Psychology Commons^™

Using The Dynamic Indicators Of Basic Early Literacy Skills To Identify Students At-Risk For Reading Difficulties, Rachael Sloan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Reading is an essential skill that facilitates the development of later academic skills. Research has shown that phonological awareness at a young age is a strong predictor of later reading skills. As such, it is important to identify students who struggle with reading and phonological awareness at a young age. It is equally important that the tools used to identify early reading difficulties are appropriate and accurate for a given school district. The purpose of the current project was to examine the published benchmarks for the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) in the identification of students as …

A Survey Of Teaming And Assessment Practices Of Practitioners Trained In Transdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment, Breanna Bartley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This research project is an electronic survey of Western Kentucky University graduates of an OSEP funded personnel preparation project (Project TEAM) from the years 1993-2000. The program trained graduate students in transdisciplinary play based assessment from the disciplines of psychology, speech/language pathology, and Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (IECE) through a series of coursework, seminars and an internship. Transdisciplinary play based assessment (TPBA) is recommended by experts and learned societies in the early childhood field and is considered to be child friendly, provides a holistic view of the child and promotes communication and collaboration between the professionals and family (Linder, 1990; …

A Comparison Of Two Measures Of Oral Reading Fluency, Kara Bletzinger

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Reading fluency is an important part of the process of learning to read. It is commonly assessed by the use of Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) techniques; however, a new assessment method emerged in the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement- Third Edition (WJ-III). Only one previous study had examined the validity of the Reading Fluency test from the WJ-III by comparing it to established CBM measures of reading fluency for a sample of third-grade students. The resulting correlation between the two measures supported the validity of the WJIII Reading Fluency test, but it was unclear as to the two tests' relationship across grade …

Developmental And Gender Patterns In Social Information Processing: Social Problem-Solving And Social Goals, April Bowersox

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine patterns of development and gender in first- through fifth-grade children's (N = 514) social information processing, as well as the role emotion plays in these patterns. Developmental patterns and goal selection have been relatively understudied in past social information processing literature. Videotaped ambiguous provocations were presented in which provocateur's emotion displays were manipulated (two each of happy, angry, and sad); children imagined being the provocateur's victim. Results revealed age and gender differences in children's goal selection and social problem-solving. Provocateur's emotion displays were also found to Influence goal selection and problem-solving in …

Assessing The Parent Involvement Component Of A Head Start Program, Stephanie Wilkerson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Head Start, a federally funded preschool program that provides a diverse array of services to children ages three to five years, strongly emphasizes the importance of parent involvement in its program. The purpose of the present study was to examine Head Start parents' perceptions of the parent involvement component of a regional Head Start program. Specifically, this study assessed barriers to parent involvement with the program, parent participation and satisfaction with the program, and whether or not parents were aware of the various aspects of the Head Start parent involvement component. This study also compared satisfaction ratings of parents who …

Perceptions Of Ethical Public School Leadership Among K-12 Indiana School Principals, Philip V. Bender

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research attempted to determine the ethical perceptions of Indiana K-12 public school principals through their ratings of selected ethical preparedness statements. The goal was to determine if significant differences exist among public school principals in the state of Indiana based on level and locale of school, gender, ethnicity, source of ethical development, and years of service related to ethical areas of knowledge, disposition, and performance as derived from the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium: Standards for School Leaders (ISLLC) Standard 5. The population for this study consisted of 1,900 public school principals in the state of Indiana. A survey …

An Assessment Of School Adjustment In Head Start Children, Rachel Waford

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of the current study was to pilot test measures of cognitive-linguistic achievement and socioemotional competence to create an all encompassing model of school adjustment in a sample of Head Start children (N = 36). Past research examining school adjustment in low-income children has failed to address all of the components of school adjustment while often employing the same reporter (the teacher) for both predictor and outcome measures. Cognitive-linguistic measures included four subtests from the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement and two assessments of phonological awareness (rhyming and alliteration). Emotion regulation measures included teacherreported emotionality and emotion regulation, parent-reported emotionality …

Student Discipline: Analyses And Comparisons Of Behaviors Which Incur Suspension Or Expulsion For Minority And Non-Minority Students In The State Of Indiana, A. Sue Girvin Ward

