Educational Psychology Commons^™

Improving Online Social Presence Through Asynchronous Video, Jered Borup, Richard E. West, Charles R. Graham

Faculty Publications

Online learning has become a reality for many students in higher education. Unfortunately, something that has also become a reality is a sense of isolation in online courses, and Moore (1980) has warned that students' sense of distance can threaten their ability to learn. The community of inquiry framework (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000) has provided insight into ways that online interactions can improve students' and instructors' social presence and learning. Emerging video technologies may be able to improve these interactions and thus more easily support the development of communities of inquiry. In this study we interviewed students in three …

Effects Of Video-Based Peer Modeling On The Question Asking, Reading Motivation And Text Comprehension Of Struggling Adolescent Readers, Kallen E. Tsikalas

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Struggling adolescent readers are distinct from others in two important ways: (1) They are adolescents; and (2) they have a history of struggle with reading.

Good pedagogy prescribes that effective programs "meet students where they are." For middle-school students, this means meeting them in adolescence. Adolescents are more concerned with social norms and more susceptible to peer influence than younger children. Additionally, the fact that these youth are still struggling after years of reading instruction suggests that their motivation to persist at reading is likely to have suffered. To fully support and engage such adolescents, reading programs must leverage social …

Understanding The Role Of Social, Teaching And Cognitive Presence In Hybrid Courses: Student Perspectives On Learning And Pedagogical Implications, Janelle De Carrico Voegele

Dissertations and Theses

The use of hybrid learning (a blend of face-to-face and distance learning) is rapidly increasing in higher education. However, educational leaders have raised concerns about the proliferation of hybrid programming as an efficiency measure without appropriate attention to learning. This study examined the relationship between social, teaching and cognitive presence, pedagogical design, and students' perspectives on hybrid learning effectiveness. Data from thirty-nine undergraduate courses representing 1,886 students were analyzed to identify indicators of best hybrid practice. Aspects of social and teaching presence significantly influenced students' perceptions of learning, including facilitation of student interactions, assignment feedback and guidance, effective use of …

Differential Susceptibility To Social Network Influences On School Motivation In A Cohort Of Sixth Graders, Justin William Vollet

Dissertations and Theses

Students' classroom engagement is a strong predictor of positive educational outcomes including academic achievement, GPA, and standardized test scores. Most existing research has focused on the role of quality parenting and teaching in the development of student engagement. However, some research has shown small, yet significant effects of influences from students' peer groups on the development of their engagement. The goal of this study was to explore whether some children are more susceptible to the effects of their peer groups, and to examine a series of possible factors that might amplify the influence of a target students peer group on …

Feedback : Best Practices For Effectiveness, Hanne Elizabeth Wuertz

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The focus of this paper is on the use of formative assessment in classrooms which is increasingly becoming a widespread practice in education today. More specifically, the paper examines the role feedback (a crucial element of formative assessment) plays in student achievement. Feedback and the way it is defined, delivered, and used impacts the effectiveness of formative assessment. In addition, decisions about, and changes in, instruction are often made based on what is communicated through feedback. Thus, this paper defines feedback, discusses best practices for effective feedback, and describes how school psychologists can encourage and help facilitate the use of …

Bullying Policies In Iowa Schools, Terri A. Buettell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This review examines research on bullying. Bullying is defined, along with the various roles filled by children, including bully, assistant, reinforcer, defender, outsider, or victim. The outcomes for participants and the systems in which they interact are cause for action. Bullying usually occurs in the school setting, making it an appropriate environment for intervention. Components of successful programs are discussed, specifically, the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS), and Bully Busters, highlighting the successes associated with them and the importance of the teacher's role, along with increasing awareness in the school, organizational strategies, and rewards and consequences …

Literacy, Autism, And Inclusion, Bridgett L. Hodges

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Young children with significant developmental disabilities can be taught sophisticated literacy skills and many interventions have been shown effective in the research. However, there is a lack of research that looks at the effect of inclusion on literacy with respect to a single student. This study will investigate the influence of an inclusive, general education classroom on the literacy learning of a student with autism. A participant observer approach will be employed in order to collect the following data: in depth interviews and observations of a single individual over a fifteen hour period, and a qualitative case study design will …

