Education Commons^™

The Effects Of Mechanically-Delivered Human-Delivered Reinforcement And Human-Delivered Reinforcement On Intrinsic Interest, Duangkaew Ungsrithong

Masters Theses

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of mechanically-delivered and human-delivered reinforcement on the performance of intrinsically interesting tasks. The study used a multiple-trial within-subject comparison design in which two reinforcement phases (a human-delivered reinforcement and a mechanically-delivered reinforcement phase) were alternated with two post-reinforcement phases. Three of the four subjects did not show performance decrements following mechanically-delivered reinforcement while three did show decrements following human-delivered reinforcement. These data indicate that post-reinforcement decrements may be more likely when reinforcement is delivered socially, suggesting that such decrements may not be due to the reinforcers per se but to …

Category Test And Wais Scores: Sex And Age Inter-Relationships, Julia Ann Shelton

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The current study investigated sex and age differences on the WAIS and Category Test in a sample of 218 persons, half male and half female, between the ages of 16 and 39. The sample was composed of well educated diabetics without neurological symptomatology and of above average intelligence.

Three types of statistical analyses were performed. The first of these were factor analyses of structural composition of WAIS and Category tests as influenced by sex. Results suggested that males and females exhibit different patterns of performance. The second analyses were regression analyses to predict Category Test performance from WAIS scores and …

Patterns Of Emotion Within Mathematics Problem-Solving, Frances A. Rosamond

Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal

There is often a divide between the experience of positive emotions toward math on the part of mathematical educators and negative emotions toward math on the part of students. This paper utilizes psychologist Richard Lazarus's work on the effects of positive emotions in order to highlight their benefits for mathematical pedagogy, to explain the author's experiment applying Lazarus's theory, and to suggest ways this application might support and foster positive emotions in students.

The Development And Validation Of A Social Skills Rating Scale For Early Adolescents, Alan Bain

Dissertations

This study responded to the need for a social skill assessment device specifically for use with early adolescents (i.e., ages 12-15 both regular education and mildly handicapped), that would assist teachers in addressing the social behavior problems experienced by this population.

The purpose of the study was to produce and validate a reliable teacher rating scale for use in: (a) screening adolescents for participation in social skill training programs, (b) measuring the efficacy of social skills training, and (c) measuring the generalization of social skills training to classroom social behavior. Aspects of both traditional and behavioral assessment theory were used …

Depression And Anxiety In Postmenopausal Women: A Study Of Black, White, And Hispanic Women, Patricia Groessl

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate depression and anxiety in postmenopausal women. The study examined four areas: race, hormone state, number of menopause symptoms, and demographic data.

The sample consisted of 90 women between the ages of 45 and 65. All subjects had completed either natural or surgical menopause by a minimum of one year. The subjects were volunteers from the West Michigan area.

There were 30 subjects from each of the following race categories: black, white, and Hispanic. On the basis of self reports, the subjects were assigned to one of the following hormone state groups: (a) …

A Comparison Of Wais-R Scores With Wais-R Scores For Mentally Handicapped Students With Iqs Below 70 And For Regular Education Students, Kimberly A. Brennan

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the utilization of WISC-R scores as a basis for placement and continuation of services for mental retardates in special education classes throughout their school careers. A comparison of the WISC-R Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs with the WAIS-R counterparts and a statistical analysis was conducted. Regular education students were also tested to determine if the two scales were equal.

The WAIS-R was found to yield higher Verbal and Full Scale IQ scores, but comparable Performance IQ scores. These results suggest that the differences between the two instruments for children of …

Teaching Paragraph Construction To Second Grade Students Using A Structured, Sequential Instructional Program, Sheryl Ann Miller

Masters Theses

The present study proposed that specific methods of teaching writing could be implemented through the application of established principles of behavioral, educational technology. A group of eight second grade students took part in a five week sequential writing program designed to teach them to construct a paragraph incorporating the following components: title, name, introductory sentence, three explanatory sentences, and a conclusion sentence.

Samples of the student's writing were obtained at the beginning and end of the program. Changes in writing style were analyzed for the absence or presence of each component. Every child demonstrated some improvement regarding one or more …

Motivation: Issues And Implications For The Classroom, Steven J. Lonning

MA TESOL Collection

This paper explores the nature of student motivation and subsequent implications for teaching. The literature on the subject of motivation is presented and discussed from the perspective of the behaviorist, the cognitive theorist and the humanist. From this survey of the literature three common themes emerge that are useful in working with student motivation. They are the student's motivation to feel success, to feel affiliation and to find meaning.