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study was undertaken on the premise that the public had concerns regarding a11egations that minority-students were suspended or expelled more frequently than non-minority students. The implication of excessive disciplinary action on minority students emerged when the Zero-Tolerance Act was adopted in l 994. The Act was an amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Critics state disciplinary action under zero-tolerance policies has unduly affected all students but has primarily affected children from families oflowcr socioeconomic status and ethnic minority groups. This study, using the chi-square goodness of fit test, examined the 2002-2003 disciplinary statistics of …

Training Program To Improve Estimation Of Patients' Periodontal Pain Experience, Yoon Jeong Kim

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine if periodontal residents could enhance their ability to appraise the pain levels experienced by their patients from probing, using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) to record pain. We hypothesized that with increasing experience by repeated comparisons of the patients' VAS pain ratings with independent ratings by the residents, they would improve their ability to appraise their patients' pain experiences.

Methods: For each of three periodontal residents, 40 consecutive periodontitis patients were asked to express the degree of pain they experienced during the probing. Independently, the residents rated the pain level they perceived …

Teaching Graduate Trainees How To Manage Client Anger: A Comparison Of Three Types Of Training, Shirley A. Hess, Sarah Knox, Clara E. Hill

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

The authors examined the effects of three types of training (supervisor-facilitated training, self-training, biblio-training) on 62 graduate student therapists' state anxiety, self-efficacy for dealing with anger, and helping skills (i.e., reflections and immediacy) in response to videotaped vignettes of angry clients. Training overall was rated as very helpful, and trainees increased in self-efficacy for working with client anger. Supervisor-facilitated training was rated as more helpful than, and was preferred to, self-training and biblio-training; it also led to more reflection of feelings in response to clients. Results suggest that vignettes such as these might be a helpful adjunct to training once …

Portrayal Of Disabilities In Caldecott Books, Tina Taylor, Mary Anne Prater, Jennifer Jenson

Faculty Publications

The authors read all of the books that received Caldecott Medal and Honor status awarded between 1938 and 2005 and found that 11 included a character with a disability. For each book, they analyzed characterizations of those with disabilities and generated tips for using the book to teach about disabilities. They argue that accurate portrayals of characters with disabilities, particularly the types of disabilities encountered most frequently by young children, are needed in award-winning picture books.

Linkages Between Family Cohesion And Sibling Relationships In Families Raising A Child With A Disability, Mary L. Jefferson

Theses and Dissertations

Family researchers have often reported that siblings of children with disabilities have mixed outcomes, some harmful, and some beneficial, but have neglected to investigate how the sibling relationship might be correlated with other factors, such as family cohesion. Therefore, 72 mothers and fathers raising a child with a disability and a child without a disability completed the Family Cohesion subscale of Bloom's family functioning measure and the Sibling Inventory of Behavior to determine interactions between parents' perceptions of family cohesion and sibling relationships. Results indicated that mothers and fathers' perceptions of cohesion and sibling relationships were not significantly different. Mothers' …

Bibliotherapy: School Psychologists' Report Of Use And Efficacy, Marci A. Olsen

Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on the use of bibliotherapy by school psychologists. A survey was created and distributed to 119 registered and licensed school psychologists in Utah to obtain information on this topic. Forty-one percent returned a completed survey. Results indicated that bibliotherapy is used by 82% of the participants in the study, and 31 of 34 (91%) use bibliotherapy with children grades K-6. Topics most used with bibliotherapy included self-esteem, bullying, divorce, anxiety, and grief. Efficacy varied depending on the topic of bibliotherapy. However, school psychologists regarded bibliotherapy across all topics to be very effective to effective.

Evaluating Increasing And Decreasing Prompt Hierarchies With Developmentally Disabled Adults, Sophie Rubin

Masters Theses

Individuals with developmental disabilities were taught conditional discriminations in the form of an auditory visual matching to sample task using two teaching strategies: the increasing prompt hierarchy and the decreasing prompt hierarchy. A multielement design was used to compare these prompt hierarchies in terms of accuracy, rate of acquisition, number of errors, number of edible reinforcers, and number of praise statements delivered. The results indicate that the increasing prompt hierarchy consistently resulted in an increased number of steps, errors, edibles, and praise statements compared to the decreasing prompt hierarchy. However, differing results were obtained on the accuracy measure across participants. …

Effects Of Single Versus Multiple Verbal Operant Arrangements On The Acquisition Of Mands And Tacts In Preschool Children, Tina M. Sidener

