Digital Commons Network^™

An Investigation Of The Knowledge And Beliefs Held By Teachers And Parents In A Parochial School System Regarding Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder And The Variables That Predict Their Knowledge, Kendra-Lee Yvonne Pearman

Dissertations

Problem

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent childhood disorders affecting 3 to 5% of school populations in the United States and other countries. Due to the behavioral and/or academic challenges of children with ADHD, they are at risk for grade retention, dropping out of high school, and teenage delinquency, which can lead to negative consequences in society. Children with ADHD are found in every school setting, including parochial schools. Past studies have found teachers and parents have inadequate knowledge about ADHD, which can negatively affect these children. This study investigated what teachers and parents of children in …

Intermittent And Light Smoking Cessation In A Predominantly Hispanic College Sample, Natasha Kathleen Naylor

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Smoking is deleterious to one's health and is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States; no level of smoking has been found to be safe. Hispanic and college populations smoke at lower levels but for longer periods of time than non-Hispanic whites and are at risk of escalating their smoking. In this study the effect of a brief tailored intervention on quit status, smoking reduction, Transtheoretical measure change, as well as potential correlates of smoking cessation and reduction, were examined. Two hundred fifty participants completed questionnaires at baseline, 1-, and 3- month follow-ups. Questionnaires assessed: demographic information, …

Gender Differences In Antecedents To Academic And Personal Well-Being In Urban Youth: What Is The Role Of Social Support?, Erin Caskey

Dissertations

Urban youth are an important, yet understudied population. Moreover, the vast majority of existing research has focused on negative outcomes. Recently, there has been a trend in the field of adolescent research toward creating models that attempt to understand and explain why some members of at-risk populations are able to overcome adversities and to achieve successful adaptation. The present study investigated the relationships between perceived social support, gender, academic outcomes, and personal well-being in urban youth. Overall, perceived social support was found to be related to many outcome variables for males and females. Gender differences were found in the relationships …

Perceptions Of Ethical Behaviors: A Survey Of Human Service Professionals, Tammi F. Milliken, Edward S. Neukrug

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

In addition to helpers' moral obligation and professional commitment to treat clients in an ethical manner, enhanced consumer knowledge of ethically correct helping relationships has increased the need to recognize potential ethical dilemmas and have the skills to respond appropriately. This article describes the development and results of an updated survey of human service professionals' perceptions of ethical behavior. The results may be used to assist in the revision of the NOHS Ethical Standards and inform ethics education.

Using Sunflower Plots And Classification Trees To Study Typeface Legibility, Edgar C. Merkle, Barbara S. Chaparro

Publications

This article describes the application of sunflower plots and classification trees to the study of onscreen typeface legibility. The two methods are useful for describing high-dimensional data in an intuitive manner, which is crucial for interacting with both the typographers who design the typefaces and the practitioners who must make decisions about which typeface to use for specific applications. Furthermore, classification trees help us make specific recommendations for how much of a character attribute is “enough” to make it legible. We present examples of sunflower plots and classification trees using data from a recent typeface legibility experiment, and we present …

Adolescents With Aspergers Syndrome And Self-Perceived Social Competence, Shawn M. Mullen

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study explored the self- perceived social competence of adolescents with Aspergers Syndrome (AS). The study's participants were 14 adolescents (11 male, 3 female) between the ages of 10 and 17 years old who were diagnosed with AS. The participants were questioned, using a scripted set of seven questions involving their own perceptions of their interactions with their peers; the study also involved what adults (parents and teachers) think of their ability to get along with peers. The answers to these questions were analyzed qualitatively, and six common themes that the participants found important to them or to their peers' …

Mentoring Apprentice Music Therapists For Peace And Social Justice Through Community Music Therapy: An Arts-Based Study, Guylaine Vaillancourt

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Community music therapy (CoMT) is a creative approach that liberates expressions, giving voice to groups of individuals of all age, status, and race who contribute, in their own way, to build a better society. In this dissertation, I intend to reveal some of the critical themes in the experiences and relationships that apprentice music therapists have with community music therapy, peace, social justice, leadership, and mentorship. Individual interviews were conducted with apprentice music therapists who participated in a co-researchers’ group experience using arts-based research (ABR) and participatory action research (PAR). Principles and foundations for a future model of practice in …

Identity Development Of Latino Gay Men, Manuel Montoya Tajon

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Much has been written on gay identity development and ethnic identity, but research conducted that examines the cross-section of both identities is very limited. Several theories have been proposed which detail gay and lesbian identity development, which involve a conversion of attitudes, values, beliefs, and behavior from a dominant heterosexual culture to those of the minority gay and lesbian culture. Likewise, ethnic identity models propose similar stage sequential processes and conversion from a dominant Anglo culture to those of a minority ethnic culture. Both the ethnic and gay identity development models function and are based on two dichotomous variables (e.g., …

