Educational Psychology Commons^™

Teachers' Positive And Negative Effects On Student Effort, Jeanne Turner

Graduate Research Papers

This paper reviews the historical development of concepts regarding students' perceptions of achievement and self-efficacy, examines the literature on teachers' perspectives on ability and effort and the various teaching methods used to increase student achievement in the classroom, and evaluates the effects these methods actually have on student effort. The definition of student effort used in this paper is similar to Schlecty's (1994) definition of student "engagement," which is: a student's persistence in completing a task despite challenges and/or obstacles. This paper, however, will not focus on the related areas of gender bias, socioeconomic variances, and ethnic differences that exist …

Proponents And Opponents For Rewarding Children, Shelly Bromwich

Graduate Research Papers

This paper is a review of the literature concerning the types and uses of rewards. The primary focus of this paper was to look at opposing sides of whether rewarding children has benefits or whether there are problems with using rewards. Also, I looked at how children can be given credit for their efforts to accomplish their goals with using encouragement and natural and logical consequences.

As stated by Alfie Kohn, "A reward .. .is a desired object or event made conditional on having fulfilled some criterion" (Kohn, 1993, p. 53). There is a controversy today concerning the use of …

Teaching Fractions Through The Multiple Intelligences, Lisa K. Freese

Graduate Research Papers

Fractions are frequently used in daily life. However, many students have difficulty learning fraction concepts. In addition, some students begin the study of fractions with negative impressions.

The writer of this article uses Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences to address the difficulties students face in learning fraction concepts. Dr. Howard Gardner, the creator of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Ml Theory), believes that it is unfair to teach all students in the same way. Students need opportunities to solve relevant problems that are meaningful to their everyday lives. Rather than concentrating on singular viewpoints and exclusive answers when studying …

Personal Learning Preferences, Perceptions, And Multiple Intelligence Profiles : Affect On Educators' Attitudes About Computer Usage, Mary J. Dove

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between teachers' learning preferences, self-perceptions of multiple intelligence profiles, and attitudes toward computer usage, including the incorporation of computer technology into their classrooms. Data for this survey were obtained from a population of teaching and administrative faculty from a small, Midwest, rural public school district. Access and education that results in higher levels of experience were found to be critical variables, in agreement with professional literature to date. These factors, however, did appear to influence personal learning preferences in some instances and the multiple intelligence profiles provided valuable insight into …

Self-Monitoring : An Efficient And Effective Intervention For Academic And Behavioral Targets In The School, Stacy S. Huisinga

Graduate Research Papers

This research paper will review current research concerning the use of self-monitoring as an intervention technique for academic and behavioral targets in the school. The history and theory will be described, as well as the elements and implementation of self-monitoring as an intervention technique. Classroom applications with academic and behavioral targets are reviewed, as well as caveats on the use of self-monitoring as a classroom intervention technique. Recommendations concerning the need for additional research on the applicability of self-monitoring as an intervention technique are also described.

Preservice Teachers’ Use Of Curriculum-Based Measurement In An Informal Assessment Based Reading Clinic, Tina M. Schroeder

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study investigated 13 preservice regular education reading teachers' use of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) data under specified conditions. Conditions included: (a) providing preservice teachers with 75 minutes of training in the use of CBM in reading, (b) biweekly CBM administration and graphing during a 10-week practicum experience, and (c) concomitant use of other reading measures [e. g., Reading Miscue Inventory (RMI), Running Records (RR)]. Exit interviews indicated that preservice teachers made use of CBM data in some, but not all, of the important ways suggested in the research literature. Preservice teachers provided the following positive ratings of CBM: (a) CBM …

Perceptions Of Problem Solving: Where's Waldo?, Darla Olk Stack

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Until recently, intervening for a child experiencing difficulty in school meant referring the student for special education evaluation. Problem solving is a new administrative arrangement recommended in many states, where a team of people who know the child, meet to define and recommend interventions to address the concern prior to referral for possible special education placement.

The purpose of this study was to observe the problem solving process and describe the process as it is implemented in the schools. Results indicated that while documentation of problem solving suggested problem solving was taking place, the traditional test-and-place model continues to be …

A Middle School Student-Centered Conflict Management Program: Impact On Student Managers' Self-Esteem, Communication Skills, And Approaches To Conflict Resolution, Thomas J. Keller

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine self-esteem, communication skills, and approaches to conflict resolution of trained student mediators in a conflict resolution program. This study also assessed the perceived transferability of conflict management information and skills from the school to the home environment. Indicators were the frequency, duration, and intensity of sibling conflicts reported by conflict managers and their parents.

