Educational Psychology Commons^™

Quality Of Life In Young Adults With Dyslexia, Nathan Kirkegaard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has emphasized cognitive differences and emotional and behavioral dysfunctionality related to dyslexia. However, there has been limited emphasis on quality-of-life (QOL) experiences on adults with dyslexia within educational, work, family, and social environments. The purpose of this narrative study was to explore the lived experiences of adults with dyslexia to better understand QOL experiences. The integrative quality-of-life (IQOL) theory was used to address QOL from a subjective, existential, and objective perspective to define what QOL means more completely. The narrative approach was used to explore chain-of-event themes throughout a participant’s told story to examine QOL experiences. Seven participants were …

Course Modality And Dialogue As Predictors Of Postsecondary Student Success In Online Programs, Danielle Lawson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a growing demand for online education; however, online programs yield consistently lower student retention rates and student success. Students in online programs are typically nontraditional students from underrepresented populations in higher education. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to determine whether dialogue (learner–learner, learner–instructor, and learner–content interactions) and course modality (traditional online and competency-based education [CBE] online) predicted student success (final course grade). Moore’s model of transactional distance served as the theoretical framework for this study, specifically the dialogue component. Participants were 127 online higher education students who took (successfully or unsuccessfully) a traditional online course …

Parental Involvement And Computer Literacy In Enhancing Student Virtual Learning, Veena Ruth Sangram

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Parental involvement in the education of their children has been a focus of researchers for the past several years, especially with more parents and students opting for virtual schooling. Researchers found that parental involvement in their children’s education predicted children’s overall grades and social health. However, the role of parental computer literacy in parental involvement among virtual learning students had not been established. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine whether parental computer literacy moderates the relationship between parental involvement and student grades among students attending Cyber Charter Schools. The study was guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. …

Reading Teacher Perspectives On Classroom Behavior And Criteria Referral For Adhd Testing, Sharmaine Wilder

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other researchers, the prevalence of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnoses among school-aged children has gained the attention of researchers. Due to the large amount of time children spend in the school context, researchers have found that teachers play a vital role as valuable resources to early identification of children needs of services. The purpose of this qualitative study was to expand knowledge about the in-depth experiences of third grade reading teachers when referring for behavioral health services. Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) bioecological model the was theoretical framework for this …

Single Parent And Caregiver Perspectives On The Effects Of Caregiver Stress And Iep Meeting Eligibility, Kevin Mark Carter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem examined in this phenomenological study is how single African American parents and caregivers perceive the impact of caregiver stress on communications, trust, and intent to negotiate with school personnel after participation in their child’s annual IEP eligibility determination meeting. This research is important because parents’ and caregivers’ perceptions of their IEP meeting engagement may identify and reduce impediments to the formation of successful alliances with school personnel. Attribution and self-determination theories were used to analyze, interpret, and codify the experiences of study participants. Purposive sampling was used to select 18 single, African American parents and caregivers for participation. …

Applying Critical Race Theory And Risk And Resilience Theory To The School-To-Prison Pipeline: Theoretical Frameworks For Social Workers, Christopher Thyberg, Christina Newhill

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social workers are essential stakeholders in the mounting efforts to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. This article presents a theoretical framework integrating Critical Race Theory and Risk and Resilience Theory as a tool for social workers and other school-based social service providers seeking to create meaningful change to school discipline policies. In this article, we apply the theories to expand the understanding of the school-to-prison pipeline and why it has persisted, compare and contrast each theory’s relative strengths and limitations, and conclude with implications for social workers, counselors, and social service providers at the practice, policy, and research levels.

Pathways To Belonging And Engagement: Testing A Tailored Social Belonging Intervention For University Students, Molly L. Taylor, Danielle N. Berry, Kali A. Delay, Viyana Banjade, Jeen Joy, Korinthia D. Nicolai, Erica Ross, Navdeep Sekhon, Tanya Wineland, Sharon K. Zumbrunn Dr.

Graduate Research Posters

Background: Prominent theories of motivation suggest that belonging plays a critical role in student success (Connell & Wellborn, 1991). Social-belonging interventions have been shown to improve student belonging, well-being, engagement, and more—especially those from traditionally disadvantaged backgrounds (Walton & Brady, 2017). The current study aimed to explore the effects of a tailored social-belonging intervention delivered in introductory classes at VCU on students’ belonging, engagement, persistence, and achievement.

