Psychology Commons^™

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

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

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

Psychosocial Aspects Of Youth Disability Sport, Jeffrey J. Martin

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

Psychosocial aspects of participation in youth disability sport were examined using social-cognitive theory and the sport commitment model. An international sample of athletes with disabilities (N = 112) reported high levels of sport commitment and sport enjoyment, perceived physical ability, and sport friendship quality. They perceived their parents to provide moderately strong levels of encouragement of their sport participation. Correlational analyses indicated moderate to strong relationships among sport commitment, sport enjoyment, and perceived physical ability. Sport commitment, parental encouragement, and sport friendship quality were only somewhat related. Regression analyses indicated that enjoyment was a significant predictor (i.e., 43% of …

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

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

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

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

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

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

Staff Attitude Change In A Response To Intervention Program Evaluation, Alicia Kirby

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to predict whether the staff attitude about the Response to Intervention (RtI) Project in the areas of reading achievement, student potential, the time it takes to implement the RtI Project, and parent involvement have improved from the survey in December of 2005 to the survey in March of 2006. Winfield Elementary began the project with very little funding and professional development training on Response to Intervention (RtI). The prediction for change in attitude is a result of additional funding and RtI professional development training.

A total of 399 initial and final surveys from the …

Parental Satisfaction With Psycho-Educational Consultation, Larry G. Lester

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the consumer satisfaction of the Psycho-educational consultation. The method of data collection was a survey consisting of ten questions to be answered using a Likert type scale and one question asking for opinions for program improvements. The instrument was based on a measure of effectiveness for School Psychologists (Barnett, 2004). At the end of the meeting to discuss the results of the psycho-education evaluation, parents were asked to complete the survey. Parents and students remained anonymous and the completion of the survey was voluntary. Parents were asked to place their survey in …

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

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

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

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

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

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

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

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

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

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

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

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

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

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

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

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

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

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

The Effect Of Substance P On Ovariectomy-Induced Memory Deficits In Rats, Jamie L. Haga

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The present experiment was designed to test whether pretreatment with substance P would affect ovariectomy-induced memory deficits in rats for retention in the Morris water maze. Adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided to two groups: (1) control (received saline) and (2) experimental group (received substance P). All rats underwent an ovariectomy, as this has been shown to significantly impair spatial reference learning and memory (Monteiro, Matté, Bavaresco, Netto, & Wyse, 2005). Approximately 8 months after surgery, all rats were trained in the Morris water maze in order to evaluate both reference and working memory. Results showed that substance P did …

The Development Of A Dismounted Infantry Embedded Trainer With An Intelligent Tutor System, Jason Sims

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The dismounted infantry system is a man wearable system with intelligent tutoring tool used to assess training. The tasks used to assess training for the intelligent tutoring were: (1) move as a member of a fireteam, (2) enter and clear a room, and (3) report battlefield information. The soldier wearing the simulation system acts as a member of a fireteam to conduct a virtual mission. The soldier's teammates are computer generated entities to conduct the mission. Soldiers were surveyed on the tasks assessed as well as the features of the system. Soldiers were also surveyed on tasks they felt needed …

An Exploratory Investigation Into The Association Of Neuroticization, Cognitive Style, And Spirituality To Reported Altered States Of Consciousness In Women Experiencing Childbirth, Nikolai Gruzdev, Dimitri Spivak

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This study examined the relation of altered states of consciousness to neuroticization, spiritual experience,

and divergent thinking in a sample of women (N= 102) at late pregnancy and post-delivery. The results

suggest that stress associated with imminent childbirth is linked to higher levels of ASCs and that neuroticization

and spirituality seem to be implicated in the induction of ASCs.

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 …

Predicting Treatment Response During The Acute Phase Of Hospitalization, Mary A. Peterson, William Michael

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Narcissism, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Excerpt: "Narcissism takes its name from the legendary figure Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflection in a woodland pool and pined away in unrequited love, and has come to refer to self-love. It involves a vain and grandiose selfcentredness, and auto-eroticism, *hedonism, vanity, exhibitionism and arrogant ingratitude are commonly considered to be elements. The late twentieth century has been characterized as the age of narcissism because of its hedonistic self-centred focus."

Implementing Bibliotherapy: Noah & Friends, Ryan Ealy

Graduate Research Papers

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

Identity Distress And Adjustment Problems In At-Risk Adolescents, Lynn Hernandez, Marilyn J. Montgomery, William M. Kurtines

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

This study assessed the usefulness of the Identity Distress Scale (IDS), a measure modeled after the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev. [DSM–III–R]; American Psychiatric Association, 1987) defined Identity Disorder, by investigating links between identity distress and poor psychological adjustment in at-risk middle adolescents. A significant proportion (16%) met DSM–III–R criteria for Identity Disorder, and 34% met the more liberal criteria for Identity Problems as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Significant associations were found between identity distress and both internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The IDS …

Rewarding Careers Applying Positive Psychological Science To Improve Quality Of Work Life And Organizational Effectiveness, Stewart I. Donaldson, Michelle C. Bligh

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

A hallmark of modern societies is the centrality of work and work-related activities (e.g., preparation for work and careers). Most adults are expected to spend the majority of their waking hours engaged in work- or career-focused endeavors into the foreseeable future (Donaldson, Gooler, & Weiss, 1998). A large body of research now suggests that work and careers are of primary importance, both socially and personally, for individuals across the globe. For example, the nature of one's work often imposes a schedule and structure on one's life, establishes patterns of social interaction, dictates economic status and well-being, provides others with a …

