Psychology Commons^™

Gifted Voices: A Study Of High School Students' Proficiency In Persuasive Writing And Their Perceptions Of Personal Agency, Susan Carol Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Development of the talents and abilities of gifted children is not ordinarily provided by regular public school programs. Their need for accelerated, complex, and challenging curriculum and processes is often overlooked by educators focused on helping underperforming students to reach grade-level standards. Gifted high school students who are proficient in persuasive writing are able to clearly state a claim, support that claim with evidence and backing, recognize and rebut counterclaims, and draw a conclusion leading to action. If gifted students are proficient at writing persuasively, perhaps they are also able to advocate for learning experiences that are challenging, complex, and …

The Relationship Between The Wisc-Iv Gai And The Kabc-Ii, Nancy R. Oliver

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This present study compared the WISC-IV GAI and the global scores of KABC-II. The tests were administered to referred students in rural schools in Ohio and West Virginia. The study included 30 Caucasian students between the ages of 6 years, 7 months to 16 years, 11 months; 19 females and 11 males with an average age of 9 years, 10 months. Results found a strong correlation between the GAI and the FCI; and the GAI and the MPI. The results of the t-test of significance suggested that these tests given to the same student would yield similar results.

Has Behavioral Science Tumbled Through The Biological Looking Glass? Will Brief, Evidence-Based Training Return It From The Rabbit Hole?, Donna M. Midkiff, W. Joseph Wyatt

Psychology Faculty Research

Time constraints and professional demands leave practicing professionals unlikely to enroll in extended training such as a semester-long graduate course. Thus, the three-hour continuing education format has become a standard for those in practice. One may ask what sorts of training strategies optimize that format. To explore that, a three hour training program for seventy-six practicing mental health professionals, most of whom self-identified as psychologists, was devised. It made use of primarily antecedent techniques that have been shown to bring about changed perceptions on a number of topics. Content focused on two areas of importance to behavior analysts, the culture’s …

The Future Of Natural Selection Knowledge Measurement: A Reply To Anderson Et Al. (2010), Ross Nehm, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

The development of rich, reliable, and robust measures of the composition, structure, and stability of student thinking about core scientific ideas (such as natural selection) remains a complex challenge facing science educators. In their recent article (Nehm & Schonfeld 2008), the authors explored the strengths, weaknesses, and insights provided by a detailed exploration of three commonly used measures of student thinking about natural selection in a large sample of underrepresented minority students. One of their core findings was that all of the tools they studied--including the CINS--have strengths and weaknesses that must be carefully taken into consideration by those …

Values And Problem Behaviors In Hong Kong Adolescents, Phebe Karen Lam

Wayne State University Dissertations

The present study examined sensation seeking, psychological problem behaviors, values orientation, and problem behaviors of smoking, alcohol use, and delinquency among Hong Kong adolescents studying in high school of two different ability levels. Adolescents (N = 1385) from a band one and band three level high school in Hong Kong were assessed using the Sensation Seeking Scale Form-V (SSS-V), Youth Self Report (YSR), Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ), and the Adolescent Health and Development Questionnaire (AHDQ), along with several demographic variables (e.g., age, gender, grade level, employment).

Regression analyses were employed to determine the contribution of the significantly correlated variables in …

How Sweet It Is: Candy-Based Demonstrations In Introductory Psychology, Amanda C. Gingerich

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

especially those involving candy (e.g., Cherny, 2008), I created a collection of demonstrations in introductory psychology that involve the use of candy. To test their effectiveness in helping students learn concepts introductory psychology, I asked students to provide feedback about the how enjoyable some of the activities were, how useful they were in illustrating their intended topic, and whether they made the concepts more memorable. Results suggest that the “Twizzlers” exercise was the most memorable (as measured by accuracy to question #1) and that the “Jelly Bellies” exercise was the most enjoyable (as measured by responses to question #6).

Emerging Adults' Perceptions Of Learning In An Undergraduate Student Organization For Global Social Justice, Patricia Marie Kean

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Current literature suggests the institution of higher education is exploring its identity and role in society, much like the emerging adults who enroll in their programs as traditional aged undergraduates. Literature also reveals that society is asking undergraduate institutions to meet the diverse needs of its students and prepare them for adulthood and life long learning. However, research also highlights the need for students to be educated for participation within an interconnected and complex global society able to facilitate positive social change. Using a developmental lens, this interpretive case study addressed these current needs through interpreting perceptions of undergraduates and …

Bad Starts And Better Finishes: Attributional Retraining And Initial Performance In Competitive Achievement Settings, Raymond P. Perry, Robert Stupnisky, Nathan C. Hall, Judith G. Chipperfield, Bernard Weiner

