Educational Psychology Commons^™

Preparation Of School Psychologists In Behavioral Consultation Service Delivery, Thomas R. Kratochwill, Pamela Carrington Rotto, Susan M. Sheridan, Diane Salmon

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Practicing school psychologists have reported that consultation generally has been a high priority in service delivery approaches in schools and other applied settings (e.g., Gutkin, Singer, & Brown, 1980; Lesiak & Lounsbury, 1977; Meacham & Peckam, 1978). Although many practitioners now receive didactic training, few school psychology programs may actually provide a field practicum or other supervised experience in consultation. Formal applied training in consultation is important for several professional and ethical reasons. In the last decade, there has been growing concern over the limitations of traditional psychoeducational services provided to children in school settings. For example, studies have demonstrated …

A Conceptual Model For The Expansion Of Behavioral Consultation Training, Susan M. Sheridan, Diane Salmon, Thomas R. Kratochwill, Pamela J. Carrington Rotto

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

In this article, a general model and specific program that expand traditional behavioral consultation training are presented. The training program involves five interrelated components: (a) procedural and content skills, (b) role and relationship considerations, (c) entry/systems issues, (d) field-based experience, and (e) peer supervision. As a system, each component is necessary but not sufficient in the development of consulting expertise. Likewise, each component is subsumed by one or more components that encompass this broader framework. A theoretical rationale, model for implementation, and future training and research directions are also presented.

What Do We Mean When We Say "Collaboration"?, Susan M. Sheridan

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

In the first of what certainly will be many thoughtful and provocative articles to appear in this column, Witt (1990) questioned the validity of the broadly accepted mandate that "our consultative interactions be collaborative” (p. 367). He continued with anecdotes illustrating ineffective teaching practices and deficient teacher skills which mitigated against the desirability of a "true" collaborative approach. The title of the article articulates Witt’s stated purpose: "Collaboration in School-Based Consultation: Myth in Need of Data." My purpose in this article is not to argue for or against Witt’s position. Rather, I suggest that we go beyond this argument and …

Consultation And Teaming: Problem Solving Among Educators, Parents, And Support Personnel, Stephen N. Elliott, Susan M. Sheridan

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This article examines the nature and use of consultation and in-school teams in the delivery of psychoeducational services for children experiencing difficulties in school. Underlying both consultation and school-based teams is an explicit problem-solving process that has been shown to facilitate problem resolution for a target child and can also advance the knowledge of the adults who participate in the process. Practical, step-by-step illustrations of problem solving within a consultative relationship are provided and extended to team problem solving. Research literature supporting these practices also is briefly reviewed.

Consultant And Client Outcomes Of Competency-Based Behavioral Consultation Training, Susan M. Sheridan

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This article examines how despite increasing demands and empirical support for consultation, its actual practice in schools continues to be limited. One barrier to the systematic provision of consultation services in the schools may be the lack of applied training provided to preservice individuals in graduate preparation programs. A model of behavioral consultation training which extends previous competency- based programs is presented. Trained five doctoral students in school psychology in behavioral consultation procedures using written manuals, videotape models, behavioral rehearsal, performance feedback, self-monitoring, and generalization training. Following university-based practice with trained consultees and student teachers, consultants were assigned consultation cases …

Behavioral Consultation As A Process For Linking The Assessment And Treatment Of Social Skills, Susan M. Sheridan, Stephen N. Elliott

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

There has been recent interest in social skills assessment and treatment among researchers and practitioners. The research bases in these areas are expanding rapidly, and the identification of valid assessment methods and effective intervention strategies is promising. However, few researchers have identified ways in which social skills assessment and intervention can be linked in a practical manner. Likewise, the process by which services are delivered is rarely addressed. The purpose of this article is to present a model by which the interaction between social skills assessment and intervention can be enhanced, with a focus on the problem-solving process. One effective …

Universals, Necessities, And Social Contexts, David Moshman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Elbers* does an excellent job of integrating, analyzing, and extending recent theoretical and empirical work concerning the relation of learning and development. The purpose of this commentary is to challenge Elbers to address the difficult question of universal sequences in human development. In order to focus the issue, a specific sequence in the development of logical reasoning is proposed.

School Psychology At The University Of Utah, William R. Jenson, Elaine Clark, Susan M. Sheridan, Howard N. Sloane, Thomas J. Kehle

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The article describes the history of the school psychology program at the University of Utah from 1978, and discusses responsibilities of a school psychologist: utilizing and disseminating the knowledge base of psychology in educational problem solving; operating from a scientist-practitioner model, wherein practices prescribed are based on research-validated procedures and a sound theoretical framework. School psychologists are generalists and specialists and function as researchers, diagnosticians, interventionists, assessors, consultants, and advocates for children. Professionally, school psychologists are identified with the overarching goals of enhancing the academic, social, and emotional well-being of students.

Eating And Exercising: Nebraska Adolescents' Attitudes And Behaviors, Ian Newman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Prevention Center Papers are occasional publications of the Nebraska Prevention Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Their purpose is to make available information that would not otherwise be easily accessible.

