Educational Psychology Commons^™

Differences In Academic Achievement Motivation Among Retained, Special Education, And Regular Education Students, Shannon Lea Mast

Masters Theses

Academic achievement motivation affects a student's academic performance and emotional functioning. The Teacher Rating of Academic Achievement Motivation (TRAAM) is used to assess students third through sixth grade on their academic motivation and skill deficits, which will aide in the decision of whether a child solely has a motivation problem or a combination of factors that result in a handicapping condition. The current study compared TRAAM factors 1-4 and Total Score for students in regular education (n=26), special education (learning disabled, n=26), and those who had been retained (n=26). Univariate analysis of variance results indicated that the regular education group …

Concerns Of Young Adolescents As They Transition From The Elementary School To The Middle Level School, Kenneth L. Brighton

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Major changes in life can be problematic for individuals at any age. But for young adolescents who suddenly discover that almost every aspect of their being is in a state of flux, the transition from the elementary school environment to the middle school setting can be an additional source of anxiety. This study identified the specific concerns that young adolescents held as they anticipated promotion to the middle level, the validity and longevity of those concerns, and the differences in how sixth grade students cope with the transition compared to seventh grade students making the same transition to the middle …

Parent Handbook For Surviving Adolescence, Kay Fuson

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to gather information for a parent handbook for Sterling Middle School, which spoke to the following issues: 1) general characteristics, 2) parenting skills, 3) communication, 4) study skills, 5) parent concerns, and 6) community resources. These six areas were determined with input from parents after looking at parent handbooks from middle schools across the state. Research was done in the area of adolescent development and material was compiled for a comprehensive handbook for parents of adolescents.

An Overview Of Bibliotherapy And Its Applications In The Elementary Classroom, Kerry Sue Abernathy

All Graduate Projects

Bibliotherapy has been used for many years as an aid to the healing process. The concept of using literature to promote mental health has been increasingly accepted as a valid therapeutic method in recent years. Bibliotherapy has, in the past, been used primarily with adults. This study will focus on recent developments to help children grow and develop a positive self-concept through literature. Book lists have been compiled from the many children's books available on the subjects of death and dying, illness, divorce, fears, handicaps, blended families, single parents, friendship, physical development, family relationships, attitudes and values, emotions and feelings, …

Developing Self-Esteem: A Search For The Missing Element, Douglas Mack

Masters Theses

Educators have long known the impact a child’s self-esteem, or self-concept, has upon his or her ability to perform in the classroom. This paper explores the variables involved in developing self-concept both in theory and the research. The roles of teacher feedback, student failure and success, and difficulty of task are examined and their impact upon student self-esteem assessed. Learning theories such as constructivism and the use of teams in the classroom are also presented and discussed. Self-esteem does not come about simply as a result of prior success. It develops 1) as a child experiences success at tasks he …

Teaching Friendship Making Skills To Emotionally Disturbed Children, Alison Stewart Agras

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Numerous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of teaching children appropriate social skill behavior. The present study investigated a coaching procedure to teach emotionally disturbed children appropriate social skills within the context: of fourteen arts and crafts sessions. Using a multiple baseline across groups design, two groups of four children received training. As a result of training, cooperation behavior showed a moderate change, while eye contact increased substantially for both groups. The behaviors of on task and communication changed only slightly. In addition, these changes generalized to different settings and were· maintained over time. However, praising, receiving praise, as well as …

Empathy, Communication Skills, And Group Cohesiveness: A Systematic Approach, Michael Hass

Education Faculty Articles and Research

"This article presents an approach to the teaching of interpersonal communication skills to children from 7-11 years of age, and should be of great interest to professionals in the fields of psychology, social work, education and people involved in training such persons."

Children's Test Behavior And Examiner Bias On The Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children, Charesa Mae Kirchner

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to investigate the effect of chi1dren 1s test behavior on examiners' scoring, questioning, and confidence in test resu1ts. The variables under investigation were leve1 of inte11igence and extraversion-introversion as operationally defined in terms of sociabi1ity, response speed, and persistence. E1even-year-old male accomplices read scripts containing responses to the Verba1 Scale of the WISC and operationally defined test behaviors. The test responses to the Verba1 Scale of the WISC were designed to yield superior (IQ= 128) or average (IQ= 97) test scores by varying the quality of test responses. Extravert-Introvert test behaviors independent of the scoring of …

