Psychology Commons^™

A Study Of Self-Esteem Comparing Special Education With Regular Education Students During The Middle School Years, Debra A. Davis

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to compare differences in levels of self-esteem between special education students and a control group of normal students. One hundred sixty-two fifth- through eighth-grade students from Doddridge County Middle School, West Union, West Virginia, were assessed by teachers using the Self-Esteem Index. The students were initially divided into two groups according to their placement in the regular or the special education programs. There was a total of 81 students in each of the groups. The configuration of each group was as follows: 24 learning-disability students, 14 behavior-disorder students, 16 gifted students, nine speech/language-disorder students, …

Applications Of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy In The School Setting, Joanne M. Nelson

Graduate Research Papers

As a result of the many demands, as well as lack of time, school counselors need to work with an effective short-term theory. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) fits this description because the general goal of REBT is to attain positive mental health within the least amount of time and with minimal expenditure.

Because of its efficiency, and its applicability to individual, small group, classroom, and adults, school counselors should consider using REBT in the school setting. The preventative and self-help focus of REBT, and the teaching materials developed around this theory fit well into the school setting. By applying …

Social Skill Training Effects On The Interpersonal Distance And Touch Recognition Abilities Of Second Grade Children, Thomas E. Redden

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The effects of training on interpersonal distance and touch recognition abilities among 46 second grade children was evaluated. The children were involved in two, 45 minute training sessions each week for three weeks. Training effects were measured using the Emory Dyssemia Index-Brief Form (EDI-b). The teachers rated the children with the distance and touch subtest ofthe EDI-b. Pre-test and Post-test measures were obtained. A one way analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. Alpha was set at .05. There was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups prior to training. There was a significant difference between …

The Effects Of A Pre-Therapy Information Audiotape On Client Satisfaction, Anxiety Level, Expectations, And Symptom Reduction, Mark A. Davison

Dissertations

Problem. The effectiveness of pre-therapy information techniques on clients' satisfaction at termination of therapy, increased accuracy of clients' knowledge and expectations, reduction of anxiety, and total symptom reduction remains unclear. No single pre-therapy information preparatory technique has demonstrated positive universal effects.

This research was an attempt to determine the effectiveness of a pre-therapy information audiotape on client satisfaction, accurate knowledge/expectations, reduction of anxiety, and symptom reduction.

Method. The population included 52 voluntary clients who were utilizing the Andrews University Counseling and Testing Center. The clients in the experimental group listened to the pre-therapy information audiotape and were then asked to …

An Analysis Of Parental Involvement At Iep Conferences For Students With Hearing Impairments, Kristina S. Kroeker Parker

Masters Theses

Legislation of the 1970's and 80's mandated parental involvement in the development of special education plans for children with disabilities. The literature has indicated that parents are often passive recipients of information (Goldstein, Strickland, Turnbull, & Curry, 1980) even though parent involvement in a child's education has been associated with academic success (Epstein, 1990). An observational analysis of eighteen IEP conferences for children with hearing impairments receiving services through the Eastern Illinois Area Special Education Cooperative was completed. Observers recorded the frequency of verbal participation by the parents, and parents and teachers completed questionnaires addressing satisfaction and perceptions of involvement …

Referral Biases In The Schools, Camela P. Hayes

Masters Theses

Biases influencing teachers' referral decisions for special education services were examined. Specific biases identified and addressed pertained to students' type of problem behavior, gender and socio-economic status (SES). Subjects included 120 regular elementary school teachers from the western Chicagoland area. A total of 8 vignettes describing a child with varying behavior difficulties, gender and SES, along with 2 questionnaires were utilized. An Analysis of Variance revealed that teachers are less tolerant of students who are disruptive and are more apt to refer them than students with emotional difficulties less overt in their manifestation. The effects of SES on referral decisions …

The Comparison Of The Academic And Behavioral Characteristics Of Children With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury And Children With Learning Disabilities, Leah R. Pace

Masters Theses

This study investigated the differences of academic and behavioral characteristics of children with a suggested history of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) and children with learning disabilities (LD). Parents were given a survey which asked about their child's history of any blow or hit to the head. Teachers were also given a survey which included a rating scale for specific academic and behavioral characteristics. Results indicated that the MTBI group was not different from the LD group. However, there was a significant difference between those children who had a blow or hit to the head that resulted in a loss …

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, …

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 …

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 …

A Study Of School Personnel's Knowledge Regarding Traumatic Brain Injury, Kelly Kay Richardson