In describing the teacher's role in fostering motivation in these areas a variety of teaching methods and techniques are presented. Among these are effective objective setting and cooperative learning. These methods …

Teaching Teachers: Starting, Sharing, Shaping, Synthesizing, Emilie Anne Krustapentus

MA TESOL Collection

This materials development project in teacher training is the documentation of my work with a group of Thai teachers in 1986 at the Phanat Nikhom Processing Center in Phanat Nikhom, Chonburi, Thailand, a camp for IndoChinese refugees. As a teacher trainer-supervisor I structured a twenty week system of training teachers to become more proficient in their teaching skills through a process-based approach of awareness and analysis of one's personality and character strengths. While focusing on their characteristics, the teachers went through a four part program of training, Each part concentrated on teacher development through awareness of skill areas, experimentation and …

Storytelling In A Second-Language And Cross-Cultural Education: A Positive Approach To The Learner’S Unconscious Potential, Cynthia A. Jaffe

MA TESOL Collection

The paper describes the technique, and rationale of storytelling in second-language and cross-cultural education. The storytelling technique is designed to approach learners through subconscious pathways, in order to reinforce their linguistic skills, to engender a positive attitude toward their learning of the second language and their involvement in the second culture, and to stimulate the development of their creative potentials. The paper includes an extensive rationale for the application of the technique, a description and step­-by-step manual for the application of the techniques and skills involved in the telling of tales, ideas on how to select stories appropriate to the …

Meetings Without Measure: A Process Of Understanding, Lassie (M.F.) Dudley

MA TESOL Collection

The ability to understand others is not a fortunate talent or an inherited trait. There is a recognizable process of understanding which can be taught, learned, or practiced at any moment of the day. A person's ability to understand others is directly related to his ability to see others truthfully. In turn, his ability to see others truthfully is in direct relation to his freedom from his own desires and perceived needs. Self-acceptance, which is self-love, is crucial in attaining freedom from our own perceived needs, and therefore central to the process of understanding.

During the summer of 1984, I …

Second Language Acquisition In The Field: A Personal Experience, Mary Chase Dindorf

MA TESOL Collection

This report is an examination of the results of my own beginning second language acquisition in the field. For one year I observed myself in the process of acquiring Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia in the respective countries. I was able to document my experiences in a language acquisition diary. It is the data from which this report was written.

I found that my second language acquisition in the field is a complex process determined by need as well as preferred personal strategies, and limited by a saturation monitor.

The success of this acquisition depends primarily upon my needs as …

Attitude And Perception Differences When Speaking In A Second Language, Keith Douglas Smith

MA TESOL Collection

This paper addresses the issue of how people perceive themselves and others when speaking in a second language (L2). It explores the attitudinal aspects (e.g. sociological, psychological, and emotional) through the use of a questionnaire and in-depth interviews. Using the data collected, the paper compares and contrasts native and non-native English-speaking men and women. The results of the data have been illustrated in bar graphs to give the reader an idea of what findings were produced from the research. The research has been analyzed and tentative conclusions have been made. The conclusions, however, allow the reader to be able to …

Staying Power : "Leaving School Too Soon" : Report Of The Advisory Committee On Truants, Dropouts And Alternative Programs, Department Of Educational And Cultural Services

Maine Collection

Staying Power : "Leaving School Too Soon" : Report of the Advisory Committee on Truants, Dropouts and Alternative Programs.

Maine.Department of Educational and Cultural Services. Printed Under Appropriation #4201.1111.

January 1987

Contents: Advisory Committee Members / Dedication / Acknowledgements / Contents / Introduction / Summary of Observations and Findings / Agenda for the Advisory Committee / What's Happening in Maine? / Maine Law / Alternatives in Education / Prevention / Recommendations for Action / Appendix / Fig.A - Adult High School Completion State Totals / Fig.B - Maine Secondary Dropouts by Grade & Year / Fig.C - Maine Secondary Dropouts …

Stress In Teaching: An Exploration Of Possible Sources, William D. Beasley

Theses and Dissertations

For many educators the teaching profession has become a job filled with growing amounts of tension and stress which, when unattended, can lead to occupational burn-out. Through the multiple regression analysis of the responses of 95 west central Georgia classroom teachers to the Clark Teacher Occupational Stress Factor Questionnaire, this study sought to determine the current levels of teacher stress within the group and to determine whether there were correlations between the characteristics of the group and the perceived levels of stress.

