Educational Psychology Commons^™

Peer Victimization, Social Support, And Internalizing Symptoms: The Role Of Organized Out-Of-School Activity Participation, Scott R. Frohn

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

Peer victimization is associated with and predictive of internalizing symptoms, such as loneliness and depression. Social support has been found to moderate the relationship between victimization and internalizing symptoms, with increased levels of support related to lower levels of internalizing symptoms for victims of peer abuse. The current study examined if organized out-of-school activity participation was associated with lower levels of internalizing symptoms for adolescents in general and for those victimized by peers. Possible gender differences were also explored. Results indicated that participating in a broader range of activities (breadth of participation) was generally associated with higher levels of internalizing …

Tiers 2 & 3 Intervention: Behavior Monitoring, Emily Moss, Ann O'Connor, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Individual student behavior monitoring is useful at all grade levels as part of a behavior changes strategy, starting early in a child’s education and continuing throughout high school. Through monitoring and teaching students to set behavior goals, schools can expect improved behavior, and behavior monitoring is an essential element of efforts to change individual student behavior. Its use has strong research support when part of a more comprehensive plan to monitor and intervene to change individual behaviors.

School personnel can also use long term behavior monitoring as a way to identify student who are at risk for dropping out …

Testing The Validity Of Gre Scores On Predicting Graduate Performance For Engineering Students, Wei Wang

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

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE), a set of standardized tests designed to determine the scholastic potential of graduate students, is widely used in graduate admissions in the United States. How GRE can predict graduate students’ performance has crucial importance both for universities and for students. Numerous of research studies have examined the validity of GRE scores in predicting graduate success, however, some limitations and gaps still existed in previous studies. This study targeted a specific discipline of engineering, and investigated the validity of GRE scores in predicting graduate performance, as measured by graduate GPA (GGPA) for engineering students. The differences …

Self-Efficacy For Metalinguistic Control And Its Relationship To Writing Quality, Michael S. Dempsey

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

Currently influential models of writing processes, such as Flower and Hayes (1980) and Hayes (1996) do not attend explicitly to metalinguistics—writers’ ability to monitor and control linguistic skills. Dimensions of metalinguistic ability—metaphonology, metasyntax, metasemantics, metapragmatics, and metatext—arguably are central to the writing process and to writers’ success as they compose. The purpose of this study was to discover if a relationship existed between metalinguistic self-efficacy and (1) ratings on essays written by participants and (2) participants’ self-reported average grade on college papers. Essays were rated using two rubrics, one analytic and the other holistic, which were developed from metalinguistic constructs. …

Do Interactions Between Motor And Visual Codes Facilitate Visuospatial Memory?: The Influence Of Action On Memory Performance: When Does It Help You, When Does It Hurt You, Michael Dodd

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

One of the hallmarks of human cognition is that we have a limited number of cognitive resources available and successful performance in the environment requires an appropriate number of these resources to be directed towards one's primary task. As such, it is unsurprising that when attention is divided between two tasks simultaneously, performance on each task suffers relative to if each task was done in isolation. At the same time, however, it has also been shown that when individuals process information in multiple ways (e.g. across more than one modality) that performance is enhanced. In the present talk I will …

Tiers 2 & 3 Intervention: Restorative Practices, Emily Moss, Ann O'Connor, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Restorative practices include a variety of different specific practices. A substantial number of studies that have been conducted on these practices, and the research has shown positive results. This framework and these practices have been used in a variety of settings including schools. These programs are concerned with repairing the harm to the victim and helping the victim and the offender to heal so that relationships can be restored. To implement, schools must assess what their needs are, implement the philosophy , and then choose the specific practices that best fits those needs.

Note: See related Strategy Briefs on …

Tiers 1, 2 & 3 Intervention: Middle To High School Transition, Janeen Erickson, Reece L. Peterson, Paige T. Lembeck

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Providing all students, but particularly students at risk of dropping out, with a variety of supports for the transition from middle to high school is an intervention with both strong research support as well as practical logic.

Note: Several examples of secondary school programs which focus on transition from middle to high school can be found in the Examples of Middle to High School Transition Programs, Program Description document which is also available from the Student Engagement Project.

Tiers 1, 2 & 3 Intervention: Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports, Scott Fluke, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Given the extremely strong research base for positive behavior intervention and supports (PBIS), and the usefulness of the tiered model in making intervention decisions, and its widespread use (in over 18,000 schools according to its website), PBIS has become the pre-eminent strategy for improving student behavior in school settings. Its framework establishes a clear emphasis on prevention of behavior problems, but also permits data based decision making about the intensity of interventions needed when problems do occur. It has become the basic tool to address behavior in school settings.

