Psychology Commons^™

Perceived Academic Workload And Well-Being Among Radiologic Technology Students During Home-Based Learning, Alvin Diaz Crudo

The Lasallian Journal of Health

Introduction: COVID-19 disrupted educational delivery worldwide, forcing Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to shift to home-based learning modalities combining synchronous and asynchronous modes. Radiologic technology students' academic workload intensified with digital and non-digital activities, requiring stronger internet connectivity amid barriers like stress and burnout. This study determined the correlation between perceived academic workload and well-being among third-year radiologic technology students at De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute during home-based learning. Methods: A correlational research design was employed with 124 of 136 students (91.18%) participating during A.Y. 2021-2022. Researchers used self-made questionnaires based on Bowyer's (2012) "Student Workload Model" and …

Belongingness And Motivation Among College Students, Noah Seiter

2026 Honors Symposium

Background/Introduction: Student motivation is influenced by a plethora of variables and factors in educational settings which include the student’s sense of belongingness; however, belonging is often treated as a single construct rather than a dimensional idea. This study addresses the need to differentiate student belongingness into its distinct components of peer belonging and institutional belongingness and examine their unique contributions to levels of student motivation in the collegiate level. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine this distinction between levels of institutional belongingness and peer belongingness as well as their independent and collective influences on motivation among college …

Resilience As A Pathway From Openness To Eustress In College Students, Karis H. Choi

Scripps Senior Theses

College students experience high levels of stress, yet not all stress leads to negative outcomes. This study examines how personality and coping resources contribute to eustress—a positive, motivating form of stress—by investigating whether resilience mediates the relationship between openness to experience and eustress. Undergraduate participants completed baseline measures of openness and resilience before engaging in either a high-demand mental arithmetic task or a low-demand control task. Following the task, participants reported their emotional and behavioral responses using the Measure of Emotional, Physical, and Behavioral Markers of Eustress and Distress (MEDS). Consistent with expectations, individuals higher in openness were predicted to …

Effects Of Teacher Training On Identifying Inattentive Type Adhd In Afab Students, Gabrielle A. Boles

Scripps Senior Theses

Teachers are more likely to detect hyperactive ADHD symptoms than inattentive ones, which often results in students, especially girls with inattentive symptoms, being under-referred (Willcut, 2012). This study evaluates whether a targeted, inattentive-focused, and gender responsive teacher training reduces gendered and symptom-based biases in referral decisions. K-5 teachers will be randomly assigned to receive either standard general ADHD identification training or an inattentive-focused, gender-responsive training, and will then be asked to review vignettes depicting children with hyperactive and inattentive symptoms, with varying student genders. Referral accuracy and knowledge of ADHD will be measured. Training condition, symptom presentation, and student gender …

Attention Or Affect? Evaluating The Discriminant Validity Of Cpt-3 Performance, Gavin F. Price

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The Conner Continuous Performance Test Third Edition (CPT-3) is a behavior-based measure of attention-related problems commonly used to assess Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Research into the discriminant validity of the CPT-3 remains limited, particularly regarding the influence of internalizing symptoms such as anxiety and depression on performance. The current study examined whether CPT-3 performance was more strongly associated with cognitive indicators of inattention or internalizing symptoms, such as depressive or anxious symptoms. Archival data from 105 adult clients at Murray State University Psychological Center was analyzed. Cognitive inattention was measured using Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) – Working Memory Index (WMI) discrepancy …

Minnesota School Psychologists Survey: Job Satisfaction And Professional Practice, Mary Jane Gunderson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Historically, school psychologists’ roles emphasized eligibility determination through assessment, resulting in practitioners spending a substantial proportion of their time in assessment-related activities. However, this contradicts National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) recommendations promoting prevention-related actives such as intervention and consultation. Prior research further found that school psychologists prefer more diverse professional practices, with a variety in professional practices leading to increased job satisfaction. Furthermore, discrepancies between actual and preferred roles are associated with lower job satisfaction. Although national research has examined professional practices and job satisfaction, limited attention has been given to these relationships at the state level. The purpose …

