Educational Psychology Commons^™

The Influence Of The Family Context And Intervention Implementation Integrity On Child Behavior During Conjoint Behavioral Consultation, Michelle Swanger-Gagne

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

The purpose of the study was to determine the role of family context variables (i.e., parenting stress and positive parenting practices) as possible moderators and mediators of the relationship between conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC) and change in child problem behavior in the home setting. Another aim of the study was to evaluate the mediator roles of two dimensions of intervention implementation integrity (i.e., adherence to interventions and full engagement in the plan implementation phase) on parenting stress and change in child problem behavior for families involved in CBC. Participants were 203 parents, 81 teachers (81 classrooms), and 203 children who …

Exploring The Complexities Of Learning Motivation In Pre-Service Teacher Education Students: A Grounded Theory Approach, Kristin K. Grosskopf

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

This qualitative, grounded-theory study investigated learning motivation differences among three achievement groupings of undergraduate students enrolled in the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Nine students participated in in-depth interviews that explored their reasons for pursuing their degree, their learning experiences in a university setting, their perceptions about meaningful learning experiences, and the nature of factors that both enhance and challenge their learning motivation. Participant responses conveyed strategies and conditions that were coded and analyzed, and a theoretical model was developed describing causal conditions that underlie students’ motivation to learn, phenomena that arose from those …

A World Without Adolescents, David Moshman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Review of 1) Robert Epstein, The case against adolescence: Rediscovering the adult in every teen (Quill Driver Books, 2007), and 2) Roger J. R. Levesque, Adolescents, media, and the law: What developmental science reveals and free speech requires (Oxford University Press, 2007).

Robert Epstein believes American teens are in chaos. They drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, abuse a variety of other drugs, have eating disorders, contract sexual diseases, and get pregnant. They carry weapons, join gangs, and commit all manner of crimes. They partake of a mindless peer culture. They are angry, violent, depressed, and suicidal. Not all of them, of …

A Correlational Study On Parental Attachment And Moral Judgment Competence Of Millennial Generation College Students, Deidra Graves Stephens

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

Theorists and observers have speculated that Millennial Generation college students may progress through cognitive-structural models differently than previous generations. These models, such as Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of moral development, require individuals to shift from accepting authoritarian views to making their own meaning of the world. Millennials are deferential to the role of parents in their lives, accepting authority, convention, and structure, and acquiescing to rules, order, and expectations. On the other hand, some have predicted that Millennials’ unique view of the world and their place within it may generate more advanced levels of cognitive development than previous generations.

This quantitative …

Investigating The Comparability Of A Self-Report Measure Of Childhood Bullying Across Countries, Chiaki Konishi, Shelley Hymel, Bruno D. Zumbo, Zhen Li, Mitsuru Taki, Phillip Slee, Debra Pepler, Hee-Og Sim, Wendy Craig, Susan M. Swearer Napolitano, Keumjoo Kwak

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Abstract: Responding to international concerns regarding childhood bullying and a need to identify a common bullying measure, this study examines the comparability of children’s self-reports of bullying across five countries. The Pacific-Rim Bullying Measure, a self-report measure of students’ experiences with six different types of bullying behavior and victimization, was administered to 1,398 grade 5 students from Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, and United States. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory modeling were used to evaluate construct equivalence on the measure across different countries. Preliminary results revealed some construct differences across countries, that is, the bullying measure is measuring …

Exploring Mothers’ And Fathers’ Relationships With Sons Versus Daughters: Links To Adolescent Adjustment In Mexican Immigrant Families, Kimberly A. Updegraff, Melissa Y. Delgado, Lorey A. Wheeler

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

Drawing on ecological and gender socialization perspectives, this study examined mothers’ and fathers’ relationships with young adolescents, exploring differences between mothers and fathers, for sons versus daughters, and as a function of parents’ division of paid labor. Mexican immigrant families (N = 162) participated in home interviews and seven nightly phone calls. Findings revealed that mothers reported higher levels of acceptance toward adolescents and greater knowledge of adolescents’ daily activities than did fathers, and mothers spent more time with daughters than with sons. Linkages between parent-adolescent relationship qualities and youth adjustment were moderated by adolescent gender and parents’ division …