Tiers 2 & 3 Intervention: Restitution, Ann O'Connor, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

The restitution model may be a useful alternative to traditional punishment oriented discipline consequences. This model requires a different type of orientation that the traditional approaches, but might offer a better chance to bring about changed behavior and “healing”. Preliminary research shows much promise in this approach as a discipline alternative which will reduce the number and intensity of discipline incidents.

Note: See related Strategy Briefs on Family Group Counseling, Mediation, and Restorative Practices.

Tier 2 Intervention: Saturday School, Emily Moss, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

While there is little research on Saturday School and as a result it is difficult to judge its effectiveness, some schools have reported success in decreasing suspension and absences after implementing Saturday school. Given the alternatives, Saturday school may be a promising strategy.

Profiles Of Productive Educational Psychologists, Melissa M. Patterson Hazley

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

The present study aims to answer the questions: Who are presently the most productive educational psychologists? How do they accomplish so much? And what advice might they give to young scholars? To identify the most productive educational psychologists, a survey was sent to Division 15 members (educational psychology) of the American Psychological Association. The top four educational psychologists were Patricia Alexander, Richard Mayer, Dale Schunk, and Barry Zimmerman. Using instrumental case study methodology, three broad themes were identified that allow these scholars to be so productive. These included professional influences, time management, research and writing techniques, and time management. The …

Structural Equation Models With Small Samples: A Comparative Study Of Four Approaches, Frances L. Chumney

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

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of estimation methods (Maximum Likelihood, Partial Least Squares, Generalized Structured Components Analysis, Markov Chain Monte Carlo) when applied to structural equation models with small samples. Trends in educational and social science research require scientists to investigate increasingly complex phenomena with regard for the contextual factors which influence their occurrence and change. These additional layers of exploration lead to complex hypotheses and require advanced analytic approaches such as structural equation modeling. A mismatch exists between analytic technique and the realities of applied research. Structural equation modeling requires large samples in general …

Strengths Versus Deficits: The Impact Of Gender Role Conflict And Counseling Approach On The Appeal Of Therapy For Men, Jeff Reznicek-Parrado

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

Current trends from the fields of mental health, criminal justice, and sociology suggest that despite men’s significant mental health problems (i.e. Moscick, 1995; Sue, Sue, & Sue, 2003; Greenfield & Snell, 1999; Follman, Aronsen, & Pan, 2013), they are much more reluctant to seek mental health help than women (Addis & Mahalik, 2003; Olfson & Marcus, 2010). Sociologists and psychologists have suggested that this disparity in help seeking can be largely explained by a cultural mismatch between the context of masculinity and the context of psychotherapy. Psychologists have called for a paradigm shift in the way clinical services are rendered …

Peer Victimization And Prosocial Behavior Trajectories: Exploring A Potential Source Of Resilience For Victims, Emily R. Griese

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

The purpose of this study was to examine the developmental trajectory of a potential source of resilience, prosocial behaviors, and its association with children’s peer victimization from third to sixth grade. Latent growth mixture modeling (LGMM) was employed to explore first whether there were latent classes that emerged from these associations over time, and second, if there was a latent class indicating a potentially resilient pattern for victims. That is, a class with decreasing peer victimization and increasing or high-stable prosocial behaviors. The current study examined 1091 children (540 females, 81.4% Caucasian) who were followed across several time points (birth …

The Impact Of Camp Erin On Bereaved Youth, Alysondra Duke

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

Approximately 5% of adolescents and children will experience the significant loss of a loved one before the age of 15 (Currier, Holland, & Neimeyer, 2007). Numerous intervention efforts have been utilized to normalize the grief process for youth and to assist in the expression and exploration of loss. Several organizations have created weekend-long camps to serve as an avenue for youth to connect with others who have experienced loss with the hope that this early intervention effort may prevent youth from the onset of depression, chronic anxiety, or other psychological conditions. As well, early intervention has been noted as important …

Comparability Of Online And Paper/Pencil Mathematics Performance Measures, John L. Moon

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

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between student mathematics performance of 4^th, 8^th, and 11^th grade students in Nebraska and the mode of test administration, online and paper-pencil. Schools were allowed to select the mode of test administration for their school with some exceptions for students needing accommodations. This resulted in four test groups, namely students taking the online tests in schools selecting paper or online assessments along with students taking the paper-pencil tests in schools selecting paper or online assessments. Since the students in the study were clustered within schools, …

Using Self-Regulated Strategy Development With At-Risk Writers With Asperger Syndrome, Lindsay M. Booker