This Prevention Center Paper should be considered a working document and does not reflect the official policy or position of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, The U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the Nebraska Department of Education, or Health Education, Inc.

Prevention Center Papers are produced for a limited readership to stimulate discussion and generate a flow of communication between the Prevention Center and those interested in the broad field of disease …

Nebraska Adolescents' Hiv/Aids Attitudes, Knowledge And Related Practices: 1989, Ian Newman, Joe Lutjeharms, Joanne Owens-Nauslar, Autumn Koch

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This Prevention Center Paper (No. 22) describes the HIV/AIDS related knowledge, attitudes and practices of a random sample of 1240 Nebraska adolescents in grades 9-12. The data were gathered in 1989.
Data were gathered by staff of Health Education, Inc., a Nebraska-based nonprofit research and development corporation, as part of a contract with the Nebraska Department of Education. The Nebraska Department of Education has a major HIV /AIDS cooperative agreement with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.
Schools were selected at random from each of the six classifications of Nebraska schools established by the Nebraska Department …

Rationality As A Goal Of Education, David Moshman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Abstract Those who believe education should involve more than learning facts often stress either (a) development or (b) thinking skills. A focus on development as a goal of education typically entails a conception of knowledge as organismic, holistic, and internally generated. In contrast, thinking skills programs commonly assume a mechanistic, reductionist perspective in which good thinking consists of some finite number of directly teachable skills. A conception of rationality as a goal of education is proposed that incorporates the complementary strengths and avoids the limitations of the developmental and thinking skills approaches. Rationality is defined as the self-reflective, intentional, and …

Assessing And Treating Social Skills Deficits: A Case Study For The Scientist-Practitioner, Stephen N. Elliot, Susan M. Sheridan, Frank M. Gresham

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The goals of this article were to examine various empirically proven assessment and intervention methods that can be used to remediate social skills problems and to illustrate the utilization of these methods in a case study. The case study concerned a withdrawn elementary child, her teacher, and her parents in a joint consultative intervention designed to increase her interactions with peers illustrated in the course of assessment and treatment. Combining the manipulation of antecedent/consequent events with modeling or coaching procedures constituted an effective multimethod approach to providing psychological services.

The Influence Of Parental Attitude And Behavior On Early Adolescent Cigarette Smoking, Ian Newman, Jolene M. Ward

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

In 1983, Nolte and colleagues reported parental attitude may be more powerful than parental behavior in shaping adolescent cigarette smoking behavior. This study replicates the finding of Nolte et al. and suggests parents need to be actively recruited to discourage their children from smoking, regardless of their own behavior. Fewer parents actively discourage youth smoking today than in 1983, a possible unfortunate result from on apparently successful effort to change the public attitude toward cigarette smoking.

Home Economics Teachers’ Perceptions Of What Is Being Taught Compared With Parents’ And Agency Representatives’ Perceptions Of What Should Be Taught, Kendra L. Vance

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

The purpose of this study was to determine what home economics teachers perceive they are teaching and compare their perceptions with what parents and social service agency representatives in economically depressed counties perceived students should be taught. In 1986, Johnson determined parents' and social service agency representatives' perceptions of the importance of home economics concepts for high school students. In March 1987, a questionnaire, adapted from Johnson's Nebraska Home Economics Needs Assessment questionnaire, was mailed to 50 high school home economics teachers from 41 economically depressed counties throughout Nebraska. Half of the teachers (project teachers) had assisted in data collection …

Readers' Forum: Belief In Testing, David Moshman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Peter Glick and Mark Snyder's article [“Self-fulfilling Prophecy: The Psychology of Belief in Astrology,” May/June 1986] provides an important account of a deep-seated irrational tendency in human reasoning. They describe how people tend to test hypotheses using a verification strategy—that is, by seeking information that would sup-port the hypothesis. Such a strategy does not really test the hypothesis since it does not look for—and is thus unlikely to find—disconfirming evidence. This may account for the failure to reject not only astrology but a variety of myths, superstitions, and stereo-types.

Development Of The Concept Of Inferential Validity, David Moshman, Bridget A. Franks

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

An argument is valid if its conclusion necessarily follows from its premises, regardless of whether the premises and conclusion are empirically true or false. This research tested the hypothesis that understanding validity of inference (including its differentiation from empirical truth) is a relatively late development. Students in Experiment 1 were asked to sort sets of deductive arguments. None of the fourth graders used validity as a basis for distinguishing arguments, while 45% of the seventh graders and 85% of the college students did so. Experiments 2 and 3 explored whether the dramatic age difference could be narrowed by (a) varying …

A Profile Of Nebraska Extension Agents Related To Their Awareness, Self-Perceived Confidence Levels, Attitudes And Present Practices In Selected Areas Of Mass Media Communications, Susan Louise Register