The findings indicated that classroom teachers find professional inadequacies and job overload to be the major stress producers …

The Relationship Between Teacher Attitudes Toward Standardized Testing And Student Test Scores, Laura J. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Standardized testing in the public schools has an increasing impact on students, teachers, and administrators, yielding evaluative data which promise to become even more crucial to decision-making processes for all concerned. Also increasing are the negative attitudes of educators toward the testing program, in contrast to the growing emphasis placed on its importance by the public. Previous research indicates that teacher attitudes affect student outcomes; therefore, this study was developed to address the possibility of a correlation between teacher attitudes toward standardized testing and student test scores.

Ninety first-grade teachers in a selected county in Georgia served as subjects for …

Stress In Education: Comparing Stress Levels In Professional Educators, Angela P. Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations

The stress teachers endure in teaching is becoming a topic of wide interest and concern among educators. This study attempted to compare stress felt by special educators and regular educators as measured by the Wilson Stress Profile for Teachers. It further compared the stress reported by high school, junior high school, and elementary school teachers as measured by the Wilson Stress Profile for Teachers.

Stress level scores were compared to determine if a significant difference existed in the following categories: Student Behavior; Employee/Administrator Relations; Parent/Teacher Relations; Time Management; and the compiled Overal1 Stress Score of all nine categories addressed on …

Can Creativity Be Taught In The Physics Laboratory?, Rudolph J. Eichenberger

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of The Television Viewing Habits Of Religiously Oriented And Non-Religiously Oriented Children, Hector C. Detres

Master's Theses

Problem

Television plays an important role in the lives of children. The objective of this study was to compare religiously oriented and non- religiously oriented children and the patterns of television viewing habits between these two groups.

Method

The analysis of variance was used to measure the hypotheses. A questionnaire completed by 378 subjects in grades 3, 6, 9, and 12 in private and public schools was used to gather the data for this study.

Results

Significant differences were found between religiously oriented and non-religiously oriented children in the average number of hours of television viewing, and in preference for …

An Investigative Study Of Twelve Dropouts In Villa Grove High School, Ann L. Krejci

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Experiencing Scale Discrimination Between More And Less Productive Psychotherapy Sessions, Drevis L. Hager

Dissertations

Previous studies have failed to detect differences in experiencing (EXP) between more and less productive psychotherapy sessions. This study explored the possible relationship between EXP and session productivity and examined the efficacies of the conventional versus an alternative method of applying the EXP Scale.

Six client-therapist pairs audio recorded 52 psychotherapy hours, and after each independently completed a session productivity questionnaire. More and less productive sessions were selected based on the clients', therapists', and the clients' and therapists' combined responses. EXP ratings were made of 8-minute audio recorded segments, first using conventional mode and peak scores, and then using alternative …

An Analysis Of Conduct Disordered Boys’ And Their Parents’ Perceptions Of Their Family Social Environments, John Rolph

Dissertations

Conduct disordered behavior of male adolescents constitutes a major social problem. There are many disagreements among clinicians and researchers about the factors which cause and maintain antisocial child behavior.

The purpose of this study was to learn more about the differences between two types of conduct disordered boys and their families: Stealers and Aggressors. The Family Environment Scale Form R and Form I were used to obtain parental and child measures of perceptions of family social climates. The Health and Daily Living Form was used to obtain measures of parental mental and physical health, social resources, and family life change …

Video Display Terminals And Psychological Stress: A Study Of The Acclimation Process, Walker Michael Parmelee

Dissertations

The acclimation process that employees of a large manufacturing company underwent after the introduction of video display terminals (VDTs) to the workplace was studied. In an attempt to understand the acclimation process, employees' mood states, perceptions of the work setting and their reactions toward the VDTs were assessed. This study followed secretaries (N = 11) through the initial phases of converting from a traditional to an automated office. The subjects were observed four weeks prior to and eight weeks after the introduction of VDTs. The secretaries' stress levels were monitored by the Profile of Mood States. The secretaries' perceptions of …