Reaction To Social Pressure From Adults Versus Peers Among Mexican, Mexican-American, And Anglo-American Rural Children, Ana Maria C. Donini

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to investigate whether there was a significant difference in the adherence to conventional morality and the reaction to social pressure from adults versus peers among Mexican, Mexican-American, and Anglo-American children. The instrument used was the Moral Dilemmas Test (MDT) developed by Bronfenbrenner, Devereux, Suci, and Rodgers, which measures the reported readiness of children to engage in morally disapproved behavior and their reaction to social pressure exerted by adults and peers. The subjects were asked to respond to a series of conflict situations under three experimental conditions of confidentiality, scrutiny by parents, and scrutiny by …

The Effect Of A Learning Skills Course Including Group Counseling On Low Achievers In The Community College, Paul E. Borg

All Master's Theses

A Learning Skills course consisting of study skills, goal direction, and self-understanding was tested among volunteer community college low achievers. Treatment integrated didactic, group discussion, and affective experiences in 18 hour-long sessions. Nineteen subjects received treatment; 25 subjects formed a matched control group; and 41 non-volunteers formed two additional control groups. An apparent trend toward GPA improvement was noted for all groups, but all measurements on GPA and a study survey were non-significant.

The Effect Of An Increase Of A Mother's Complimentary Behavior On Her Child's Crying Rate And In-Task School Behavior, Mark Connot

All Master's Theses

The purpose of the present study was to decrease an eight year old boy's disruptive crying rate in his home by ignoring his negative behavior and selectively complimenting his acceptable behavior. A check in the boy's classroom was made to determine if a generalization effect or transference of positive behavior from the home occurred. Crying behavior in the home was reduced significantly. There was no observed significant change in school behavior.

Evaluation Of The Consistency Of Informants’ Reports For Children’S Ratings With The Progress Assessment Chart, Craig Allen Gilroy

All Master's Theses

Seven TMR, seven EMR, and seven regular pupils were rated on the P-A-C I by observers who viewed the children in their classrooms or by using parents and teachers as informants. Ratings were compared for consistency between groups and between raters by means of percent agreement figures and proportional t tests. Few significant differences were found between raters within groups. Significant differences were found in the majority of the cases when parent, teacher, and observer ratings of handicapped and regular children were compared.

An Investigation Into The Relationship Between Student Grades And Parental Attitude Towards The Teacher, Jerry C. Fritts

All Master's Theses

Realizing that the parents play an important role in the total educational process, the primary purpose of this study is to determine if there is a relationship between student grades and parental attitude toward the teacher. It is contended that there is a relationship manifesting itself in the form of a positive correlation and it behooves those in education to do something to cultivate an atmosphere more conducive to educational success. Developing a mutual respect and willingness for cooperation between home and the teacher would serve to greatly enhance a child's educational experience. Another purpose of this study is to …

Time Sampling Technique Applied To Counseling Practicum, William David Thomas

All Master's Theses

The analysis of interactions between individuals was developed primarily within the structure of classroom education. The historical development and refinement of educational interaction analysis was examined to set its use in the counseling situation into appropriate perspective. Many forms of interaction analysis have been used to investigate a wide range of variables. The review of the literature revealed discrepancies in the reported changes, if any, that took place in the verbal behavior of student counselors as a result of practicum training. To clarify this situation somewhat, this study attempted to observe student counselor verbal behavior change in association with practicum.

Retroactive Inhibition Versus Proactive Inhibition As A Function Of Variable Time Interval Among Elementary School Children, Tom L. Warren

All Master's Theses

As a study of phenomena which affect learning, the inquiry into retroactive and proactive inhibition and their varying functions should be of vital interest to both psychology and education, particularly to those educators and learning theorists who work with elementary school children. Also, it is hoped that this study will provide more reliable and statistically significant data on the question of whether retroactive inhibition is greater than proactive inhibition of retention. And, in addition, if there is a difference between retroactive and proactive inhibition when the retention test is immediate or follows soon after original learning, will this difference disappear …

A Survey Of The Integration Of Exceptional Children In Regular Classrooms, Catherine A. Greene

All Master's Theses

Educational practice in the past has been to segregate exceptional children by placing them in self-contained special education classrooms. Recently, however, this method has been questioned by leading special educators. Proponents of segregation of exceptional children admit to inadequacies in the present situation, but they argue that such inadequacies can be remedied and do not justify placing exceptional children in regular classrooms. Proponents of integration maintain that exceptional children live in a heterogeneous world and as adults will live and work in a heterogeneous world; therefore, these children should have a school setting that is like the world in which …