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) with a population of middle school students with Asperger syndrome (AS). A multiple-baseline design across participants was used to examine the effectiveness of the SRSD instructional intervention on writing skills and self-regulation, attitudes, self-efficacy, and social validity. Each participant was taught SRSD story writing strategies, and wrote stories in response to story prompts during the baseline, instruction, post-instruction, and maintenance phases. Stories were assessed for writing quantity (TWW), writing quality (%CWS), and …

Mexican-Origin Youths’ Trajectories Of Depressive Symptoms: The Role Of Familism Values, Katharine H. Zeiders, Kimberly A. Updegraff, Adriana J. Umana-Taylor, Lorey A. Wheeler, Norma J. Perez-Brena, Sue A. Rodriguez

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

Purpose—To describe Mexican-origin youths’ trajectories of depressive symptoms from early to late adolescence and examine the role of three aspects of familism values: supportive, obligation, and referent familism. Methods—Mexican-origin adolescents (N = 492) participated in home interviews and provided self-reports of depressive symptoms and cultural values at four assessments across an 8-year span. Using a cohort sequential design and accounting for the nesting within the 246 families (2 youth per family), we examined depressive symptoms from ages 12 to 22 years and the within-person, between-sibling, and between-family effects of familism values. Results—Mexican-origin males’ depressive symptoms decreased across …

Theory Guided Professional Development In Early Childhood Science Education, Soo-Young Hong, Julia C. Torquati, Victoria J. Molfese

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

The importance of early and developmentally appropriate science education is increasingly recognized. Consequently, creation of common guidelines and standards in early childhood science education has begun (National Research Council (NRC), 2012), and researchers, practitioners, and policy makers have shown great interest in aligning professional development with the new guidelines and standard. There are some important issues that need to be addressed in order to successfully implement guidelines and make progress toward accomplishing standards. Early childhood teachers have expressed a lack of confidence in teaching science and nature (Torquati, Cutler, Gilkerson, & Sarver, in press) and have limited science and pedagogical …

Relations Of Parenting Quality, Interparental Conflict, And Overnights With Mental Health Problems Of Children In Divorcing Families With High Legal Conflict, Irwin N. Sandler, Lorey A. Wheeler, Sanford L. Braver

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

The current study examined the associations between child mental health problems and the quality of maternal and paternal parenting, and how these associations were moderated by three contextual factors, quality of parenting by the other parent, interparental conflict, and the number of overnights parents had with the child. Data for the current study come from a sample of divorcing families who are in high legal conflict over developing or maintaining a parenting plan following divorce. Analyses revealed that the associations between child mental health problems and positive maternal and paternal parenting were moderated by the quality of parenting provided by …

Which Study Method Works Best? A Comparison Of Soar And Sq3r For Text Learning, Sarah C. Kasson

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

One hundred thirty-eight college students participated in a study comparing the SOAR (Select, Organize, Association, Regulate) and SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review) study systems to each other and to students’ preferred study methods. Though both systems have been researched independently, just one other study has compared these study systems to each other. College students were assigned randomly to one cell of a 2x2 factorial design (method: SOAR or SQ3R; material: supplement or no supplement) or to a preferred-study-method control group. Groups were trained in their respective system (SOAR, SQ3R, or control) and then given materials about educational measurement to …

The Road To Pomp And Circumstance For Ell Students: The Perceived Ambivalent Schooling Experience Of Ell Students With Mexican Ancestry In An Urban Midwestern High School, Kristine M. Sudbeck

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Perceptions of high school faculty and staff members about the graduation outcomes of English language learners of Mexican ancestry were explored. Throughout the course of one semester, observations were made and field notes taken in classrooms and other school locations. Interviews were conducted with 25 faculty/ staff members and 7 students, all of whom were former or current English language learners of Mexican ancestry. The author used a mixed methods strategy; interviews were coded for themes to assess qualitative data, and SPSS was used to analyze quantitative data. Faculty/staff perceived the top three indicators of whether or not an ELL …

Incorporating Latent Variable Outcomes In Value-Added Assessment: An Evaluation Of Univariate And Multivariate Measurement Model Structures, Leslie H. Shaw

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

The purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate the degree to which univariate and multivariate measurement model structures were related to value-added model parameters, teacher estimates, and rankings. Most value-added assessment methods use a single test score to estimate teacher effects, but reliance on a single test score assumes that scores are an error-free approximation of the latent construct of academic achievement. The unique contribution of this study was the systematic evaluation of both univariate and multivariate measurement model structures in a particular value-added model to examine the utility of incorporating latent variable approaches within a traditional value-added framework. …

Gaining Insight Into Hispanic Students’ Postsecondary Plans, Neel A. Brown

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

While the growth of the Hispanic population in the United States is outpacing other ethnicities, college enrollment and graduation rates of Hispanic students continue to lag behind other groups. This longitudinal, qualitative case study explored when, how, and why a sample of Hispanic high school seniors at a large high school in North Central Texas made decisions regarding their postsecondary educational and career choices.