Masters Theses

This study attempted to determine if school psychologists are more knowledgeable regarding traumatic brain injury (TBI) today than in a study conducted years ago (Mira, Meck, & Tyler, 1988). Since the Mira, et al. study a federal category has been added to special education legislation, and it was hypothesized that school psychologists would be receiving more training in this area as a result of the addition of the special education category. This study also attempted to determine if regular education teachers, special education teachers, and school psychologists differ in their knowledge of (TBI). A survey from the Mira, et al. …

Undergraduate Knowledge Of School Psychology And The Effects Of Presentation On Graduate And Career Pursuit, Robert J. Bolin

Masters Theses

With the increasing national demand for credentialed school psychologists, it is essential that every effort be made to recruit qualified individuals into the field of school psychology. This paper describes the important role and function of the school psychologist. Research demonstrating the present and future need for school psychological services is presented. Literature investigating several factors that contribute to the gap between supply and demand is reviewed. An intervention is presented based on the recommendations of the reviewed research. A brief informational presentation on school psychology, in conjunction with distributed materials about the profession, was assessed with a retrospective pretest-posttest …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 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 Effects Of Intensive, Structured Study On Gre Verbal And Quantitative Scores, Jan Marie Miller

Dissertations

This research served as a follow-up to previous research (Goodyear-Orwat and Malott, 1994) in which students engaged in self-study utilizing various study materials. Three courses (spring, summer, and fall) were offered to further examine the effects of intensive, structured study on Graduate Record Examination verbal and quantitative scores.

Twenty undergraduates enrolled in Graduate Record Examination preparatory courses studied from 66 to 105 hours. An attendance and participation contingency was established to encourage adequate study time. The courses were structured to allow students to assess and manage their own performance, utilizing standard, self-instructional texts and computerized drill programs. Students worked at …

Assessing Pediatricians' Diagnostic Practices: An Analogue Study Of Responses To Adhd-Like Presentations In Preschoolers, Helle Augustesen

Dissertations

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been considered one of the most chronic behavior disorders observed in the preadolescent population and is one of the most frequently diagnosed childhood disorders in North America. Currently, however, there is little consistency in terms of identifying specific criteria which need to be present in a child's behavior to make a diagnosis of ADHD. This difficulty is even more pronounced in very young children of preschool age. This study utilized a three year old male child shown to 80 subjects on a videotape engaging in either a high or a low level of activity. …

Future Directions In Education And Inclusion Of Students With Disabilities: A Delphi Investigation, Joanne W. Putman, Amy N. Spiegel, Robert H. Bruininks

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This article reports on a survey of 37 educators regarding future directions in the education of students with disabilities. The survey used the Delphi technique. For the decade of the 1990s and after the year 2000, respondents’ predictions included the following: The movement toward increasing inclusion will occur; the belief will prevail that people with disabilities have a right to participate in inclusive environments; students with mild disabilities will be educated in general classrooms; teachers will increase their use of instructional approaches such as cooperative learning and instructional technology; and researchers will focus on matching instructional needs with learner characteristics.

Factors Associated With Underachievement In Eighth-Grade Children, Barbara A. Moore

Masters Theses

This study investigated characteristics of underachieving adolescents. The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS; Hieronymous, et al., 1990) and grade point averages provided the basis for selection of 83 eighth grade students into achiever and underachiever groups. Results indicated that underachievement was significantly related to males, number of absences, and number of discipline referrals, but not to race and notice of special education records. Overall self-esteem, as measured by the Self-Esteem Index (SEI; Brown & Alexander, 1991), and the subscale measure of perceptions of weak academic competence were positively related to level of underachievement/overachievement. Composite measure of behavioral/emotional problems, as …

Differences In Academic Achievement Motivation Among Retained, Special Education, And Regular Education Students, Shannon Lea Mast

Masters Theses

Academic achievement motivation affects a student's academic performance and emotional functioning. The Teacher Rating of Academic Achievement Motivation (TRAAM) is used to assess students third through sixth grade on their academic motivation and skill deficits, which will aide in the decision of whether a child solely has a motivation problem or a combination of factors that result in a handicapping condition. The current study compared TRAAM factors 1-4 and Total Score for students in regular education (n=26), special education (learning disabled, n=26), and those who had been retained (n=26). Univariate analysis of variance results indicated that the regular education group …

Impact Of "Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder" On Educational Placement And Service Delivery, Marsha L. Groves

Masters Theses

Children with "Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder" face many changes within the school environment. Teachers strive to help these students meet those changes by providing for special learning and behavior needs. This study obtained teacher responses to examine demographic data, disability categories, placement, and educational treatment of children clinically diagnosed and/or suspected of having "Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorders". Of the 76 teacher surveys returned, 107 students were reported to have or were suspected of having "Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder". Forty-five were identified as learning disabled, seven were considered behavior disordered, seven were receiving speech services, seven others were health impaired, three …

