Education Commons^™

Teachers' Perceptions Of And Interventions In Episodes Of Bullying In Schools, Carynn Townsend Wiggins

Doctoral Dissertations

Bullying, defined as the repeated exposure of a less powerful person to negative actions by a more powerful person or group of people, is a serious problem in schools. There are often severe negative consequences, both short-term and long-term, for both the victim and the bully. The attitudes of teachers play a major role in determining the extent and the acceptance of bullying in schools.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the perceptions of selected teachers in reference to bullying. Six teachers were chosen from regional and state teacher of the year competition during 1998–2000. In addition, six …

An Ethnographic Study Of Participants' Perceptions Of Character Education Including Students, Parents, Teachers, Club Sponsors, Administrators, And Community Support People, Lily Odessa Hogan Stoppleworth

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study examined character education within one educational setting. The researcher created a holistic, narrative description of the extent, quality, and impact of character education at one North Louisiana high school. An emergent design was utilized to examine inductively participants' perceptions of character education initiatives within this single, educational site.

The research questions in this study were: (a) How do participants (students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community members) define character education, and what do they perceive its value to be? (b) How do participants perceive character education in relation to values? (c) How is character education viewed by the …

The Use Of Alternative School Placements For Disciplinary Interventions With At-Risk Students, Tammie N. Feathers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate effective ways of providing educational services for at-risk students who are repeatedly placed out of the regular classroom into an alternative school. Characteristics of both settings were investigated in terms of meeting student needs to determine what ingredients might be missing from either or both settings that should be implemented to help these students succeed. The research was qualitative and used a case study design. Primary data were gathered from interviews with five students placed in an alternative school setting and interviews with teachers and administrators in both the regular school and …

Pre- And Post-Matriculation Correlates Of Student Retention Within A Community College Setting, Pamela E. Goodman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the 1990s, due in part to declining enrollment numbers and prolonged budget constraints, student retention became a primary focus in higher education. Aligned with the nationwide interest, this longitudinal, archival study focused on the correlates of student retention at Walters State Community College, located in Morristown, Tennessee. The population involved 17,497 students enrolled from the fall semester of 1992 through the fall semester of 1997. Four sets of variables were investigated--demographic variables, pre-matriculation variables, post-matriculation variables related to grades, and post-matriculation variables related to enrollment. The data were collected through the use of a computer program written to access …

Entry-Level Competencies Needed By Bsns In Acute Healthcare Agencies In Tennessee In The Next Ten Years, Marjorie S. King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The research focused on the identification of entry-level competencies needed by Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) graduates who will begin employment in acute healthcare agencies in the next 10 years in Tennessee. The purpose of the study was to gain increased awareness of the competencies needed by graduates of BSN programs in Tennessee in order to meet the demands of the acute healthcare agencies, in light of present and anticipated changes in the healthcare delivery system. The opinions of nurse educators, nurse administrators, recently graduated BSNs, and experienced BSN graduates were solicited to assess congruency of perceptions. In addition, …

The Influence Of Reading Comprehension And Other Selected Factors On Student Dropouts In An Urban Southeastern School District In Virginia, Viola Garris Morgan

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this research was to examine the influence of reading achievement on the dropout status. The major research question was to determine to what extent does reading comprehension influence the dropout rate after controlling for demographic and performance characteristics?

The target population consisted of 677 urban twelfth-grade students attending schools in an urban southeastern school district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Of the 677 students, 142 were dropouts, and 535 were nondropouts. Simple and partial correlations were used to determine the relationship between variables after partialing out performance and demographic variables. In addition, the discriminant analyses were used …

Participation In Extracurricular Activities And The Relationship To Academic Achievement And School Attendance Among High School Seniors, Lyle C. Ailshie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between participation in extracurricular activities and the variables of school attendance and academic achievement. The population for the study was the 1994-95 graduating class in the First Tennessee Development District high schools. The definition of extracurricular activities was expanded to include the employment of students. The relationships were examined through Pearson Product Moment correlations and by way of multiple regression. A total of 575 students from thirteen high schools made up the sample for this study. Schools were classified into three size categories and proportionally selected in order to accurately represent the population. Selected students …