The foundation of this research relied on a series of 39 individual interviews with 13 Hispanic high school students over the course of their 2012 senior year. Analysis of the data uncovered themes regarding family influence, …

Development And Initial Validation Of A Measure Of Attributions For Writing Success And Failure, Mingying Zheng

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

The purpose of this study was to develop and provide initial validation of an instrument to measure writing attributional style among college students, the Attributional Style Questionnaire for Writing (ASQ-W). A sample of 133 college students from a Midwestern university participated in the current study. A qualitative and quantitative mixed method study was conducted to report the perceived causes for writing success and failure and examine the internal consistency, discriminant validity, and predictive validity of the measure. Two other surveys— Liking Writing Scale (LWS) and Self-Efficacy for Writing Scale (SEWS)—also were administered to provide preliminary information on validity for the …

The Impact Of Distractor Duration On Spatial Working Memory In Early Childhood, Brian Keiser

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

Spatial attention appears to act as a rehearsal mechanism in spatial working memory (Awh, 1999; Awh & Jonides, 2001) as adults have trouble maintaining spatial information in their mind when required to shift their attention to locations unrelated to the to-be-retained location. Futhermore, adults increase intentional directed attention to the to-be remembered location when warned ahead of time that distractors will be present during the memory delay (Awh, 2003). Our initial study looked at the presence of a distractor and its impacts on spatial working memory in children. We found that the distractor did impact three and six year old …

The Relation Between High-Quality Prekindergarten Classroom Environments And Literacy Outcomes For Students Learning English As A Second Language, Allison Q. Osborn

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

U. S. students’ early English literacy skills are critical for their later reading and subsequent school success (e.g., Badian, 2000; Collins, 2010; Molfese et al., 2001; Storch & Whitehurst, 2002). Children’s literacy skills are stronger when they attend high-quality prekindergarten classrooms, especially classrooms with strong instructional supports (Hamre & Pianta, 2005). Moreover, some research has suggested that students who enter school with the weakest skills and with higher risk of academic difficulty (including students who speak English as a second language) benefit the most from high-quality instruction and interactions in early literacy and reading (Connor, Morrison, & Petrella, 2004; Downer …

Comparison Of Maximum Likelihood, Bayesian, Partial Least Squares, And Generalized Structured Component Analysis Methods For Estimation Of Structural Equation Models With Small Samples: An Exploratory Study, Frances L. Chumney

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

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a common analytic approach for dealing with complex systems of information. Despite its power and flexibility (Zhu, Walter, Rosenbaum, Russell, & Raina, 2006), traditional SEM methods require large samples in general, and even larger samples for estimating complex models. For educational researchers, large samples are often difficult and even impossible to obtain.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the performance of traditional (i.e., maximum likelihood) and non-traditional (i.e., Bayesian estimation, partial least squares, generalized structured component analysis) methods of estimation available to modern researchers for estimating structural equation models. Specifically, this research …

The Elephant (Or Donkey) In The Room: Political Ideology And News Comprehension, Matthew T. Mehrhoff

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

This paper looks at the influence of ideological schemas on comprehension of news articles. Schema theory pervades psychological explanations for conceptualizing and comprehending the world. While schemas, or mental organizational structures, are essential for comprehending information, they can also be misapplied, leading to a variety of errors in understanding, with particular application in comprehension of political concepts and the news. This paper looks to at how level of congruence between the political ideology of the individual and the tone of a news article affect comprehension levels. Undergraduate students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln took a reading comprehension task for two …

Mexican-Origin Youth's Cultural Orientations And Adjustment: Changes From Early To Late Adolescence, Kimberly A. Updegraff, Adriana J. Umana-Taylor, Susan M. Mchale, Lorey A. Wheeler, Norma Perez-Brena

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

Drawing from developmental and cultural adaptation perspectives and using a longitudinal design, this study examined: (a) mean-level changes in Mexican-origin adolescents’ cultural orientations and adjustment from early to late adolescence; and (b) bidirectional associations between cultural orientations and adjustment using a cross-lag panel model. Participants included 246 Mexicanorigin, predominantly immigrant families that participated in home interviews and a series of nightly phone calls when target adolescents were 12 years and 18 years of age. Girls exhibited more pronounced declines in traditional gender role attitudes than did boys, and all youth declined in familism values, time spent with family, and involvement …