A Comparison Of Two Flashcard Interventions In Improving Sight Word Acquisition Among Elementary-Aged Emerging Bilingual Students, Lyudmila Yeliseyeva

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study employed a reversal single-case design to compare the effectiveness of two flashcard interventions—Incremental Rehearsal (IR) and Strategic Incremental Rehearsal (SIR)—in promoting sight word acquisition, retention, generalization, and efficiency among four elementary-aged emerging bilingual students. The study also examined social validity and intervention fidelity. Results indicated that both interventions were effective in improving acquisition, retention, and generalization of sight words. SIR demonstrated greater efficiency in facilitating sight word recognition. Additionally, both students and the interventionist reported high levels of social validity for the interventions. Limitations of the study included a small, homogeneous sample, lack of long-term maintenance data, reliance …

Showpony, George Theodore Ellington

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The poetry collection Showpony focuses on the real-life experiences of a woman in her twenties during the 1970s, who is treated by psychiatrist Dr. Robert J. Stoller at UCLA in a desperate attempt to make her normal. Mrs. G struggles with homicidal and suicidal thoughts, psychosis, as well as her homosexuality and transgender identity. Showpony examines the ways in which psychology has pathologized these experiences and the ramifications for patients, particularly those who have been publicly showcased as examples of their conditions used to train future students. The collection critiques the exploitation of patients by psychiatrists and psychologists, highlighting unethical …

Supporting Student Success: Student Perceptions Of The Community College First-Year Experience, Jennifer Mullen

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study builds on existing research examining the impact of First-Year Experience (FYE) courses, with a specific focus on community college students, and expands the measures of success for these courses. Most scholarship on the impact of FYE courses on student success focuses on students at four-year institutions and emphasizes academic achievement and retention as key measures of success. In this study, data were collected from community college students enrolled in an FYE-101 course during the Fall of 2025. Pre- and post-course surveys (see Appendices B and C) were administered at the beginning and end of one 15-week and two …

Pbis Fidelity As A Predictor Of School Connectedness For Secondary Students, Danielle German

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

School connectedness, defined as the extent to which students "feel accepted, respected, included, and supported in the school environment," (Goodenow, 1993, p.80) has been identified as a protective factor linked to numerous positive behavioral, academic, and affective outcomes for secondary students. Given its importance, schools may seek to invest in efforts that enhance students’ sense of school connectedness. Research suggests that targeted instruction may be particularly effective in promoting school connectedness among adolescents (German et al., 2026). Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based, multi-tiered framework that emphasizes explicit instruction of behavioral expectations and reinforcement of appropriate behavior. …

Literature In Us School Psychology: Who Gets In?, Finn Drennan, Carmin Jones, Kitzia Martinez, Ethan Jones

CURE Proceedings

Past research has established that biases in psychological research favor authors and participants in the United States and other Western countries (Henrich et al., 2010; Arnett, 2008). However, the extent of this bias in the field of school psychology is not well understood. School psychologists support students from diverse cultural backgrounds, so understanding biases in the empirical literature is important for understanding how well that literature describes all students. The goal of the present study is to apply bibliometric and scientometric techniques to describe who participates in school psychology research. Bibliometric data will be collected from empirical articles published in …

Hallucinogen Use Among Parents Of Children In The United States: Associations With Mental Health And Substance Use, Maggie K. Richardson

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Hallucinogen use has reemerged in the United States amid expanding clinical research and shifting social and policy contexts. However, population-based evidence remains limited regarding hallucinogen use among adults living with children and its relationship with mental health impairment severity in caregiving environments. Therefore, this study’s objective was to examine associations between past-year hallucinogen use and past-year mental health impairment among U.S. adults, and to test whether associations differ by parental status and number of children in the household. A secondary aim examined correlates of co-occurring substance use among those reporting hallucinogen use.

