Student Counseling and Personnel Services Commons^™

What Influences Principal Perceptions Of Bullying?, Matthew Benjamin Alred

Dissertations

Bullying is a wide-spread problem that affects millions of students every day. School bullying is a serious social issue that can have both short-term and long-term devastating effects on the victims, bullies, and bystanders. Federal, state, and local agencies have created policies to address school bullying. However, the school principal has the most pivotal role in reducing the incidents of bullying and appropriately intervening in incidents that do occur. Furthermore, the principal is the most empowered by his or her role to bring about change to the school’s climate and culture which are key factors in the prevalence of bullying. …

Adolescent Dating Violence: How Should Schools Respond?, Jeanne L. Surface, David Stader, Thomas Graca, Jerry Lowe

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Educational leaders have a substantial degree of control over students and generally have a tremendous influence on the decisions that they make. District administrators are already involved in comprehensive efforts to stem sexual harassment, teen violence and bullying; therefore, they may be well positioned to identify and address the problem of teen dating violence. Unfortunately, school district failure to take action is far too common, despite the statutory duty to ensure the safety of all students during school hours and at school sponsored events. School districts can be held liable for student dating violence under Title IX, under 42 U.S.C. …

Forging Ahead To College: Latino And African American Students’ Experiences With Their Former School Counselors, Amy Cook, Arthur Mccann

Counseling, School Psychology & Sport Faculty Publication Series

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student drops out of school every nine seconds, with Latino and African American students being disproportionately represented. A survey-based study conducted with a diverse group of college students regarding experiences with their former high school counselor revealed evidence-based interventions that could be implemented with Latino and African American students to promote college attainment. This session will provide you with the knowledge to address impediments that Latino and African American students encounter and how to promote college access. Discussion and sharing information about various school counselor practices will be encouraged.

A Case Study Exploring The Transition To Middle School From The Perspective Of Students, Kelly A. Rappa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The transition to middle school is often associated with negative effects on academic achievement, motivation, self-esteem, and psychological well-being. Educators at a Grade 6 through 8 middle school in the northeastern United States observed students struggle with the adjustment to middle school. Research suggests that developmentally responsive schools can significantly reduce the potential negative impact of middle school adjustment. Drawing upon developmental theories from the works of individuals such as Piaget, Erikson, and Maslow, the purpose of this single-case study was to capture the opinions, thoughts, and perceptions of the students transitioning into middle school to better understand how they …

A Mixed Methods Study Of How The Transition Process Impacts The Autonomy Of Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers, Linda Kasal Fusco

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

This mixed methods study sought to identify the impact that transition into the practice of teaching had on the autonomy of pre-service secondary teachers of Mathematics.  It was based on the belief that a Mathematics teacher’s autonomy depended on: beliefs about Mathematics and how it was learned, reflections on the teaching practice, and social constraints of a secondary school culture. Data was collected between January 2009 and March 2010.  In Phase I (Quantitative) the participants (N = 30), selected from ten State University of New York teacher preparation colleges and universities, completed five instruments to quantify the three factors of …

The Relationship Between Principal Effectiveness And The Use Of Counseling Skills, Valerie Suzanne Hodge Cleckler

Dissertations

In most educational leadership programs, the working relationship of the principal with teachers, parents, and the community is discussed, but the relationship of the principal and counselor is typically not given much, if any, attention. Principals are not trained in the use of counseling skills in educational leadership programs at Mississippi universities (Delta State University, 2008; Jackson State University, 2007; Mississippi State University, 2008; Mississippi University for Women, 2008, 2009; The University Southern Mississippi, 2009; University of Mississippi, 2007). The leadership training provided to school administrators is very important because of the role they play in the success of the …

High School Sophomores' Perceptions Of The Role Of Extra-Curricular Activities As Preparation For College Admission, John Earl Wyble

Dissertations

While there is significant interest and emphasis on student participation in extra-curricular activities, limited research on such participation and the benefits it may possess toward preparing students for college admissions exists. A survey of 312 high school sophomores in a rural, southeastern Louisiana school district was conducted. Data were collected through the survey on the students' participation in extra-curricular activities and their perceived value of such participation toward gaining admission to a postsecondary institution. The purpose of the study was to analyze the relationship between participation in extra-curricular activity and the perceived value of such participation toward gaining admission to …

Is It The Blues? Depression & Suicide Prevention In Our Schools, Naveen Jonathan

Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty Presentations

Discusses the prevalence of depression and suicide among children and teenagers, the factors behind it, signs and symptoms, and what educators can do to help prevent it and help suffering students.

The Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of The Phoenix Alternative Program, Jason Dethor Laffitte

Dissertations

Many school districts throughout the United States utilize alternative schools for students who have not been successful in a traditional school setting. The Phoenix Program is a second chance alternative school in Mobile, Alabama that provides educational opportunities to students who are at risk of dropping out or school or under a long-term suspension from a regular school program.