Attracting College Men To Sexual Violence Prevention: A Multiple Case Study Of Male Peer Educators, Janice M. Deeds

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

The prevalence rate for sexual assault of U.S. college women has stayed around 13% since 1982 despite the efforts colleges and universities have made to create effective prevention programs. Campus violence prevention programs have changed in focus and approach as research has provided a broader understanding of sexual violence and the important roles men can play in its prevention.

Peer education is currently the most commonly used method of teaching sexual violence prevention information to college students, but unless college men become involved as sexual violence prevention peer educators, campus programs will not be able to effectively reach other male …

Xenophobia: Understanding The Roots And Consequences Of Negative Attitudes Toward Immigrants, Oksana Yakushko

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The current xenophobic cultural environment in the United States makes it imperative that psychologists understand the nature of xenophobia and recognize its consequences. This article explores sociological, social psychological, and multicultural research to examine the causes of negative attitudes toward immigrants. Xenophobia is presented as a concept descriptive of a socially observable phenomenon. Historical and contemporary expressions of xenophobia in the United States are examined and compared with cross-cultural scholarship on negative attitudes toward immigrants. Last, suggestions are provided for how counseling psychologists can integrate an understanding of xenophobia into their clinical practice, training, research, and public policy advocacy.

Human Trafficking: A Review For Mental Health Professionals, Oksana Yakushko

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This article provides a review of current research on human trafficking for mental health practitioners and scholars. In addition to an overview of definitions, causes and processes of trafficking, the article highlights mental health consequences of trafficking along with suggestions for treatment of survivors. Directions for counseling services, prevention, policy work and international involvement are also discussed.

Alcohol Expectancies Among High School Students In Inner Mongolia, China, Duane F. Shell, Ian Newman, Ming Qu

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective — This study examines differences in Chinese high school students’ alcohol expectancies by drinking status (nondrinker, occasional drinker, regular drinker) and gender (male, female).
Method — The authors administered the Chinese Adolescent Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (CAEQ) to a convenience sample of 1244 high school students (M = 627; F = 617) from schools in Hohhot City and Tongliao City in Inner Mongolia, China.
Results — Differences were found in the 8 CAEQ factors (3 negative and 5 positive factors). Regular drinkers had lower negative consequences and higher positive perception expectancies than nondrinkers or occasional drinkers. Nondrinkers had higher harm …

Grade And Gender Differences In Gifted Students’ Self-Concepts, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Marla Read Capper, Regan Clark Foust, Carolyn M. Callahan, Susan B. Albaugh

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Gifted adolescents are poised to make important decisions that will determine the trajectory of their futures. A positive self-concept may lead to higher educational and career aspirations, whereas a poorer self-concept may negatively influence choices and outcomes. Research points to self-concept differences among gifted students of different ages (Chan, 2001) and genders (Hoge & McShreffrey, 1991; Li, 1988), with declining self-concept among females over time. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which self-concept differed among gifted students across grade and gender. Two hundred and sixty older adolescents (grades 8 to 11, n = 159 girls) …

Parent Involvement As A Predictor Of Teacher–Child Relationship Quality In Third Grade, Amanda J. Wyrick, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Research Findings: Research on teacher–child relationships is important, as the quality of this relationship is linked to numerous child outcomes in the areas of academic and social functioning. In addition, parent involvement has been identified as a significant factor in the successful development of a child. This study attempted to join these two lines of research by assessing the extent to which teacher–child relationship quality varies as a function of parent involvement. We used a sample of 894 third-grade children, mothers, and teachers from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care. Regression …