The subjects in this study consisted of 60 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders at two different middle schools in the state of Iowa. Thirty were trained as conflict managers and assigned to the experimental group, and thirty to …

Issues And Treatment Of Female Victims Of Domestic Violence, Stephanie R. Stoehr

Graduate Research Papers

Issues and, Treatment of Female Victims of Domestic Violence It has become increasingly apparent to mental health counselors that the family, especially the nuclear family, is not at all society's expected placid, tranquil refuge; rather it is a fertile ground on which violence can and does occur. Domestic violence is a widespread societal problem with consequences reaching far beyond the family. It is conduct that has devastating effects for individual victims, their children, and their communities.

A Comprehensive Review Of Treatment Options For Children With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Kristin M. Vanderah

Graduate Research Papers

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a disorder affecting between 3 and 5 percent of school-age children, manifests as a combination of three core skill deficits: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. The deficits have been found to present children with many difficulties in both home and school settings. Thus, comprehensive treatment for individuals with ADHD is of paramount importance to their development and their academic and social experiences. The content of this paper is comprised of a review of the recent research that has been published regarding the three major theoretical orientations of ADHD interventions (pharmacological, behavioral, and multimodal treatment). All of …

Use Of Learning Theories In Media Design, Janet Adams

Graduate Research Papers

This review discusses learning theories such as dimensions of learning, multiple intelligences, reading-learning styles, constructivism, and brain research. It looks at software design, multimedia programs and some experimental programs that are making attempts to integrate these theories into the design of technology.

Teacher Efficacy: A Construct Validation With Alternative High School Teachers: A Replication, Lisa Marie Bries

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to replicate phase one of Gibson and Dembo's (1984) construct validation study of the Teacher Efficacy Scale with alternative high school instructors. Replication of Gibson and Dembo's factor analytic structure of this instrument with alternative educators would provide a basis upon which to make comparisons between regular and alternative educators' self efficacy.

Subjects for the study were 77 alternative educators in a rural midwestern state. Each alternative teacher taught in the continuation school model of alternative education which addressed the needs of dropout youth and students identified as being in danger of dropping out. …

Acceptability Across Disciplines Of Attribution Retraining Alone And Combined With Learning Strategy Instruction, Melody A. Reeder

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Attribution theory has been reformulated repeatedly over the past 40 years. Seven of the major theories of attribution are discussed in this paper, as well as five attribution assessment instruments. A brief overview of learning strategy instruction is provided also. Based on a review of eleven major school psychology training textbooks and the past five and one half years of major school psychology journals, it was hypothesized that educational professionals have little knowledge, experience, and skills in attribution assessment and intervention. The purpose of the current study was to investigate educational professionals' (i.e., regular education teachers, educational consultants, school psychologists) …

Long-Term Effects Of Social Skills Training On The Social Competence Of Children, Stephanie Lynn Schmitz

Graduate Research Papers

When one hears the term "social skills" many different ideas may come to mind. Yet no one can deny that social skills are an extremely important aspect of every person's life. This paper is devoted to defining and examining the long-term effects of social skills training on the social competence of children.

The Impact Of Follow-Up Discussion On Student Learning From Channel One, Gary Arthur Borlaug

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Channel One, a news and features program delivered via satellite to over 40% of junior and senior high school students in the United States, has been the subject of persistent scrutiny regarding the educational value of its daily 10-minute presence in schools. Channel One’s curriculum includes three major components: (a) current events; (b) social issues such as drug abuse, teen pregnancy, depression, prejudice, and so on; and (c) commercial advertisements. Previous studies have been conducted to examine the impact of the current events and advertisement components but not of the social issues component.Studies designed to measure how much students learned …

Science In A Constructivist Classroom: Progress In A Five-Year-Old Child's Reasoning About Water Dynamics, Hyang-Lim Kwak

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the study is to understand changes in a target child’s reasoning about water dynamics, specifically, draining and movement of water in tubes. The study also focuses on development and evaluation of activities and teaching strategies. The activities were conducted with all children in the preschool at a public elementary school in Iowa as part of the regular classroom constructivist program inspired by Piaget’s work. Using Piaget’s theory to provide insights into the child’s reasoning and knowledge, analysis focused on the child’s construction of regularities between his actions and reactions of water, and on the construction of relationships …

