Psychology Commons^™

Stress And Coping Mechanisms Of Non-Traditional International Doctoral Students, Ndidi Patience Iwuagwu

Theses and Dissertations

Higher education institutions are battling with the shrinking enrollment rate of students and the various college alternatives (Drozdowski, 2022); however, it has been evidenced in the literature that these issues can be augmented with international student enrollments and adult learners (Donaldson, 2022). Pursuing a doctoral degree is a tedious move (Devonport & Lane, 2014), and leaving one’s comfort zone to study in a different land for non-traditional international students can be exhausting due to the responsibilities at hand. Thus, this qualitative study examines the stressors experienced by non-traditional international doctoral students, the coping mechanisms utilized in the cause of these …

Direct And Indirect Effects Of And Preference For Feedback During The Good Behavior Game In Elementary Classes, Jensen Chotto

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is an effective procedure for reducing disruptive classroom behavior. In this study, students in 3 fifth grade classes selected the rules of the GBG and then experienced the GBG with different forms of feedback delivery for rule violations (vocal and visual, vocal only, visual only, no feedback) on disruptive classroom behavior in a multielement design. All versions of the GBG substantially reduced disruptive behavior below baseline levels. Additionally, in 1 of 3 classes, losing the GBG produced an increase in negative peer interactions immediately following the GBG. Subsequently, students selected which condition they previously experienced …

A Quantitative Study Examining The Mental Health Needs Of African American Students Compared To Their Counterparts In Higher Education, Luxury Bryant

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

African American students are entering into higher education institutions at higher rates. This population has specific needs and faces various challenges entering college at predominantly white institutions compared to their counterparts of different races. While college is already a stressful time with academic pressures as well as navigating a new setting, African American students also face unique experiences that can impact their mental health. It has been found that African American students are less likely to seek out mental health services especially those that are attending predominantly White institutions (Anderson, 2018). This study will highlight African American undergraduate students' perceptions …

Consciousness And The Reality Of Monsters In Horror Movies: Dehumanization And What Monsters In Horror Films Say About Us, Leila Kincaid

Journal of Conscious Evolution

This essay responds to Carroll’s The Nature of Horror from the perspective of transdisciplinary phenomenological film theory, largely developed by Edgar Morin in the 1950s. It argues that Carrolls’s reduction of the phenomenological value of horror films to an unreal category minimizes and even dismisses the inherent value of horror films. Morin, Allan Combs, and others offer more integral and transdisciplinary methods for art interpretation and functionality. They help us understand how monsters in horror films can stand as mirrors and reflections of the monstrous in ourselves and society. Thus, the transformational function and value of film is revealed and …

Teacher Beliefs And Experiences Addressing Healthy Racial And Ethnic Identity Instructionally Through Social Emotional Learning, Juliana Gutierrez

Theses and Dissertations

Children and youth develop within an ecological context that includes family, peers, and broader social environments including school. Children’s understanding of their ethnic or racial group and the meaning they attribute to belonging in that group is also shaped by interactions in their school environment. Most research on school-based social-emotional learning (SEL) programs has focused on student behavioral and academic outcomes. However, as SEL spreads across U.S. K-12 schools, questions have emerged surrounding how children from diverse racial and cultural groups and unequal opportunity can benefit from universal SEL programs. Using a mixed-methods design, this study explores teachers’ understanding and …

Constructivism, Curiosity, And Metacognitive Bias In The Age Of Google, Matthew Moore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this experimental, posttest-only control-group study was to determine if there are differences in levels of metacognitive bias between those who do and do not use Google on a practice activity prior to the administration of a general knowledge test, when controlling for epistemic curiosity. The study seeks to help fill the gap in the literature by examining differences in metacognitive bias across not only the experimental variable of Google access, but also by participant variables, providing a more thorough understanding of how differences in individuals may moderate the relationship between Google use and bias. A sample of …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Perinatal Experiences Shaping A Woman’S Identity In Academia, Elizabeth Catherine Debolt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the meaning women faculty in academia in the United States ascribe to their perinatal experiences and how these experiences affect the integration of their academic and maternal identities and outlook on continuing in the academy. The theories guiding this study were Mercer's theory on becoming a mother and Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model. The study was comprised of 10 women who became a mother with their first child within the last seven years of the study's initiation while holding a faculty position in academia that included teaching, scholarship, and service responsibilities …

The Impact Of School-Based Mentoring On At-Risk Students Of An Urban School District, Brandon B. Richardson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is necessary to consider and implement a strategy to close the academic performance gap, particularly for at-risk adolescents in urban school districts. Mentoring programs have been around for a long time and continue to be successful. This research study's goal was to investigate the influence at-risk adolescents in an urban school district get from a school-based mentorship program. The study had a total of 40 participants (10 mentors, 8 parents, 10 teachers, 10 students, and 2 administrators). The study employed a mixed methods research strategy. Using a quantitative method approach, the researcher investigated whether a mentorship program had significant …

