Educational Psychology Commons^™

A Case Study Exploring The Transition To Middle School From The Perspective Of Students, Kelly A. Rappa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The transition to middle school is often associated with negative effects on academic achievement, motivation, self-esteem, and psychological well-being. Educators at a Grade 6 through 8 middle school in the northeastern United States observed students struggle with the adjustment to middle school. Research suggests that developmentally responsive schools can significantly reduce the potential negative impact of middle school adjustment. Drawing upon developmental theories from the works of individuals such as Piaget, Erikson, and Maslow, the purpose of this single-case study was to capture the opinions, thoughts, and perceptions of the students transitioning into middle school to better understand how they …

Emotional Intelligence And Graduate Student Satisfaction At Online Institutions Of Higher Education, Christa Thompson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The effect of emotional intelligence (EI) among students in education settings could prove essential to determining the needs of student satisfaction leading to retention and graduation. However, lack of research has yet to determine whether EI is an important factor of student satisfaction. The purpose of this quantitative survey study was to determine whether a relationship exists between EI in graduate students and satisfaction with their overall academic experience at their online institution of higher education. Participants included graduate students enrolled in a masters' or doctoral program at an online institution of higher education. They were surveyed to measure their …

Attachment, Parentally Bereaved Adolescents, And High School Outcomes In A Large Inner-City High School, Silvana Amar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

U.S. and world communities face the challenges of understanding how children grieve and of giving them sufficient social and educational support. Inner-city minority adolescents have not been represented well in the bereavement and attachment literature. The purpose of the quantitative study was to use the attachment theory to understand the impact of parental bereavement on these adolescents. Data were collected using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), the Piers-Harris Children's Self- Concept Scale (2nd ed.), and school records. MANOVAs were used to analyze the influence of attachment organization, bereavement status, and gender on self-concept and academic and behavioral functioning in school. …

Divided Timed And Continuous Timed Assessment Protocols And Academic Performance, David Perucca

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children from a low socioeconomic status (SES) are exposed to numerous stress factors that are negatively associated with sustained attention and academic performance. This association suggests that the timed component of lengthy assessments may be unfair for students from such backgrounds, as they may have an inability to sustain attention during lengthy tests. Research has also found academic disparities between gender. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate the relationship between continuous and divided timed tests in terms of student test scores, with additional assessments incorporating gender. Two charter schools from a suburban Idaho school district were the …

Helping Educators Foster A Growth Mindset In Community College Classrooms, Marianne Adams Auten

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Current research shows that students with a growth mindset are more motivated to learn, want to work harder, are less discouraged by difficulty, use more effective strategies for learning, and have higher academic performance in comparison to students without this mindset. Despite these promising findings, a growth mindset is sometimes not reinforced or is even refuted by classroom conditions. The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to explore how community college educators create classroom environments that foster a growth mindset. The conceptual framework for this study was a social constructivist approach where the interviewer and the participants co-constructed the …

Teacher Beliefs And The Implementation Of The Mathematics Curriculum In An Urban School District, Debra A. Mahone

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers' beliefs about standards-based mathematics curricula can have a direct impact on the implementation of those curricula. Yet, new standards-based curricular approaches, mandated as reform structures under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), fail to account for the beliefs of teachers regarding the curricula in the implementation of new instructional reform practices or policies. The purpose of this quantitative, ex post facto study was to examine pre-existing survey data from a sample (n = 362) of elementary, middle, and high school teachers in an urban school district to analyze the relationship between teachers' beliefs regarding the use of a …

The Relationship Between Adult Attachment Style And Stress Coping Skills To College Graduation, Renee M. Ford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous research conducted with currently enrolled college students has suggested a relationship between secure attachment style, greater stress coping abilities, and academic success. However, there is an absence of research examining these variables as predictors of college graduation. Attachment theory was used as a theoretical framework to address this gap. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between adult attachment style, stress coping skills, and college graduation. This logistic regression study included 81 individuals who either withdrew or graduated from college within the last 4 years. Participants provided demographic information, completed the Experiences in …

The Role Of In-Service Teachers In Pre-Service Teacher Preparation For Multicultural Education, Diane Smith Grych

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. population is rapidly diversifying, with the expectation that culturally diverse groups---including students---will outnumber European Americans by the year 2050. In contrast, public school teachers are expected to remain largely middle class, female, and Caucasian. Most multicultural education research has focused on cultural diversity in urban education settings. However, a gap in the literature has existed regarding student diversity and teachers' culturally responsive teaching in predominantly rural areas. In this study, Appalachian elementary school teachers shared their perspectives and experiences on effective multicultural teaching. An important gap has been bridged by using a 3-part theoretical framework, based on critical …

Academic Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Young Adults With Learning Disabilities, Karin Ann Marie Coles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Positive academic self-efficacy beliefs are associated with increased motivation, higher levels of persistence, and overall academic success. There is a gap in the literature regarding how young adult learners with identified learning disabilities who are also enrolled in postsecondary education characterize their development of academic self-efficacy beliefs and corresponding adaptive coping skills. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to develop a meaningful understanding of the lived experiences of young adult students with learning disabilities in the development of their self-efficacy beliefs and adaptive coping skills. Social learning theory, particularly the self-efficacy belief components, was the guiding conceptual framework for …