Teacher–Child Relationship Quality: The Roles Of Child Temperament And Teacher–Child Interactions, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Sara E. Rimm-Kaufman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Young children’s relationships with teachers predict social and academic success. This study examines contributions of child temperament (shyness, effortful control) and gender to teacher–child relationship quality both directly and indirectly through the frequency of teacher–child interactions in the classroom. Using an NICHD SECCYD sample of 819 first grade children, four findings emerged: (a) children’s shyness, effortful control, and gender contributed directly to teacher–child conflict and closeness; (b) children’s shyness contributed to the frequency of child-initiated teacher–child interactions, and children’s effortful control contributed to the frequency of teacher-initiated teacher–child interactions; (c) shyness related to teacher–child closeness indirectly through the frequency of …

Bullying And Depression, Susan M. Swearer Napolitano

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

A common misconception about bullying is that this phenomenon does not result in negative long-term consequences. In reality, children and adolescents who are involved in bullying face a host of psychological difficulties. Oppositional defiant disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and depression have been identified as mental health disorders that are associated with bullying.

Bullying: An Age-Old Problem That Needs New Solutions, Shelley Hymel, Susan M. Swearer Napolitano

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

In recent years, bullying has begun to receive serious research attention within the scientific community, with the first systematic studies on bullying emerging in the 1970s by Norwegian researcher, Dan Olweus. Today, bullying is recognized as a worldwide issue for children and youth around the globe, and research on the topic increasing exponentially. Media attention to the tragic deaths of youth who were victims of bullying has raised public awareness in countries around the world, and our rapidly growing capacity for global communication has given rise to an unprecedented international exchange of information, as well as cross-national studies of the …

Bullying: Understanding Attitudes Toward Bullying And Perceptions Of School Social Climate, Kisha Haye, Susan M. Swearer Napolitano, Courtney Miller

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Main questions: What are students’ attitudes toward bullying? Do those attitudes differ when students are involved in bullying? If students are involved in bullying, do they have different perceptions of school climate compared to those students not involved in bullying? Lastly, are students’ attitudes toward bullying related to their perception of school climate?

Mixed Methods Approaches In Family Science Research, Vicki L. Plano Clark, Catherine Huddleston-Casas, Susan Churchill, Denise O'Neil Green, Amanda Garrett

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The complex phenomena of interest to family scientists require the use of quantitative and qualitative approaches. Researchers across the social sciences are now turning to mixed methods designs that combine these two approaches. Mixed methods research has great promise for addressing family science topics, but only if researchers under¬stand the design options and procedures that accompany this methodological choice. Discussions of mixed methods in the family science literature are difficult to locate, and little has been written about how family scientists apply this approach in practice. This article presents an overview of mixed methods research, including its definition, terminology, and …

Zhong Guo Chu Zhong Sheng Yin Jiu Xing Wei Yu Qi Ta Jian Kang Wei Xian Xing Wei De Guan Xi [Alcohol Use And Associated Risk Factors Among Chinese Middle School Students], Teresa M. Merrick, Ying Zhang, Ben-Chun Tian, Ling Qian, Ian M. Newman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective-- To explore the relationship between reported alcohol-use in Chinese youth to other reported health risk behaviors, and to provide bases for their health education.

Methods -- The data of 2003 Global School-Based Student Health Survey in China and related material of survey came from WHO website. SPSS 13.0 was applied for cross-tabulated data analysis and Chi-square test was used to analyze the relationships between alcohol-use and other risk behaviors.

Results -- Students who reported alcohol use within the last 30 days were also at significant risk from direct health behaviors, other health behaviors, environmental factors and psychological factors, especially …

Investigating, Educating, And Intervening: The Target Bullying Project At The University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Susan M. Swearer Napolitano

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Over the last decade, the Target Bully research team at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has collaborated with many schools and school districts to identify where bullying occurs and how to reduce its prevalence. As our experience has grown, we have developed methods and instruments to identify critical concerns of staff members and students. Therefore, we typi-cally begin this consultation by interviewing school administrators and if needed, distributing the Bully Survey (Swearer, 2001) to all students and when possible, teachers and/or parents. This procedure allows us to get a picture of the scope of bullying from the perspectives of students who …