Hemisphericity And Reading Comprehension: A Study Of Black Students From Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds, Linda Hampton Wesson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to determine relationships between cognitive asymmetry, gender, and reading achievement of black students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The sample consisted of black students from Central High School, a school of 1300 students located in an economically deprived area in eastern Arkansas. The sample was administered tests to determine right/left cognitive asymmetry and level of reading comprehension. The purpose of this study was to determine relationships between cognitive asymmetry and reading comprehension for males, females, and the total population of black, low socioeconomic students. The study also investigated differences in cognitive asymmetry between the male and female …

The Effects Of Adventure Activities On An Objective Measure Of Self-Concept, Marjorie Ellen Bethke

Masters Theses

Although a plethora of studies have linked experiences in adventure education to the enhancement of self-concept, virtually all have been faulted on methodological grounds. In this study the inferential leap from test performance to actual behavior was narrowed, if not eliminated, by utilizing systematic direct observation as an alternative to self-reports. A single behavior, hugs, was isolated as an indicator of self-concept. Eighth grade Outdoor Education students were observed over a baseline period, then engaged in a short-term, intense, adventure education experience. A second baseline revealed an appreciable increase in the rate of hug behavior under select circumstances. The data …

An Investigation Of Variables Related To Successful Foster Care Of Juvenile Delinquents, John Charles Weiks

Dissertations

This research was designed to investigate the outcomes of foster care placements involving delinquent youth placed by a juvenile court in regular foster family homes and more specialized treatment group homes (TGH). Forty predictor variables were identified through a survey of probation officers and a review of the literature. The major research question was to determine which of these variables were significantly associated with outcome of foster care placements. A second research question was to determine whether there were different variables related to foster family placement outcomes as compared to TGH placement outcomes.

The case records of 233 youth removed …

A Logistic Discriminant Analysis Of Factors Affecting The Attrition And Retention In An Outpatient Treatment Program For Female Alcoholics, James Loser

Dissertations

The study was conducted in the context of three conditions related to alcoholism which impact Western society: the destructive effects of the disease, the paucity of research concerned with female alcoholics, and the problems of early termination from residential treatment.

The specific purpose of the study was to investigate the feasibility of using demographic and personality variables of female alcoholic outpatients at a residential facility to: (a) predict probable program completion for female residents at the time of admission and (b) predict probable premature terminations at the time of admission.

The Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation Behavior Scale (FIRO-B) and the …

An Analysis Of The Correlation Between Coping Factors And Clinical Symptoms, Justin Morgan Wilson

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between coping skills and clinical symptoms in the context of a stressful situation. The study gave support to Lazarus' cognitive model of stress. This conceptualization of stress is based on the dynamic relationship between intertwining variables.

The sample consisted of 336 male recruits ranging in age from 17-34 who were beginning basic training on March 11 and 12, 1986. Coping style was measured by the Ways of Coping Checklist Revised and clinical symptoms were measured by the Cornell Medical Index Health Questionnaire. Both questionnaires were given on the second day …

Readers' Forum: Belief In Testing, David Moshman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Peter Glick and Mark Snyder's article [“Self-fulfilling Prophecy: The Psychology of Belief in Astrology,” May/June 1986] provides an important account of a deep-seated irrational tendency in human reasoning. They describe how people tend to test hypotheses using a verification strategy—that is, by seeking information that would sup-port the hypothesis. Such a strategy does not really test the hypothesis since it does not look for—and is thus unlikely to find—disconfirming evidence. This may account for the failure to reject not only astrology but a variety of myths, superstitions, and stereo-types.

Executive Personality Types: A Comparison Of Military And Civilian Leaders In A Single Organization, John Edward Dewald

Dissertations

Differences between comparable military and civilian upper-level leaders in a single military organization were examined in terms of personality types. The survey instrument used was the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which was developed for use in personality assessment of normal individuals through the practical application of C. G. Jung's (1921/1971) theory of psychological types. Thirty pairs of executives were surveyed. Each participating pair consisted of a chief and his deputy, one military and one civilian, who shared the same office, authority, and responsibilities. Response to the survey was 100 percent.

Two sets of findings emerged from this study, the first …