Psychology Commons^™

School Gardens: Cultivating A Child’S Nutritional Habits, Environmental Knowledge, And Sustainability Practices, Jeffrey Meltzer

Honors Theses

School gardens have existed since the late nineteenth century and today are becoming increasingly popular in many parts of the world, including where I studied in Maine and Australia (AUS). Multiple organizations support school gardens in Maine, including the Maine School Garden Network, which has over 125 registered school gardens. In AUS, the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation primarily supports the school garden movement and has over 800 registered school gardens. While many researchers have studied school gardens, few have compared two countries, focused on environmental sustainability, or investigated Maine in particular. This thesis combines information from literature reviews, and …

Examination Of The Internal Structure Of The Academic Competence Evaluation Scale - Teacher (Aces-T), Stephanie A. Zegadlo

Masters Theses

The present study investigated the factor structure of the Academic Competence Evaluation Scale-Teacher Form (ACES-T; DiPerna & Elliott, 2000) Academic Skills (AS) and Academic Enablers (AE) scales with a convenience sample. Analyses included item-based exploratory factor analyses (higher-order EFA with Schmid-Leiman transformation; Schmid & Leiman, 1957) for subjects with complete data (AS N = 433; AE N= 466), and omega reliability estimates (Reise, 2012). For the AS scales, EPA identified an oblique (correlated) three-factor model. A second-order EFA was completed along with a Schmid-Leiman transformation and found the majority of the apportioned variance was associated with the general Academic Skills …

Types And Frequency Of Bullying, Victimization, And Defending Behaviors Among Special And Regular Education Students, Ashley Ann Potocki

Masters Theses

Bullying and victimization can have a negative impact on all students. This study compared frequency and types of bully, victim, and defending behaviors that occur in general education and special education. The three types of bullying and victimization include verbal, physical, and relational bullying, while the three types of defending include reporting, confronting, and helping. Due to the fact that the majority of research in the past has focused on the general education population of students, little is known about bullying, victimization, and defending behaviors among children in special education. An additional goal of this study was to compare the …

Attention Regulation, Emotion Regulation, And Cognitive Flexibility As Mediators Of The Relationship Between Mindfulness And Academic Achievement In High School Students, Andrew Baginski

Masters Theses

Mindfulness is defined as a process of purposefully paying attention to one’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences in the present moment while taking a nonjudgmental stance on them (Kabat-Zinn, 2009). While originally an Eastern approach technique in spirituality and philosophy, mindfulness has been incorporated into or served as a basis for numerous psychological therapies and treatments (Segal, Williams, & Teasdale, 2002; Kabat-Zinn, 1982, 1990). Research into mindfulness has expanded to the context of learning, where studies have demonstrated that facilitative states of mindfulness can improve the abilities of students to focus, attend, and recall information in an educational setting (Langer, 1997). …

Effects Of Successmakers Math As An Intervention For Students, Jennifer Lee Calcut

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Schools throughout the United States use the IQ-achievement discrepancy method to

identify children with learning disabilities. This current method allows many students to fall behind in the regular education setting. In 2004, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was reauthorized to provide states with the option of using a response to intervention (RtI) model in lieu of or in conjunction with the IQ-achievement discrepancy model. The purpose of this quasi-experimental, single subject, pre/posttest design study was to determine the impact of a Tier II intervention using SuccesMakers Math, a learning system that adapts to the unique needs of the individual …

Investigation Of School Professionals' Self-Efficacy For Working With Students With Asd : Impact Of Prior Experience, Knowledge, And Training, Laura Corona

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

School professionals who work with students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) play a significant role in the academic experiences of these students (Ruble & McGrew, 2013). Unfortunately, some evidence suggests that teachers of students with ASD experience a high risk of burnout (Coman et al., 2013), due in part to the multiple challenges associated with teaching students with ASD (Iovannone, Dunlap, Huber, & Kincaid, 2003). Research has begun to examine factors that ameliorate or prevent teacher burnout, including teacher self-efficacy, or teachers’ beliefs regarding their abilities to bring about positive outcomes for their students (Ruble, Usher, & McGrew, 2011). The …

Current Status Of Rti Implementation : Influences On School Psychologists' Service Delivery And Self-Efficacy, Elizabeth Sabourin