Dissertations

Verbal Behavior programs for children diagnosed with autism typically teach novel language in the context of multiple verbal operant arrangements. Commonly called "mixed verbal behavior", this involves the interspersal of various exemplars across verbal operant categories. Despite the current recommended use of this teaching procedure, only 2 studies to date have empirically evaluated its effectiveness (i.e., Arntzen & Almas, 2001; Carroll & Hesse, 1987). In both of these studies, mixed mand-tact training resulted in faster mean acquisition of tacts than tact-only training. In Experiment 1 of the current investigation, a systematic replication of previous studies was conducted with 3 typically-developing …

Scholarship Buddies, Melissa Marlow

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Major Organizational Policy On Employee Attitudes Toward Graduate Degrees, Frank R. Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

Leaders initiate policies not only to improve the success of their organizations, but to influence employee performance, whereby employee attitudes toward a policy objective can influence their resulting behaviors. One group of employees, Air Force officers, experienced a policy change in 2005 that discontinued the use of academic degrees as criteria for officer promotions. With this change, there is a concern that the number of Air Force officers with graduate degrees might decrease. In particular, senior leaders in the Civil Engineer (CE) officer career field are concerned that this policy change might reduce the number of officers available to fill …

Perceptions Of Parents, Self, And God As Predictive Of Sympton Severity Among Women Beginning Inpatient Treatment For Eating Disorders, Melissa H. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The present investigation examined whether perceptions of parents, self, and God among women beginning inpatient treatment for eating disorders was predictive of symptom severity. The sample included 464 women (ages 12 to 56 years) beginning inpatient treatment for eating disorders at a private treatment facility, with the majority being Caucasian. Participants completed study measures as part of an initial battery of assessment measures, and included indices of eating disorder symptomology, parental relationships, self-esteem, and religious well-being. Multiple regression analysis showed perceptions of self and parents to be significant predictors, however perceptions of God failed to predict eating disorder symptom severity. …

A Modified Therapeutic Community: Reducing Violence In A Medium Security Prison, Lee Maglinger

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study explores the impact a modified therapeutic community has on institutional disorder. Treatment programs are normally evaluated by their ability to prevent recidivism and relapse. This study examines the efficacy of a modified therapeutic community in reducing the number and severity of write-ups of its clients in a medium security male prison. The study describes research findings regarding the relationship between the write-ups of clients in a modified therapeutic community compared with the write-ups of inmates in a non-treatment unit. To carry out this study, the author reviewed the write-up records from the treatment program and a non-treatment unit …

The Emotional Dimensions Of Urban Teacher Change, Nate Mccaughtry, Jeffrey J. Martin, Pamela Hodges Kulinna, Donetta Cothran

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

This study used an emotional geographies theoretical framework to analyze the emotional dimensions of urban teacher change. Fifteen urban physical education teachers involved in a comprehensive curriculum reform project were interviewed and observed multiple times across one school year. Data were analyzed using inductive analysis, and trustworthiness measures included triangulation, peer debriefing, researcher journals, and member checks. Teachers reported that emotional dimensions related to their urban students, colleagues, and status heavily influenced their engagement in the project. The discussion section maps the emotional dimensions of these teachers' change experiences onto an emotional geographies framework that situates their experiences in change …

Evaluation Of The Marshall University School Psychology Internship Experience, Carolee S. Richards

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Parental satisfaction of 16 students completing an internship through the Marshall University School Psychology Graduate Program was evaluated in the current study. Surveys consisting of ten questions related to services offered by the School Psychology Intern during the Special Education eligibility process were provided to parents during the last five eligibility meetings conducted by each intern. Descriptive statistics as well as qualitative data were utilized to determine whether or not parents were generally satisfied with services being offered by the intern. These results were compared to data collected by Debra Henderson during the summer practicum attended by the same interns …

A Comparison Of The Effect Of Single-Sex Versus Mixed-Sex Classes On Middle School Student Achievement, Carol E. Thom

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of single-sex versus mixedsex classes on middle school student achievement. It was a case study of Stonewall Jackson Middle School in Charleston, West Virginia, an inner-city school with approximately 600 students, of which 30% were minority (mostly black), 30% were special needs, and 70% were classified low socio-economic status (SES). Student WESTEST (West Virginia Educational Standards Test) scores in reading/language arts and math were collected and compared from the school years 2003-2004 and 2004-2005. Each student’s scores from the first year were compared to that same student’s scores from the …

Parent Satisfaction With Marshall University’S Summer Enrichment Program: Year Three, Cristen C. Pulliam