Children’S Interactions With Peers Before And After Participating In A Positive And Negative Peer Nomination Technique, Elizabeth Ann Barton

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Positive and negative peer nomination techniques are essential to the identification of children with social skills deficits. Some researchers, school administrators, teachers, and parents view the administration of peer nomination techniques as harmful to children. The present investigation examined the effects of positive and negative peer nomination techniques on children's peer interactions and on Unpopular peers; (i.e., Rejected and Neglected) interactions. Fourth graders (n = 54) completed nomination techniques, the children's Loneliness Questionnaire, and the Children's Friendship Questionnaire. The experimental group (n = 26) completed positive and negative peer nomination techniques, and the control group (n = 28) completed positive …

Code-Switching And Sentence Imitation By African-American Students, Aaron Richardson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

he purpose of the present study was to identify the accuracy of sentence imitation and code-switching by the African-American child between the ages of 6 years O months and 7 years 2 months. Despite well documented descriptions of Black English (BE) phonology (Dillard, 1972; Labov, 1972; Wolfram & Fasold, 1974), little has been published about the emerging phonology of BE speaking children. Most descriptive studies of BE have focused on the adult system.

The present study investigated the following research questions, "Will African-American children in this study, when presented with the task of imitating BE and IE sentences, code-switch each …

Implications Of Teacher In-Service Training On Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Identification, Glenn Evan Haupt

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study examined the impact of teacher in-service training on the ability of teachers to identify children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in their classrooms. The subjects were 16 teachers from two small rural midwestern schools. All but one of the teachers were females, with a range in years of teaching experience from five through 30 years.

The intent of the study was to investigate if an ADHD in-service training program would have a beneficial effect on the ability of teachers to identify students in their classrooms with behaviors characteristic of ADHD. The subjects were split into two groups, …

Zulu Mothers’/Grandmothers’ Beliefs About Their Involvement In The Education Of Their Children/Grandchildren, Boniface Bonifar Hadebe

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

There has been a marked decline in the academic achievement of Black South African students. There has also been an increasing dropout rate among these students. This tendency toward school drop-out has brought about concern among Black educators and parents. Strategies need to be devised to reverse this trend. Developing a solid homeschool partnership might prove to be a way of enhancing students' achievement. This study investigated the beliefs that Zulu parents had regarding parental involvement in the education of their children. A random sample of 59 mothers and 58 grandmothers, who resided in Stanger-Maphumulo district, in Natal Province in …

The Psychology And Measurement Of Revenge, Paul A. Cardis

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

A theory of revenge, which distinguishes four types, is presented and tested with the Revenge Scale among 154 college students ranging in age from 18 to 40. The results support the theory of revenge put forth in this thesis. All but one of the hypothesis were supported by the data. The Revenge Scale correlated significantly and negatively with the Psychological Profile of Forgiveness, a measure of interpersonal forgiveness. The Revenge Scale was also significantly and positively correlated with State Anger, Anger Expression, and Anger Reaction, measured by the State-Trait Anger Expression Scale. No relationship was found between the Revenge Scale …

The Relationship Between Ethnic Identity And Self-Esteem Among African-American Adolescents, Arthur Hughes Jr.

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study examined the relationship between ethnic identity and self-esteem among African-American adolescents. There has been little or no research documenting the relationship between ethnic identity development and level of self-esteem, especially among minority adolescents; that is, researchers have failed to focus on ethnic identity and self-esteem at the level of individual change--a developmental process. Within the framework of identity theory, ethnic identification is hypothesized to be related to self-esteem.

Using the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI) and the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), the correlation analysis, Fisher's Z-Transformation, and one-way ANOVAs were performed with a total subject population of 142 …

Predicting Adolescent Aids-Related Risk Behavior From Psychosocial Factors: A Path Analysis, Sharon M. Hays

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study had two purposes. The first was to develop a model for relating the unique and combined contributions of knowledge about AIDS, attitudes toward AIDS, and several psychosocial characteristics to the self-reported sexual activity of adolescents. The second purpose was to validate the proposed causal paths by studying a sample of ninth-grade adolescents and using the results of a path analysis to revise the a priori model.