Education, Health & Behavior Studies Faculty Publications

Transitions to new achievement settings are often accompanied by unfamiliar learning conditions wherein individuals experience unanticipated failures and engage in dysfunctional explanatory thinking. To counter these developments, attributional retraining (AR) was presented to 457 first-year students following an initial test in a two-semester course. A Semester 1 AR treatment (no, yes) and initial-test-performance (low, average, high) 2 × 3 quasi-experimental design was used to assess Semester 2 attributions, emotions, and performance outcomes. AR encouraged all students to endorse controllable attributions and de-emphasize uncontrollable attributions in explaining achievement outcomes in Semester 2. For low- and average-initial-performance students, AR improved subsequent in-class …

Reliability And Validity Analyses Of The Community Service Attitudes Scale, Brian Perry

Online Theses and Dissertations

A study of the reliability and validity of the Community Service Attitudes Scale which was developed by Shiarella, McCarthy, and Tucker (2000) and based on Schwartz's (1977) model of helping behaviors was conducted. Scores on each of the subscales of the Community Service Attitudes Scale showed strong reliability with coefficient alpha scores ranging from .80 to .93. The factor analysis confirmed the findings of the original authors with eight factors having eigenvales greater than one indentified. Validity analyses confirmed that the measure can distinguish between groups expected to differ. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed.

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Selected Demographic Variables And Dual Enrollment Participation On Postsecondary Success For First Time Freshmen, Marby S. Barker

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between dual enrollment participation in high school and successful transition to post-secondary institutions for first year students. The sample consisted of a random sample of first-time students enrolled at four-year, two-year, and technical colleges in North Louisiana.

Participants completed the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships First Year Out Student Survey. The results were analyzed based on characteristics such as ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, School Performance Scores (SPS) of high school attended, ACT scores, high school cumulative grade point average, first term postsecondary grade point average, and type of postsecondary institutions selected by dual enrollment …

Citizenship In The Humanities And Social Sciences: A Selective Bibliography, 2000-2009, Wayne State University School Of Library And Information Science, Winter 2010 Lis 7160, James E. Van Loon, H.G.B. Anghelescu

School of Information Sciences Faculty Research Publications

Citizenship in the Humanities and Social Sciences is a selective bibliography consisting of citations to works published during the years 2000-2009 on citizenship-related topics in the humanities and social sciences. Primarily consisting of books/chapters and scholarly journal articles, the bibliography also includes other materials (case studies, reports, dissertations, and working papers) for which scholarship, authority and relevance have been established. Most cited works are published in the English language, although articles published in other languages using a Latin alphabet are also included. Citations were retrieved during January-March 2010 from a variety of aggregated databases accessed through the Wayne State University …

Children's Weekend Activities In Four Countries : Context For Personal And Social Development, Asil Ozdogru

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Out-of-school time constitutes a major context of social and emotional development for children across cultures. Because it is not constrained by school attendance, weekend time allows cultural and gender differences in time usage to emerge. In this study, children's weekend activities, choice, and some of the related emotional outcomes were examined for fourth-grade students in four countries. A total of 1,265 children of families from middle socioeconomic status in Bulgaria, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United States completed an activity survey asking them to state their typical activity for each of 12 hours on Saturday, their enjoyment of the activity, and …

Steps For Prioritizing Academic Advising: A Small-School Case Study, Chris Koch, Kristina M. Kays

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

This paper presents a case study of the steps taken to prioritize academic advising at a small, four-year, liberal arts university. Assessment data from several sources and an advising task force shaped the plan for changing the importance and culture of academic advising within the institution.

Assessing School And Student Predictors Of Weapons Reporting, Lindsey E. Wylie, Chris L. Gibson, Eve M. Brank, Mark R. Fondacaro, Stephen W. Smith, Veda E. Brown, Scott A. Miller

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

School violence and weapons at school are a major concern for community members, school administrators, and policy makers. This research examines both student-level and school-level variables that predict middle school students’ willingness to report a weapon at school under several reporting conditions. Results substantiate previous analyses of these data that student-level variables explain students’ willingness to report a weapon but extend these findings to include school climate variables that affect willingness to report (i.e., collective identity and conflict). School climate variables were also shown to influence reporting under conditions in which there would be consequences for the weapons-carrying student or …

Comparing Racial Identity, Acculturative Stress, And Feelings Of Alienation In African-American College Attendees And Non-Attendees, Raymond Brock-Murray