The Archeology Of Adoption: Tracing The Journey From Birth Through Adoption Using Pre-Adoptive Artifacts, Ellen Reeve

Educational Studies Dissertations

Adults adopted in childhood often face a heightened susceptibility to psychological and behavioral challenges compared with their non-adopted peers. Scholars examining this phenomenon associate various factors, including an adoptee’s sense of self as an individual within a complex adoption background. This qualitative study utilized a material engagement theory to explore birth through adoptive narratives among adults adopted in closed settings during childhood. Through participatory research, participants examined a range of artifacts related to maternal relinquishment, encompassing foster and adoption records, original birth certificates, letters, photographs, birthmarks, clothing, hair, scars, and DNA test results. The study focused on understanding these artifacts’ …

Does Higher Socioeconomic Status Associate With Better Mental Health Outcomes Among Primary Caregivers In Rural China?, Wenwen Zhang

Master's Theses

This study explores the intricate relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and the mental health outcomes of primary caregivers in rural China, focusing on the Early Childhood Development (ECD) context in Ya'an. Anchored in a major intervention project launched in 2023, the study critically examines the hypothesis that higher socioeconomic status correlates with lower levels of negative emotions among caregivers.

Utilizing cross-sectional data, the research investigates how educational attainment and household income influence caregivers' mental health, measured through the DASS-21 score in three dimensions: stress, anxiety, and depression. The findings reveal that higher household income and educational levels are significantly associated …

Transition Skills Lab: A Telehealth Intervention For Improving Healthcare Transition In Youth With Special Health Care Needs, Angela Combs, Alaina Linafelter, Jordan Sevart, Michele H. Maddux

Research Days

The goal of this abstract is to evaluate youth skill-building and confidence across health care tasks through the virtual Transition Skills Lab.

Long-Term Physical And Emotional Functioning In Children Following Intensive Interdisciplinary Pain Treatment For Amplified Pain Syndrome, Sabrina Ung, Jacqueline Pabis Phd, Jenny Scheurich Phd, Dustin Wallace Phd

Research Days

The current study aimed to examine the efficacy of pediatric interdisciplinary pain treatment (IIPT) several years after treatment completion by exploring mean-level changes of physical and mental health functioning pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at follow-up 2 to 6 years after IIPT completion.

Teacher Voices: Stress And Coping Mechanisms Among The Teaching Profession, Jasmine Suttles

Education | Master's Theses

Stress is a natural response that occurs in our body when we feel overwhelmed, and it can manifest in both positive and negative instances. The teaching profession is not exempt from this phenomenon, as it is unique in that educators have multiple roles to play and have to manage and interact with many students simultaneously. Teachers have been described as "exasperated by heavy loads of emotional labor in the classroom" (Ferguson et al., 2022). This "heavy load" can place the teaching profession at risk of stress and burnout if self-care is not addressed or mental health resources are not offered. …

A Systematic Review On The Efficacy Of Video Modeling On Social Interactions Among Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Miguel Cantu

Masters Theses (Archived)

This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of video modeling in increasing social interactions with individuals with ASD (IwASD) in transitional or postsecondary educational settings. The study inclusion criteria included (a) quantitative data must be present, (b) an objective or research question must be stated, (c) video modeling must be an intervention in their study, (d) a minimum of one target behavior must focus on social interactions, and (e) all studies must be published within the last six years. This systematic review analyzed the purpose, sample, methodology, settings, discussion, and results to find the effectiveness of the intervention, resulting …

On The Cultivation Of Relational Leadership Mindsets Among Graduate Supervisees In The Mental Health Professions: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis, Cristina Bucur

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In counseling supervision, leadership is often associated with supervisors’ skills, role, position, and responsibilities. However, supervisees need to learn and practice how to lead also: for example, how to promote others’ well-being, how to support, and advocate for others and self. Graduate supervisee relational leadership in the mental health professions is an intrinsic part of the purposive aspect of counseling supervision. Relational leadership in graduate counseling supervision is a purposive, interpersonal, facilitative, growth oriented, and process-based service in which leaders -expert facilitators and mentors- seek to cultivate leaders, not followers. Relational leadership is mutuality-affirming and mutuality-promoting (e.g., open dialogue, mutual …

Female Medical Students’ Lived Experiences Of Financial Stress And Coping, Untara Shaikh, Dr. Kimberlee Bonura

Georgia Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Conference

Financial stress is a pervasive concern among medical students, with documented associations with adverse physical health, psychological morbidity, and ineffective coping. This study focuses on understanding the financial stressors female medical students face and the coping strategies they employ. While financial stress and coping mechanisms have been explored in the literature, a notable gap exists in understanding these dynamics among female students.

