Psychology Commons^™

Factors Influencing Early Literacy Skill Acquisition Among At-Risk Kindergarten Children, Jill E. Feller

Masters Theses

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 placed federal mandates on education in which all children will be expected to read grade-level text by the 3rd grade in the academic year of 2013-2014. Risk factors that can be linked to interventions in order to reach the goals of NCLB were investigated. In this study, the risk factors of parental involvement (Reading Minute Index), parental literacy interaction style (Home Questionnaire), and Overactive and Underactive problem behaviors (ASCA composite scores) were analyzed in relation to the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills kindergarten spring benchmarks.

This study was conducted in …

Traditional Versus Nontraditional Relationship Initiation As A Factor In Adolescent Dating And Sexual Behaviors, Jennifer Long

Masters Theses

Research on adolescent dating behaviors, particularly adolescent sexual activity and contraceptive use, is very important due to the health and social costs of teenage pregnancy, childbearing, and sexually transmitted diseases among the adolescent population. The primary purpose of this paper was to address the relation between type of relationship initiation (traditional versus nontraditional) and sexual behavior. Traditional relationships were defined as those initiated by males whereas nontraditional relationships were defined as those initiated by females. Study participants were 104 (62 female, 42 male) undergraduate students attending Eastern Illinois University psychology and sociology classes. The results indicated that significantly more relationships …

Individualism-Collectivism, Values, And Help Seeking Attitudes Among Indian And American College Students, Ateka Contractor

Masters Theses

The present study examined cross-cultural differences in individualistic and collectivistic values and behaviors, the cultural value dimensions of conservatism, openness to change, self-enhancement, self-transcendence, and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help among American and Indian college students. Data were collected from 111 students at Eastern Illinois University in the U.S. and from 78 students of Mumbai University in India. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Individualism-Collectivism Interpersonal Assessment Inventory, the Schwartz Value Survey and the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale. Statistical analyses were computed using I tests for independent means, 2 Way ANOVAs, multiple regression analyses and descriptive …

The Relationship Between Teachers' Training In Behavioral Interventions And Experiences And Attitude About Inclusion, Lisa Murfee

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether teachers' amount of training or years of experience influence their attitude towards inclusion. Bergren (1997) found that both regular and special education teachers agree that mainstreaming will positively benefit both special and regular education students. Van Reusen, Shoho, and Barker (2001) concluded from the results of their research that positive attitudes regarding inclusion appeared to be more highly related to levels of special education training, and knowledge of and experience with the special education population. A total of 148 teachers, out of 258, participated in the current study. Two hypotheses were …

Impact Of Test-Wiseness Training On Kindergarteners' Performance On Early Reading Measures, Keath A. Murray

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of test-wiseness (TW) training on kindergartners' performance on an early reading measure. Scores obtained from kindergarten students who receive TW training for two of the kindergarten probes from the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) were compared to scores of kindergarten students did not receive TW training. Approximately 52 kindergarten students were randomly assigned to 2 conditions. In one condition, 26 students took an initial probe, received brief TW training 2 weeks after the initial probe followed by a second, alternate-form "practice probe", and then a third alternate-form …

Towards A Bibliography Of Critical Whiteness Studies, Tim Engles

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

As the title implies, this book offers a multi-disciplinary overview of the explosion of work in scholarly critical whiteness studies. The contributing bibliographers acknowledge that this work follows and builds upon a great deal of whiteness critique previously provided by African American writers, and by those writing from other racialized positions. Each section provides a solid introduction to key concepts and practices regarding whiteness in a particular field, including: philosophy, history, literature, cinema, the visual arts, psychology, education, media studies, qualitative inquiry, personal narratives, and international and comparative approaches.

Viewpoint And Orientation Influence Picture Recognition In The Blind, Morton A. Heller, John M. Kennedy, Ashley Clark, Melissa Mccarthy, Amber Borgert, Lindsay Wemple, Erin Fulkerson, Nicole Kaffel, Amy Duncan, Tara Riddle

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

In the first three experiments, subjects felt solid geometrical forms and matched raised-line pictures to the objects. Performance was best in experiment 1 for top views, with shorter response latencies than for side views, front views, or 3-D views with foreshortening. In a second experiment with blind participants, matching accuracy was not significantly affected by prior visual experience, but speed advantages were found for top views, with 3-D views also yielding better matching accuracy than side views. There were no performance advantages for pictures of objects with a constant cross section in the vertical axis. The early-blind participants had lower …

Viewpoint And Orientation Influence Picture Recognition In The Blind, Morton Heller, John Kennedy, Ashley Clark, Melissa Mccarthy, Amber Borgert, Lindsay Wemple, Erin Fulkerson, Nicole Kaffel, Amy Duncan, Tara Riddle

