Education Commons^™

Educators' Attitudes Toward Outdoor Classrooms And The Cognitive Benefits In Children, Carlie Speedlin

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

A case study was organized at a K-5 elementary school in Lincoln, Nebraksa. This school is Saratoga Elementary School and is a United States Title I Distinguished School1 under No Child Left Behind. It has a population of 266 students, with 47% being minority, 1% gifted, and 28% special education (LPS School Profile Brochure). 80% of the student population is eligible for free/reduced meals, implying that it’s a school with a lower socioeconomic status. At this school a garden space was constructed and an after school garden club was implemented for this case study. The club had been running since …

A Longitudinal Study Of Student–Teacher Relationship Quality, Difficult Temperament, And Risky Behavior From Childhood To Early Adolescence, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Thomas G. Reio Jr., Natalie Stipanovic, Jennifer E. Taylor

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Abstract This study examines the mediating role of student–teacher relationship quality (conflict and closeness) in grades 4, 5, and 6 on the relation between background characteristics, difficult temperament at age 4½ and risky behavior in 6th grade. The longitudinal sample of participants (N = 1156) was from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate paths from (a) background characteristics to student–teacher relationship quality and risky behavior, (b) temperament to student–teacher relationship quality and risky behavior, and (c) student–teacher relationship quality to risky behavior. Findings indicate that students’ family income, gender, …

Medical Students' Attitudes Toward The Medical College Admission Test, Cassie J. Connealy

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

The following study analyzed the attitudes held by pre-clinical medical students about the Medical College Admission Test or MCAT. One hundred and eighty first-year and second-year medical students at a public Midwestern medical university participated in this study. Participants completed the “Medical Students Attitudes toward the Medical College Admission Test” survey during their morning lectures near the end of their spring semester. A composite scale score of the Likert items of the survey was computed and the proportion of students with attitudes ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree was calculated. For six of the twelve Likert items the largest …

An Investigation Of Interpersonal Disruptions And Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Mental Health Therapists, Rachael Ann Robinson-Keilig

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

Mental health therapists who work with victims of trauma are often exposed to vivid descriptions of traumatic events and strong emotional expressions from their clients. Research within the last fifteen years has started to explore the impact of this indirect form of trauma exposure on therapists who treat trauma clients.

The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of interpersonal and sexual disruptions as symptoms of secondary traumatic stress/vicarious trauma among practicing mental health therapists, to understand how various therapist characteristics predict interpersonal and sexual disruptions, and to explore the role that gender and prior trauma history play …

Student Leader Lmx Relationships As Moderated By Constructive-Developmental Theory, Shelly Mumma

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Scholarship

This study examined how the quality of Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) relationships was moderated by the Constructive-Developmental stage or Order of Consciousness of both leader and follower. Using student organization presidents and officers on a small, private, liberal arts college campus in the Midwest, the researcher used a sample of 37 students to study the impact developmental stage had on the leadership relationship. Using the Leader Member Exchange-Multi-Dimensional Measure (LMX-MDM), four dimensions of LMX were examined. The four dimensions were Affect, Contribution, Loyalty and Professional Respect. There was no significant relationship between Order of Consciousness and quality of LMX relationship. While …

Improving Irt Parameter Estimates With Small Sample Sizes: Evaluating The Efficacy Of A New Data Augmentation Technique, Brett P. Foley

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

The 3PL model is a flexible and widely used tool in assessment. However, it suffers from limitations due to its need for large sample sizes. This study introduces and evaluates the efficacy of a new sample size augmentation technique called Duplicate, Erase, and Replace (DupER) Augmentation through a simulation study. Data are augmented using several variations of DupER Augmentation (based on different imputation methodologies, deletion rates, and duplication rates), analyzed in BILOG-MG 3, and results are compared to those obtained from analyzing the raw data. Additional manipulated variables include test length and sample size. Estimates are compared using seven different …

Being Bullied And Psychosocial Adjustment Among Middle School Students In China, Yulan Cheng, Ian Newman, Ming Qu, Lazarous Mbulo, Yan Chai, Yan Chen, Duane F. Shell