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Training Transfer And Transfer Motivation : The Influence Of Individual, Environmental, Situational, Traning Design And Affective Reaction Factors., Muhammad Awais Bhatti

Student Works (2010-2019)

Human resource development professionals have been investing several resources to provide necessary skills, knowledge and abilities to their employees in order to get competitive advantage in the global market and to achieve organizational goals. To provide these necessary skills, knowledge and abilities, organizations have been investing millions of dollars in formal training programs. The main objective of these training programs is to align the employee‟s expertise with organizational goals. The organizations can only achieve their desired objectives when employees transfer the learned skills at workplace. But unfortunately, employees transfer a small percentage of learned skills at workplace. To effectively manage …

(2010) Philosophical Dialogue With Children: Essays On Theory And Practice, David Kennedy

Collected Papers of David Kennedy

David Kennedy is the foremost expert of children’s philosophical experience and practice writing today. One of the factors that makes him so will be apparent to readers of this collection of essays: the insistent probing and the astonishing range of his scholarship, which encompasses philosophy of childhood, philosophy of education, developmental psychology, cultural studies, critical theory, philosophy of subjectivity, chaos and systems theory, epistemology, and metaphilosophy. The other factor, only hinted at in this book, is the thousands of hours that Kennedy has clocked on the rugs and in the small chairs of schools, pre-schools, churches and other children’s spaces …

The Caring Teacher: A Multiple Case Study That Looks At What Teachers Do And Believe About Their Work With At-Risk Students, Sarah Whitney Thompson

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Caring teachers have been identified as a critical component of successful interventions with at-risk students, however just what constitutes a caring teacher is less well understood. Specifically, what are the behaviors, characteristics, and beliefs of caring teachers, and how are they impacted by the contexts within which they work? The purpose of this multiple case study was to understand more about caring teachers who work with at-risk students in secondary schools located in a Midwestern city and thereby to add complexity to the literature. Two middle school teachers and two high school teachers were recruited to participate. They were observed …

Evidence-Based Programs That Address Social Emotional Learning In An Early Childhood Setting, Jihan Ali

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project is to compare and contrast evidence-based curriculums that address social-emotional learning for children 3 to 5 years old in a rural early childhood setting. Factors that will be considered include the effectiveness of the program with diverse populations, implementation in rural areas, includes a parenting component, cost of training as well as other appropriate factors. By providing effective early childhood education to children and parents, Fernbrook will be able to give the parents skills to more effectively parent at the home and children skills to develop healthy social emotional skills.

Research Question: What evidence-based social …

What Do Social Groups Have To Do With Culture? The Crucial Role Of Shared Experience, Bradley W. Bergey, Avi Kaplan

Publications and Research

In an eloquent article in American Psychologist, Cohen (2009) evoked a contentious question: What are the boundaries of culture? In this opinion piece, we argue that signifying “cultural” identities that have nominal labels as potential markers for culture may be interpreted to suggest that group membership is synonymous with cultural processes. The emphasis on nominal groupings such as religion and SES, raises the question: What do these social groups have to do with culture? We argue that a focus on shared meanings of experiences, rather than nominal social groupings, is a more appropriate and productive path toward achieving Cohen’s …

The Relationships Among School Counselors' Multicultural Competence, Demographic Data And Ethical Decision-Making, Laura Ann Strong

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships, if any, among school counselors' multicultural competence, demographic data and ethical decision-making ability. The participants (N=160) for this study were members of the American Counseling Association (ACA) who designated their area of practice as school counseling. Participant's multicultural competence level was measured by the use of the MCCTS-R© (Revised by Holcomb-McCoy, 2004). Participant's ethical decision-making ability was measured through the use of the EDMS-R© (Revised by Paritzky and Dufrene, 2000; Adapted from James Rest's Defining Issues Test©, 1979, All Rights Reserved). The participants' demographic data was collected through the use …

The Relationship Between Psychological Well-Being And Perceived Wellness In Graduate-Level Counseling Students, Michel Renee Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It is imperative that those who provide personal therapy to others be well-adjusted in their personal and professional lives and possess a keen and accurate perception of wellness. Yet, persons drawn to careers in counseling often have unresolved psychological issues. Counselor education programs should have a systematic way to evaluate and improve wellness in their students. Studies addressing the well-being of counselors-in-training, their perception of wellness, and their need for self-care are lacking in the professional literature. This study, therefore, examined the relationship between psychological well-being and perceived wellness in a sample (N = 97) of graduate students in a …

The Role Of The Socio-Cultural And Developmental Context On Special Education, Amanda Lam