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

Purpose. It was the purpose of this study to construct a profile of Nebraska Extension Agents related to their awareness, self-perceived confidence levels, attitudes and present practices in selected areas of mass media communications. Method. A questionnaire, developed by the author, was mailed to 100 percent of the Nebraska Extension Agents. The questionnaire used a Likert scale to measure self-perceived confidence levels and educational effectiveness in regard to selected mass media tasks. A five point Likert scale was used to measure how often selected source materials were used in creating media releases. Personal media habits were revealed as well as …

Effects Of A Program To Correct Career Myths Among University Of Nebraska Undergraduates, David L. Erickson

Open Access Master's Theses (through 2010)

The career myths concept was developed in recent years to explain one type of difficulty that counselors have in helping clients implement a rational plan of career decision-making.Career myths are those incorrect or self-defeating career-related beliefs or attitudes which either 1) serve to inhibit the client from making a career decision, or 2) cause the client to make a premature decision, without sufficient regard for self or occupational information.College counselors consider career myths to be a major impediment to rational career planning.

The main goal of this study has been to test the hypothesis that career myths can be effectively …

Math And Science Education, Geoffrey F. Davies, David Moshman, Lauren B. Resnick

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Resnick provides an excellent brief account of current work in cognitive psychology and its important implications for math and science education. As she indicates, most cognitive psychologists view knowledge as consisting of highly organized schemata into which new experiences are assimilated and view the learner as actively constructing new knowledge. This view is consistent with the ideas that Piagetian theorists and educators have been propounding for many years, although Resnick’s discussion is rooted in the more detailed analysis of specific knowledge and learning in specific content areas that typifies the information-processing paradigm of modern cognitive science.

Prediction Analysis And Developmental Priority: A Comment On Froman And Hubert, David Moshman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Froman and Hubert (1980) have attempted to show how recently developed prediction analysis techniques may be applied to issues of developmental priority, that is, to clarifying the interrelationship between two developing concepts. Although this work is in some respects an important advance over earlier statistical techniques, it seems to raise new problems: (a) It goes too far in identifying issues of developmental priority (sequence vs. synchrony) with issues of statistical relationship (dependence vs. independence) and thus (b) unjustifiably fails to consider certain information inherent in the data which, although irrelevant to issues of statistical relationship, is highly relevant to issues …

Representation And Process In Reasoning About Logical Relationships, David Moshman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

According to a popular conception of reasoning, the thinker first mentally represents given information and then processes the resulting representations. It is commonly assumed, at least implicitly, that difficulty of the representation step is solely a function of facility with the form and content of the information to be represented, while difficulty of the processing step is solely a function of facility with the operation(s) necessary to meet the task requirements. Within this two-step information processing model, form/content variables and task requirements should thus have an additive effect on problem difficulty. To test this prediction, 72 male students in grades …

Development Of Formal Hypothesis-Testing Ability, David Moshman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

It was postulated that formal operational hypothesis-testing ability includes at least three cognitive capacities: (a) implication comprehension, the ability to understand conditional relationships; (b) falsification strategy, the realization that to test a hypothesis, one must seek information that would falsify it; and(c) nonverification insight, the realization that hypotheses are not conclusively verified by supporting data. A total of 24 males in each of Grades 7, 10, and college evaluated data descriptions with respect to each of four hypothesized implication relationships and chose an experiment to test each hypothesis. Results suggested three sequences of qualitative change in hypothesis-testing ability: (a) from …

Some Comments On Brée & Coppens’ “The Difficulty Of An Implication Task”, David Moshman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

In a recent article in this Journal, Brée & Coppens (1976) tested Brée’s (1973) model of performance on Wason’s extensively studied “four-card task.” The Brée model is of considerable interest in that it (a) differentiates comprehension of the proposition to be tested from the hypothesis- testing strategy itself (as do Smalley, 1974, and Moshman, 1977), and (b) is closely related to Piaget’s theory of formal operations (Inhelder & Piaget, 1958) in its consideration of combinatorial analysis (elaboration of possibilities) and hypothetico-deductive reasoning (reasoning based on possibilities rather than facts). Unfortunately, the test of the model is marred both by incorrect …

Infant Mortality As A Potential Measure Of Community Health In Urban Growth, Ian Newman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This document is one of a series which contains the results of research carried out during a 1969 Summer Study of Urban Decentralization at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, sponsored by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. The summary of the Summer Study is contained in "An Introduction to Urban Decentralization Research," ORNL-HUD-3.

The Relationship Of Certain Measures Of Creativity To Achievement In Selected Science And Related Coursework, Sheryl Oberg Snyder

Open Access Master's Theses (through 2010)

The main question of this study concerns the relationship of creativity and achievement in science and related areas. More specifically, does the ingenious person, as determined by certain measures, excel in high school and college science, mathematics and science-related courses?Does the person with two- and three-dimensional visualization abilities, as determined by certain measures, likewise excel in these areas?Also, do the person with reasoning abilities similarly determined excel in these areas?

These questions raise a larger, overarching question predictability:Would knowledge of ingenuity, visualization ability, and reasoning ability aid in predicting achievement in science and related fields in high school and college? …