Educational Psychology Commons^™

Always A Dreamer, Liz Walker

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This is the story of my life in the form of a memoir. You might ask, why is my life a relevant subject for a dissertation? As Celeste Snowber, the scholar, author and performer recently said to me, “I think it would be wonderful to write a memoir.... You clearly have an extraordinary life, with art, soul and the depths of wisdom marinating all you do” (2023, personal communication). I was flattered by her comments and her confidence in me gave me the inspiration I needed to tell my story. There is also the meaning of ‘lived experience’ in …

Phenomenological Study Of Talented Young People In Ballet In South Korea, Kyung Hyun Park

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Talent development occurs throughout an individual’s everyday life in a complex, evolving, and dynamic way. Focusing on the developmental perspective of human talent, this study aimed to comprehensively explore the long-term learning paths of students majoring in ballet in Korea. Six research questions were investigated regarding individual talent profiles in ballet, psychological and social stressors, the role of family and home, peer relationships, educational environments, and socio-cultural context. This qualitative study conducted in-depth interviews with 20 undergraduates and 14 parents about the students’ experiences in ballet. Through reflexive thematic analysis based on a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, six themes emerged as …

Understanding Teacher Behavior And Its Influence On Student On-Task Behavior, Jennifer Birchler

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Student behavior in the classroom is a significant predictor of student outcomes and teacher satisfaction. But, teachers report classroom management to be challenging. Finding simple, cost-effective methods of improving student behavior in the classroom can vastly improve long-term success for students. This study seeks to better understand how class size relates to teacher praise and movement, and how these teacher behaviors relate to student on-task behavior. Previous research suggests on-task behavior improves with more teacher praise and movement in the classroom. The current study used data collected using the Bx Management Tool as part of the Osage County Fall 2019 …

A Foundation For Transformative Learning Practices In Higher Education, Michelle Meyer

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Higher education institutions in the United States have an ongoing rhetoric of claiming that they offer students educational experiences that build skills and prepare them for a career. However, reports from employers and students indicate that many schools are struggling to do so, and research imperative skills like critical thinking have wide construct definitions that can be difficult for institutions to work with. Transformative learning theory (TLT) is a theoretical practice and pedagogy that could support institutions by providing both a pedagogical foundation of what should occur in a classroom and a series of steps for what transformative learning looks …

Considering Systems Of Power And Black And Latine Students’ Belonging In Stem, Korinthia D. Nicolai

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on (a) exploring the need for and strategies to facilitate the integration of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and educational psychology and (b) supporting Black and Latine students through examining the impact of systems of power via the integration of belonging and Critical Race Theory. This dissertation follows a three-paper format. In Paper 1, we recognize that psychology researchers can use CRT to explore race and racism. However, psychology scholars may confront growing pains when integrating CRT due to their respective inquiry worldviews–postpositivism and critical–which result in several tensions. These tensions may limit the uptake of CRT in …

The Construct Validity Of The Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales, Second Edition (Rias-2) And The Wechsler Abbreviated Scale Of Intelligence, Second Edition (Wasi-Ii), Cristen J. Rozek

Masters Theses

This study is designed to assess the relationship between two brief intelligence tests, the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales-Second Edition (RIAS-2; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2015) and the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-Second Edition (WASI-II; Wechsler, 2011), through evaluating their ability to similarly measure intellectual skills. These two tests measure an individual’s overall general intelligence. Both tests are able to assess individuals aged 6-90. The WASI-II publisher specified this test was only a screener while the RIAS-2 is not. Tests like the RIAS-2 and WASI-II are more time efficient allowing more time to be spent on other professional responsibilities. Manuals from both …

Elements Of The Criminal Mind, Kelsie A. Esposito Ms.

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Studying human behavior and societal dynamics has captivated scholars across time. From ancient philosophers like Plato to contemporary researchers, the quest to comprehend our distinctiveness and the mechanisms that enable harmonious coexistence remains paramount. This thesis examines the enigmatic realm of the “criminal class,” looking at their identity and actions and the cognitive processes underpinning their behavior. Focusing on violent criminal offenders, this thesis seeks to provide greater meaning and understanding of the criminal mind.