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

In the first three experiments, subjects felt solid geometrical forms and matched raised-line pictures to the objects. Performance was best in experiment 1 for top views, with shorter response latencies than for side views, front views, or 3-D views with foreshortening. In a second experiment with blind participants, matching accuracy was not significantly affected by prior visual experience, but speed advantages were found for top views, with 3-D views also yielding better matching accuracy than side views. There were no performance advantages for pictures of objects with a constant cross section in the vertical axis. The early-blind participants had lower …

Student Evaluations Of Teaching: The Role Of Empathy And Instructions To Students, Shana L. Cunningham

Masters Theses

The current study examined the effects of instructions given to college students before evaluating their professors. The results of a previous study by Addison and Tabb (2004) indicated that an effect could be produced when student participants were given explicit instructions for evaluating videotaped student lectures. The present study was designed to examine these effects in a situation more generalizeable to actual student evaluations of teaching. Specifically, this study investigated student evaluations of a guest lecturer in a classroom environment. Results indicated significant differences among the instructional groups on specific rating scale items. The current study also yielded a significant …

The Changing Landscape Of Teaching And Teachers' Stress: A Revisit And Update, Mike Devillez

Masters Theses

During the late 70s and into the 80s, there was a considerable amount of research devoted to the study of stress and teaching. During that time, it was well established that teaching can be a stressful profession. Since then, studies that examine stress and burnout in the profession of teaching have become more infrequent, although teaching has undergone rapid change. For example, new educational legislation, No Child Left Behind that has recently been passed directly impacts teachers and their approaches toward teaching. This study seeks to understand the current educational environment and the possible contribution to teacher stress. Results of …

The Individualized Education Plan: Involvement And Satisfaction Of The Regular Education Teacher, Alison Dirksmeyer

Masters Theses

A total of 376 general education teachers in grades kindergarten through high school completed a questionnaire about their involvement and satisfaction with the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process. The results from the current study suggest that many regular education teachers are not actively involved or satisfied with the IEP process. For example, less than half of the teachers surveyed indicated that they were completely or actively involved in determining IEP goals and less than one-fifth reported that they felt a major responsibility for helping students in their classroom achieve IEP goals. Many areas of dissatisfaction were also noted in teachers' …

Oral Reading Fluency, Fluency Training, And Reading Comprehension In Sixth Graders, Lindsay B. Eck

Masters Theses

This study examined the relationships among a measure of oral reading fluency and two measures of reading comprehension in sixth grade students at two urban schools in the Midwest. In one of the schools, fluency training was added to the usual curriculum. Participants, all sixth grade students in the two schools, were administered the DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) indicator and two district-assigned reading comprehension measures during the third and fourth quarters of the school year. Results indicated that ORF scores were significantly correlated with comprehension scores, although to a lesser degree than typical for earlier grades. Fluency training had …

A Comparison Of Two Phonological Awareness Interventions Between Samples Of Head Start Children, Kevin D. Farrell

Masters Theses

Phonological processing skills are an accurate predictor of pre-readers' reading performance years later. Historically, children have not been required to demonstrate phonological processing skills until kindergarten. Due to the importance of these early reading skills, it is critical that deficits within this area are remediated utilizing research based interventions. Recent research has demonstrated that preschool age children could be taught some early reading skills through direct instruction techniques known as Picture Sorts and Sound Boxes. However, little research exists on the efficacy of such methods with a Head Start population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects …

Explicit Timing As An Intervention For Children With Adhd, Monica Fischer Girten

Masters Theses

Explicit timing is a procedure that alerts students of their time limits when completing academic tasks. Research on this procedure first emerged in the mid 1970's, and has focused on the effectiveness of this technique for increasing academic response rate. Empirical studies have demonstrated that the explicit timing procedure can increase response rate for a variety of academic skills including mathematics performance, writing composition and reading. However, few studies have focused on the effectiveness of this procedure on special populations, such as students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The purpose of the current study was to determine whether explicit …

Using Social Stories To Correct Social Skills Deficits In A Student With A Learning Disability, April Larson-Evangelista

Masters Theses

Social stories have been deemed an effective intervention for people with autism (e.g., Richard, 2000). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the use of social stories with a participant not diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. The participant was an 8 year-old second-grade girl of average intelligence who was diagnosed with a learning disability in mathematics. Upon consulting with her classroom teacher, two social skills were identified as the target behaviors to be addressed in the present study. The first prominent behavioral concern was violation of others' personal space or standing too close to others. The second …

Psi Hitting And Missing: The Effects Of Belief, Order Of Run, And Previous Experience, Jaymes Parker

Masters Theses

The current study examined several variables to determine their effects on telepathy performance. Part I used groups of participants who attempted to telepathically send the location oftargets to a receiver selected randomly from the group. Fifteen sessions were conducted during which 9 receivers each completed 16 trials. It was hypothesized that an order effect would be present with increased missing during the first and last run of each session. It was also hypothesized that belief in mental telepathy would influence telepathy scores. Results indicated significant differences when comparing positions 1 and 9 with positions 2-8. Scores, while not significant, tended …