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Background: Using the Chinese version of the Global School-based Health Survey (GSHS), this article describes the prevalence of being bullied among a nationally representative sample of Chinese students in grades 6-10 and explores the relationships between being bullied and selected indicators of psychosocial adjustment.
Methods: A total of 9015 students in middle schools in Beijing, Hangzhou, Wuhan, and Urumqi completed the Chinese version of the GSHS. Researchers analyzed the results from 2 questions about the frequency and form of being bullied and 11 questions about psychosocial adjustment. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used in the analysis.
Results: About 25.7% …

Temperamental Attention And Activity, Classroom Emotional Support, And Academic Achievement In Third Grade, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Kathleen Cranley Gallagher, Jamie M. White

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to examine the interplay of children’s temperamental attention and activity (assessed when children were 4-and-a-half years old) and classroom emotional support as they relate to children’s academic achievement in third grade. Particular focus is placed on the moderating role of classroom emotional support on the relationship between temperament (attention and activity level) and academic achievement. Regression analyses indicated that children’s attention and activity level were associated with children’s third grade reading and mathematics achievement, and classroom emotional support was associated with children’s third grade reading and mathematics achievement. In addition, classroom emotional support moderated …

Executive Function Skills Of 6–8 Year Olds: Brain And Behavioral Evidence And Implications For School Achievement, Victoria J. Molfese, Peter J. Molfese, Dennis L. Molfese, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Natalie Armstrong, Gillian Starkey

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Academic and social success in school has been linked to children’s self-regulation. This study investigated the assessment of the executive function (EF) component of self-regulation using a low-cost, easily administered measure to determine whether scores obtained from the behavioral task would agree with those obtained using a laboratory-based neuropsychological measure of EF skills. The sample included 74 children (37 females; M = 86.2 months) who participated in two assessments of working memory and inhibitory control: Knock–Tap (NEPSY: Korkman, Kirk, & Kemp, 1998), and participated in event-related potential (ERP) testing that included the directional stroop test (DST: Davidson, Cruess, Diamond, O’Craven, …

The Influence Of Cultural Orientation, Alcohol Expectancies, And Self-Efficacy On Adolescent Drinking Behavior In China, Duane F. Shell, Ian M. Newman, Xiaoyi Fang

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: We hypothesized that the drinking behavior of adolescents in China is influenced by expectancies and self-efficacy and that adolescents’ cultural orientation towards western versus traditional Chinese values influences expectancies, self-efficacy and drinking behavior, with western values leading to more dysfunctional patterns of beliefs and drinking, and that these beliefs are influenced by students’ gender and school environment. Methods: A total of 1020 high school students from Beijing completed the Chinese Adolescent Alcohol Expectancy, the Chinese Cultural Orientation and the Chinese Self-regulation Self-efficacy questionnaires. Results: Results generally confirmed our hypotheses. Higher negative expectancies and higher self-efficacy reduced …

Parenting Self-Efficacy And Parenting Practices Over Time In Mexican American Families, Larry E. Dumka, Nancy A. Gonzales, Lorey A. Wheeler, Roger E. Millsap

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

Drawing on social cognitive theory, this study used a longitudinal cross-lagged panel design and a structural equation modeling approach to evaluate parenting self-efficacy's reciprocal and causal associations with parents' positive control practices over time to predict adolescents' conduct problems. Data were obtained from teachers, mothers, and adolescents in 189 Mexican American families living in the southwest U.S. After accounting for contemporaneous reciprocal relationships between parenting self-efficacy (PSE) and positive control, results indicated that parenting self-efficacy predicted future positive control practices rather than the reverse. PSE also showed direct effects on decreased adolescent conduct problems. PSE functioned in an antecedent causal …

Infant Temperament, Maternal Personality, And Parenting Stress As Contributors To Infant Developmental Outcomes, Victoria J. Molfese, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Jennifer L. Beswick, Jill L. Jacobi-Vessels, Melissa C. Ferguson, Jamie M. White

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study examined contributions of maternal personality and infant temperament to infant vocabulary and cognitive development both directly and indirectly through parental stress. Participants were recruited at birth and included 63 infant twin pairs and their mothers. Assessments were completed at 6, 9, 12, and 18 months of age and included Dimensions of Temperament–Revised (maternal personality), Parenting Stress Index (parental stress), Infant Behavior Questionnaire–Revised (infant temperament), Bayley Scales of Infant Development II: Mental Development Index, and MacArthur-Bates Total Vocabulary. Structural equation modeling with a jackknife approach was used to analyze data separately for each twin in the pair. At 12 …