This study was conducted to determine the perceptions of the effectiveness of the Phoenix Program on students who have been suspended from their assigned school for a long term. Participants in this study included 36 principals and assistant principals, 30 students, …

The Relationship Between African American Students' Self-Beliefs And Beliefs About Teachers And Academic Outcomes And Disciplinary Referrals, James Matthew Thompson

Dissertations

This research study addressed a facet of the academic achievement gap regarding students' beliefs. The specific area that was examined is African American students' self-belief and beliefs about their teachers, while Caucasian students were used as a comparative group. The sample consisted of 34 African American and 65 Caucasian fifth-grade students from a southeastern public school district. The purpose of the study was to explore correlations between beliefs and African American students' academic outcomes. The theoretical foundations regarding beliefs, cultural context, and stereotype threat that were explored in this study addressed the variables located in Chapter III: Methodology. Additionally, these …

The Role Of Teachers In School Safety, Leslie Lee Brown

Dissertations

This study examined teachers' perceptions of their abilities to effectively respond to crises on their school campuses. Teachers were surveyed in numerous southeastern states in contrasting demographic areas. Much of the literature addressed acts of violence, natural disasters, and threats of terrorism in schools. Past literature designates urban areas as places where violence has been a more prevalent element of everyday life. Current evidence shows that school shootings and natural disasters can occur anywhere. This shows that planning, practicing, and preparing for crises events are imperative no matter the demographic area in which a school is located. However, there is …

Adult Education Principles In A Teacher Mentoring Program: A Grounded Theory, Debra Jean Winans

Dissertations

A qualitative study using grounded theory was conducted to determine the use of adult education principles in a school mentoring program. The study was conducted in a middle school in rural South Georgia during the 2006-2007 school year. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 25 participants: 11 proteges, nine mentors, and 5 mentor program coordinators. Insights into the dynamics of mentoring relationships and administration of the mentoring program were illustrated by stories of selected participants.

In this study, adult education principles were identified as (a) respect, (b) participation, (c) collaboration, (d) dialogue, (e) problem posing as a catalyst toward …

A Study Of Career Preparation Activities Used In Michigan’S Public High Schools, Brian L. Pyles

Dissertations

This study assessed the status of Michigan's Career Pathway high schools 2 years after state Career Preparation funding was terminated early, in order to determine the institutionalization of Career Pathway activities. In particular, this study examined the use of Career Pathway curriculum guides, Educational Development Plans (EDPs), student Career Pathway designations, student career assessments, work-based learning activities, alternative scheduling, college credits earned in high school, instructional strategies, teacher professional development, and Career Pathway high school planning committees. This study also ascertained the perceived helpfulness of having students declare a Career Pathway and using EDPs as a guide in the selection …

From The Co-Editors

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Voices Of School Social Workers, Amanda Hollatz

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

"If You Build Them Up, They Will Stay": The Role Of Recognition And Feedback On Student Retention, James R. Jones

Marketing and Management Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

While such stratagems are certainly well founded, and have achieved varying degrees of success, it may be that a more fundamentally vital area of examination is being largely overlooked, namely the impact of the high school experience. One of the critical problems facing many institutions of higher learning is that of student retention. While this issue is an important one to address across the entire student population, it has become particularly acute as relates to "minority" pupils. Accordingly, many colleges and universities have developed strategies to try to arrest enrollment attrition. These strategies typically include such mechanisms as tracking programs, …

Conflict Resolution And Anger Management, Lori M. Kling

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

An applied project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Education Specialist at Morehead State University by Lori M. Kling on September 11, 2000.

A Comparison Study Of The San Francisco Community Board Whole Schools Conflict Resolution Project, Kimberli Huston

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The key purpose of this study was to compare and contrast the San Francisco Whole Schools Conflict Resolution Project to the School Mediation Program utilized in Clark County, Nevada. The evaluation further assessed the impact the San Francisco Project had on incidents of school-related violence in order to project these figures to the Clark County Program.

The methods used in this evaluation included a review of the implementation processes and training components for each conflict resolution program. The researcher also conducted a pre- and post- training analysis of San Francisco Unified School District incidents of school-related violence. Additionally, the Clark …

Student Characteristics, School Characteristics, And Educational Aspirations Of Six Asian American Ethnic Groups, Heather Kim, Laura Rendon, James Valadez

SHU Faculty Publications

The authors looked at differences among 6 Asian American ethnic groups in terms of student-level and school-level characteristics and examined factors related to their educational aspirations. The authors provided implications for counselors to help Asian American students achieve academic success in secondary and higher education.

A Descriptive Study Of The Effects Of Retention On Identified "At Risk" Ninth-Grade Students At Bowie Junior High School, Claudette V. Jones

Graduate Theses

No abstract provided.

Peer Coaching & Change Implementation, Jolene Black

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The process of change implementation and the measurement of concerns of those involved in change using the C.B.A.M. model have been the topics of many studies conducted during the past two decades. Peer coaching is a relative newcomer, yet has been the focus of several studies. To date, however, comparative information about the change process and its affect on the concerns of teachers involved in peer coaching has not been analyzed.