The Relationship Between Maximizing, Perfectionism, And Relationship Satisfaction, Tara Lynn Riddle

Masters Theses

The relationship between maximization and perfectionism to relationship choices was explored. Ninety-seven undergraduate introductory psychology students were administered the Maximization Scale (Schwartz, et al., 2002), Hendrick Relationship Assessment Scale (Hendrick, 1991), Revised Almost Perfect Scale (Slaney, et al., 2001) and a brief demographic questionnaire. Results indicated that there is no significant relationship between maximization and relationship satisfaction, romantic relationship durations, or initiating relationship termination. In addition, perfectionism was not found to be related to choices in dating relationships. However, analyses did replicate prior research indicating a significant positive relationship between maximization and perfectionism (Schwartz, et al., 2002).

The Effects Of Repeated Reading And Goal Setting On Student Reading Fluency, Joann T. Ford

Masters Theses

This study investigated the effect of repeated reading and goal setting on students' oral reading fluency (ORF). Third grade students (n=24) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: repeated reading and goal setting, repeated reading, and no-treatment control group. Treatment groups met for six weeks, four times per week for 20 minutes. A paired repeated reading procedure was used and weekly progress monitoring occurred using third grade DIBELS ORF progress monitoring probes. Repeated reading and goal setting group set weekly goals, graphed fluency data, and received feedback. All groups made gains in reading fluency. Although no significant effects were …

Mental Telepathy And Social Fields: A Within Session Decline Effect, Timothy K. Bunfill

Masters Theses

The current study involves the exploration of several variables relating to the facilitation of mental telepathy from a social field perspective. Groups of participants ranging from 8 to 35 attempted to telepathically send information regarding one of four target locations to a receiver who was selected at random from the group. During each of ten sessions, an average of nine receivers completed 16 trials apiece over a period of two hours. It was hypothesized that since all participants had a previous experience with a telepathy task, they would score above chance initially and that as sessions progressed fatigue or boredom …

Reading Instruction Software Vs. Peer Tutoring For Improving Oral Reading Fluency, Morgan Carlyle

Masters Theses

Research suggests that computer-based instruction program is as effective as peer tutoring in increasing students' oral reading fluency rates. However, few experimental studies have compared these two reading interventions. The present study compared the effect of a computer-based reading instruction program, Reader Rabbit I Can Read with Phonics, with peer tutoring. Second grade students were randomly assigned to computer tutoring, peer tutoring, or control groups; and they read the same reading material for twenty minutes, two times a week for six weeks. Participants in the computer group used a segment of the reading software instruction program, Reader Rabbit I can …

Barriers And Facilitators To Health Seeking Behavior Of Individuals With Social Phobia, Kendra M. Holder Kennedy

Masters Theses

This study explored both the facilitators and barriers to treatment of individuals who have difficulties with anxiety in social situations. These barriers and facilitators to treatment were examined with respect to the participants' level of anxiety and their stage of change. Eleven participants, ten females and one male, completed the study. A screening procedure established that each participant was likely experiencing social phobia. These participants were then interviewed using a semi-structured interview. One of the main goals of the study was to develop an interview and coding procedures that provided reliable data. This goal was accomplished; the procedures used in …

Effects Of Response Card Use On Student Participation And Academic Achievement In An Elementary Classroom, Christina J. Diel

Masters Theses

This study compared the effectiveness of hand raising with the use of response cards in a sixth-grade general education classroom during whole-group social studies instruction. Dependent variables included the frequency of active student responding during instruction and student performance on both weekly quizzes and maintenance tests. Participants included 14 sixth-grade general education students (6 boys and 8 girls), ranging in ages from 11 to 12. An ABAB design was utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of the experimental condition. Participants were exposed to the hand raising condition during weeks 1 and 3 and the response card condition during weeks 2 and …

Predicting State Standardized Achievement Test Scores Using Curriculum Based Measurement In Third Grade, Lindsey Mitts

Masters Theses

With No Child Left Behind placing strong penalties on schools not making adequate yearly progress, many schools are searching for ways to predict student performance on state standardized achievement tests. The current study provides evidence as to the predictive nature of oral reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension data taken from a basal reading series, as well as student reading levels from an informal reading inventory, on Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) performance. Multiple regression analyses showed these measures to account for slightly more than one-half of the overall predicted variance in ISAT Reading performance. Furthermore, t-tests showed that a significant …

An Investigation Of The Dynamic Indicators Of Basic Early Literacy Skills (Dibels) And The Illinois Snapshot Of Early Literacy (Isel), Cara Williams