Principals' Beliefs Regarding The Use Of Corporal Punishment In Tennessee's First District Public Schools, Susan M. Kiernan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There were two major purposes of this study. The first purpose was to obtain information from all principals in Tennessee's First District concerning their beliefs about the use of corporal punishment in public schools in Tennessee. Generalizations could be made in areas of similar geographic and cultural makeup. The second purpose of this study was to generate reflective thought in Tennessee's First District to clarify administrators' beliefs as to the use of corporal punishment as a deterrent. Demographic findings of the study revealed a predominately male population of principals. The majority of the population surveyed was male Caucasian. There was …

Adapting To Retention: A Naturalistic Study Revealing The Coping Resources Of Nonpromoted Students And Their Parents, Robbie J. Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to uncover the feelings and reactions of students and their parents in regard to the nonpromotion experience. Families with children who had been retained at least once in grades one through eight were purposefully selected as units of study from one of four area school systems. A total of 52 family members from 22 family units participated in 46 separate, qualitative interviews. The information collected from the interviews was inductively analyzed. Building upon Schlossberg's theory for human adaptation to transitions, seven factors or coping resources emerged from the data that affected the adaptation of …

The Effects Of Retention In Elementary School On Subsequent Academic Performance And Instructional Practices, Janie H. Snyder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of retention on the academic performance of students retained in the third and fifth grade during the 1985-86 school year. A follow up study was used to analyze changes in academic test results. Another purpose was to interview teachers who had retained students and teachers who had taught the children the next school year to determine what changes occurred in instructional practices. Forty retained students of Northeast Tennessee were matched according to sex and similar scaled scores on the Stanford Achievement Test. Scores were compared by grade and by year …

Advisement Effectiveness And Self-Directed Learning: A Comparison Between Traditional And Non-Traditional Students In Selected Regional Universities In Tennessee, James L. Daniel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Because most academic advisement programs were established to accomodate traditional student populations, it was the purpose of this study to compare the effectiveness of these systems as perceived by traditional and non-traditional undergraduate students at three of Tennessee's regional universities. Traditional and non-traditional students were also compared on the extent to which they exhibit self-directed learning. A comparison of mean scores was made for responses made to items contained in the American College Testing (ACT) Survey of Academic Advising, including the total mean score for the Oddi Continuing Learning Inventory (OCLI) between traditional/non-traditional students, full-time/part-time students, students at the three …

Occupational Stress Among Nurse Administrators In General Hospitals In Tennessee, Ruby T. Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of occupational stress among nurse administrators and to identify the types of strategies used by nurse administrators to deal with or manage occupational stress. The study examined the relationship between selected demographic variables, occupational stress, and strategies. The research design included five research questions along with seven null hypotheses testing the relationship between occupational stress and demographic variables--age, gender, marital status, years of professional nursing experience, years as a nurse administrator, educational attainment, and hospital bed capacity. There were seven additional hypotheses testing the relationship between the same demographic variables …

A Survey Of Multicultural Counselor Training Courses In Selected California State University System Programs, Mary Wood Reibson

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The study examined the perceptions of counselor trainees and faculty for multicultural training courses. It developed curriculum information, compared program emphases in the training categories of awareness, skills and knowledge, and explored training importance and opportunity. Professional guidelines were reviewed to identify the training expected from courses which prepared counselors to work with clients from diverse populations. Survey forms were developed and administered to trainees and faculty. The resulting data were analyzed by descriptive methods, primarily of mean scores and ranked preferences. The Kruskal-Wallace and Mann-Whitney interpretations of group differences were used to identify statistically significant variations in group responses. …

The Mobility Strategies Of Successful Hispanic High School Students, Maria J. Chairez

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to identify and analyze strategies used by successful, goal-oriented Hispanic high school students. This study sought to suggest ways that school personnel can be more deliberate and effective in promoting these strategies to increase the number of Hispanic students attending college. It sought to explore the impact of social class, income, and teacher expectations on mobility for Hispanic high school students. A survey was conducted on one hundred twenty-one Hispanic high school students who attended the 1988 Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Conference. Interviews used a retrospective format. The overall approach for the study was …

Twelve Mexican-Americans In Higher Education: Their Mobility Process, Karen Carlquist-Hernandez

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the career paths of upwardly mobile Hispanic educators to isolate those factors which were important in the mobility process. The goal of this study was to discover what factors account for mobility and what kinds of experiences hinder upward movement of minority individuals. Twelve Hispanic educators from central and northern California were interviewed using an open-ended, retrospective interview format. The data were analyzed to determine the common patterns in social mobility among the 12 participants from impoverished, minority backgrounds. The study identified ways in which social class impacted negotiating strategies, including situational …