Henan Sheng Liang Cheng Shi Gao Zhong Sheng Wen Hua Ding Wei, Yin Jiu Qi Wang, Zi Wao Xiao Neng Yu Yin Jiu Xing Wei De Yan Jiu [Study On The Relationship Between Cultural Orientation, Alcohol Expectancy, Self-Efficacy, And Drinking Behavior Among Senior High School Students In Two Cities In Henan Province], Ling Qian, Tao Hu, Ian Newman, Peisen Hou

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: To explore the relationships between alcohol expectancy, cultural orientation, self-efficacy and drinking behavior to provide theoretical support for the development of education programs aimed at preventing alcohol abuse among adolescents.

Methods: An anonymous quantitative survey of 2756 tenth and eleventh grade students in six senior high schools in Zhengzhou and Xinyang city of Henan province was conducted in November 2005 and data was analyzed by SPSS 13.0 software.

Results: The overall rate of drinking alcohol among participants was 56.5%. The median score of cultural orientation was 3.25(3.09, 3.42); of alcohol expectancy was 3.02 (2.81, 3.23); and 79.64 (60.36, 93.21) …

Conjoint Behavioral Consultation: What Do We Know And What Do We Need To Know?, Susan M. Sheridan, Brandy L. Clarke, Jennifer D. Burt

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The importance of parent involvement and home-school partnerships has been clearly established (Christenson, 2004). Research has shown unequivocally that when parents are involved in their children's educational programs, children, families, classrooms, and schools all benefit (Christenson & Sheridan, 2001). Professional organizations and the national government have also recognized the positive impact of home-school partnerships. Policy calls for schools to engage in deeper partnerships with parents and communities to meet the increasing academic, behavioral, and social needs of students (No Child Left Behind [NCLB], 2002). In fact, NCLB specifically calls for "local education agencies to assist school personnel to reach out …

Final Comments On School Consultation Research, Susan M. Sheridan, William P. Erchul

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Writing an epilogue (i.e., an ending) to a text as forward-thinking as this one is a bit of an oxymoron. Indeed, it has been the intent of the coeditors to encourage authors not only to provide "state of the science" relative to consultation research in key areas, but also to look ahead and carve out important research agendas still facing the field. It was our hope that the ideas presented herein would stimulate and invigorate new research directions and agendas and spur researchers to tackle new and challenging issues to move the field forward. Many themes have been offered in …

The State Of Scientific Research In School Consultation, William P. Erchel, Susan M. Sheridan

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The overall state of scientific research in school consultation may be best characterized as promising but underdeveloped at present. However, it is decidedly not the goal of this chapter to provide a comprehensive review of the school consultation research literature that supports this assessment, largely because other handbook chapters successfully accomplish this goal. Instead, the two major purposes of chapter 1 are to establish an overall context for the handbook and to offer a preview of the book's content. To achieve these purposes, we present background issues, delineate significant influences on school consultation research and practice, specify the purpose of …

The Effectiveness Of A Partnership-Centered Approach In Conjoint Behavioral Consultation, S. Andrew Garbacz, Kathryn E. Woods, Michelle S. Swanger-Gagné, Ashley M. Taylor, Kathryn A. Black, Susan M. Sheridan

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the extent to which a partnership orientation in conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC) may predict case outcomes and determine the relationship between a partnership orientation and implementation integrity of CBC. CBC is a problem-solving process by which families and teachers work collaboratively with a consultant to address students’ academic, behavioral, and social needs. Twenty children, their parents and teachers, and consultants were involved in CBC services. Outcomes included parent and teacher ratings of acceptability, satisfaction, perceptions of effectiveness, and child performance across home and school settings. Partnership orientation scores and process integrity …

Dian Xing Xiang Guan Fen Xi Zai Zhong Guo Qing Shao Nian Jian Kang Xing Wei Ying Xiang Yin Su Tan Tao Zhong De Ying Yong [Multi-Factor Influences On Chinese Youth Health Behaviors: Canonical Correlation Analysis On Data From The Global School-Based Health Survey], Teresa M. Merrick, Ying Zhang, Ian Newman, Duane F. Shell, L. Qian

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: To explore interrelationships among conceptually related groups of health behaviors in Chinese youth using the multivariate technique of canonical correlation to provide a multi-dimensional view of the component variables.