The Use Of Asynchronous Video Communication To Improve Instructor Immediacy And Social Presence In A Blended Learning Environment, Jered Borup, Charles R. Graham, Andrea Velasquez

Faculty Publications

Instructors in a blended learning format struggle to find an effective balance between face-to-face instruction that is high in fidelity and online instruction that is high in flexibility. This chapter presents three cases where asynchronous video communication was used to help offer students instruction high in fidelity and flexibility. Although the medium for sharing asynchronous video varied between the three cases, findings indicate that video was a useful tool to improve instructor immediacy and/or social presence with a minimum amount of face-to-face instruction. The instructors in all three cases saw asynchronous video communications as an effective way to communicate with …

Student Examination Performance Predictors: The Cramming Study Strategy And Examination Format, Andrea Haberman

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Examinations that consist of varied formats are distributed to students across educational institutions to measure individual performance and achievement. Previous research studies that investigated the effects of cramming and the usage of different exam formats were examined and summarized in a comprehensive literature review. Findings suggest that students commonly use the cramming study strategy as a method of preparation for exams. Yet the effectiveness of cramming remains a subject of controversy among educators. Little to no research has been conducted to determine whether cramming is engaged in response to a given exam format. This author concludes from a review of …

Social Meaning Of Alcohol-Related Flushing Among University Students In China, Ian M. Newman, Izumi Jinnai, Jie Zhao, Zhaoqing Huang, Jia Pu, Ling Qian

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study explored drinking patterns, alcohol-related flushing, and ways students themselves and other people respond to flushing in drinking situations. Of 1080 Chinese undergraduate university students given the survey questionnaire, 725 (67.1%) returned the completed surveys. Eighty percent of the students were drinkers (93% of males and 69% of females); 68% of the drinkers were flushers. Most of the students (59.3%) said flushing had no special meaning, that is, would ignore flushing; 54% of the flushers said they could keep drinking “but less” when they flush; 27% of the students said that a flushing person should stop drinking; however, if …

Work And Mexican American Parent-Adolescent Relationships: The Mediating Role Of Parent Well-Being, Lorey A. Wheeler, Kimberly A. Updegraff

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

This study of Mexican American two-parent families (N = 246) examined the role of parents’ well-being (i.e., depressive symptoms, role overload) as a potential mechanism through which parent occupational conditions (i.e., self-direction, hazardous conditions, physical activity, work pressure) are linked to parent-adolescent relationship qualities (i.e., warmth, conflict, disclosure). Depressive symptoms mediated the links between maternal and paternal work pressure and parentadolescent warmth, conflict, and disclosure. For mothers, depressive symptoms also mediated the links between self-direction and mother-adolescent warmth, conflict, and disclosure; for fathers, role overload mediated the links between work pressure and hazardous conditions with fatheradolescent warmth.

Principal And Teacher Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, Carolyn Spears Daugherty

Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) and to provide an annotated bibliography of professional literature related to bullying for professional educators. The OBPP used a whole school approach and taught common vocabulary to define the word bullying. Bullying rose to front-page news in recent years and the events led to injuries, death, and even suicide. Long-term effects were severe and included self-esteem issues. The OBPP was one of the better-known programs; however, there were contradictory reports on its effectiveness. This mixed methods study gauged teacher and principal perceptions of …

Deliberate Practice In Professional Speaking Expertise, Helen Lie

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore expertise development in professional speaking from the perspective of deliberate practice. A convenience sample of 10 elite and 12 experienced professional members of the National Speakers Association participated in 30-60 minute phone interviews in which they described behaviors and activities that contributed to their skill development in speaking and what factors motivated them to pursue excellence in their craft. The group of elite subjects averaged 62.9 years of age (SD = 8.03) and 34.9 years (SD = 7.78) of professional speaking experience. The experienced group had an average age of 53.3 years …

Redefining Faculty Workloads In A Physical Therapy Department: A Case Study, Douglas C. Keskula, Shelley Mishoe, Elizabeth T. Wark

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The purpose of this case study is to describe the creation and implementation of a sustainable workload model in the physical therapy department, as well as the outcomes resulting from that structure. Between 2002 and 2009, both scholarly productivity and faculty practice activity increased as a result of the redistribution of faculty efforts created by the new workload structure. This case demonstrates how the department has been able to successfully expand research and faculty practice while maintaining a high quality educational experience. The workload guidelines have enabled the collective core faculty to be productive in teaching, research/scholarship and service.;

My Kanawha, Anne Dipardo

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

A longtime English educator revisits James Moffet’s notion of “agnosis” as she discovers her West Virginia ancestry.

Being The Unbook, Being The Change: The Transformative Power Of Open Sources, Elizabeth D. Woodworth

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

A director of composition tests and advocates “open education sources” for the development of curricula and programs.

Notes From Teaching At The Ends Of The Earth, Colette Morrow

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Third-world teaching enables one feminist instructor to revitalize her instruction in American universities.

Book Reviews, Judy Halden-Sullivan, Julie J. Nichols, Mary Pettice

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Book Reviews

Judy Halden-Sullivan - Evolution and Criticism

Julie J. Nichols - Boyd, Brian. On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction. Cambridge: Belknap Press of the Harvard University Press, 2009.

Julie J. Nichols - Zunshine, Lisa. Why We Read Fiction: Theory of Mind and the Novel. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 2006

Mary Pettice - Dutton, Denis. The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution. 2nd edition. New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2010. Print.