Psychology Commons^™

Fluency Training On Quantitative Skills Tested By The Graduate Record Examination, Pamela L. Vunovich

Dissertations

This research consisted of an evaluation of a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) preparation course and two ancillary studies. Eighteen students enrolled in one of three courses (spring, summer, or fall) during which they spent approximately 140 hours preparing for the GRE using self-instructional texts and supplementary materials. Two sets of fluency practice drills with both accuracy and speed criteria were developed to improve students' performance on the quantitative portion of the GRE. The first set of four drills used in the spring and summer courses covered basic skills (basic math, fractions, decimals, and percentages). The second set of 42 drills, …

Institutional Climate And Institutional Effectiveness At Three Community Colleges, Connie S. Buckner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to explore the impact of employee morale, as manifested in institutional climate data, upon institutional effectiveness; and (2) to determine the extent to which information generated by climate survey data was used in developing and implementing change initiatives at each of the institutions studied. Three institutions were selected for this multiple site case study. Four sources of data from each institution were used to provide a "picture" of institutional climate. These sources of data were (a) the Personal Assessment of the College Environment (PACE) climate survey, (b) institutional self-study reports, (c) reaffirmation …

Implementation And Evaluation Of Parental Involvement Programs, Cindy Tucker Harbour

Graduate Theses

This report examines many recent cultural and family unit changes that have affected the home-school relationship. It addresses reasons for implementing parental involvement, the different programs available and assessment procedures. There are several key components in a parental involvement program: promoting parents as educators, training teachers to cooperate with families, promoting cooperation among families, involving the larger community and presenting family learning activities. These aspects have shown significant benefits to school staff members, students, and parents. How these relate to each other, identifies the positive expectation of the responsibility of education for all concerned. There are a variety of ways …

School Behavior And Perception Of The Family Environment Of Delinquent Youth, Anne Rachel Greenberg

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the perceptions that juvenile delinquents have of their family environment as they pertain to their current school behavior and treatment placement. The 75 subjects, ages 12 to 17 years, both male and female had been placed by the local juvenile and domestic relations court into one of three treatment programs. The subjects in the In-home treatment placement group perceived higher levels of Cohesion and Control, as measured by the Family Environment Scale (F.E.S.). The subjects in the Residential placement group perceived lower levels of Conflict. Conflict was found to be negatively correlated to problem school behavior as …

Parental Quality Ratings Of Early Child Care Experiences And Subsequent School Adjustment, Donna Owens Collier

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to investigate differences in the school performances of children with different early child care experiences. The relationship between parental quality ratings of early child care experiences and subsequent school performance was also examined. The subjects in this study were 99 first grade students from two public elementary schools in Chesapeake, Virginia. The parents of these students were asked to assess broad areas of their children's early care. This assessment resulted in four subscores and one overall score of quality. The school performance scores included two measures of academic achievement obtained from the students' …

Factors Which Effect Parental Agreement On Ratings Of Temperament And Behavior Problems, Elizabeth Edmonson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This investigator conducted a critical analysis of the literature on parental agreement on temperament and behavior problems ratings and the factors which impact parental agreement. Information was gathered through an extensive search of the computer databases, Educational Resource Information Center (ERIC, 1966-1996) and PsycLIT (PsycINFO, 1973-1995) using key terms - such as temperament, behavior, behavior problems, rating scales, parental agreement, parent ratings, socioeconomic status (SES), gender, and congruence. Results of the search identified several factors that are associated with ratings. These were socio-economic status (SES), gender, and marital satisfaction/parental psychological status. An annotated bibliography and tables were created for the …

The Effect Of Ses On Parent Ratings Of Termperament And Behavior, Heather Brown

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The present researcher examined the relationship of SES and parent agreement on ratings of temperament and behavior. Specifically, mother and father ratings were obtained on the Temperament Assessment Battery for Children-Revised (TAB-R) and Conners Parent Rating Scale-48 (CPRS-48) for a sample of 64 preschool children within low, middle, and high SES groups. Internal consistencies were established to be .70 or above on the majority of scales on the TAB-R and CPRS-48. The majority of correlations for mother and father ratings were moderate to high on scales of the TAB-R and CPRS-48, with each scale demonstrating significant, moderate correlations for the …

The Contribution Of Children's Peer Relations To Adjustment In An Ungraded Primary Program, Daniel Diehl