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Response to Intervention (RtI) is a prevention-oriented approach to helping all students succeed academically. It is a framework that, when applied properly, influences all decision-making within a school building and/or district. Currently, most American school districts report using an RtI framework. Specifics regarding implementation, however, are unknown at this time. Given that RtI is a systems-wide approach which is philosophically disparate from traditional ways of viewing students struggling academically, it has the potential to shift traditional school psychological roles. Our knowledge regarding the degree to which RtI has changed school psychologists’ practices is incomplete at this time. Additionally, there is …

The Relationship Of Disability Status On Attendance, Behavior, And Achievement Indicators For Students Receiving Intensive School-Based Mental Health Counseling, Meghan Morris Deyoe

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This causal comparative study investigated the relationship of an identified disability (IDEA declared vs. non-declared) on success outcomes for sixth through twelfth grade at-risk students enrolled in a school-based mental health program. Outcome variables included: selected attendance, behavior, and achievement indicators for students who were enrolled in and received intensive school-based counseling.

The Disparity Of Racial Diversity In Counselor Education And Supervision, Sharon Hammett Webb

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In general, doctoral programs in counselor education and supervision (CES) have low minority enrollments. Faculty members in clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) master's degree in science (MS) programs primarily come from CES doctoral programs; therefore, faculty members do not generally reflect the diversity of the MS student population. Using the theory of planned behavior and the bioecological model, the purpose of this research was to determine the extent to which age, gender, faculty support, income, level of parents' or primary caregivers' education, and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accreditation status predict White and racial …

Influence Of Learner Factors On Soldier Attitude Toward Army Serious Gaming, Mitchell L. Bonnett

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study determined the influence of the learner factors on Soldier attitudes toward the use of serious gaming for U.S. Army training and leader development. It extended Selwyn's work (Selwyn, 1997a, 1997b, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2013; Selwyn, Gorard, Furlong, & Madden, 2003) identifying or measuring attitude toward using a technology and Bonanno and Kommers (2008) work extending Selwyn's work to measure the influence of learner factors on those attitude components toward the use of Army serious gaming for instructional purposes. The population studied was 709 Active duty U.S. Army Soldiers.

This quantitative non-experimental descriptive research design methodology used a 21-item …

Graduate Bulletin, 2015-2016, Minnesota State University Moorhead

Graduate Bulletins (Catalogs)

No abstract provided.

School Psychologists Experiences With Assessment Of Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students, Mali Y. Land

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This qualitative research study responds to school psychologists’ experiences in assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse students. African Americans and other minority groups have been excessively represented in special education programs such as Mentally Retarded and Emotionally Disturbed Programs. English Language Learners have also been targeted and placed in special education programs unfairly due to culture and language. This research study used grounded theory approach in which several themes and sub-themes emerged regarding the serious problem of over-representation of minority students in special education. The themes and sub-themes included: Referrals (Behavior, Academic, Pre-referral); Materials (Tools); Culturally Competent (Reflection and Essence); …

Investigating Stability Balls In The Classroom: Effects On Student Behavior And Academic Productivity, Natasha A. Olson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

A classroom intervention increasing in popularity is the use of stability balls in lieu of traditional classroom seating. Stability balls are promoted as an effective alternative to chairs at a classwide level, yet there are no published studies documenting classwide outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate classwide effects of stability balls and attempt to provide empirical support for their use. Using an A-B-A-B reversal design, this study examined the effectiveness of stability balls in comparison to classroom chairs in a second grade classroom. Student on-task and out-of-seat behavior was measured using direct observation and teacher direct …

Relationships Between Specific Health-Related Fitness Components And Standardized Academic Achievement Tests, Tona Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In an attempt to meet monetary-driven mandates to improve student achievement test scores, administrators are replacing physical education activities with subject matter classes in many American schools. This practice negates the positive contributions of physical activity to academic performance and student fitness. Guided by self-efficacy theory, this study assessed the impact of optimal versus minimal physical fitness state on student academic achievement. The study sample included 5,416 9th grade students from the same school district who completed a minimum of 5 of the 6 components of the FITNESSGRAM tests, and who also completed the math and English language arts (ELA) …

Parents' Perceptions Of And Experiences With School Counselors, Robyn Jean Emde

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has found that parents may feel isolated from their children's schools due to their own problematic educational experiences or their lack of understanding their children's school experiences. Current literature explores stakeholders' perceptions of school counselors but lacks specific context from a parental perspective. Validating parents' perceptions of and experiences with school counselors enhances students' academic success by providing insight about what motivates parents to invest in their children's schools and how school counselors influence parental involvement. Utilizing key concepts related to the importance of parental involvement for student success, this qualitative study focused on the experiences and perceptions of …