How Saudi Undergraduate Students Perceive Teacher Support, Basic Psychological Needs, And Academic Motivation, Anas M. Alhudib

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the Saudi undergraduate educational environment, exploring relationships among teacher support, basic psychological needs satisfaction and frustration, academic motivation, and GPA. The study investigates whether basic psychological needs mediate the relationship between teacher support and academic motivation, utilizing a structural equation model with 312 Saudi undergraduate students. The findings reveal a positive relationship between teacher support and basic psychological need satisfaction, influencing academic motivation. Interestingly, GPA did not correlate with other variables. Various models were tested, resulting in two sets of models that underscore the significant role of basic psychological needs as mediators in shaping the relationship between …

Assessing The Relationship Between Neighborhood Inequality And Stem Employment For Underrepresented Minorities With Stem Degrees, Brian P. Hurley

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to assess whether there is a relationship between neighborhood inequality in which underrepresented minorities (URMs) with STEM degrees reside and their employment in STEM fields. The current study deploys an Intersectional Theory (IT) research framework and Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice to identify the influence of neighborhood capital on successful matriculation through the STEM pipeline as well as variables that elucidate latent inequities in the STEM pipeline which lead to unequal outcomes for URMs. Generalized Linear Multilevel Models (GLMMs) are used to answer the research questions where the individual variables of gender, race, and age …

International Graduate Student Challenges And Self-Efficacy When Studying In The United States, Kawthar Alfarhan

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study examined challenges international graduate students face in the United States regarding English language skills, cultural adaptation, and impacts on their academic self-efficacy. Ten international students from different countries were interviewed using a qualitative research method. The interviews explored international graduate students’ experiences after completing at least one year at the university. Specific focus areas included difficulties faced with English proficiency and cultural adaptation, how students described their self-efficacy in managing these challenges, the impacts on their academic performance, and strategies to support their self-efficacy.

The findings showed that self-efficacy as well as encouragement from peers and faculty helped …

Academic Grouping And School Sense Of Belonging: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of Middle School Student Voices, Kevin Cox

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

School sense of belonging is critical for students’ academic achievement and emotional well-being. The development of a sense of school belonging is influenced by direct and indirect factors within the school environment. Categorization into low and high achievement groups based on academics is a process largely outside the direct control of a student. This study employed an interpretive phenomenological analysis of interviews conducted with 17 seventh- and eighth-grade students about their belonging experience in a Midwestern public middle school. Experiences of students academically categorized as high, typical, or low achievers were compared and described in the context of three emergent …

Wellbeing And Indigenous Aymara Orphans In Perú: An Empirical Study At Hogar De Niñas Virgen De Fatima De Chejoña, Puno, Lee Fergusson, Javier Ortiz Cabrejos, Anna Bonshek

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a wide spectrum of well-documented adverse mental health outcomes for children and adults, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), self-harm, suicide, and other detrimental impacts to the well-being of young people. These impacts have extended to Perú where 216,000 people in a population of 33 million died from the disease, despite that country being the first to fully lockdown in Latin America. It is predicted that about 200,000 children will become orphans or lose their guardians as a consequence of this unprecedented surge in mortality. Compelling and sustained international research since the 1970s …

Exploring Belonging And Success In First Generation College Students With Disabilities, Cael Sinclair, Molly Taylor, Sharon Zumbrunn

UROP Posters

As colleges create initiatives to admit and accommodate marginalized students, the struggles of those marginalized students are becoming increasingly impactful and present. Research suggests that students’ sense of social belonging is often connected to student academic success (Connell & Wellborn 1991). However, marginalized students often experience a lower sense of belonging, particularly students who are the first in their families to go to college (Stebleton et al. 2014), and those who identify as disabled (Leake & Stodden 2014). The present study evaluated how the strengths and experiences of first-generation college students with disabilities impacted their belonging and academic success in …

Impact Of Traditional Education And Learner-Centered Education On Standardized Tests, Courtney Marie Winslow