The study employed a phenomenological research approach to obtain data from the respondents, where data collection involved face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The Adaptation Model of Nursing, complemented by Lazarus and Folkman's Coping Theory, was a comprehensive framework for analyzing …

Investigating The Direction Of Item Parameter Bias In The Presence Of Rapid Guessing, Sarah Alahmadi

Dissertations, 2020-current

Inadequate examinee test-taking effort is especially concerning when the results of low-stakes tests are used to inform high-stakes policy or psychometric decisions. Although abundant is the literature on the negative impact of low test-taking effort (e.g., Wise & DeMars, 2005) and ways to address it (e.g., Alahmadi & DeMars, 2024; Lau et al., 2009), integrating it into assessment practices has long been in a rudimentary stage. The findings presented in this dissertation serve as a clarion call for testing professionals to reinforce efforts that bridge research and practice. The current study investigated how rapid guessing (RG)—a form of non-effortful test-taking …

Emotion Regulation Strategies And Perceived Emotional Intelligence: The Effect Of Age., Iwanna Sepiadou

Adultspan Journal

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived emotional intelligence and the reported use of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. We also investigated the possible effects of age on the aforementioned variables. The total sample consisted of 379 people (158 men, 220 women, 1 unreported). Across participants, 273 were young (20-39 years old) and 106 were middle-aged (40-65 years old). We found statistically significant positive correlations between the dimensions of perceived emotional intelligence and the reported use of cognitive reappraisal and negative primarily correlations between the dimensions of perceived emotional intelligence and the reported use of …

Using Advocacy Exercises To Promote Academic Identity And Ownership, Timothy Schoenfeld

Faculty Scholarship Symposium

In the sciences and mathematics, having a strong STEM-related skillset and personal STEM identity are both important for fostering long-term persistence in STEM-related vocational fields. Science and math courses are routinely designed to build the skillset of students but creating a positive STEM identity is more difficult, particularly for underrepresented groups. Across the semester of a pilot neuroscience course, students engaged in daily and semester-long exercises in learning about and practicing advocacy as a way to build positive identities in science. At the beginning and end of the semester, students took the Persistence in the Sciences (PITS) survey, measuring student …

Speak My Language: Art Therapy Restorative Justice Hybrid For Disenfranchised High School Students, Catherine Day

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

This literature review examines the use of zero tolerance policies and exclusionary practices in schools throughout the United States. The adolescent population is more vulnerable now than ever, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. An increasing number of students are struggling with behavioral misconduct, mental health issues, and suspension/expulsion from school. The research contained in this review explores how zero tolerance policies have contributed to the current state of our education system, behavioral misconduct in schools, student involvement in the juvenile justice system, alternative methods of discipline such as restorative practices and therapeutic interventions like Art Therapy. The current exclusionary …

Virtual Pair Programming And Online Oral Exams: Effects On Social Interaction, Performance, And Academic Integrity In A Remote Computer Programming Course, M. V. Lubarda, A. M. Phan, C. Schurgers, N. Delson, M. Ghazinejad, S. Baghdadchi, M. Minnes, Minju Kim, C. Pilegard, J. Relaford-Doyle, C. L. Sandoval, H. Qi

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background and context

Pair programming and oral exams were deployed in tandem in a remote undergraduate computer programming course to promote social interaction and enhance learning.

Objectives

We investigate their impact on social interactions, sense of connection, academic performance, and academic integrity within a virtual learning environment, and explore the dynamics of student collaboration in the context of voluntary pair programming.

Method

Students’ coding activities, pairing preferences, and performance were survey responses were recorded and analyized.

Findings

First and second year students were more likely to participate in virtual pair programming than their more senior classmates. Willingness to pair program …

Emotional And Metacognitive Impacts Of A Human Anatomy Course Utilizing Three-Dimensional Learning Modalities, Shawn M. Magrum

Theses & Dissertations

A high school human anatomy course was designed to integrate three-dimensional learning modalities through the use of three-dimensional visualization technology, augmented reality, and whole-body donors (cadaveric specimens), and customized 3D digital models were created to support student learning. The course was organized so that each class meeting fell into one of six unique learning session types: lectures, augmented reality labs, gross anatomy (cadaveric) labs, content application (active learning) sessions, review sessions, and examination sessions.