Factors Contributing To Self-Esteem Structure In Males And Females, Jerry Steve Harris

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this study was to test certain gender-related hypotheses regarding the relationships among personality traits as identified on the Personality Research Form (PRF) and self-esteem as measured by the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS). The subjects who voluntarily participated in this research were 29 male and 96 female college students. The subjects were students in an Introductory Psychology course at a local community college and state university. A packet containing a short biographical questionnaire, the TSCS, the PRF, and an introductory letter was administered to and completed by each subject. A stastistical analysis of the data was accomplished with …

A Study Of Students' Perceptions Of Counseling Services In Programs Designed To Improve Their Academic Achievement Level, Marilyn R. Bowers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Problem. The problem of this study was to compare attitudes of selected students toward counseling services provided by the Division of Special Services in colleges and universities in the State of Tennessee. Methods. The subjects involved were students enrolled in Special Services for Disadvantaged Students during the fall semester/quarter 1984. Using the Counselor Rating Scales (Short Form), students rated counselors in three areas: first impressions, helpfulness of the counselor, and helpfulness for specific problems. Findings. The findings of the study indicated a statistically significant difference in the following areas: Students who had been enrolled in Special Services for one or …

A Comparison Of The Career Assessment Inventory And The Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory In A Minority, High School Drop-Out Sample, David Stanton Halferty

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Problem. The Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory (SCII), an inventory with some validity, was directed at the professionally oriented client. The Career Assessment Inventory (CAI) appeared in 1976 as an inventory normed on the non-professional, blue-collar worker, directed at the non-baccalaureate student. There had been little research on minority, non-college oriented youth. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to compare the predictive and concurrent validity of these two inventories for a drop-out, non-college oriented population. These inventories were compared for predictive validity to short-term occupational outcome, and for concurrent validity to Expressed Interest. Also, the distribution of interests across the six …

A Study Of Catharsis (Abreaction, Emotional Discharge), In 4th, 5th, And 6th Grade Students, Drina Miriam Fried-Roberts

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Problem. Catharsis is becoming more widely talked about as a method to get rid of negative emotions, to gain increased achievement, social maturity, and emotional well being. The emphasis on affective education is one example. There have been few controlled studies testing the catharsis hypothesis directly. No formal research is available that uses (randomly chosen) young people as subjects in studying emotional discharge.

Purpose. The purpose of the study is to see whether elementary school students can accept training in this re-evaluation counseling mental health model. Comparisons of those who hear about the model are made with those who hear …

A Comparison Of Twelfth Grade School Counselors' Attitude Toward The Aims Of The Women's Movement And The Career Options Offered To Their Counselees, Stella Elisa Alonzo

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The Problem. The women's movement calls for social change and new options for women in society among these options are career options which women never had before. High school counselors make career suggestions for both male and female counselees. This study attempted to examine if these counselors who agreed with the aims of the women's movement would offer more non-traditional career options for both male and female twelfth grade counselees. Procedures. CPGA's list of names of 839 School Counselors was used to survey the attitude toward the feminist aims. Dempewolff's Feminist Scale--Form A (1972) was used to measure counselor's attitude …

The Extent Of Professional Burnout And Related Factors Affecting Public School Counselors, Bobby W. Burchette

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Problem. The problem of this study was to investigate the extent of, and factors related to, professional burnout among public school counselors in Virginia within categories of demographic variables. Methods. Participants for the study were selected from a total population of 1664 school counselors in The Commonwealth of Virginia catergorized by the State Department of Education as: (1) Elementary school counselors, (2) Junior high/middle/intermediate school counselors, and (3) Secondary/senior high school counselors. The Maslach Burnout Inventory and a demographic data sheet were mailed to the 463 counselors selected to participate in the study. Of the returned instruments, 295 were complete …

Videotape Modeling Of Self-Disclosing Behavior In Counselor Trainees In Practicum Experiences, Manouchehr Moshggou

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of videotape modeling of self-disclosing behavior on counselor trainees. More specifically, the study was designed to determine whether an increased willingness to disclose one's attitudes and opinions in appropriate situations could be taught to counselor trainees as part of their training. The subjects were two groups of counselor trainees selected, not on a random basis, but on the basis of their availability from two different sections in the Counseling Practicum at Fresno State University. One group (the Experimental group, with l2 counselors) was provided self-disclosing training, and the other was not provided self-disclosing training and …