Masters Theses

This longitudinal study was conducted to compare and investigate the predictive power of DIBELS and ISEL measures. Data were collected to determine if ISEL and DIBELS measures similarly identify students as being at-risk. The predictive value of DIBELS and ISEL scores were evaluated in relation to third grade Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) scores and Illinois Standards of Achievement Test (ISAT) scores. Participants included 63 students from one grade level at a Chicago suburban school. Test scores from kindergarten through third grade were obtained for these students. Results indicate that the risk identification of students was significantly different between ISEL …

The Relationship Between Number Of Sports Played And Risky Sexual Behavior In High School Girls, Jennifer Martin

Masters Theses

Little is known about how the extent of athletic participation relates to sexual conduct for adolescent girls. The present study investigated how the number of sports played by female athletes in high school predicted their reports of risky sexual behavior. Participants included 2,304 female high school students from 9th grade through 12th grade from a Midwestern state. The students attended 27 high schools in seven counties and were recruited from a health prevention program called I Sing the Body Electric. As part of this program, students completed a confidential questionnaire that evaluated a number of health related issues. Two questions …

Factors That Hinder And Facilitate Help-Seeking Behaviors In Individuals With Social Anxiety, Hyland L. Smith

Masters Theses

This project focused on the development of a semi-structured interview for use in the exploration of factors that hinder or facilitate help-seeking behaviors of individuals with social anxiety. By participating in a qualitative semi-structured interview 10 participants identified factors that facilitated seeking professional help and barriers that prevented seeking professional help. Participants were grouped into two groups based on five stages of behavioral change proposed by Prochaska et al. (1983; 1991; 1992; 1999). The two groups were compared on the number of self-reported facilitator and barrier statements they made as well as their self-reported number of severity statements made. Participants …

Coping Strategy Use And Resilience Among Children Reporting Victimization, Julie K. Gepner

Masters Theses

Prior studies have established the negative implications of peer victimization; additional literature has focused on how children cope with the negative effects of peer bullying. However, no current research has examined the specific coping strategies, which may result in resiliency to the negative effects of peer victimization. The present study examined victimization, coping strategies, and resilience in a sample of 143 third through sixth grade students. The results indicated that the coping strategy of seeking social support was associated with resiliency among victims of aggression. In contrast, coping using externalizing behavior was associated with significantly lower levels of resiliency. The …

The Influence Of Exploration Mode, Orientation, And Configuration On The Haptic Mu« Ller-Lyer Illusion, Morton Heller, Melissa Mccarthy, Jennifer Schultz, Jayme Green, Melissa Shanley, Ashley Clark, Samantha Skoczlyas, Jamie Prociuk

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

We studied the impact of manner of exploration, orientation, spatial position, and configuration on the haptic Mu« ller-Lyer illusion. Blindfolded sighted subjects felt raised-line Mu« ller-Lyer and control stimuli. The stimuli were felt by tracing with the index finger, free exploration, grasping with the index finger and thumb, or by measuring with the use of any two or more fingers. For haptic judgments of extent a sliding tangible ruler was used. The illusion was present in all exploration conditions, with overestimation of the wings-out compared to wings-in stimuli. Tracing with the index finger reduced the magnitude of the illusion. However, …

Sex Of Spouse Abuse Offender And Directionality Of Abuse As Predictors Of Personal Distress, Interpersonal Functioning, And Perceptions Of Family Climate, Lisa M. Taylor, Joe F. Pittman

Faculty Research & Creative Activity until 2018 (FCS)

This study examines perceptions of personal distress, interpersonal functioning and family climate reported by men and women involved in unidirectional versus bidirectional spouse abuse. Participants were 7253 offenders treated by the USAF Family Advocacy Program from 1988 to 1996. Over a quarter of the sample is female and included among them were both undirectional and bidirectional offenders. Grouping factors for the analysis are gender, directionality of aggression, history of abuse in childhood, history of recidivism, and severity of aggression. Females and offenders raised in abusive homes reported more negative perceptions across the measured spheres. Unidirectional abusers reported more personal distress, …

The Influence Of Exploration Mode, Orientation, And Configuration On The Haptic Mu« Ller-Lyer Illusion, Morton A. Heller, Melissa Mccarthy, Jennifer Schultz, Jayme Green, Melissa Shanley, Ashley Clark, Samantha Skoczlyas, Jamie Prociuk

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

We studied the impact of manner of exploration, orientation, spatial position, and configuration on the haptic Mu« ller-Lyer illusion. Blindfolded sighted subjects felt raised-line Mu« ller-Lyer and control stimuli. The stimuli were felt by tracing with the index finger, free exploration, grasping with the index finger and thumb, or by measuring with the use of any two or more fingers. For haptic judgments of extent a sliding tangible ruler was used. The illusion was present in all exploration conditions, with overestimation of the wings-out compared to wings-in stimuli. Tracing with the index finger reduced the magnitude of the illusion. However, …