minimal, but students had accurate perceptions of how their grades, attendance, and discipline had changed while attending the alternative school. The study revealed three areas …

Social Cognitive Theory, Isalt Team

iSALT Resources: Theories, Concepts, and Measures

No abstract provided.

Student Engagement, Isalt Team

iSALT Resources: Theories, Concepts, and Measures

No abstract provided.

Examining Student Motivation In Saudi Arabia, Sarah Marie Springsteen

MA TESOL Collection

Every year, thousands of people from all over the world travel to Saudi Arabia to teach English. As well, yearly, thousands of Saudi students receive a large portion of their English education from these expatriate teachers. Despite the millions of dollars spent on this educational process, the linguistic impact suffers greatly from a lack of understanding between teacher and student, often caused by undiscussed misconceptions. This paper is written in an effort to open a dialogue about the problems of motivation in the Saudi college and university prep-year programs. It analyzes student motivation using three different research techniques, and posits …