Data were drawn from the 2023 National Survey …

School Psychologists As Advocates: Addressing Microaggressions Targeting Students In Schools, Brea M. Banks, Lourdes D. Concepcion-Cabas, Farhia A. Osman, Kendell Kelly

Faculty Publications – Psychology

The aim of this conceptual paper surrounds a discussion of school psychologists’ role as advocates who can combat the prevalence of microaggressions in schools. The authors first define microaggressions in the context of Critical Race Theory and discuss the negative impact these transgressions have on students. Advocacy is a foundational role of school psychologists, and combatting microaggressions is one way school psychologists can engage in such efforts. Given the goal of this special issues is to highlight how social justice advocacy can address critical issues in school psychology, we use the NASP Practice Model as a framework to describe how …

Expert Validation Of A Professional Development Model For K–2 Emotional Regulation, Mark Simpson

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Emotional regulation (ER) is foundational to student learning, behavior, and long-term educational success and well-being; however, many elementary educators report limited formal preparation in explicitly teaching ER skills. The purpose of this study was to design a professional development (PD) program for K–2 teachers focused on ER and to evaluate its content validity through expert review. The framework was grounded in Gross’s process model of ER, Desimone’s core features of effective PD, and Sims’s dynamic IMTP framework. A researcher-developed rubric was used to evaluate alignment, clarity, theoretical grounding, and feasibility. Five experts in various roles within the field of education …

Applied Psychophysiology: Evaluating The Feasibility Of A Digital Breathing Tool, Jessica Pavelka

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Mental health in the United States is a growing public health concern, with one in five adults living with a diagnosed mental health disorder. The prevalence of mental health concerns among adults in the U.S. has not changed significantly from 2021 to 2024 (Reinert et al., 2025). This study examined how mental health providers can leverage technology to support symptom reduction for their patients during and beyond treatment. Biofeedback has demonstrated lasting health benefits, is cost-effective, and holds promise for novel interventions for conditions such as generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility, usability, engagement, …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Teacher-Report Modifications Of A Tier 2 Evidence-Based Program In Elementary Schools After Implementation Supports Are Withdrawn, Navneet Kaur

Theses and Dissertations

Growing literature emphasizes the importance of examining modifications (i.e., responses to unforeseen challenges and deliberate changes to a program) made by implementers to understand the long-term outcomes of evidence-based programs (EBPs), particularly after formal implementation supports, such as training and coaching, are withdrawn. Although prior research has documented that they occur during implementation, less is known about whether modifications occur once external supports are no longer available, and if so, what types of modifications are made, and the rationale for them. This gap is especially salient in school settings for teacher-delivered interventions. To address this gap, this study used semi-structured …

School-Based Antecedent Interventions Derived From Structural Analyses: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Georgia M. Gaertner

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Disruptive behaviors in the classroom setting present immediate challenges for both students and teachers and are associated with a host of negative, long-term outcomes. Antecedent interventions are a group of behavior management strategies that can be used to target disruptive behaviors before they occur. This study consisted of a systematic review and meta-analysis of school-based antecedent interventions that were derived from a structural analysis. The results indicated that structural analytic research on school-based antecedent interventions has been conducted with students across diverse educational settings and with students with a variety of disabilities and conditions. Elementary school students and male students …

Exploring The Feasibility And Acceptability Of The Calm Kitty Curriculum For Promoting Emotional Regulation In Preschoolers, Tabitha A. Irizarry

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This exploratory mixed-methods study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and perceived usefulness of the Calm Kitty Curriculum, a classroom-based emotional regulation program for preschool-aged children ages 3–5, delivered through a teacher-facing orientation. Emotional regulation in early childhood is an important foundation for school readiness, social competence, and later academic outcomes. Because children from historically marginalized communities are disproportionately affected by emotional dysregulation and exclusionary disciplinary practices, accessible and developmentally appropriate classroom-based supports are needed. This study represented an initial phase of curriculum development and focused on implementation readiness rather than child-level effectiveness. A secondary data analysis was conducted using previously collected, …