The model validation study was conducted among 179 ninth-grade adolescents. A questionnaire involving knowledge, attitudinal, psychosocial characteristics, and self-report behavioral information was administered (spring, 1989). The instrument used combined a questionnaire developed …

An Analysis Of The Basic Assumptions About Psychology Of Teachers And School Psychologists, Timothy James Harmon

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The introduction of the Regular Education Initiative into the schools has caused a shift in roles for many school personnel. Perhaps most impacted are the regular classroom teachers who must begin to serve the needs of all children, including those traditionally served by special education. The resulting concerns these teachers voice center on psychoeducational issues such as assessment or developmentally appropriate instructional objectives. Increasingly, teachers have begun to turn toward school psychologists for support and guidance in the form of a consultative relationship. current consultation theory and research suggests that one of the ingredients of more effective consultation is the …

Exploring The Incidence And Predictability Problem Of Dyscalculia In A School-Based Urban Population In A Rural State, Andrew Robert Smith

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Dyscalculia denotes a type of learning disability in the area of mathematics. Dyslexia denotes a type of learning disability in the area of reading. A large number of students with a learning disability only in mathematics may not be receiving the necessary special services because of a dependence on reading as the main criterion for referral for services. Rosenberger (cited in Rubin, 1990) was quoted as saying that as much as 10% of the population might have dyscalculia. Limited research exists in the area of dyscalculia in terms of causality, incidence figures, and identification procedures. In this. study dyscalculic is …

The Relationship Between Locus Of Control And Self-Concept As A Learner: Does A Relationship Exist?, David B. Wood

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Before locus of control (LOC) and self-concept as a learner can be separately used in personality measurement, their construct independence must be established. Randall (1989) and Schmidt (1990) found moderate (.-49 and -.25) overlap between the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale for Children (NSLOC) (Nowicki & Strickland, 1973) and Waetjen's (1967) Self-Concept As a Learner Scale (SCAL). Since Randall and Schmidts' data came from differently sized school districts, the exploration of district size as a variable seemed warranted.

Interest in LOC and self-concept has been studied extensively since Rotter's (1966) comprehensive review. Joe (1971) did a comprehensive review. Strickland (1972) …

Effects Of Visual/Verbal Associations, Anna C. Martin

Faculty Publications

Different effects of instructional strategies on recall and comprehension of terms frequently used in formal analysis of art were examined. The study looked at a synthesis of three theoretical positions: dual-coding theory; schema theory; and elaboration theory. Two-hundred and fifty sixth-grade students were randomly assigned to three groups: control subjects; graphic subjects; and transformational subjects. Instruments consisted of Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) and the Art Vocabulary Test (AVT). The program consisted of three phases: (1) a 10-minute study session; (2) an interactive discussion; and (3) a drawing task. The results suggested that imagery strategies help students form and retain …

A Foundation Model For The Practice Of School Psychology, George Michael Harper

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

A major crisis in the profession of school psychology has emerged from the body of recent empirical studies in psychology and education. Research on school psychology assessments has suggested that little, if any, data are produced in these evaluations which is useful for the remediation of students' educational problems. Likewise, psycho- educational treatments of the behavior and learning problems of school children have empirically shown only weak, if any, efficacy. An examination of some of the fundamental philosophical, theoretical, and practical foundations of school psychology yielded reasons for the crisis in the profession. The underlying assumptions of externalism and resulting …

The Relationship Between The Constructs Of Locus Of Control And Learner Self-Concept, Noel N. Schmidt

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Many researchers agree that a student's level of self-esteem is important to success and self-esteem (Chapman & Boersma, 1980). If a student's level of self-esteem can be raised, this improvement may lead to improvement in other areas such as academic achievement (Shavelson & Bolus, 1982). In addition, teaching students to attribute success to themselves should improve self-esteem (Gurney, 1987). Consequently, teaching an internal locus of control to students could be a concern for the local school district (Stipek & Weisz, 1981). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship which exists between the constructs of locus of control …

Post-Hoc Longitudinal Study Of The Stability And Validity Of Standardized Test Scores Of Handicapped Children, Randal Dennis Brown

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In the delivery of special education services to handicapped children, a requirement to certify the nature and severity of each child's handicap was built into PL 94-142, The Education of All Handicapped Children Act (Reynolds, Gutkin, Elliott, & Witt, 1984). In the aftermath of that legislation has arisen a serious question as to whether or not the process of providing such services on a categorical (by nature of the handicapped) basis has led to an unanticipated social harm (stigma) of such a magnitude that the assessment process needs to be re-evaluated (Guskin, Bartel, & MacMillan, 1975). Part of the social …