Stimulus Selection Under Conditions Of Free Choice By Preschool Children At Baseline And After Adaptation, Andrea Lyn Shields

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The experiments reported in the present paper may be characterized as belonging to the general area of motivation research referred to as stimulus selection behavior. Stimulus selection behavior includes curiosity, exploratory, and manipulatory activities. Generally, the research in the area attempts to determine the relation between changes in the stimulus and changes in the measures of approach behavior in the subject (s). In this research, approach behavior is apparently unrelated to organic need conditions. The experiments presented in this paper were designed to determine a preschool child's stimulus preference as he entered the experimental setting, and whether that preference could …

The Use Of Selected Films And Film Discussions In Modifying Social Distance In Elementary School Children, Stanton C. Baker

All Master's Theses

When conflicts involving interpersonal relationships arise within the school setting, it would appear appropriate to attempt to cope with these conflicts within the framework of the school; particularly the classroom. Many methods of modifying behavior through group procedures have been attempted with varying degrees of success. It was the purpose of this study to investigate the effectiveness of one such method; a fiIm-discussion technique. This program was developed to modify behaviors, attitudes and/or perceptions which interfere with the development of constructive interpersonal relationships within an elementary classroom.

A Survey Of Selected Objectives, Opinions, And Attitudes Of High School Seniors In Norfolk, Virginia, Robert Eugene Brown

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

No abstract.

A Study Of Early Reasoning Skills In The Trainable Mentally Retarded : As Related To Piaget's Seriation Theory, Robert William Ginther

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

In terms of Piaget's theory of cognitive development and the relationship he attributes between reasoning and the development of classification and seriation skills, the following questions arise: can early reasoning ability be enhanced through training? If IQ tests are accepted as measures of intellectual function, do they then contain a significant number of seriation type questions? If so, will the seriation test be an accepted measure of intellectual function?

Semantic Differential Relationships As A Determinant Of Clustering, Burr R. Beckwith

All Master's Theses

In the past, clustering research has focused primarily on the effect of pre-experimental associations and/or conceptual relationships on clustering in free recall. The present study marks a departure from this trend in that it was designed to determine under what conditions SD relationships among task-items would mediate clustering.

An Assessment Of The Prognostic Value Of The Lowenfeld Mosaic Test As It Relates To The Learning Readiness Of Selected First Grade Pupils, Nina W. Brown

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

No abstract.

Ways In Which The Elementary School Can Improve And Safeguard The Mental Health Of Children, Caroline L. Yock

Graduate Student Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to obtain information concerning (1) the meaning of mental health as it relates to elementary school children, (2) the relationship between mental health and learning, and (3) ways in which the elementary classroom teacher can affect mental health.

An Evaluation Of Otis Alpha Tests For Primary Students In A County School System, James W. Atkins

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The problem was to investigate the adequacy of the testing program used for the assessment of intellectual abilities of primary school children in the Kanawha County Schools, Kanawha County, West Virginia. The Kanawha County School System has administered the Otis Quick-Scoring Alpha, short form, to third-grade students. Scores on these tests have been utilized for the assessment of the intellectual abilities of pupils in the primary grades throughout the county, furnishing subsequent aid in curriculum planning, and also helping teachers to assess the scholastic capability of individual students.

The Supervision Of The Guidance Program In A Small High School, John H. Clark

All Graduate Projects

The small high school has some problems to overcome in order to do an effective job in the guidance of its young people. It is difficult for the staff to find time for guidance activities in the busy schedule of today's curriculum. Released time is very necessary if effective counseling is to be done.

Another problan to be faced is the lack of trained personnel to head the guidance program. The high school principal must find a capable person or else head the program himself.

A third problem faced by the small high school is that of maintaining adequate records …

The Importance Of Play, Laura V. Douglas

Education Student Dissertations

While reading the "Principles of Educational Sociology" by Walter Robinson Smith, the writer was deeply impressed by the statement that "Next to the family group and home life, the play group and play life exert the most vital influence upon the unfolding personality of the child." The writer wondered if it was the absence of play life, as American born children of fair social background experience it, that would in some measure explain the dullness of the Italian-American child of Sicilian and Neapolitan origin, who, as the writer knew him, was so lovable, so anxious and eager to please and …