What Can Be Done About School Bullying? Linking Research To Educational Practice, Susan M. Swearer Napolitano, Dorothy L. Espelage, Tracy Vaillancourt, Shelley Hymel

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

In this article, the authors review research on individual, peer, and school contributions that may be critical factors for enhancing efforts to address bullying among students. Methodological challenges are delineated,with an emphasis on how bullying is defined and assessed and the subsequent implications for bullying prevention and intervention program evaluation. The impact of school-based anti-bullying programs and the challenges currently facing educators and researchers in this area are discussed. The article concludes with a proposal for a broader, ecologically based model of school bullying based on the emerging literature.

Rural Schools, Jody Lieske, Susan M. Swearer Napolitano

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Nearly one in three public school students in the United States attends school in a rural area. A rural area is defined as an area with a population of 25,000 people or fewer. Rural America has often been portrayed as an idealized life that involves intact families, close ties with neighbors, low crime levels, and relatively stress free in comparison to the fast paced life of those who reside in urban areas. Although many benefits of rural living hold true, many factors such as poverty, mental health problems, substance abuse, and limited access to services create a more accurate picture …

Bullying, Amanda B. Siebecker, Susan M. Swearer Napolitano

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Defines bullying: Bullying may be the most prevalent type of aggression experienced by school-aged youth. Bullying has been defined as any form of aggression in which one student or group of students repeatedly harasses a target (i.e., victim) verbally or physically. The three key components or characteristics of bullying behaviors are (1) the behavior is intended to harm, (2) the behavior occurs repeatedly over time, and (3) there is an imbalance of power.

Discusses prevalence, impact, gender differences, development, and ecological perspectives.

Concludes:Bullying is a complex phenomenon, which is adversely affecting the majority of school-aged youth. There are long-term psychological …

Childhood Depression, Kelly Brey Love, Susan M. Swearer Napolitano

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

It has only been within the past two decades that the majority ofclinicians and researchers reached agreement that children can experience a depressive disorder. Initially, researchers believed children’s lack of psychosexual development prohibited development of depression in childhood.

There has also been disagreement regarding which symptomatology comprises childhood depression, and how it differs from depression in adults. Many clinicians and researchers shared the belief that depression in children was “masked” by other symptoms (e.g., aggression, enuresis, anxiety, among others). More recent research has identified and emphasized the similarities between depressive symptoms experienced by adults and children. Cohort data suggest that …

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (Ocd), Rhonda Turner, Susan M. Swearer Napolitano

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Once thought to be rare, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is currently recognized as the fourth most common psychiatric disorder among adults, following only phobias, substance abuse and major depression. It has been estimated that 1 in 50 adults in the United States currently has OCD.

Covers epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment.

Safe Schools Policies: Necessary But Not Sufficient For Creating Positive School Environments For Lgbtq Students [Commentary], Susan M. Swearer Napolitano

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

In this issue of Social Policy Report, authors Russell, Kosciw, Horn, and Saewyc review the research on LGBTQ youth and illuminate a fundamental challenge facing researchers, educators, students, families, and policymakers. They write that “homophobia and LGBTQ prejudice are daily experiences” and that the challenge facing educators is to “design supportive school climates that promote the positive development of LGBTQ and all students.” There exists in this country and in many countries around the world a huge gulf between acceptance of LGBTQ individuals and creating supportive school and work environments for all individuals. The reality is that in many …

Examining The Relationship Between The Overexcitabilities And Self-Concepts Of Gifted Adolescents Via Multivariate Cluster Analysis, Anne N. Rinn, Sal Mendaglio, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Kand S. Mcqueen

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between gifted adolescents’ forms of overexcitabilities and selfconcepts. Clusters of adolescents were formed on the basis of their overexcitabilities, and these clusters of adolescents were then compared with regard to their self-concept scores. Gender differences were also examined. The sample consisted of 379 gifted adolescents, ranging in age from 11 to 16 years of age. Forms of overexcitabilities were measured using the Overexcitabilities Questionnaire–II, and various facets of self-concept were measured using the Self-Description Questionnaire–II. Using cluster analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, and chi-square analysis, results suggested a distinct four-cluster …