The Adjustment Problems Of Latin American Students Attending Selected California Universities, Maria Victoria Ramirez Better

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to identify the academic and non-academic problems of adjustment to the American culture and educational system as perceived by Latin American students attending selected California universities. A second purpose was to identify and compare the differences in problems perceived in undergraduate male and female Latin American students from their respective viewpoints. A third purpose was to identify the expected readjustment problems when the students return to their countries. The fourth purpose was to determine the nature and the helpfulness of the orientation program needed before the students came to the U.S., and after …

Comparison Of The Abridged Version Of The System Of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment And The Hahnemann Elementary School Behavior Scale With Special Education Students, Mary Allasina Yaryan

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment (SOMPA) information which included the Adaptive Behavior Inventory for Children (ABIC) and the Estimated Learning Potential (ELP) was redundant of information on the teacher-scored Hahnemann Elementary School Behavior Scale (HESB) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) subtest scores for male and female Black, White, and Chicano Learning Handicapped (LH) and Resource Specialist Program (RSP) fourth grade-age students. LH students in the Sacramento City Unified School District system were considered more academically handicapped than RSP students. If these various tests were found to be …

A Longitudinal Study Of The Effects Of Eighth Grade Career Counseling And Guidance On Eleventh Grade Occupational Interests As Measured By The Ohio Vocational Interest Survey., Norma Jean Gates

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Students have reacted positively to personal contact with school counselors in regard to learning about themselves in relationship to potential career goals. There appears to be a need, however, to ascertain the effect of career counseling at the upper elementary grades upon career awareness and development at a later secondary grade. In addition, there is a need to study the effects of individual versus group career guidance at the upper elementary grades with reference to the career choices selected at a later secondary grade.

Effects Of Therapist Personality Characteristics On Client Locus-Of-Control As Measured By The Rotter Internal-External Locus-Of-Control Scale., Jeffrey Charles Widmann

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between two therapist personality characteristics and client locus of control expectancy (I-E) in a psychotherapy setting. The two therapist personality characteristics identified and studied were: a) therapist locus of control; and b) therapist self-disclosure level.

Sex Roles, Career Aspirations, Child Care Expectations, And Birth Intentions Of Selected College Freshmen, Pamila Joan Fisher

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Decisions regarding careers, marriage, children and the care of children are sufficiently complex to warrant a genuine dilemma for some college students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the birth intentions of male and female college freshmen and the relationships of those intentions to sex roles, career aspirations and preferences for various child care options.

Relevant demographic and personal data were obtained from a questionnaire which also included the set of items from Dr. John Scanzoni's sex role scale. The questionnaire was administered to a total of 715 randomly selected college freshmen from three California institutions: a community …

Gaming/Simulation As A Learning Method In A High School Career Education Course., James Ronald Hirschinger

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

PROBLEM: There is a need to explore new learning techniques which help high school students experience new levels of career maturity. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the effect on career maturity of including a gaming/simulation technique, the Life Career Game, developed by Sarane S. Boocock, in a high school career education course as compared with a more conventional didactic/audio-visual treatment.

The Effects Of Counseling Involvement On Elementary School Student Behavior., Rosanne Marie Perry

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of varying degrees of involvement in the therapeutic process. The sample of this field study was comprised of those clients involved in a county mental health linked program administered by a private agency. The target population was kindergarten, first and second grade students in selected county schools. Having been referred by their teachers, each child was then treated by a counselor who provided individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, and/or consultation. If it seemed appropriate, in-class tutoring or compensatory classes were offered for the child. The two experimental groups were …

Sex-Role Stereotyping As A Function Of Counselors' Judgments, Susanna Nieman Grossman

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine counselors' expectations as they pertain to sex-role stereotyping of both males and females. This study represents an attempt to partially replicate the research of Braverman et al. (1970).

The subjects were 120 high school and community college counselors randomly selected from California public schools and 60 counselors-in-training randomly selected from five California public and private universities.

Data were gathered with the Stereotype Questionnaire. It is composed of 38 bipolar items each describing a characteristic attribute of an individual. Each counselor and counselor-in-training completed one of three forms--adult, male, or female. Data were …