Elder Adult Abuse And Animal Welfare Issues: Development, Field Testing, And Dissemination Of Assessment Protocols, Frank R. Ascione, Terry Peak

Psychology Faculty Publications

With funding from the Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust, A KeyBank Trust, and in collaboration with the Utah Division of Aging and Adult Services, we developed a general protocol for assessing animal welfare issues in the in the lives of elder adults. We also developed a follow-up protocol that can be used in cases where elder adults have expressed concern about the welfare of their animals (including threatened and actual harm). Drafts of the protocols were reviewed by Utah Adult Protective Services personnel as well as experts in the field of gerontology. Final versions of the protocols were developed based …

Investigating How Equating Guidelines For Screening And Selecting Common Items Apply When Creating Vertically Scaled Elementary Mathematics Tests, Maria Assunta Hardy

Theses and Dissertations

Guidelines to screen and select common items for vertical scaling have been adopted from equating. Differences between vertical scaling and equating suggest that these guidelines may not apply to vertical scaling in the same way that they apply to equating. For example, in equating the examinee groups are assumed to be randomly equivalent, but in vertical scaling the examinee groups are assumed to possess different levels of proficiency. Equating studies that examined the characteristics of the common-item set stress the importance of careful item selection, particularly when groups differ in ability level. Since in vertical scaling cross-level ability differences are …

Pushing Me Through: A Poetic Representation, Jessica Nina Lester, Rachael Gabriel

Catalyst: A Social Justice Forum

For many children and adults labeled learning disabled (LD), the very process of being identified and eventually labeled is oriented to as difficult to understand, disorienting, and just a taken-for-granted part of a system that names some ‘normal’, even gifted, while others are named abnormal. Minimal research exists that attends to the ways in which the official ways of talking about LDs are worked up in the everyday language of those most involved in the special education process, particularly the students themselves. Thus, in this article, we present, in an alternative form of writing (Richardson, 1997), a poetic representation of …

Using Design Layers Model To Develop Computer-Based Training For The Center For Teaching And Learning's Usability Center, Matthew B. Guinn

Theses and Dissertations

The Usability Center training course is an instructional resource for BYU faculty, employees, and students to prepare them to effectively use the BYU Usability Center. This document describes the process and results of analyzing, designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating the Usability Center training course. By taking this course, participants learn the basics of planning, piloting, executing, and reporting their usability activities and the skills prerequisite to using BYU's Usability Center.

A Model For Peer Mentor Learning: Designing For Skill-Acquisition Among Undergraduate Peer Mentors, Bryce D. Bunting

Theses and Dissertations

This design report details the development of a summer training experience for peer mentors in the Freshman Mentoring program at Brigham Young University. The purpose of the project was to develop an extended training program which would assist peer mentors in developing core mentoring skills necessary for their work with first-year students. The design of the training was informed by a number of theoretical frameworks including experiential learning, reflective practice, and narrative design. The training was evaluated using a post-then survey instrument as well as analysis of qualitative data collected from learners throughout the training. Analyses of these data suggested …

The Redesign Of Mechanical Engineering 574: An Exploration In Deductive And Inductive Methods, Alyssa Janae Walker

Theses and Dissertations

Changes in the engineering industry have motivated the redesign of engineering curriculum in recent years. This report documents the redesign of Mechanical Engineering 574, a graduate course in engineering offered at Brigham Young University. The redesign was divided into four phases and used a design narrative to report the design process. Research conducted by the instructor and designer informed the main content of the course. Although the course originally used mainly deductive methods of instruction, by the final phase of the project, the instruction evolved to be primarily inductive in strategy.