Nurturing Young Students' Writing Knowledge, Self-Regulation, Attitudes, And Self-Efficacy: The Effects Of Self-Regulated Strategy Development (Srsd), Sharon Zumbrunn

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

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of implementing the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) model of instruction (Graham & Harris, 2005; Harris & Graham, 1996) on the writing skills and writing self-regulation, attitudes, self-efficacy, and knowledge of 6 first grade students. A multiple-baseline design across participants with multiple probes (Kazdin, 2010) was used to test the effectiveness of the SRSD instructional intervention. Each participant was taught an SRSD story writing strategy as well as self-regulation strategies. All students wrote stories in response to picture prompts during the baseline, instruction, independent performance, and maintenance phases. Stories were assessed …

Writing Motivation Of Students With Specific Language Impairments, Kyle Lee Brouwer

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

This study was designed to compare the writing motivation of students with specific language impairments with their non-disabled peers. Due to the cognitive and linguistic demands of the writing process, students with language impairments face unique difficulties during the writing process. It was hypothesized that students with specific language impairments will be more likely to report lower levels of perceived writing competence and be less autonomously motivated to write. Students in grades 3-5 in 11 schools (33 with specific language impairments, 242 non-disabled peers) completed self-report measures, designed from a Self-Determination Theory perspective, which measured the degree that students are …

Student Writing Performance: Identifying The Effects When Combining Planning And Revising Instructional Strategies, Amanda K. Schnee

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

The purpose of the current study is to identify the impact of teaching students to revise their stories on writing production (Total Words Written; TWW), writing accuracy (Percent Correct Writing Sequences; %CWS), number of critical story elements included in stories, and quality of writing. Three third-grade and one fourth-grade student who were experiencing difficulties in the area of writing were involved in the study. The students were first taught to plan their stories using the evidence-based program, Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD), which has frequently been implemented to teach students to plan their stories. Students were then taught to revise their …

Review Of Teaching Graphic Novels, By Katie Monnin, Susan Spangler

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

No abstract provided.

School Violence, Jami Givens, Susan M. Swearer Napolitano

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

A safe school is a school where the educational climate fosters a spirit of acceptance for all children. It is a place where students can learn and teachers can teach in an environment free of intimidation and fear of violence. Over the past decade, school shootings have increased anxieties about the safety of our schools. As a result of highly publicized acts of school violence in the media, national attention has recently focused on violence in public schools.

School violence is defined as any action or threat of action resulting in intimidation, coercion, physical harm, or personal injury. While estimates …

Parent-Child Relationships In Early Learning., Carolyn P. Edwards, Susan M. Sheridan Dr., Lisa Knoche

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Parental behavior during a child’s first five years of life is critical for the development of important social and cognitive outcomes in children that set the stage for life-long adaptation and functioning. This chapter will review some of the key findings about the importance of parent-child relationships in early learning. Three dimensions of parent behavior will be described as “parental engagement”: (a) warmth and sensitivity, (b) support for a child’s emerging autonomy, and (c) active participation in learning. Cross cultural variations in which the styles of these behaviors are expressed are also considered, contrasting physical, social, and cognitive styles of …

Rationale For Pride Of Baghdad, Crag Hill Ph.D.

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

A rationale for teaching the graphic novel Pride of Baghdad at the secondary level.

Rationale For Magneto: Testament, Brian Kelley

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

A rationale for teaching the graphic novel Magneto:Testament in secondary schools.

Sequential Art, Graphic Novels, And Comics, Brian Kelley

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

The first global distribution of a paper prepared for the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Graphic Novels Special Interest Group of the International Reading Association,the Executive Board of the New Jersey Reading Association, and the Legislative and Professional Standards Committee of the NJRA.

Comic Vision, Gale Acuff

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

A narrative, rhetorical poem

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Cbt), Rhonda Turner, Susan M. Swearer Napolitano

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on the role of cognition in the expression of emotions and behaviors. CBT assumes that maladaptive feelings and behaviors develop through cognitive processes which evolve from interactions with others and experiences in the environment. The goal of therapy is to identify the maladaptive cognitive process and to learn new ways of perceiving and thinking about events. These new ways of thinking will lead to more positive behavioral and emotional responses.

CBT has rapidly increased in popularity over the last forty years. It enjoys strong empirical support, and the body …