Methods: Responses on health behaviors from the 2003 Global School-Based Student Health Survey(GSHS) in China were grouped into four conceptual categories-health risks, psychological, behavior, and environmental and analyzed through canonical correlation using SPSS 13.0.

Results: Negative psychological state is reflected by high level incidence of being lonely, being worried, being depressed, considering suicide, and planning how to attempt suicide, while healthy behavior by low tobacco use, alcohol use, sedentary behavior …

Relational Aggression: Not Just A Female Issue, Susan M. Swearer Napolitano

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

In recent decades, relational aggression has been type-cast as a female form of aggression and the literature has focused on the “gender dichotomy” in our understanding of aggressive behaviors. Girls have been characterized as more relational aggressive (e.g., threatening to withdraw from a relationship and manipulating relationships to damage others) than boys; and boys have been characterized as more physically aggressive than girls. However, other researchers have found no or weak gender differences in relational aggression. Our understanding of gender differences in aggressive behavior and how this affects the developmental progression of bullying and relational aggression among school-aged youth is …

"You're So Gay!": Do Different Forms Of Bullying Matter For Adolescent Males?, Susan M. Swearer Napolitano, Rhonda K. Turner, Jami E. Givens, William S. Pollack

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study examined effects of adolescent males' perceptions of being bullied because of verbal taunts related to gender nonconformity (i.e., "They say I'm gay"). Participants included 251 ninth- (n = 77), tenth- (n = 96), and eleventh- (n = 78) grade students in a private, all-male college preparatory school. Participants were divided into two groups based on whether they were bullied by being called gay. Out of the 251 participants, 121 (48%) reported having been bullied and 127 (50%) stated that they had not been bullied during the past year (2% did not report). Of the 121 …

Contributions Of Children’S Temperament To Teachers’ Judgments Of Social Competence From Kindergarten Through Second Grade, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Timothy R. Konold

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Research Findings: Children’s social competence has been linked to successful transition to formal school. The purpose of this study was to examine the contributions of children’s temperament to teachers’ ratings of their social competence from kindergarten through 2nd grade. Children (N = 1,364) from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Early Child Care Research Network participated in this study. Mothers rated children’s shyness, attentional focusing, and inhibitory control with the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire at 4½ years, and teachers rated children’s social competence with three subscales (cooperation, assertion, and self-control) of the Social Skills Rating System at …

Short-Term Memory, Working Memory, And Executive Functioning In Preschoolers: Longitudinal Predictors Of Mathematical Achievement At Age 7 Years, Rebecca Bull, Kimberly Andrews Espy, Sandra A. Wiebe

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study examined whether measures of short-term memory, working memory, and executive functioning in preschool children predict later proficiency in academic achievement at 7 years of age (third year of primary school). Children were tested in preschool (M age = 4 years, 6 months) on a battery of cognitive measures, and mathematics and reading outcomes (from standardized, norm-referenced school-based assessments) were taken on entry to primary school, and at the end of the first and third year of primary school. Growth curve analyses examined predictors of math and reading achievement across the duration of the study and revealed that …

Addressing Research Gaps In The Intersection Between Homophobia And Bullying, Dorothy L. Espelage, Susan M. Swearer Napolitano

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Bullying, aggression, and peer victimization among adolescents are significant public health concerns. Recent research has demonstrated that bullying and peer victimization sometimes include homophobic epithets directed at heterosexual and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. It appears that being at the receiving end of homophobic banter generally contributes to worse outcomes among youth. This article highlights methodological issues in conducting research with LGBT youth, and stresses the importance of using theoretically and empirically supported definitions, including youth who are sexually questioning, focusing on multiple social and cultural contexts, and examining how support networks serve as buffering agents with regard …