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a current shortage of approximately 45,000 nurses and nursing faculty to train student nurses, a number that is projected to grow. One proposed method to combat the shortage is to transition from traditional lecture-based classrooms to a learner-centered approach. Asking or requiring faculty to transition an entire nursing program from one teaching method to another without supporting data could be a waste of valuable time and resources. It could also prove detrimental to a program if students were unable to pass the NCLEX-RN exam, and a program was forced to close. The current study examined whether there was …

The Emotional Side Of Teaching Conceptions: Exploring The Relationship Between Conceptions Of Teaching And Teacher Burnout, Well-Being, And Resilience, Marc Clarà, Alba Vallés, Sílvia Cavalcante, Aina Franch, Jordi Coiduras, Patricia Silva, Nick Kelly, Tatiana López, Priscila Marchán, Bárbara Padula

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper investigates the relationship between teachers’ conceptions of teaching and several indicators of their emotional experience. With a sample of 200 teachers, the study identifies three dimensions of teaching conceptions, “student-centeredness,” “educational purpose,” and “projection into the future.” Statistical analysis revealed that student-centeredness is negatively correlated with teachers’ resilience and well-being. Additionally, we found that well-being and sense of personal accomplishment are significantly lower, and depersonalization significantly higher, when the educational purpose is psychosocial learning as opposed to academic learning. We also found some differences in conceptions of teaching among different countries and among different educational levels. These results …

The Role Of Familial Support And Gender In Asian American Students’ Stem Career Development: A Test Of Social Cognitive Career Theory, Xiao Ting Wang

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This study, based on Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT; Lent et al., 1994, 2000), investigated the role of familial support in the STEM career development of Asian American college students. Participants included 446 first-year undergraduate students who identified as Asian or Asian American and had not declared an academic major. Due to multicollinearity, four initial familial support variables—instrumental assistance, career-related modeling, verbal encouragement, and emotional support—were regrouped into two: performance motivation (instrumental assistance and verbal encouragement) and career mentoring (career-related modeling and emotional support). Structural equation modeling showed acceptable fit for a modified model, and the results partially supported the …

Developing Self-Evaluation Skills In Interprofessional Simulation Educators: A Multilevel Mixed-Methods Study, Dana G. Trottier

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This multilevel mixed methods investigation examines the experiences of developing self-evaluation skills for simulation fellows in an interprofessional simulation fellowship program. Interprofessional fellows (N = 12) and faculty (N = 4) engaged in a three-phase study using video-assisted learning tools to explore the differences in self-evaluation (perceived performance) and faculty evaluation (actual performance) in developing debriefing skills. For the quantitative component, fellows and faculty completed the DASH© tool to evaluate the quality of debriefing to help close the gaps between fellow self-evaluation and faculty evaluation. For the qualitative component, video-stimulated think-aloud and video-assisted debriefing the debriefer were utilized to understand …

Mapping The Historical Discourse Of A Right-To-Read Claim: A Situational Analysis, Mursalata Muhammad

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation project used an interpretivist qualitative research design to study how the right-to-read claim made by seven teenagers attending Detroit public schools in 2016 reflects, addresses, or describes contemporary discussions about educational access. Using situational analysis (SA) as a theory/method, the entirety of the claim comprises the situation of the social phenomenon being studied, not the people. This research combines critical race theory (CRT) with Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems and uses situation analysis to map historical discourses to conduct a study that examines the history of a present situation of inquiry as presented by this question: How does the 2016 …

The Development Of Internalized Sexism In Young Adult Women, Kylie Schwabe

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The present study utilized Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis in order to examine the lived experiences of young adult, cisgender women and the development of internalized sexism. Eight participants completed semi–structured interviews focused on their relationships with other women and subsequent views of womanhood. Themes found were (a) womanhood is taught by women throughout the lifespan, (b) women are sexually responsible for men, (c) women are emotional caregivers, (d) there are biological bases of womanhood, (e) women are expected to “do it all,” (f) expectations of women are fueled by media portrayal, (g) traditional femininity is seen as oppositional to the feminist …