Pediatricians’ Approach To Addressing Developmental, Behavioral, And Social-Emotional Concerns In Children, Jessica Baer

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study examined factors influencing pediatric primary care providers’ adherence to recommended guidelines for developmental, behavioral, and psychosocial screening, surveillance, and referral practices. Although early identification is emphasized in pediatric care, implementation remains inconsistent. A cross-sectional survey was administered to pediatric primary care providers in the United States with at least one year of independent practice experience. Variables examined included provider and practice demographics, training, confidence, caseload, and perceived barriers. Descriptive statistics and group comparisons were used to evaluate patterns in screening and referral practices. Results indicated variability in adherence across domains, with greater consistency in developmental and behavioral practices …

Examining Developmental Outcomes And Follow-Up Engagement Among High-Risk Preterm Infants In A Diverse Urban Nicu Program, Madyson Kolbes

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Preterm infants are at elevated risk for developmental delays across cognitive, language, and motor domains, yet factors associated with engagement in NICU follow-up care remain poorly understood, particularly in diverse, urban populations. This study examined developmental outcomes at initial NICU follow-up and explored factors associated with follow-up completion among high-risk preterm infants. Participants included 174 infants enrolled in a hospital-based NICU follow-up program who completed an initial developmental screening using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Fourth Edition Screener (Bayley-4 Screener). A subset of 58 infants completed a second screening visit. Binary logistic regression was used to examine …

Evaluating Motivation In Stem Education: A Positive Self-Talk Intervention, Tiffany L. Copeland

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study evaluated a social-emotional learning intervention that taught positive self-talk to high school students from underrepresented minority groups in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The setting of this study was a place-based program that immersed students in hands-on STEM activities while located in Philadelphia’s life science hub. Before taking a science assessment, students set effort-based goals and learned to say self-talk statements such as “I will give my best effort” and “Even when it's hard, I will give 100%.” This mixed-methods program evaluation compared pre- and post-intervention data using a paired-samples t-test, linear regression, and correlation analyses. Data …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Proactive And Reactive Behavior Management Strategies, Anna Wilzbach

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to expand the praise literature by examining K-12 teachers’ preferences for proactive behavior management strategies (e.g., praise, acknowledgement, rewards). In addition, teachers’ opinions on the efficacy of proactive strategies were assessed to see if efficacy of strategies decreased as grade level increased. Teacher opinions of efficacy and preferences for proactive strategies and reprimand were collected through the Teacher Praise and Reprimand Preference Survey (TPRPS). A total of 93 teachers from rural and suburban school districts completed the TPRPS survey. Results indicated as grade level increased, teachers found praise less effective for managing student appropriate …

Replication Of The Construct Validity Of The Cas2: Rating Scale, Isabelle Joann Kurowski

Masters Theses

Naglieri et al. (2014) created the Cognitive Assessment System Second Edition: Rating Scale (CAS2: Rating Scale) to assess cognitive functioning of children based on teacher observations for use in Tier I screening purposes. The current study is a replication of Graham (2025) study that assessed the construct validity of the CAS2: Rating Scale by comparing it to the Learning Behaviors Scale (LBS). Based on prior findings from Canivez and Gaboury (2016), this study hypothesized that the Attention and Planning subscales of the CAS2: Rating Scale would be most closely related to the Attention/Persistence and Strategy/Flexibility subscales of the LBS, respectively. …

The Adjustment Of Autistic First-Generation Students To Higher Education, Paris J. Cumba

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of the current study is to investigate how first-generation students on the autism spectrum adjust to higher education compared to their continuing generation and neurotypical peers through the lens of intersectionality. Previous research has studied how first-generation students and autistic students transition into college environments, but little research has explored how these identities intersect and affect college adjustment.