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

While research in same-age classrooms has found a significant relationship between peer relations and school adjustment, little is known about the contribution peer relations makes to school adjustment in the mixed-age classroom. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the contributions that peer acceptance, social status, social behavior, and age relative to classmates make to children's attitudes toward school and their achievement in mixed-age (ungraded) primary classrooms. Children's attitudes toward reading, math, and science were positively related to reading, math, and science achievement scores. Children's achievement could be predicted from children's attitudes toward school and peer relations variables. …

The Effect Of Child Gender On Parent Ratings Of Temperament And Behavior, Brent Beck

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Parent ratings of their children play a significant role in the assessment process. However, past research on rating scales has focused largely on teacher ratings. Less frequent studies on parent rating scales have predominant!}' used mothers' ratings and omitted fathers' ratings. In addition, research comparing parent ratings have produced inconsistent results when describing effects of gender of the child and rater. In this study, parents of 35 three to five-year-old preschoolers rated their child on the Temperament Assessment Battery for Children: Parent Form (T AB-R) and the Conners Parent Rating Scales-48 (CPRS-48). Adequate reliability for mothers and father ratings were …

Wisc-Iii Profile Patterns Of Learning Disabled Children, Russell Goetting

Student Work

The present study examined the performance of a heterogeneous population of learning disabled children (N=171) and children with learning disabilities in reading (LD-R), math (LD-M), and reading and math (LD-R+M) on the WISC-III ACID and SCAD subtests (Arithmetic, Coding, Information, Digit Span, and Symbol Search). Archival WISC-III scores of children that have been verified as having a learning disability in fourteen Midwestern school systems were used to answer the research questions in this study. Two different methods of examining performance on the ACID and SCAD subtests were used in this study, the index score method and the profile method. The …

The Utilization Of Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedures In Universities, Beth Parsons

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present research examined the relations between students' and employees' knowledge of the university's sexual harassment policy/grievance procedure and their reporting behavior. The present research also examined the position of the complainant (i.e., undergraduate student, graduate student, staff, faculty, and administrator) with respect to the incidence of sexual harassment and the response of filing a sexual harassment complaint. A survey assessing the various aspects of interest was sent to all full-time female employees (n = 954) of a medium sized, southeastern university. The response rate was 42% for administrators, 43% for faculty, and 36% for staff. In addition, 178 undergraduate …

Social Support Mechanisms Among Athletes With Disabilities, Jeffrey J. Martin, Carol Adams Mushett

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

The purpose of this investigation was to describe social support mechanisms of swimmers with disabilities and examine relationships among social support, self-efficacy, and athletic satisfaction. Results indicated that athletes felt satisfied with the social support they received. Mothers and friends provided primary support in a variety of areas requiring non-sport-related knowledge. Additionally, there were important secondary sources of support in areas requiring sport-specific knowledge. Coaches were primary sources of support in areas that required sport expertise. Fathers were also important sources of secondary support in areas that required both sport expertise and nonsport expertise. Correlational results suggested that athletes who …

Critical Decision Making Skills Of Postgraduate Respiratory Care Personnel, Leisa Kay Bowden

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The researcher of the study became interested in critical decision making skills while working with Respiratory Care post graduates. The researcher of the study noticed through observation a deficiency in critical thinking skills, reasoning abilities and decision making skills of recent post graduate Respiratory personnel. These weaknesses impacted a deterioration in interdepartmental communications and most importantly a deterioration in the quality of patient care. The problem of this study is to determine the effects of critical decision making skills in the College of West Virginia’s 1995 Respiratory Care class as compared to the College of West Virginia’s 1994 Respiratory Care …

Adolescent Suicide: The Implication Of Coping, Family Functioning And Their Interactions For Prevention And Intervention, Ronald F. Bobner, David M. Weis, Carolyn Ridenour, Pam Gulley Smith, Kathy Kormos, Ben E. Lanpher

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

It has become apparent over the past ten years that the role of the family has been identified as an increasingly significant variable with regard to adolescent suicide. Some authors go as far as to say that "family related factors appear to be, very little information is available about the family characteristics of youths that kill themselves. Furthermore, family characteristics of youths who attempt suicide are often described as a side feature of investigations of other factors, and these generally focus on the family characteristics only after an attempt has occurred. Little is known about those family factors that are …

The Destructive Narcissistic Pattern, Nina W. Brown

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

Identifying characteristics of the Destructive Narcissistic Pattern (DNP) in the workplace are presented. The DNP is most easily recognized by the reactions of those who have to work with him/ her. Characteristics are derived from the literature on pathological narcissism which differs only in intensity and degree. Strategies to develop constructive working relationships with the DNP are presented.