An Investigation Into Perception Of The Correlation Between The College People Attend And Their Long-Term Happiness, Gary F. Madvin

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study investigated perceptions about the correlation between the college people attend and long-term happiness. Its inquiry into whether college graduates believe where they go to college affects the chance for long-term happiness is a response to the growing concerns of high school students who are anxious about acceptance into an elite undergraduate college. There is substantial literature demonstrating that graduates of elite schools earn more money and professional success than graduates of standard schools (Rumberger & Thomas, 1993). At the same time, there is evidence that individuals who attend a lower tier school while having similar characteristics to those …

The Pulse Of Connection: Professors' Experience Of Positive Relationships With Students–An Interpretative Phenomenology And Photovoice Study, Ileya N. Grosman

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In higher education, the focus on student success often takes center stage in research and the professor-as-teacher practice. While numerous empirical studies concentrate on the growth and development of undergraduate students, this dissertation delves into professors’ relational and felt experiences in positive teaching-learning relationships. Four terminal-degreed professors from four different schools and three different disciplines–education, humanities, and leadership–engaged in photography and were then interviewed. Participants reflected on their photographs and their experiences in a teaching-learning relationship with their students. The present study aimed to illuminate the unspoken language of connection by utilizing interpretive phenomenology and photovoice to uncover professors’ relational …

Enhancing Planetary Well-Being Through "With-Ness" Pedagogy In Social Emotional Learning: Critical Theoretical Engagements, Lynsey Helen Mori

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Leveraging the researcher’s unique diverse cultural and educational background, this dissertation explores integrating social emotional learning (SEL) within an innovative pedagogy of “with-ness” (PoW) towards planetary well-being in educational settings. The overarching purpose is to redefine educational strategies through SEL and PoW to advance planetary well-being in tertiary contexts. As such, this dissertation critically engages with three published articles authored during the researcher’s doctoral tenure to highlight transformative SEL practices that are fundamentally attuned to ecological consciousness. Informed by critical theory, feminist perspectives, and process philosophy, the hermeneutic circle reflects on these articles to address complex 21st-century challenges educational systems …

Reach, Adoption, And Maintenance Of Online Acceptance And Commitment Therapy At A University: An Implementation Case Study, Carter H. Davis, Korena Klimczak, Ty B. Aller, Michael P. Twohig, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Faculty Publications

College students are undergoing a mental health crisis and existing clinical resources at universities may be inadequate to meet their needs. One solution to this problem could be the use of self-guided, online programs for mental health that can be easily distributed to students. A persistent issue, however, is the transition from program development to implementation of a self-guided program at campus-wide scale. We describe, in a self-narrative format, the steps taken to translate an online program we developed based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), called ACT Guide, from a research context to a campus-wide service at our university. …

Endorsing A Biophychosocial Perspective Of Pain In Individuals With Chronic Pain: Development And Validation Of A Scale, Maria Kleinstäuber, Eric L. Garland, Brittany L. Sisco-Taylor, Mathias Sanyer, Julia Corfe-Tan, Antonia Barke

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objectives:

Patients' beliefs about pain play an important role in their readiness to engage with chronic pain self-management. The central aim of this study was to validate a self-report instrument to assess a specific set of pain beliefs, patients' endorsement of a biopsychosocial model of chronic pain (PEB).

Methods:

Interdisciplinary experts in the field of pain were involved in creating an instrument, the PEB Scale, to operationalize patients' endorsement of a biopsychosocial pain model. A sample of 199 patients with chronic pain was recruited to evaluate the factorial structure (principal axis factoring), the internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), the convergent …

An Exploratory Examination Of Delay Discounting In Women And Girls Diagnosed With An Eating Disorder, Marissa L. Donahue, Mariah E. Willis-Moore, Julie M. Petersen, Amy L. Odum, Michael E. Levin, Josephine N. Hannah, Tera Lensegrav-Benson, Benita Quakenbush, Michael Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Those with eating disorders (ED) characterized by purging behaviors tend to show more impulsivity than those diagnosed with restrictive eating, who tend to show more compulsivity. Impulsive choice (i.e., a type of impulsivity) is a common factor among eating disorders that is less understood. Delay discounting is a measure of choice impulsivity, examining the decrease in value of delayed outcomes. In this exploratory study, we examined associations between eating disorder type, age and delay discounting among patients at a residential ED treatment center (N = 178). Our findings showed that those diagnosed with bulimia nervosa had higher delay discounting (i.e., …