Preparing For A Rewarding Career Applying The Science Of Psychology, Dale E. Berger

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

In this chapter we hear applied psychologists provide their own perspectives on their training and career development. Drawing on these and other sources, we consider how graduate psychology programs can facilitate successful applied careers for current and future students, and we offer suggestions for students who wish to prepare for an applied career. An important lessons is that there is a wide variety of exciting new careers for which no discipline can prepare people better than psychology. Yet, we can be even more effective as a discipline if we learn from the experience of psychologists who have already established successful …

The Rise And Promise Of Applied Psychology In The 21st Century, Stewart I. Donaldson, Dale E. Berger

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Profound changes are occurring throughout the world in the new age of rapidly advancing information technology and globalization. The need for theory and research-based applications of the social sciences has never been greater, and is likely to grow even stronger as the 21st century unfolds. At least on the surface, applications of the social science discipline of psychology seem to be far outpacing other social sciences in terms of growth and impact on human welfare and social betterment. This volume will take you beneath the surface to discover important ways that psychology is growing as it continues to mature as …

Special Issues In Juvenile Justice, Keith R. Cruise

Psychology Faculty Publications

From the original juvenile court founded in Cook County, Illinois, to current juvenile court systems across the United States, the philosophy of juvenile justice has reflected society’s predominant views on youth and adolescence. The first juvenile courts developed during the industrial revolution when social reformers were concerned about the dangers children faced in the workplace. In the early 1900s, compulsory education was promoted as a mechanism to improve the status of poor and immigrant children as well as a tool of social control (Steinberg, 2002). G. Stanley Hall had defined the boundaries of adolescence and described the ensuing “storm and …

The Interface Between Self-Efficacy, Life Satisfaction, And Emotional And Informational Support For Korean Learners Acquiring English As A Second Language, Cheryl C.Y. Choe

MA TESOL Collection

The purpose of this study is to examine the interface between self-efficacy, life satisfaction, and emotional and informational support for Korean learners acquiring English as a Second Language. More specifically, the aim of this study is to explore the interface among psychological variables (e.g., speaking, reading, writing, and listening self-efficacy), mediating variables (e.g., emotional and informational support received from parents, teachers, and friends) and behavioral outcomes (e.g., life satisfaction within the family, at school/work, and in personal relationships with friends) by examining the linear structural model developed by Kim and Park (1998) and revised by Choe (2000). Self-efficacy is typically …

Identity Formation In A Relational Context: A Person-Centered Analysis Of Troubled Youth, Larry F. Forthun, Marilyn J. Montgomery, Nancy J. Bell

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

The purpose of this study was to examine the identity formation of troubled youth (8 female and 12 male adolescents, ages 14–17) in an after-school treatment program for problem behavior. To achieve this goal we (a) garnered information from 2 identity interviews given 6 to 8 weeks apart, (b) adopted a qualitative, person-centered analytical strategy to identify identity profiles, and (c) examined the identity profiles within a relational context, focusing on the developmentally salient domains of parents and peers. Analyses revealed 5 identity profiles similar to the identity statuses previously described by Marcia and others, but with unique phenomenological differences. …

Identity Research And The Psychosocial Formation Of One’S Sense Of Spiritual Self: Implications For Religious Educators And Christian Institutions Of Higher Education, Chris Kiesling, Gwendolyn T. Sorell, Marilyn J. Montgomery, Ronald K. Colwell

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

Utilizing Erikson’s (1963) psychosocial ego identity development theory, 28 qualitative interviews with religiously devout Americans are analyzed to determine different patterns of adult spiritual identity. Following an integrationist approach, we provide response to the question, “What types of identity development are accommodated, promoted, or prohibited by particular models of Christian education and the educational communities that embody them?” Recognizing individual differences in (a) the social and contextual factors that affect identity formation, (b) the way religious doubts are resolved, and (c) what individuals seek from community, we offer important implications for religious educators and Christian institutions of higher education.

The Role Of Identity In Acculturation Among Immigrant People: Theoretical Propositions, Empirical Questions, And Applied Recommendations, Seth J. Schwartz, Marilyn J. Montgomery, Ervin Briones

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

The present paper advances theoretical propositions regarding the relationship between acculturation and identity. The most central thesis argued is that acculturation represents changes in cultural identity and that personal identity has the potential to ‘anchor’ immigrant people during their transition to a new society. The article emphasizes the experiences of nonwhite, non-Western immigrant people moving to Western nations. The article also calls for research on heretofore unexplored aspects of the relationship of acculturation to personal and social identity. Ideas are proposed for interventions to promote cultural identity change and personal identity coherence.

Toward An Interdisciplinary Study Of Acculturation, Identity, And Culture, Seth J. Schwartz, Marilyn J. Montgomery, Ervin Briones

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

As both Côté and Hand point out in their commentaries, acculturation, identity, and culture are complex processes that are determined and affected by the con-texts in which they operate. As we stated in our article in this issue, we do not dismiss the notion that culture and identity are complex and individualized phenomena that vary from one person or context to the next. However, our goal is pragmatic in that we wish to operationalize acculturation, identity, and culture for empirical research that can then be used to design and support intervention efforts. To design interventions that consist of core components …

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

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

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