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The current study sought to examine the level of parent satisfaction with an extended school year program, the Marshall University Graduate College Summer Enrichment Program, verses the level of parent satisfaction at students’ local schools. The study also replicated the findings in two previous studies (Lattimore, 2003; Wartenburg, 2005). Parent satisfaction data were collected using satisfaction surveys. A survey was mailed to parents at the end of the regular school year to assess level of parent satisfaction with local school (N= 105). Twenty surveys were returned by mail. Intercorrelations of the parent satisfaction survey questions for the local school were …

Is The Gai A Good Short Form Of The Wisc-Iv?, Kimberly A. Scott

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A comparison was done between the standard scores of the GAI and the FSIQ of the WISC-IV using 31 subjects. The mean difference between the GAI/ FSIQ standard score is 3.74. T tests of significance show that there is not a significant difference between the scores of the GAI and the Full Scale IQ. The Pearson r correlation (.963 @ .01 level) suggests there is a strong positive correlation between the GAI and the Full Scale IQ. In summary, the GAI is a good predictor of the FSIQ of the WISC-IV. More data is required to determine if a statistical …

Correlations Between The Wisc-Iv, Sb: V, And The Wj-Iii Tests Of Achievement : Which Has A Better Relationship With Reading Achievement?, Krystal Campbell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The relationship between the WISC-IV and the SB: V to three reading subtests on the WJ-III Tests of Achievement was used to determine which intelligence test correlates better with achievement using 22 students. Results yielded insignificant values when assessing significant relationships, comparing two correlated correlations, and significance between means. This study concludes that both intelligence tests measure reading similarly and does not result in whether or not one should be preferred over the other. Future implications to further validate these results would include a larger and more generalized population.

Reading Achievement For Students In Marshall University Graduate College’S 2005 Summer Enrichment Program: Program Evaluation, Elizabeth Cottle-Willard

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The improvement of individual student reading achievement is a major desired goal for academic institutions across America. Public and private schools desire knowledge to afford professional assessment of implemented curricula and instructional strategies. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Marshall University Graduate College’s Summer Enrichment Program through individual student reading achievement for pre-kindergarten through ninth grade students. Running record reading probes were administered to help identify student’s reading skills. The analysis of this data enabled the instructors to instructionally group students with similar reading strengths. This researcher compiled each student’s initial and final reading running …

Comparison Of The Reading Subtests Of The Woodcock Johnson Tests Of Achievement- Third Edition And The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Second Edition, Bruce A. Crum

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A comparison of the reading subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson, Third Edition and the Wechlser Individual Achievement Test, Second Edition using 49 subjects. A t test of significance and the Pearson R Correlations were computed to compare the scores. The purpose of the study is to determine how closely the two tests measure the same reading skills.

Attendance And Reading Gains: Marshall University Summer Enrichment Program, Justa L. Dolin

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine if attendance has any influence on student success during the Marshall University Summer Enrichment Program. This study compared student’s daily attendance records to gains in reading. Students were divided into two groups, those who missed no more than 2 days and those who missed 3 or more days. Missing no more than 2 days has been the traditional description in this setting for the program completion certificates. Running record reading probes were used to identify the student’s gain in reading skills. The data were analyzed using the Chi-Square test to determine the …

Implementing Bibliotherapy: Noah & Friends, Ryan Ealy

Graduate Research Papers

For this project, I have decided to write a series of short stories. It is titled Noah and Friends. These stories will teach students about diversity, peer pressure, and role models. Reading stories can be used as a great therapeutic tool as well a unique way to teach and a fun way for students to learn. Through reading stories students can learn about themselves through characters in books that are dealing with conflicts similar to what they are currently experiencing. This allows them to gain insight about their problems as well as learn different solutions they could try to solve …

The Interaction Of Goal Orientation And Stage Of Change On Exercise Behavior In College Students, Sam Zizzi, Linda A. Keeler, Jack C. Watson

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The purpose of this study was to develop and examine the reliability and validity of the Perceptions of Success Questionnaire for Exercise (POSQ-E), and to link goal orientations to self-reported physical activity patterns and perceptions. The final sample consisted of 569 recreation center participants who utilized the facility 3.77 days a week (SD = 1.94) and were active for an average of 70.18 minutes (SD = 33.3) per session. Sixty-three percent of respondents (n = 358) self-reported meeting adult guidelines for regular exercise (150 minutes per week). Using a single-item ladder, participants were assigned across the five stages of exercise …