This study examines and compares the Stages of Concern regarding an innovation of teachers with and without peer coaching partners. After a review of significant research, the paper analyzes …

An Experimental Intervention Program With Potential Dropouts, Charles Warner Tankersley

Graduate Theses

The purpose of this study is to incorporate several areas of intervention into one program with potential dropouts to determine if such a strategy would have a greater effect than intervention on a single variable. The subjects were 55 students in the 7th, 8th, or 9th grade, who were identified by the Ector County Independent School District as being at risk of dropping out of school. All subjects participated in academic remediation and counseling for 3 hours each school day for 7 weeks. The subjects were randomly assigned by gender in near equal numbers to either multidimensional counseling, individual counseling, …

Creating A Model For A Student Assistance Program For High School Students Involved In Substance Abuse, George C. Lewis

Masters Theses

Substance abuse is a problem faced by schools, parents, students and communities. The purpose of this field experience was to provide a plan to help educators, parents, students and communities deal effectively with youth involved in substance abuse. The need for this field study became evident to the researcher when twenty-five students from the student body of Salem Community High School were placed in in-patient substance abuse programs during the 1985-86 school year.

The literature was examined and certain reactions and trends indicated in the literature were identified. Many substance abuse programs were reviewed. Key programs reviewed include the following: …

Student Failure As Associated With Socio-Economic Status, Racial Ethnicity, And Single Parenting, B. Dan Green

Graduate Theses

Academic failure is a problem in American schools all over the nation. Many factors play a part in the academic achievement of students. The purpose of this study is to investigate student academic failure among students from lower socio-economic status families as compared with students from families with a higher socio-economic status, with sub-groupings identifying students as to racial and ethnic backgrounds as well as those from single-parent homes. The test group for this survey is a group of four-hundred and forty eighth grade students from Goddard Junior High School in Midland, Texas. All students listed as "failing" failed one …

Computerized Student Scheduling At Centralia High School, Richard F. Gibson

Masters Theses

This field experience took place during the 1981-82 school year at Centralia High School in Centralia, Illinois. The researcher served as the Director of Guidance and was responsible for scheduling 1,350 students into classes for the 1982-83 school year. The field experience started in December of 1981 and was completed in August of 1982. Computer scheduling was the method chosen to schedule the 1,350 high school students into 165 courses.

Centralia High School had done computer scheduling at McDonnell-Douglas in St. Louis, Kaskaskia College in Centralia, Parkway High School District in St. Louis, and Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. In …

The Establishment Of A Student Self-Scheduling System At Greenville High School, Bill Wells

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to explain the mechanics involved with a scheduling system which will reduce student schedule changes and promote a smoother start to the academic school year.

The study will not only trace the history of self-scheduling at Effingham High School beginning in 1975 but will outline the method used to continue a similar scheduling system at Greenville High School in 1978.

As a guidance counselor at Effingham High School starting in the school year of 1974, I was dissatisfied with the scheduling system. Not surprisingly, the other two guidance personnel plus most of the teaching …

Writing A Grant Proposal For Funding By The Title Iv, Part C Of The Elementary And Secondary Education Act, Elizabeth L. Smith

Masters Theses

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

This paper deals with the problem of developing and writing a grant proposal following the Title IV, Elementary and Secondary Education Act guidelines.

PROCEDURE

The writer explains the procedure she followed to develop her idea into the final project proposal that was submitted to the Title IV, ESEA office. Included in this narrative are: an explanation of how the proper funding was located, the development of the project, a copy of the evaluation process used by the Title IV office to determine which projects are funded, and copies of the·final evaluations of the project proposal.

CONCLUSIONS

The …

An Examination Of The Effectiveness Of A Junior High School Career Exploration Program In The Hopkins County School System, Cynthia Mason

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The problem investigated in this study was a comparison of the effectiveness of a career exploration program in a junior high school curriculum versus a traditional curriculum with regard to increased career competence and positive attitudes toward the world of work as measured by Form A-1 of the Career Maturity Inventory.

The population for this study consisted of the ninth-grade classes of two Hopkins County Schools. The subjects for the control group (South Hopkins) consisted of 25 ninth-grade students who had not been exposed to a career exploration program and the subjects for the experimental group (Madisonville Junior High School) …

An Approach To Meeting The Educational Needs Of A Select Group Of Migrant Children, Ruth G. Cornelius

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Children in grades one through six who were identified as children from migrant agricultural families in a specific country in South Central Kentucky were compared to non-migrant children in the same specific county. A determination of the educational needs of these migrant children was made by a comparison of their standardized test scores to similar test scores of children from non-migrant families in the areas of Reading, Math, AND Total Battery scores. Resultant data from the test scores indicated that migrant children generally do not have achieve as high academically in the areas tested as do children from non-migrant families. …

Personality Testing By The Schools: A Possible Invasion Of Privacy, Angelika Hoyman

IUSTITIA

Contemporary critics, concerned with the maintenance of personal privacy, have termed the use of personality tests a "white glove rack and screw" . Monroe H. Freedman, Dean of Hofstra University School of Law, while testifying before a congressional subcommittee, compared the use of psychological tests to the administration of truth serums and found both to be an affront to personal dignity.

Nevertheless, the 1960's witnessed a three-fold increase in the number of school counselors employed in most schools and a nation-wide survey of these counselors indicated that at least one-third of their time was spent in dealing with the personal …