Why Can't We Be Friends?: The Effects Of Disclosure And Severity On Typical Students' Attitudes Toward Peers With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Jacqueline M. Dowjotas, '09

Honors Projects

The autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are characterized by deficits in social interaction, communication, and restrictive and repetitive behaviors and interests. Although many children with autism desire social interaction, they tend to have a difficult time mastering conversation skills and socially appropriate behavior. In addition, they have fewer and lower quality friendships when compared to typical peers, and they often face negative stigma from their typical peers. The current study was used to investigate typical students' attitudes toward hypothetical peers with varying degrees of ASDs. Participants (N = 61) read and responded to vignettes that depicted adolescents, in which severity of …

The Effects Of Coaching Feedback On Perfectionism And Disordered Eating In College Athletes, Natalie E. Chase, '09

Honors Projects

Feedback given to athletes by their coaches is a topic that has not been extensively researched in terms of its effect on perfectionist tendencies and disordered eating in athletes. It is important to reduce factors that are associated with disordered eating before the overt disordered eating behaviors can develop into a more severe clinical-level eating disorder. In investigating these links, parallels were drawn between research that has shown negative effects from harsh parental feedback to hypothesize about the effects of coaching feedback. The hypotheses examined include: I. Feedback from coaches that is interpreted by athletes as harsh, ego-involved, or highly …

A Campaign For Male Beauty: The Influence Of Advertisement On Dimensions Of Male Body, Michelle Meehan, '09

Honors Projects

Distorted body image perception is a growing problem in today' s society, with advertisements that display a "thin-ideal" having a significant effect on the issue. Recent advertising campaigns have been designed to improve self perceptions of body image and are now the fo cus of research. Dremonas (2008) concluded from her research of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, that such a campaign actually decreased self perceptions of body esteem in females. Adding to the research of Dremonas (2008), the present study utilized 50 male, undergraduate students to examine the effects of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty on men. …

Surviving On Remand: A Study Of How Young People Cope In Remand Custody In Ireland, Sinead Freeman

Doctoral

The fusion of young people to the prison setting has been described as a toxic combination. This is especially pertinent when applied to youth in remand custody. Previous research studies have identified young people on remand as a highly vulnerable prison population and custodial remand to be a particularly stressful prison experience. Despite this, little research to date has examined how young people cope while remanded in custody. This thesis addresses this gap by providing an insight into the issue of coping on remand through the voices of young people in custody in the Irish context. It is informed by …

The Role Of Hurricane Exposure And Life Disruption As Predictors Of Child Post-Traumatic Stress Symptomatology Following Hurricane Katrina, Angie Lynn Pellegrin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

While many children emotionally recover following a disaster (Salzer & Bickman, 1999), possibly one-third of children will experience significant psychological distress or post-traumatic stress symptoms which cause interference with their daily school and home functioning (Vernberg, La Greca, Silverman, & Prinstein, 1996). Research supports the role that exposure, loss, and disruption play in increasing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) severity in children following disasters (La Greca, Silverman, Vernberg, Prinstein, 1996; Verberg et al., 1996). However, there are no assessments or questionnaires that have investigated what type of events during and following a hurricane are most predictive of post-traumatic stress reactions. Using …

The Influence Of Alcohol Advertising On Associative Memory And Consideration Sets, James Charles Smith

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Survey studies suggest that alcohol advertising influences attitudes and beliefs that promote alcohol use. Strategies from memory research and marketing were used to test the influence of beer advertising found in popular magazines. Effects on preference for alcohol and memory associations between alcohol and the positive outcomes of drinking were measured. One hundred eighty undergraduate women and men viewed 5 ads. A 2 x 2 + 1 (control group) factorial design simultaneously varied ad type (arousing or sedating messages) with processing type (selective attention or elaborative processing). Preferences for alcohol and memory associations did not differ between the control group …

Psychopathology In Person With And Without Co-Morbid Autism, Martin Nicholas Ancona

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Autism and intellectual disability are frequently co-occurring. In addition, a diagnosis of mild, moderate, severe, or profound intellectual disability increases the risk for co-occurring Axis I psychiatric disorders. This study utilized multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) to determine whether mean differences exist across three diagnostic groups: ID only, ID and autism, and ID and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) on the linear combination of subscales present on the Diagnostic Assessment of the Severely Handicapped-II (DASH-II), a psychometrically sound measure that assesses psychopathology in those with ID. The results of this study supported an association between the presence of …

Development And Initial Validation Of The Family Eating And Activity Questionnnaire, Jennette Lea Palcic