Academic Achievement Of High School Students As It Relates To Locus Of Control, Family Life Changes, And Perceived Level Of Stress, Marla M. Mcdaneld

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between family life changes, perceived stress, locus of control, gender, and the achievement of grade eleven students. A literature review revealed that adolescents report a high level of stress in a variety of situations. Changes in family life and factors at school are two of the major stressors. The research suggests that an individual with an external locus of control is more likely to experience stress than an individual with an internal locus of control. The research also suggests that a higher level of stress combined with an external locus …

Graduate Bulletin, 1996-1998 (1996), Moorhead State University

Graduate Bulletins (Catalogs)

No abstract provided.

Transitions To U.S. Private Schools: Perceptions Of Six Immigrant Elementary School Boys, Philip Manwell

Doctoral Dissertations

"The United States is faced with the privilege and challenge of educating immigrant children, not only in a second language and other skills, but also in the many and varied dimensions of life in this country" (London, 1990; p. 287).

Whether these children have fled rigid dictatorial regimes or wars, whether they came to the U.S. directly or spent time in refugee camps or detention centers, whether they have little more than what they are wearing at the time, or their families have planned the migration carefully, leaving their countries of origin legally and peacefully, bringing currency and the promise …

Bullying In Schools : An Extension And Replication Of Schoolchildren's Attitudes And Helping Behaviour Toward Victims Of Bullying, Kathy Elliott

Theses : Honours

A replication and extension of Rigby and Slee's (1991) study, was conducted in rural Western Australia to investigate age and gender differences in schoolchildren's attitudes and behaviour toward victims of bullying. One hundred and seventy two students (93 Females, 79 males) participated in the study, comprising of, Year 3, Year 7, Year 8, and Year 12 students. Three written, anonymous questionnaires were used: (i) The Peer Relations Questionnaire (Rigby & Slee, 1994) and (ii) the Pro-Victim Scale (Rigby & Slee, 1991) examined students peer interactions and attitudes toward victims; and a self-developed questionnaire, (iii) the Victim Questionnaire, was ased to …

The Relationship Of Student Retention To Teacher/Student Personality Types At Summit Christian College, C. Joseph Martin

Dissertations

For the past 3 decades, retention studies have emerged as being of significant importance to the smaller colleges and universities, especially the private colleges and universities, including Summit Christian College. With the decline in the high-school population, which was predicted to occur in the mid-70s, retention was going to be of even more importance to the smaller educational institutions. All of this pointed toward a time when colleges would have to compete for the high-school graduate in a more aggressive manner. It was possible that unless new ways of coping with the drop-out rate were initiated, a number of smaller …

Developmental Aspects : Metacognition And Problem Solving, Roseanne Gibson

Theses : Honours

Mathematical problem solving has been the focus of recent curriculum reform. Researchers have investigated factors that appear to influence mathematical problem solving: one of these factors is metacognition. This study identified metacognitive aspects and investigated the relationship of metacognition and age in the context of mathematical problem solving. Twenty four children were randomly chosen: eight children from years two. four and six. The children were given the same non-routine problem to solve. A semi-structured interview and observation protocol were developed and used to determine students' metacognitive aspects. There was an extensive descriptive analysis of metacognitive aspects and a systematic quantification …

The Effectiveness Of Viewing The "Life After Brain Injury" Video Tape By Family Caregivers, Nan Meyers

Masters Theses

Family caregivers readily identify the physical signs of brain injury but the cognitive dysfunction and behavioral change symptoms are less easily recognized. Families need to be knowledgeable about brain injury and how to manage its symptoms. Nurses are in the unique position to provide brain injury education for family caregivers early in the acute hospitalization. This study replicated the works of Sanguinetti and Catanzaro (1987) and Pardee (1993).; Statistical comparison of pretest and posttest knowledge and the pretest and posttest application scores were used to evaluate the effectiveness of family caregivers' ability to apply learned information about brain injury and …

A Study Of Inclusion, Kelly L. Cook

Masters Theses

Attitudes of 79 educators toward inclusion were investigated in relation to specific job titles, years experience, and knowledge level. Knowledge level was determined by performance on an inclusion quiz. Questionnaires were completed by subjects to determine attitude. The results indicated that performance on the quiz was related to responses on some questions. Those with more knowledge appeared to be in favor of inclusion. This is consistent with past studies. Attitudes were similar across educational disciplines. Years of experience may have some impact on attitude if coupled with other variables. Further investigation of this topic is warranted as it continues to …