CMC Senior Theses

Existing research on inclusive education deals primarily with the effectiveness of inclusion programs and the theoretical frameworks behind their limitation. However, no extensive research has been conducted that explores the role of the socio-cultural context and the development level in determining the best way in which the educational needs of children with special needs can be met. Recognizing that the effectiveness of different special education services may depend on the socio-cultural context as well as the development level, this literature review seeks to identify the ideal method of treating children with disabilities in developed and developing countries. By assessing the …

Planteamientos Colaborativos En La Didáctica De La Composición Desde Modelos Procesuales, David Sánchez-Jiménez

Publications and Research

El presente artículo parte de una revisión del modelo tradicional de la enseñanza de la escritura en la clase de LE entendida como producto. Desde este punto de partida, se evidencian las ventajas de adoptar una escritura colaborativa basada en la consideración del texto como un proceso en construcción que pasa por diferentes fases creativas y en un modelo pedagógico que centra su atención en el alumno dentro de la práctica escrita.

SUMMARY: In the initial part of this article, we begin with a review of the traditional model of teaching composition in a foreign language class in which writing …

Uses Pattern Of Cosmetics And Perception Of Personality: A Study Of Students Doing Professional Courses In Lucknow City, Ruchi Srivastava, D.S. Chaubey

Business Review

The modern, urban Indian populations both male and female are becoming increasingly conscious about their style and looks, with great emphasis on lightening of skin tone. Skin care and color cosmetics have witnessed solid growth for the last few years Within a short span of the last five-six years, the use of cosmetics by Indian consumers has increased significantly with more and more women and men taking greater interest in personal grooming. Increasing disposable incomes, changing life styles, influence of satellite television and greater product choice and availability has also fueled the consumption pattern of cosmetics to build the perception …

The Paradox Of Emotionality & Competence In Multicultural Competency Training: A Grounded Theory, Jude A. Bergkamp

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The American Psychological Association mandates multicultural competency training as a requirement of accredited doctoral programs. The tripartite model of knowledge, skills, and awareness has been the most consistently cited framework in the last two decades. Although multiple pedagogical methods have been researched, there has yet to be a unified theory developed to link educational techniques to the tripartite domain competencies. Furthermore, there is a dearth of research exploring the various learning factors involved in multicultural competency training. Emotionality is an important factor in obtaining multicultural competency. No unified theory of multicultural education can be developed without incorporating the element of …

Teacher Training For The Implementation Of The Incredible Years At Gfw Elementary School, Karen J. Appel

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research project was to determine whether training the Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) teachers, paraprofessionals, and staff would increase the social and emotional literacy of the children as well as the staff in the ECSE classroom . The four areas of training & research consisted of: 1. Increasing staff’s positive attention, encouragement and praise while working as a team in the ECSE classroom; 2. Using incentives for the purpose of promoting positive attention in the classroom; 3. Using more proactive teaching techniques for the purpose of preventing behavior problems in the classroom, and 4. Increasing staff’s …

Whytry? A Program Evaluation, Tammie Knick

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In Minnesota, one out of every five students fail to graduate from high school (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2009). Long before students decide to drop out of school, a host of risk factors or early predictors undoubtedly emerged in childhood. The purpose of this research pilot project was to determine the efficacy of the WhyTry? program in helping to reduce some of those risk factors such as: Truancy, Behavior problems in school, Low academic achievement, and School disengagement. The WhyTry? Program uses a strengths-based approach to help youth overcome their challenges and improve their outcomes at school. WhyTry? is based …

A Phenomenological Examination Of The Influence Of Culture On Treating And Caring For Hispanic Children With Autism, Lynette Estrada

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and describe the influence culture has on the decisions Hispanic parents make to aid their children with autism. The research problems addressed are the influences culture may have on how professionals and external family members affect the choices parents make. Cultural and family systems theories formed the conceptual framework for the study. Researchers have found that cultural factors may lead to lower rates of diagnosis in Hispanic children with autism and parents' lack of knowledge of therapies and practices used to treat autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Five research questions guided this …

Parental Influences On Children’S Physical Activity, Molly Eshelman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The general purpose of this study was to investigate the role of parental influence on children's physical activity (PA) behaviors. The specific purposes were to (1) determine the relationship between parental attitudes and their children's PA, (2) determine if parental exercise habits are related to their children's PA participation, (3) determine if parental knowledge of physical activity recommendations is related to their children's PA participation, ( 4) examine the nature of parenting practices on their children's PA participation, and (5) investigate the mediating effect of socio-economic status on the influence parents have on their children's PA participation. Questionnaires were obtained …