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Pediatric overweight is a growing public health concern in the United States. According to the CDC approximately 17% of children are currently obese (Body Mass Index (BMI) ¡Ý 95th percentile) and the percentage of obese children has tripled since the 1970¡¯s. Both eating and physical activity behaviors have been shown to be related to increased rates of obesity; however, there is a lack of assessment tools to measure these behaviors. The purpose of the current study was to develop a psychometrically sound, parent-report measure of family and child behaviors related to obesity in children between 5- and 12- years-old. Item …

Reasons For Migration And Cultural Distance In South African Women's Migratory Adjustment Experiences: A Phenomenological Account, Ida Steyn

Theses : Honours

Researchers have identified migration to a new country as a stressful life event that is associated with loss of family, friends and community, and adjustment difficulties in the new country (Markovizky & Samid, 2008). In addition, involuntary migration and adaption to a new cultural environment is known to be a factor of psychological distress. Much is unknown about the adjustment of involuntary migrants during the critical period of reestablishment in the new environment. Moreover, less is known about transition processes between similar cultural contexts. It might be that transition is not as well supported when there is cultural similarity between …

Attitudes Toward Asylum Seekers: The Role Of Beliefs In Procedural Fairness, Lisa Palamountain

Theses : Honours

This study investigated the relationship between beliefs in procedural fairness, humanitarian values, and attitudes toward asylum seekers amongst a sample of first year university students in Western Australia (N = 148). Beliefs in procedural fairness were measured in terms of beliefs in the fairness of decision making and beliefs in the fairness of treatment. Findings supported the hypotheses, in that beliefs in procedural fairness were significantly related to attitudes and humanitarian values. Regression analyses revealed that beliefs in the fairness of treatment and humanitarian values made unique contributions in predicting attitudes. However beliefs in the fairness of decision making did …

Anglo-Australians' Attitudes Towards Asylum Seekers And Egalitarianism, Antonietta Matrone Faulkner

Theses : Honours

Research has found that generally Australians hold negative attitudes towards asylum seekers. These negative attitudes appear to be influenced by perceptions of threat and false beliefs. The current study explored the attitudes of Anglo-Australians towards asylum seekers and how attitudes are related to the concept of Australian egalitarianism and fair go. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted for this study. Three main themes were identified through thematic content analysis: characterising asylum seekers, responses to asylum seekers in Australia, and constructing fairness.' Characterising asylum seekers represented the informants' constructs of asylum seekers as being genuine asylum seekers, or boat people …

Child Neglect And Trauma: The Additive Traumatic Effects Of Neglect On Maltreated Adolescents, Adrianna Rachel Wechsler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Child maltreatment affects thousands of youths in the United States and poses numerous detrimental effects to individuals, families, and the community. Neglect is the most commonly reported and least studied form of child maltreatment. All types of child maltreatment may result in negative outcomes, but the chronic and pervasive nature of child neglect poses a significant threat to child development. No studies have been published evaluating the role of child neglect in the development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and PTSD-related symptoms. This study examined whether neglect has an additive traumatic effect on maltreated youth. The first hypothesis was that …

Race Stereotypic Crimes And Juror Decision Making: Hispanic, Black, And White Defendants, Joseph Francis Boetcher

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A race stereotypic crime is a crime that most people tend to associate with a certain race. This is a type of racial bias that affects juror decision making by undermining the presumption of innocence and lowering the prosecution's burden of proof. Two studies investigated race stereotypic crimes. Study 1 used a new scale to identify race stereotypic crimes for black, Hispanic, and white males. Study 2 used a mock juror paradigm with a realistic stimulus and sensitive measures to focus on the influence of this type of bias on mock juror decision making. Study 1: Participants were 143 undergraduate …

Exploring Lesbian And Gay Experiences With Individuals, Systems, And Environments: Patterns Of Response To Heterosexist Prejudice And Discrimination, James Russell Couch

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

While the general social climate in the U.S. has become more accepting and tolerant of sexual minority individuals, heterosexist discrimination, prejudice and violence continues to affect LGBT individuals, families and communities. While much research literature exists on the experience of minority stress and the psychological consequences of minority stress on sexual minorities, little research has been produced that examines sexual minority coping. Within the last decade, heteronegativity has been suggested as a possible coping response to heterosexism. The goal of the present study was to understand sexual minority responses to heterosexism (including heteronegativity) in a variety of contexts and circumstances. …

School Refusal:Characteristics, Assessment, And Effective Treatment: A Child And Parent Perspective, Lydia D. Brill

