Education Commons^™

The Association Of Demographic Factors With The Integration And Commitment Of West Virginia’S International University Students, Amine Oudghiri

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study explored the association of four independent variables (i.e., sex, class standing, GPA, and living status) with the academic integration, social integration, and institutional commitment (the dependent variables) of international students attending seven public regional universities in West Virginia. A researcher-developed, Likert-type questionnaire was used to examine the potential relationships among the variables. Results from point-biserial correlations indicated the relationships among the four demographic variables and each of the three dependent variables were not statistically significant, although a few statistically significant correlations were noted among the dependent variables’ sub-scale items. Results from independent samples t-tests also indicated a …

School Climate For Lgbtq Youth: Principals’ Perceptions And Experiences, Jessica L. George

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study explored the practices that can mitigate a hostile school climate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth and the barriers that negatively affect implementation of those practices. LGBTQ youth are at higher risk for bullying, harassment, and other characteristics of a harsh learning environment, which can result in negative outcomes, both short- and long-term. Principals of West Virginia public high schools were surveyed to collect data on the frequency at which LGBTQ-supportive practices are implemented in their schools and the barriers, if any, they faced. A total of n = 29 (x̄ = 27.6%) participants completed …

Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports In A West Virginia Juvenile Justice School: A Case Study, Johnathan Matthew Baldwin

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study investigated the differences in student behavior, participation, and achievement after the implementation of a PBIS at one juvenile justice facility in West Virginia. Teacher and correctional officer perceptions of PBIS were also examined. Data were collected from student refusal reports, report cards, incident reports, and teacher and correctional officer interviews. Student achievement in math and English language arts, following the implementation of PBIS, improved as the percentage of D and F grades decreased while the numbers of A and B grades increased between 2016-17 and 2018-19. One-sample t-Test results for first semester and second semester math and ELA …

Bullying Perceptions: Understanding Students With And Without Disabilities, Shellie B. Simpson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The study investigates perceptions about bullying for intermediate students with and without disabilities. A survey administered to each student assessed perceptions related to bullying and friendship. Interview questions related to specific instances of bullying encountered were also administered. The results indicate perception variations between students with and without disabilities. Students with disabilities reported victimization at a higher rate than students without disabilities, except for verbal bullying and relational bullying which were reported at an equal rate. Students without disabilities reported a higher rate of bullying instances by friends, while students with disabilities report a desire to have more friends. Since …

Mental Health Treatment Effects In An Alternative Middle Schools, Beth Devilla

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an alternative school in West Virginia. The school enrolled sixth to eighth grade students who had been suspended, expelled, or were facing expulsion. Using archived data, the academic performance of students who were in a mental health treatment program was compared to the performance of students who were in the alternative school but were not enrolled in the mental health program. All archival data was de-identified by the Psychologists on staff at the agencies so there were no identifiable human subjects. The research staff was provided access to existing …

Intensive Mental Health Intervention And Incidence Of Discipline, Andrea Mulcay

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A new trend when dealing with behavior issues in the classroom is that of providing mental health services within the school systems. This study is researching an alternative school that offers mental health services for students that have been expelled from their home school. The purpose of this thesis is to determine if these mental health services provided within the alternative school helps reduce the amount of discipline issues in the school system. There are 77 participants, 33 receiving academic services plus intense mental health services and 44 receiving academic services plus minimal mental health services. Findings show no statistically …

Role Of West Virginia School Psychologists In A Response To Intervention Framework, Bryan Anthony Wilson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

With the passage of No Child Left Behind in 2001, schools were required to prepare students using research-based teaching methods, interventions, and approaches. Response to Intervention (RTI) is an evidence-based practice that allows schools to assess student responses to interventions. RTI was implemented as a pilot program in West Virginia beginning from 2007 to 2010. Although research has been frequent on implementing RTI, little research has been conducted analyzing RTI and school psychologist involvement, particularly in West Virginia. The purpose of this study was to examine what factors serve as predictors of RTI involvement in West Virginia. The examiner used …

Association Of Knowledge, Attitudes, And Self-Efficacy With Sexual Risk Behaviors Among High School Students In Aguablanca District-Cali, Colombia, Zulma Hernandez

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy related to reproduction, contraception, STD/HIV and sexual risk behaviors among high school students. The study featured a cluster sampling involving eleventh grade students from two high schools in Aguablanca District - Cali, Colombia. A cohort of 313 students completed an anonymous questionnaire with a 20–item scale that measured level of knowledge in reproduction, contraception and STD/HIV; 5 item-scale that measured attitudes and self-efficacy related to practices of protective sexual behavior; and a 5-item scale that measured intentions toward their capabilities to perform specific actions that …

A Matter Of Respect: The Mother-Home Visitor Relationship In The Healthy Families America Program, Sarah Mullins

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This thesis explores factors that influence the mother-home visitor relationship within the home visiting program, specifically, the Healthy Families America Program. The thesis was done as part of an evaluation of the local HFA program and used qualitative evaluation methods. Participants in the study consisted of five families chosen randomly from families who had been in the program at least one year, three Family Support Workers, and two supervisors. Data was gathered from participant observation of home visits and taped semi-structured interviews with participants. Qualities found to be helpful to the relationship were responsiveness, respect, and sharing personal experiences. Qualities …

Running Water Cuts Deep: An Action Research Study Of At-Risk Students In A Rural High School, Lara K. Dial

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

As a high school teacher, I have formulated a standing comeback for the complaints of my students who whine, “That’s not fair!” My retort is the very cliche, “Life’s not fair”. I tell my students they might as well get used to things that are unfair because they simply cannot go through the rest of their lives whining about it. If life is indeed unfair, students who choose to drop out of school are reducing the chance that they will experience their fair portion of “The good life”. While it is true that the dropout rate in the United States …

Perception Of A University: A Study Of How Parents Develop Preferences For An Institution Of Higher Education, Carl Donald Hadsell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

As documented in previous research, parents are an important influence in their child’s college selection process. However, little attention had been given to how parents themselves develop perceptions of or preferences for specific colleges under consideration. This study’s research design tested the null hypothesis:

"THERE EXISTS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PARENT(S) OF IN-STATE STUDENTS AND PARENT(S) OF OUT-OF-STATE STUDENTS IN THEIR FORMATION OF PERCEPTIONS AND PREFERENCES FOR WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY (WVU)."

A sample was drawn from a general population that consisted of the following three categories of students who showed interest in WVU for Fall, 1981:

1. High school seniors who only …