Using Cognitive Word Games To Promote Lexical Memory Access And Vocabulary Retrieval In Second Language Learners, Kejkaew Thanasuan

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Fluency in a second language (L2) is one of the most important skills for the modern world. However, adults learning a new language face many obstacles, including motivation, time, and other challenges in learning. Technology learning tools may help solve these problems. In this dissertation, I tested the effectiveness of cognitive word games as a vocabulary learning method, with the main goal of investigating how different word games including a crossword paradigm task, a free association task and a word-stem completion task were effective at improving vocabulary memory access. The games selectively increased semantic (meaning) or orthographic (spelling) associations in …

Early Contexts Of Learning: Family And Community Socialization During Infancy And Toddlerhood, Carolyn P. Edwards, Lixin Ren, Jill Brown

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

The contexts of early learning and socialization are diverse and complex but not without some predictability. The tension between predictability and variation fascinates researchers interested in childhood and culture and motivates careful exploration of different developmental niches to better understand socialization during infancy, toddlerhood, and early childhood. Contexts of early socialization vary in the people and activities present, and the beliefs and norms of caregivers and daily companions. The chapter utilizes anthropological constructs (household structure and composition, settlement patterns and subsistence level, mothers’ workload, gender division of labor, intimacy levels between husbands and wives, and cultural roles and norms pertaining …

The Requirement To Be Fit And Proper: What Does It Mean To Australian Psychologists?, Francesca A. Bell

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The phrase fit and proper is used in the Health Practitioners Regulation National Law Act (Qld), 2009, which came into effect nationally in 2010 and governs psychologists. As with previous legislation that used the phrase, the legislator does not define fit and proper, leaving it up to each profession to determine its exact meaning and inform the courts accordingly. A review of the literature established that to date no Australian psychologist has attempted to define the construct. This means that Australian lawyers do not get any guidance from psychologists regarding how they should interpret the phrase fit and proper in …

Leaving Home: Investigating Transitioning Challenges Faced By Boarding Students And Their Families, Kate Margaret Hadwen

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Transitioning to boarding school during the middle years of childhood impacts upon the social, emotional and academic wellbeing of young people (Bramston & Patrick, 2007; Connell & Wellborn, 1991; Deci, Vallerand, Pelletier, & Ryan, 1991; Earls & Carlson, 2001). Students who live at school as boarders, may experience greater transitional changes in all three components of wellbeing due to the extent of change experienced during this transition. While research addressing transitioning to school has indicated the importance of connectedness to school, bonding, friendships and a sense of autonomy (Eccles et al., 1993), there is limited research addressing the transitioning experiences …

Assessment Of Phonological And Orthographic Differences In Adults With Reading Disabilities, Christina P. Hyers Mrs.

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

There is debate surrounding how to effectively identify and distinguish reading disabilities from other deficits in college populations. Although several theories have proposed a positive relationship between nonword decoding weaknesses and higher intelligence levels, currently there is no conclusive evidence supporting these claims. The primary purpose of the current study was to determine if individuals of diverging levels of verbal intellectual functioning display profile differences with regard to accuracy for spelling and single word reading of regular words and nonwords. Identifying the specific deficits displayed in populations with reading disabilities assists in formulating interventions targeted at areas of weakness and …

Relationship Between Psychological Well-Being And Perceived Wellness In Online Graduate Counselor Education Students, Wendy Merryman, Magy Martin, Don Martin

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Counselor well-being is an important contributor to the effectiveness of the therapeutic relationship. This study examined the relationship between psychological well-being and perceived wellness in a sample (N = 100) of graduate students enrolled in two online counselor training programs. The issue of personal counseling was also addressed in this study. Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant relationship between psychological well-being and perceived wellness.

Student Motivation: Teacher Perceptions, Beliefs And Practices, Teresa M. D'Elisa

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' beliefs, perceptions and practices related to student motivation. Two-hundred-and-six teachers from 13 states completed an on-line survey containing the Perception of Student Motivation questionnaire (PSM), Motivating Strategies Questionnaire (MSQ), and researcher-devised questions examining theoretical beliefs and practices. Results reveal that teachers consider motivation to be an important part of their teaching. Teachers' reporting feeling efficacious for diagnosing and intervening for student motivation and believing in the malleability of motivation was found to correlate with motivational strategy use. This finding was consistent with previous research. However, their endorsement of theoretical beliefs and …

The Role Of Awareness Of Repetition During The Development Of Automaticity, Emma Shadbolt