Discriminative Stimuli Promote The Efficacy Of Delay Tolerance Training, Katherine R. Brown, Samantha J. Nercesian

Psychology Faculty Publications

Schedule thinning occurs after functional communication training to teach individuals to tolerate delays to accessing functional reinforcers. One challenge that can emerge during schedule thinning is poor discriminated use of the newly taught functional communication response (FCR). Although prevalence of this treatment challenge remains largely unknown, it appears to be relatively uncommon during schedule thinning approaches that incorporate arbitrary discriminative stimuli. In contrast, several studies using naturalistic discriminative stimuli during delay tolerance schedule thinning have reported this treatment challenge. In the current study, we examined the efficacy of embedding arbitrary discriminative stimuli into delay tolerance schedule thinning to improve discriminated …

Direct Vs. Indirect Contact: A Naturalistic Experiment In Teaching Multicultural Competence, Elizabeth Tish Hicks, Melanie M. Domenech Rodríguez, Melissa Tehee

Psychology Faculty Publications

This study examines the impact of different types of intergroup contact with diverse others on students’ cultural awareness, knowledge, and skills. An undergraduate Multicultural Psychology course required direct intergroup contact by attending at least three multicultural events every semester. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, this requirement was shifted to allow indirect intergroup contact activities. This paper examined differential shifts on students' cultural competence-related attitudes in sections where students were required to engage in direct intergroup contact (pre-pandemic) versus students who were allowed to engage in indirect intergroup contact (pandemic-transition and pandemic-prepared). Students across all course sections and semesters (N …

'The Eyes Are The Window To The Representation': Linking Gaze To Memory Precision And Decision Weights In Object Discrimination Tasks, Emily R. Weichart, Layla Unger, Nicole King, Vladimir M. Sloutsky, Brandon M. Turner

Psychology Faculty Publications

Humans selectively attend to task-relevant information in order to make accurate decisions. However, selective attention incurs consequences if the learning environment changes unexpectedly. This trade-off has been underscored by studies that compare learning behaviors between adults and young children: broad sampling during learning comes with breadth of information in memory, often allowing children to notice details of the environment that are missed by their more selective adult counterparts. The current work extends the generalized context model (Nosofsky, 1986) to account for both the intentional and consequential aspects of selective attention when predicting choice. In a novel direct input approach, we …

Navigating Faith Transitions: A Four-Year Longitudinal Examination Of Religious Deidentification Among Lgbtq+ Latter-Day Saints, G. Tyler Lefevor, Samuel J. Skidmore

Psychology Faculty Publications

Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals raised in conservative religious traditions present to therapy with questions about how to navigate tension between their sexual/gender and religious identities. For therapists, having accurate information about (a) the typical process of religious de-identification, (b) its antecedents, and (c) its outcomes is critical to empowering these clients to make the decisions that are best for them. We present data from a pre-registered, four-year, longitudinal study of 164 LGBTQ+ people who were active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (CJCLDS) at baseline to examine the phenomenology, antecedents, and …

Swipe Up And Break Up: A Grounded Theory Study Exploring The Impact Of Tiktok On Adolescents’ Perceptions Of Love And Romantic Relationships, Amitoj Sandhu Kaur

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Adolescence is a time period when major developments occur with respect to adolescents’ physical, emotional and cognitive capabilities, and such developments ultimately make it a pivotal time for a person’s identity formation and understanding of interpersonal relationships. In today’s world, social media is extremely popular, especially among adolescents, and it has influenced their behaviors, perceptions and interactions with others. With TikTok, a social media platform, gaining popularity in recent years and overwhelmingly so among adolescents, researchers began researching the general impact of TikTok on adolescents’ mental health. Some researchers have begun exploring niche research topics related to the impact of …