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The present study, using shelf data, described a quantitative research project which attempted to propound and answer questions about the nature of school refusal in a Pennsylvania school district. The study analyzed shelf data that surveyed 40 students and parents in grades 2 through 11th who missed more than ten percent of 2007-2008 school year. Using shelf data collected by the GNA school district which consisted of parent and student surveys, this study investigated the different reasons why students refuse to attend school. Furthermore, this study also examined common characteristics found among school-refusing students in the Greater Nanticoke Area School …

Exploratory Factor Analysis Of A Relational Aggression Self-Report, Kimberly S. Carlson

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Relational aggression (RA) represents a distinct form of bullying and refers to behaviors that harm others through damaging their friendships, their inclusion in social groups, and their feelings of acceptance. RA has been recognized as a significant problem, which has psychosocial and academic consequences for perpetrators, victims and bystanders. This study evaluated a self-report inventory that examined RA in 219 females ages 10 through 18 from Central Pennsylvania. Inter-item correlations revealed that none of the scale’s items were highly correlated and therefore repetitive. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) with an oblique rotation was used to identify the factors within the …

Social Construction Of Knowledge In A Semiformal, Long -Term Learning Environment: A Qualitative Study, Alycia Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social learning plays a critical role in cognitive apprenticeship, community of practice, and knowledge production theories. Gunawardena's interaction analysis model, which provides a means of evaluating discourse for social construction of knowledge, is comprised of five phases: (a) sharing and comparing, (b) disagreement, (c) negotiation and co-construction of new knowledge, (d) testing of knew knowledge, and (e) use or phrasing of new knowledge. There is a paucity of research that has empirically explored social construction of knowledge, especially in an extended semiformal asynchronous graduate learning experience. This study explored two research questions: whether social construction of knowledge took place, and …

Racial Prejudice And Political Orientation: A Test Of Dovidio And Gaertner’S Integrated Model Of Racism, Abbie Anne Chalupnik

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Although the direct expression of racial prejudice is no longer accepted in society, it has not altogether disappeared. Aversive racism is characterized by pro and anti-Black attitudes, which have been largely socialized, creating an intrapsychic conflict sometimes causing overcompensation in favor of minorities (Nail, Harton, & Decker, 2003). Modern racism stems from traditional values and the Protestant work ethic, and is expressed through attitudes about social policies yet remains fundamentally racist (Kinder & Sears, 1981; Sears & McConahay, 1973). This study extended Dovidio and Gaertner's (1998) Integrated Model of Racism, which links political liberals with the expression of aversive racism …

Rape Myth Acceptance In A Dynamic Environment: Application Of Social Impact Theory To Rma, Zebbedia G. Gibb

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study examines conditions under which attitudes related to sexual assault, commonly known as rape myths, may be transmitted through culture by applying the tenets of Social Impact Theory (Latane, 1981). Social impact theory suggests that three forces influence attitude change, namely the immediacy of the source to the target, the strength of the source, and the number of sources of a message. It was hypothesized that participants who chatted with a confederate who was similar to them and endorsed rape myths would report accepting those beliefs at a higher rate than participants who chatted with a confederate who was …

A Test Of Tmt: Mortality Salience And Avoidance Of Worldview Threats, Taylor Wayne Wadian

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Imagine playing a game of catch with three people, and all the things that would influence to whom you throw. Were thoughts of death included as one of those factors? The hypothesis that mortality salience motivates avoidant behavior toward a worldviewthreatening target was empirically tested on a sample of 200 undergraduate Caucasian college students from a Midwestern university. I induced participants to write about either their own death or dental pain, and presented them with summer descriptions of three fictitious male African American targets that they believed they were going to interact with later in the study. Targets' descriptions were …

Implementing Technology In The Classroom: Assessing Teachers’ Needs Through The Use Of A Just-In-Time Support System, Alissa N. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Given the importance of computer technology in classrooms today, it is crucial to identify the types of supports that will facilitate teachers’ effective implementation of technology. Ten teachers (four kindergarten, four grade one, and two grade one/two) received just-in-time support while introducing a reading software program in their class. An additional 12 teachers (four kindergarten, seven grade one, and one grade two) were exposed to the software, but did not receive just-in-time support. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses of instructional sessions were conducted in order to determine the kinds of support that teachers required throughout the intervention. Results provided an …

Satisfaction With Sexual Health Education Among Recent Graduates Of Ontario High Schools, Glenn J. Meaney

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Satisfaction with sexual health education can be seen as student evaluation of how effectively the sexual health education curriculum meets its goals. First-year university students completed one questionnaire containing measures concerning satisfaction with high school sexual health education, sexuality-related individual difference variables, and intentions to pursue further sexual health education at the university level. Question 1 was whether students were satisfied with their high school sexual health education. Results were examined for differences by gender and type of school attended (i.e., public or Catholic). Participants rated sexual health topics as very important; believed that most sexual health education should occur …