Achievement Assessment Techniques: Their Frequency Of Use, Perceived Importance, And Relation To Job Satisfaction, Robin L. Chesnut

Masters Theses

A random sample of Nationally Certified School psychologists was surveyed to determine the current academic achievement assessment practices of school psychologists. Frequency of administration and importance of standardized achievement tests, interviews, observations and work sample collection was determined. Further, knowledge of, experience with, and future plans to develop skills in alternative achievement assessment areas was examined. Job satisfaction was investigated and its relationship to involvement with alternative assessment measures. Results indicate that assessment activities still consume about half (45%) of school psychologists' time followed by consultation (22%), and treatment (18%). Informal assessment techniques such as child, teacher, and parent interviews; …

An Evaluation Of Special Education And Remedial Services Within South Wisconsin District - Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Elementary Schools, Jennifer S. Pflueger

Masters Theses

The availability of special education and remedial services within the South Wisconsin District-Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod elementary schools was investigated. A teacher and the principal from fifty-three schools were surveyed. The schools represented urban, suburban, and rural areas. Thirty-eight principals and thirty-seven teachers responded to the questionnaire. The principal questionnaire consisted of fifteen fill-in-the-blank questions and addressed information regarding remedial and exceptional education programs. The teacher questionnaire was a thirteen item rating format addressing the teacher's perceptions of his/her skills in remediation and exceptional education. The results indicated that a higher percentage of students received remedial services than exceptional education services. …

A Preliminary Study In The Design Of A Stress Inventory For Gifted Students: A Factor Analysis Of Potential Items, David Kinkade

Masters Theses

Items were designed for potential utilization in a stress inventory for gifted students. Two types of items were written; the first assessing stressful life events and situations, the second assessing coping ability. Both sets of items were administered to gifted students (N = 162) currently enrolled in the seventh and eighth grades. A principle components factor analysis with a varimax rotation was performed on both sets of items separately. The first set produced a four factor solution. The factors which emerged were identified as self-concept of giftedness, positive gifted programming, negative aspects of the gifted label, and performance pressure. The …

A Brief Discussion Of The History, Role, And Function Of The School Psychologist In The Former Soviet Union And Russia, Todd W. Knutson

Masters Theses

School psychology in the former Soviet Union and Russia had its beginnings as the field of Pedology which thrived in the early 1900s in Europe and in the former Soviet Union. School psychological services, in Western psychometric sense, have been virtually dormant since Pedology's downfall following ideological conflicts with Communist leaders in 1936 when standardized testing was banned in the U.S.S.R. This paper sketches a brief history of school psychology in the former Soviet Union and Russia, outlines the educational system, reviews the Soviet research on mental retardation, and calls for the sharing of general information related to international school …

The Relationship Between Internship Training And Perceived Preparedness To Practice In School Psychology, Mary Patricia Krones

Masters Theses

The relationship between school psychologist internship training and perceived preparedness to practice was investigated. Ninety-two school psychologists who completed their internship in Illinois completed a survey asking them to rate their internship experience and indicate how well these experiences prepared them to be a school psychologist. Overall, participants reported they were moderately to well prepared to be school psychologists, although variability was noted among individual items. Intellectual assessment, report writing, academic achievement assessment and psychoeducational diagnosis received the highest mean ratings for exposure and adequacy. Psychologists felt most prepared for working with the kindergarten through high school age population, those …

Empowerment Versus Dependency Of Parents With Children In Special Education, Wendy J. Fisher

Masters Theses

This study attempted to determine whether parents of children receiving special education services are being empowered by the present special education system or growing dependent on it. A survey was constructed based upon the three criteria deemed necessary by social policy analyst Charles Murray to yield empowerment. The survey was administered by phone to 50 parents of children receiving special education services. Results indicated that primary source of income and expression of participation do not have an impact on degree of empowerment as measured by the Empowerment/Dependency Survey. Severity of handicap did not predict whether or not parents desired additional …

Gender Differences In Cognitive Ability Of Children With Hearing Impairment On The Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children-3rd Edition, Damian D. Jones

Masters Theses

This research thesis investigates possible gender differences of deaf children on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (3rd ed.). The Illinois School for the Deaf (ISD) in Jacksonville, Illinois collated the standard scores of the five standard WISC-III Performance scale subtests and the Performance IQ of 25 students attending ISD. To examine gender differences on the Performance scale subtests and the Performance IQ's, a series of oneway-analyses of variance was calculated. No significant differences were noted on any comparison. A hypothesis that gender differences would occur was not confirmed. The results are discussed with respect to the intellectual assessment of …