For this study, 189 undergraduate students completed a survey that measured different dimensions of college adjustment, such as academic motivation, self-efficacy, and current life satisfaction. ANOVA tests showed that there was no significant interaction between first-generation status and autism status …

Accessing Campus Mental Health Services In A Nigerian Southwestern University: Barriers To Academic Success, Caroline Dada

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mental health disorders are a significant health concern among higher education institutions in sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria. A substantial treatment gap exists in the Nigerian healthcare system, and this gap is further worsened by cultural and religious barriers, which reinforce stigma that discourages students from seeking professional help. This qualitative narrative inquiry explored the barriers students encountered when accessing mental health services at a university in Southwestern Nigeria, to increase service access. Qualitative semistructured interviews were conducted with seven professional mental health providers at a university counseling center between March and April 2025. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify …

Teachers’ Greater Perceived Knowledge Of Trauma Linked With More Favourable Attitudes And Less Burnout, Belinda Cicco, Donnah L. Anderson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teachers are required to meet the needs of trauma-affected students. While training improves teachers’ knowledge of trauma-informed care, it is not systematically implemented, risking teacher burnout and student progress. This cross-sectional survey investigated teachers’ perceived knowledge and attitudes regarding teaching students affected by trauma and three aspects of burnout (personal, work-related, and student-related). Australian primary and secondary teachers (N = 542) were recruited via social media and snowball sampling. Mediation analyses showed significant indirect paths, whereby greater perceived knowledge was associated with more favourable attitudes, which in turn was associated with less work-related, student-related, and personal burnout. Younger teacher age …

Examining Challenges For Sociology Master’S Degree Students At California State University, David Ortuno

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the lived experiences of CSU sociology graduate students pursuing a master’s degree. Seven sociology graduate students from six of the eight (75%) total sociology MA programs throughout the entire CSU system were interviewed. Their responses were designed to analyze the support systems and challenges they face while pursuing a master's degree, as well as to investigate whether their experiences correlate with or fail to correlate with the promises in the CSU mission statement, and to answer the study’s research questions and achieve the purpose of this qualitative study.

Four themes emerged from …

Children's Peer Selection In Stem: The Influence Of Gender, Ethnicity, And Disability, Meagan Girard, Kim P. Roberts

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The present study examined how children’s peer selection in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) may be influenced by gender, ethnicity, and physical disability. Sixty-four children (ages 6-12) from elementary schools in Southwestern Ontario completed three tasks: a simulated peer selection task, an attribution of ability task, and a stereotype belief questionnaire. In the peer selection task, participants were repeatedly asked to select one peer from a set of AI-generated photographs showing children who differed by gender (male, female), ethnicity (White, Black, East Asian), and physical disability status (able-bodied user vs. nondisabled). The Peer Selection Task was based on the …

Investigating A Mindfulness Curriculum And Prompting For Generalization On Overall Engagement Time, Caitlyn Ruggiero

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Mindfulness is a practice that has existed for centuries (Felver et al., 2022) and has been adapted to address various aspects of human life. Among the various uses of mindfulness practices, they have been adapted for use in school settings to support the use of adaptive learning behaviors in the classroom. For the target behavior to change in the natural setting, the student receiving intervention must be able to generalize the learned mindfulness skills to the classroom. The current study aimed to determine whether participation in the Soles of the Feet mindfulness intervention increased students’ overall engagement time (OET) in …

The Effect Of A Functionally Indicated Choice-Based Antecedent Intervention On Academic And Behavioral Outcomes For Students In A Public School, Alyssa M. Rodriguez

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

The present study examined the effects of functionally indicated choice-based antecedent interventions on academic and behavioral outcomes for elementary general education students exhibiting elevated levels of off-task behavior during independent seat work. A replicated hybrid single-case design was used to compare two interventions: choice of task sequence (across-activity choice) and choice of peer (within-activity choice). Brief functional behavioral assessments (FBAs) informed hypothesized behavioral function and intervention match. Dependent variables included academic engagement (on-task behavior), with off-task behavior conceptualized as its inverse, as well as academic completion and accuracy; social validity was assessed from teachers and students. Results indicated support for …