Methods: A diverse sample of first-year undergraduate students at VCU participated. To create authentic intervention materials, we collaborated with a diverse group of upper-level undergraduate student researchers who wrote narratives to present vivid …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Teacher-Student Relationships, Whitney Pasch

Theses and Dissertations

The single most impactful person in a student’s life is his or her teacher, and the relationships that are cultivated within a teacher’s classroom are lasting. When teachers bring adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) into the classroom, the influence of these traumatic events may have an effect on the development of teacher-student relationships. To better understand the potential relationships between teachers with two or more ACEs and their students, a qualitative case study guided by the following research questions was conducted: 1) What are teachers’ perceptions of the development of relationships with students when the teacher has experienced at least two …

A Measure Of Psychological Needs For Higher Education Students: A Validation Study, Elyzia Edward Powers

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Previous research on the basic psychological needs of students (from Self-Determination Theory) in the United States has largely focused on students in K-12 school systems. Additionally, no measure of the basic psychological needs satisfaction and frustration mini- theory has been validated in the United States for students at higher education institutions. The current study sought to contribute to the fields of psychometrics and Self-Determination Theory for students at one large, Midwestern university by adapting a measure of the basic psychological needs satisfaction and frustration and validating it with undergraduate students. Many adaptational changes were made to the measure, including adding …

Student Perceptions Of Racial-Ethnic Socialization And Outcomes Across Race And Gender, Megan Gilbertson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In an increasingly diverse nation, calls for education that is culturally relevant has become salient, and student perceptions of school-based racial-ethnic socialization (SRE socialization) provides insight toward how cultural messages are being interpreted by students. Schools and educators that adopt culturally relevant pedagogy have been shown to benefit students, by increasing positive outcomes, such as grades, school attendance, and school belonging, while decreasing negative outcomes, such as school dropout. Culturally relevant practices have been increasingly included in teacher competencies and codified into law, though less is understood about how outcomes may be differential across racial groups and genders. The current …

Popularity And Internalizing Symptoms: The Possible Mediational Role Of Friendship Quality, Jocelyn Camargo

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Adolescence is an important developmental period where friendships become important for social emotional adjustment. Given the importance of friendships in adolescence, the current study explored the relation between popularity and internalizing problems and whether friendship qualities mediated this relation. The present study aimed to answer the following research question: What is the mediating role of friendship qualities in the relationship between perceived popularity and internalizing symptoms? Data from the National Institute of Child Health and Development – Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development were analyzed. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results indicate that adolescents who rated …

A Cultural Perspective Of The Adult Attachment Projective Picture System With Latino Youth, Erika J. Leacox

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the usefulness of administering the Adult Attachment Projective Picture system (AAP) through a cultural lens with two Latino youth receiving mental health treatment. The AAP is a measure developed from the Bowlby-Ainsworth developmental attachment theory that is used to assess an attachment state of mind for individuals. These case studies facilitated an understanding of how the attachment perspective may be combined with knowledge of cultural themes represented in the AAP results to inform mental health treatment. Each of the participants of this single-subject study design are youth who have experienced symptoms of trauma. We observe from this …

Examining The Relationship Among Perceived Academic Climate, Belongingness, And Engineering Identity, Sumaia Ali Raisa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An attempt to cultivate an inclusive learning environment in engineering is trending as a response to women's underrepresentation and a lower retention rate than men undergraduates. This study was situated in such an undergraduate engineering program where interventions were embedded in the course curriculum focusing on cultivating an inclusive engineering identity. Following a sociocultural perspective, the present study aimed to examine the relation of engineering identity with perceived academic climate, sense of belonging, and gender among two engineering cohorts (before covid and during covid context). A total of 482 first-year engineering undergraduates' survey responses were analyzed in this study using …

Battles Of The Mind: The Reaction Against Progressive Education, 1945-1959, Ben Yturri

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis discerns the relationships between three interrelated movements of the post-war period (circa 1945-1959): the overwhelming concern among leading intellectuals regarding the relationship between the individual and society, the post-war debates over education, and rising religious observance. Following WWII, the nation’s leading scholars and social critics addressed the most important problem facing the country and, for that matter, the world: how to avoid totalitarianism. Almost naturally, such anxieties influenced new debates over education. Broadly speaking, these controversies involved two related disputes over the efficacy of progressive education and the proper relationship between church and state. After World War II, …

Incremental Improvements: Examining Instructional Changes And Rationales Of K-12 Online Teachers Using The Picrat And 4e Frameworks, Jered Borup, Rocio Quiroga Velasquez, Charles R. Graham, Leanna Archambault, Royce Kimmons

Faculty Publications

Teacher preparation programs have been slow to prepare teachers for the online environment, leaving many online teachers needing to learn on the job. However, little research has examined how online teachers grow as educators. One way to better understand this growth is to examine the changes online teachers make in their instruction and their rationales for making them. In this qualitative case study, we surveyed online teachers three times during an academic year regarding their instructional changes. Participants described these changes and categorized them on a modified PICRAT matrix to indicate if the changes made student learning more passive, interactive, …