Cultural Orientation And Drinking Behaviors Among Chinese University Students, Shiyuan Wang

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study aimed to develop a cultural orientation instrument among Chinese university students and to investigate the relationship between cultural orientation and their drinking behaviors. Four research questions were raised regarding these two objectives. A sample of 1421 students from universities in Beijing, Kunming and Wuhan participated in this study. The final instrument included 67 items consisting of 10 factors that loaded on two second-order factors: Chinese and Western culture. Thus, four categories of cultural orientation (Traditional, Western, Bicultural and Marginal) emerged, confirming the applicability of Berry’s acculturation theory in cultural orientation. The result also indicated that traditional oriented group …

Examining The Effect Of Medical Risk, Parental Stress, And Self-Efficacy On Parent Behaviors And The Home Environment Of Premature Children, Kathryn Woods

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between medical risk and parenting stress and the extent to which parental self-efficacy moderates the relationship between medical risk, parenting stress, specific parenting behaviors (i.e., parental responsivity, acceptance of child, parental involvement) and the home environment (i.e., organization of environment, learning materials, variety in experience, and IT-HOME total score) of premature children. Participants included 72 parent-child dyads with premature children between the ages of 7 and 35 months corrected age. Measures included parent reports of medical risk, stress, self-efficacy, and the IT-HOME. Results show that medical risk was not significantly …

Lead And Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Meta-Analysis, James Kenneth Goodlad Iii

Master's Theses

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is thought to have a significant neurological component, and several brain structures have been implicated. Environmental variables like lead have been shown to affect brain structures, which in turn impacts cognitive development and behavior. Some studies have begun to associate environmental variables like lead with the inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms of ADHD. This meta-analysis examined the association between different components of ADHD (including attention problems and hyperactivity/impulsivity) and level of lead exposure in children and adolescents. Articles focusing on the association between lead and inattention or hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms were gathered from the online databases PsycINFO and Medline. …

The Effects Of Check In/Check Out On Levels Of Problem Behavior And Academic Engagement In Elementary School Students, Leila Mullooly Miller

Master's Theses

Previous studies have largely evaluated the effects of check in/ check out (CICO) using office discipline referrals (ODRs). However, ODRs are not always reliable measures of student behavior, and direct observation is known to be an accurate tool for behavioral measurement. Due to this, the current study used direct observations to evaluate the effects of CICO on levels of problem behavior and academic engagement for a group of elementary school students. One second, one fourth, and one sixth grade student served as participants. Results indicate CICO is effective in decreasing problem behavior and increasing academic engagement. Data from teacher ratings …

Change Is Learning: Metacognition To Resolve Concerns During The Third Year Of The Implementation Of A Technological Innovation, Nola Allen-Raffail

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

"We are living in a time of change. Rather than viewing change as a painful course of action, let's develop an understanding of how it works, how to facilitate the process, and how to learn from our experiences" (Hall & Hord, 2011, p. 18).

This study used a snapshot of a private Kindergarten-12^th grade school during the third year of the implementation of a technological innovation (RenWeb) to investigate teacher concerns during the process of change and gain insights into individuals' use of metacognition to resolve those concerns. Two primary research instruments were used, the Stages of Concern Questionnaire …

Being Outside Learning About Science Is Amazing: A Mixed Methods Study, Michelle L. Weibel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study used a convergent parallel mixed methods design to examine teachers' environmental attitudes and concerns about an outdoor educational field trip. Converging both quantitative data (Environmental Attitudes Scale and teacher demographics) and qualitative data (Open-Ended Statements of Concern and interviews) facilitated interpretation. Research has shown that adults' attitudes toward the environment strongly influence children's attitudes regarding the environment. Science teachers' attitudes toward nature and attitudes toward children's field experiences influence the number and types of field trips teachers take. Measuring teacher attitudes is a way to assess teacher beliefs.

The one day outdoor field trip had significant outcomes for …

The Effect Of Pre-Collaborative Activity Instruction On Self-Efficacy, Robert Ray Mattson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Collaborative learning is increasing in popularity in education. This collaborative pedagogy is based on a significant body of research that shows positive learning gains. Additionally, given the nature of much of the information-age work, it is thought that such collaborative activity in school helps develop knowledge, skills and attitudes that will be beneficial to students in their post-college lives.

In spite of collaborative learning's increasing use and popularity, there is only limited research on how students feel about such methods and their level of confidence in their collaborative knowledge, skills and attitudes. Based on the current theories about self-efficacy, delineated …