An interval scale using ten emoji, each associated with a particular emotional valence (i.e., pleasantness) level, was developed and integrated into the course to track students’ …

Facilitators And Barriers To Implementing Effective Interprofessional Education: A Mixed Methods Study Of Academic Health Institutions With Centralized Interprofessional Education Administrative Structures, Liliana Bronner

Theses & Dissertations

Interprofessional education (IPE) is pivotal in preparing future healthcare professionals for collaborative practice, yet its effective implementation remains challenging. The purpose of this mixed methods study of multiple academic health institution cases was to explore and understand how early and late IPE adopters perceive effective IPE implementation in academic health institutions. Combining frameworks for complex innovation implementation and curriculum development with surveys and interviews reveals the facilitators and barriers of effective IPE implementation. Consistent with the framework for complex innovation implementation, leadership and administrative support, resource allocation, logistical planning, and program evaluation emerged as key facilitators of effective IPE implementation. …

Addressing Burnout, Stress And Self-Care In Graduate Students At Arcadia’S University Counseling Program, Lorraynne Moura De Amorim

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

Burnout is a threat to both graduate and licensed level clinicians (Warlick et al., 2021). Burnout and stress can lead to professional impairment and result in unethical practice (Daly & Gardner, 2020; Warlick et al., 2021). Self-care is described in the literature as a protective factor to cope with burnout and stress (Butler et al., 2017; Callan et al., 2021; Daly & Gardner, 2020; Warlick et al., 2021). The American Counseling Association Code of Ethics reinforces professional’s ethical duties of monitoring sign and symptoms of impairment, which could interfere with their practice (ACA, 2014). The purpose of this study was …

The Association Between Student-Mentor Relationships And College Student's' Motivation And Academic Success, Emma Smith

CSB and SJU Distinguished Thesis

No abstract provided.

Pre To Post Course Differences In Knowledge And Perception Of A Careers For Psychology Majors Course, Laura Powell

CoTL 2024 Research Talks

The Psychology Department at the University of South Alabama began teaching a course titled “Careers for Psychology Majors” in Fall 2019. This sophomore level course was created to help psychology majors explore careers options with a bachelor's degree in psychology as well as careers that require graduate study. Students completed a pre and post course survey from their Landrum and Davis (2020) textbook regarding their knowledge and perceptions of career options after graduating. Pre to post course changes in student surveys were analyzed with paired samples t-tests for each question. Increases from pre to post was observed with every question …

Student Mental Health During And After The Coronavirus Pandemic, Olivia Harner

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The educational setting serves as an influential force when considering the impacts that school can have on student mental health. Following the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, research revealed negative effects on mental health for a variety of populations across the globe; however, comprehensive reviews about the effect that the pandemic had on the mental health of American K-12 students are limited. Consequently, the purpose of this specialist project is to evaluate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the mental health of American students in grades K-12 through a review of literature. Utilizing PRISMA procedures, 19 articles were selected …

Perspectives On Neurodiversity-Affirming Education For Autistic Children, El Alcalá

Psychology Honors Projects

Rates of autism diagnosis have increased dramatically in recent decades, along with efforts to include disabled students in general education classes. However, there are significant barriers to full educational inclusion for autistic children with all levels of support needs. In Chapter 1 of this project, I review literature on common barriers to educational inclusion for autistic students, as well as the strengths and shortcomings of school-based service delivery models frequently provided in an effort to mitigate these barriers. I then propose an innovative, neurodiversity-affirming model of service delivery for autistic elementary school students in general education classrooms. In Chapter 2, …

Gender Stereotypes In The Elementary Classroom, Mckenna Gill

Master's Theses

This study explores ways to reduce gender stereotypes in the elementary classroom. Specifically, it was designed to collect data on male and female behaviors related to gender stereotypes toward different school subjects, volunteering, peer relationships, and student redirections during lessons. A literature review was conducted to investigate existing research on this topic. A mixed-methods design was used in this study. Data was collected in a fifth-grade classroom, by keeping a tally of each of the subject areas Math, Reading, Science, and Writing, and the students who volunteered. Included in the investigation was a teacher interview regarding her thoughts on gender …

The Effects Of Implementing Movement Breaks In Elementary Classrooms, Laura Ford

Master's Theses

This action research project investigated the implementation of movement breaks in a third-grade classroom to enhance academic performance and behavior. The short study aimed to assess whether integrating regular movement breaks into the classroom routine would lead to significant improvements in academic outcomes and behavior, particularly those students diagnosed with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Over a designated period, movement breaks were introduced at a specific interval during the school day. Data was collected through observations, surveys, and behavior tracking. Surprisingly, the findings revealed that despite the incorporation of movement breaks, there was no significant difference observed in overall academics or behavior …