Theses : Honours

Investigation into the influence of contextual information on performance of an automatic task has found inconsistent results. The majority of studies have investigated whether changing the context of a simple cognitive task can inhibit an automatic response, but do not review whether context can help the development of automatic responding. The current study examined whether bringing awareness to the context of a simple numerosity task could aid the development of automaticity. It also examined whether participants were aware of when automaticity developed for them via a post-test interview. The numerosity task used in this study was a simple counting task …

The Development And Tryout Of A Program Designed To Increase Students' Multiplication Fact Fluency, Linton D. Williams

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Fluency skills are fundamental to the ability to complete relatively more complex problems using less mental energy. Most math curriculums do not stress the importance of automaticity of math facts. Variations in teaching styles and teaching modality seem to negate the true purpose for cementing and rapidly retrieving math facts. This study put to the test a program that was designed to increase students’ ability to retrieve multiplication facts fluently. The program exercised cognitive structures and enabled students to retrieve multiplication facts quickly. The results of a matched-pairs t-test indicated that after the students completed the course of the program, …

Using Commercially Available Picture Activity Schedules And System Of Least Prompts To Teach Lego Assembly, Lauren A. Sherrow

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

This study investigated effects of commercially available picture activity schedules (PAS) and system of least prompts (SLP) to teach recreation skills to four high school students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and intellectual disabilities using Lego sets. Results were evaluated through a multiple probe across participants design and indicate that a combination of PAS and SLP was effective for teaching the students to build Lego sets. All students improved their ability to build and were able to generalize the skill to novel sets after the completion of intervention. Limitations and implications for future practioners are discussed.

The Impact Of Baby Sign Training On Stress Levels Of Daycare Providers, Grisel Julieta Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Proponents of baby sign claim improvements in child-caregiver interactions and reductions in parental stress as benefits of implementing baby sign. Due to research contradicting the claims, and to the rise in daycare attendance, the current study investigated the effects of a baby sign workshop on the stress perception of daycare providers. A pre-test post-test between groups design with 20 participants was conducted using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS10) and a workshop-specific descriptive survey as measures. The difference between the post-test stress levels of experimental and control groups approached significance, as did the differences between pre-test and post-test results for the …

Health-Related Beliefs Among Low-Income African American Women And Their Perceptions About Obesity, Cenora Kimberly Akhidenor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The aim of this study was to explore the health-related beliefs and perceptions of low-income African American women regarding obesity. Phenomenology served as the conceptual framework for this study. African American women, especially those in low-income brackets, have been shown to weigh more than women of other racial/ethnic groups. The consequences of these high rates are increased risks of developing chronic health disorders, such as type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The study sample consisted of 7 low-income obese African American women, ranging in age from 20 to 62, who resided in the Pacific Northwest. Recruitment for participation occurred via …

English Language Learners And High School Transition Experiences, Kimberly Watkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Spanish speaking English language learning (ELL) students in U.S. public schools are among those most likely to drop out of high school. However, there is a research gap concerning Spanish speaking ELL student success and their experiences in transitioning from supported English as a second language (ESL) classes into mainstream, general education classes in high school. Guided by the framework of transitional bilingual education, the purpose of this study was to present the phenomenological experiences of former ESL students as they transitioned from ESL to English-only classes. Participants included 7 adults who transitioned from Spanish speaking ESL during their high …

Compassion Development In Higher Education, Roxanne Rashedi, Thomas G. Plante, Erin S. Callister

Psychology

Many schools of psychology and religious studies intend to promote the cultivation of compassion. Compassion is currently an integral area of study in psychology, religious studies, and higher education, specifically in faith-based higher education. While secular universities in the United States strive to generate disciplinary-based knowledge through scholarship, their ability to promote students' use of the information they are learning to create positive social change has typically lagged. Conscious of the magnitude of today's global issues and dissatisfied with the current disparity between the world's reality and university curricula, scholars have begun to re-imagine the role of higher education in …

School-Wide Factors In New York State High School Counseling Program Readiness, Dianah Cantres

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While current accountability regimes in U.S. public education focus on the job performance of individual school professionals, research in industrial/organizational psychology has established the importance of system-wide factors for organizational outcomes. The purpose of this study was to identify school-wide factors that predict guidance program readiness in New York State high schools. This nonexperimental, quantitative study was based on a survey sample of 97 guidance counselors in New York State. Multivariariate analyses of variance showed that two school-wide independent variables-urbanization of school location and counselor-student ratio-predict scores on guidance program readiness, measured using the American School Counselor Association Readiness Survey. …