Assessing Teachers' Need For Classroom Management Training: Can Consultants Link Data To Evidence-Based Practices?, Jessica White

Masters Theses

The present study examined whether 53 observers could use the Five in 20 Observation Tool to accurately identify teachers needing additional classroom management training. The Five in 20 Classroom Observation Tool includes 21, evidence-based classroom management strategies, critical to effective classroom management. Fifty-three observers were recruited to complete 42 (42 primary observers and 11 reliability observers), 20-minute observations using the Five in 20 Tool. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 29 observers participated in the recalled format and 24 participated in the live version. There was a statistically significant difference between observers who indicated fewer, or lower quality evidence-based strategies were …

Social Emotional Learning For Latino Students, Norma Guzmán

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine how teachers teach Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to Latino students in transitional kindergarten through second grade. Latino students experience academic and emotional challenges due to parental education, language barriers, cultural difference, environmental challenges, and poverty. Integrating SEL into the classroom environment can be beneficial for Latino students to meet academic, social, and emotional development. A review of the literature supports that SEL can be a methodology to integrate into the school or classroom environments which support Latino achievement. As such, the classroom instructor is the critical participator in integrating SEL into the …

Examining Teaching Styles And Classroom Management Through The Lens Of Self-Determination Theory: Implications For Race, Culture And Discipline, Peter J. Cunningham

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Background/Purpose: Historical and contemporary research has clearly demonstrated that racial and cultural minority students experience discrepant school discipline when compared to their White peers, which leads to profound negative outcomes (Wu et al., 1980; Skiba et al., 2011; Fireman & Wang, 2010, Peguero & Shekarkhar,2011; Skiba et al., 2011; Rocque & Paternoster, 2011; Bates & Glick, 2013; Bal, Betters-Bubon, & Fish, 2019). While a number of steps have been taken to address this discrepancy, Self-Determination Theory (SDT), and specifically the Basic Psychological Needs Mini-Theory (BPNT), can potentially inform teaching styles that could be used to increase motivation and engagement for …

Changing The Narrative Of Disengagement: Exploring Academic Identity Formation For Non-Ethno-European Students, Luis E. Lopez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic and the changing demographics of the American identity have drawn attention to the necessity of reforming the Ethno-European education system to meet the needs of a diverse student population. If the educational landscape is to be transformed to meet the needs of a growing non-Ethno-European student population, more research is needed to explore factors that increase non-Ethno-European students’ academic engagement. This research attempted to identify individual and systemic factors contributing to non-Ethno-European students’ academic engagement during secondary education. This exploration began by outlining the role a cohesive identity continuum has on education engagement for non-Ethno-European students. Antecedent …

Increase Student Engagement In Online Writing Environments, Jonathan Balzotti, Jason K. Mcdonald, Kevin Haws, Amy Allen Rogers, Matthew J. Baker

Faculty Publications

This case study explores a type of educational simulation, an alternative reality game we call a playable case study (PCS), and how its use influenced student engagement in an online writing classroom. The goal of the simulation was to help students create professional communication artifacts and experience real-world professional communication situations. This article reports the effectiveness of the playable case study as a tool specifically for online writing instruction (OWI). The context of our research was a PCS called Microcore. Acting as interns for a company, students are asked to investigate a serious problem that occurs and present a solution …

Fatigue In Aircraft Maintenance Technician Schools, Natalie Zimmermann, Peng Hao Wang, Keegan Pullen

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Fatigue has long been identified as a human factor in aviation. Subsequently, a series of studies have highlighted fatigue-related elements within the context of the aviation industry, focusing on the flight deck – with some extension to flight students – and aviation maintenance activities. However, the latter has not been as deeply examined as its flight crew-centered counterpart. Similarly – if not more significantly – fatigue experienced by aircraft maintenance technician (AMT) students is scarcely explored, especially in comparison to the research conducted to understand fatigue in flight schools. AMT students are subject to comparable, but not the same, experiences …

Constructing A Well-Being: Exploring Knowledge Construction In Dbt Skills Training Using Art And Activity Theory, Elizabeth Bailey

Wayne State University Dissertations

Through Arts-based Research, constructed within the theoretical basis of the Activity System, participants engaged with dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) program content to develop a cohesive and meaningful project. Participants are conceptualized as reliable experts in their own experience, and as active agents of knowledge construction. Participants generate profound and relevant insights into their experiences – insights that can enhance DBT practice, expand research methodology, and build conceptual connections across theories. The Arts-based Activity System offers a theoretically-backed methodology that can disrupt the harmful parallels between the development of the disorders DBT is intended to treat and the dominant research paradigm …