The Study Of Optimism In A Freshman College Student Population: An Analysis Of The Optimism About College Life Scale, Patrick John Barlow

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the usefulness of the Optimism about College Life Scale (OCLS: Prola, 1984) as it related to conceptually similar (Life Orientation Test: Scheier & Carver, 1985; Generalized Expectancy for Success Scale: Fibel & Hale, 1978) and dissimilar (Beck Hopelessness Scale: Beck, Weissman, Lester, & Trexler, 1974; Self-rating Depression Scale: Zung, 1965; State-Trait Anxiety Inventory: Spielberger, Gorsuch, & Lushene, 1970) scales. A second focus of the study was to determine the relation of the OCLS to actual college life as measured by grade point average and an adjustment to college measure adapted from …

The Tacit Dimension Of Organizational Learning, Thomas Reeder Robinson

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This research was conducted to observe the self-reflections of an organizational participant group to further understand the organizational learning phenomenon. The participant group consisted of the 15 managers, spanning three levels of management, of a large engineering group in the southeastern United States.

The intent of the research was to generate theory, rather than to test theory. To accomplish this objective, a qualitative research methodology in a participatory action framework was modeled from Keating's (1993) Organizational Learning Process (OLP) to co-construct participants' organizational reflections. The methodology included individual interviews designed to elicit spontaneity that co-generated organizational perspectives. These perspectives were …

Student Satisfaction With The Counseling Education Program At The University Of Texas Of The Permian Basin, Christy Hamilton

Graduate Theses

A survey was conducted to assess student satisfaction of the Counseling Education program at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. The survey was given to currently enrolled counseling education students. Fifty-seven out of 68 students completed the survey. Several recommendations were made based on the results. Overall, the program is perceived as adequately meeting the satisfaction of the students.

The Practicality Of Pre-Doctoral Prescription Training For Psychologists: A Survey Of Directors Of Clinical Training, Garret D. Evans

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Directors of Clinical Training (DCTs) at the nation's 164 APA-accredited clinical psychology programs iii were surveyed regarding their attitudes toward the hypothetical implementation of a sample pre-doctoral prescription training model created by the Ad Hoc Task Force on Psychopharmacology of the APA (1992). A 60% return rate (99 questionnaires) was achieved. Results suggest that the majority of DCTs (62%) remain equivocal regarding the implementation of such training at their program. A majority (62%) identify post-doctoral specialization as the preferred method of prescription training. DCTs' perceptions of benefits stemming from pre-doctoral prescription training served as the most potent predictor of …

The Effects Of Social Interaction And Verbalization On The Acquisition Of An Organizational Memory Strategy, Suzanne F. Morrow

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The effects of peer tutoring on third- and fifth-graders' use of an organizational memory strategy was examined. Children were first introduced to the memory task with highly associated items. Children then either taught another child the task, tape recorded instructions to give another child, or did the task again. Organizational memory was then retested measuring recall and clustering on moderately associated items. There was a significant effect due to condition with those in the Peer Tutoring condition recalling more items than the Control condition. Subsequent analyses comparing only the two experimental conditions revealed that the Peer Tutoring subjects recalled significantly …

The Effect Of Cooperative Games/Activities Involving Elementary Students On Cooperative Social Interaction, Karen S. Collins

Graduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether Cooperative Games/Activities influenced children’s cooperative values and interdependence in the classroom. Twenty-seven boys and twenty-eight girls were assigned to three groups: two cooperative games/activities experimental groups and one control group. Each student was pretested using a Group Behavior and Atmosphere Scale. Following the pretests, students in the control group continued with their regular physical education activities and the experimental groups played cooperative games. Cooperative games were played twice a week, for six weeks, for an average of forty-five minutes. After six weeks, all students were retested to determine changes in behavior. …

The Utility And Usefulness Of An In-House Database: An Aid To Understand Student Ratings, Mark Tolley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this project is three fold:(a) a review of the literature regarding student ratings, (b) the creation of a student rating database and (c) the development of an applications manual to accompany the database. From a thorough review of the literature, this project identifies the utility and usefulness of student ratings as one element in the evaluation of instruction. The literature review addressed the following questions: (a) Do we need student ratings of instructors? (b) Can student rating data be used to improve instruction? (c) can we be sure that the data and the means by which they …