Child Psychology Commons^™

Early Childhood/Child Welfare Priority, Nancy Edick, Samantha K. Ammons, Melissa Cast-Brede, Ann Coyne, Karen Falconer Al-Hindi, Shari Hofschire, Lisa Kelly-Vance, Jay Killion, Sajda Qureshi, Bridget O. Ryalls, Peter Simi, Peter Wolcott

Foundational Documents

This is the executive summary of a white paper that describes the context, current capacity, areas of opportunity, and next steps for the UNO Early Childhood/Child Welfare Priority (ECCW). It responds to the need for comprehensive integrated systems of services designed to give all young children (birth through age eight) access to what they need in the early years to succeed in school and in life. In this context, UNO recognizes ECCW as critical to our metropolitan university mission. Further, we must come together with early childhood service providers, P-12 districts, parents, policy makers, other University of Nebraska campuses, community …

School Counselor Assignment In Secondary Schools: Replication And Extension, Jennifer L. Williamson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Before school counselors can carry out the duties and responsibilities outlined as part of a comprehensive school counseling program, they must know which students they are responsible for helping. The topic of assigning students to school counselors has only recently been seen in the educational research arena in a study by Akos, Schuldt, and Walendin (2009). The current study attempts to replicate and extend the findings of Akos, Schuldt, and Walendin by addressing the questions of how secondary school counselors are assigned and what are their perceptions of their assignment. In addition, the study attempts to determine whether a particular …

Examining The Effect Of Medical Risk, Parental Stress, And Self-Efficacy On Parent Behaviors And The Home Environment Of Premature Children, Kathryn Woods

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between medical risk and parenting stress and the extent to which parental self-efficacy moderates the relationship between medical risk, parenting stress, specific parenting behaviors (i.e., parental responsivity, acceptance of child, parental involvement) and the home environment (i.e., organization of environment, learning materials, variety in experience, and IT-HOME total score) of premature children. Participants included 72 parent-child dyads with premature children between the ages of 7 and 35 months corrected age. Measures included parent reports of medical risk, stress, self-efficacy, and the IT-HOME. Results show that medical risk was not significantly …

The Effects Of Check In/Check Out On Levels Of Problem Behavior And Academic Engagement In Elementary School Students, Leila Mullooly Miller

Master's Theses

Previous studies have largely evaluated the effects of check in/ check out (CICO) using office discipline referrals (ODRs). However, ODRs are not always reliable measures of student behavior, and direct observation is known to be an accurate tool for behavioral measurement. Due to this, the current study used direct observations to evaluate the effects of CICO on levels of problem behavior and academic engagement for a group of elementary school students. One second, one fourth, and one sixth grade student served as participants. Results indicate CICO is effective in decreasing problem behavior and increasing academic engagement. Data from teacher ratings …

The Relationship Between The Functions Of School Refusal Behavior And Family Environment, Rachel Marie Schafer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The current study examined the relationship between the functions of school refusal behavior and family environment characteristics in a community sample of youth. The primary aim was to determine the family environments most strongly associated with each function of school refusal behavior in an ethnically diverse, community-based sample of youths referred to the legal process for absenteeism. Hypotheses for the current study were based on the premise that family environment characteristics of the community sample of youths with problematic absenteeism would generally resemble those identified in previous clinical samples. The first hypothesis was that youth who refuse school primarily to …

Factors Associated With Participation And Retention In A Group Treatment For Child Sexual Abuse, Mollie Dittmer, Grace Hubel, David J. Hansen

McNair Scholars Research Journal

The current study examines factors associated with participation and retention in a child sexual abuse (CSA) outpatient program. Participation and retention are vital if children are to receive the intended benefits of treatment designed to promote healthy coping following CSA. However, little is known about factors that impede or encourage families to consistently attend sessions. Several factors possibly related to child participation and retention were examined, including demographic variables such as income level and education, characteristics of the abuse, and parent and family pretreatment functioning. Participants in the sample included 175 children and adolescents and their non-offending primary caregivers seeking …

The Effects Of Daycare On Children's Socialization In The First Three Years Of School, Alison Pomykacz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role that daycare may play in a child's socialization during his/her first three years of school (K-2). In particular, this study focused on the time spent in daycare per week compared with various social and academic realms. Information was obtained through parent and teacher questionnaires. While there appeared to be a wide variation among the children's hours per week spent in class, when these numbers were compared to the teacher observations, there was no apparent significance.

Birth Order And Its Effect On Depression In Adults, Sambul Zaidi

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to find the relationship between birth order and depression. It hypothesized that first-borns are more susceptible to depression than laterborns. Subjects were male and female undergraduate students from Rowan University. These students were over the age of 18 and were kept anonymous. The study collected data from fifteen participants by using a Birth Order survey which included questions about personality traits that pertain to a certain birth order position. Each subject was asked to indicate the exact birth order rank and if they have experienced depression or signs of depression. Results showed that differences …

The Loss Of Neighborhood Secondary Schools: How The Distance A Student Lives From Their School Can Affect Their Academic Achievement, Gillian Armstrong

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine whether the distance a student lives from their school influences their academic achievement. In detail, this study has correlated the distance in miles a student lives from his or her school with their grade point average at the end of their freshman and junior years. Data has been collected from 100 participants at two private high schools in southern New Jersey, Our Lady of Mercy Academy and Saint Augustine College Prepatory School. Both schools are grades ninth through twelfth. Both schools are Catholic schools but you do not have to be Catholic …

Increasing Students Self-Esteem Through The Implementation Of The Bucket Filler Lesson Plans, Jenna Norton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which positive psychology can impact the educational system. Twenty-three second grade students enrolled in Berlin Community School, located in Berlin New Jersey participated in this study. All students were enrolled in a regular education classroom and assumed to be learning at the appropriate age group level. The Piers-Harris 2 Self-Concept Scale was used to measure student's self-esteem as a pre-test and a post-test assessment. The experimental group received the implementation of the Bucket Filler Lesson plans in hopes that their self-esteem would improve upon completion of the lessons. The …

Minority Disproportionality In New Jersey, Shannon Kemp

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to examine whether New Jersey districts exhibited minority disproportionality, or the overrepresentation of minority students in special education eligibility categories and placements. A dataset with a random sample of 200 school districts was compiled with special education data from the New Jersey Department of Education. Through analyses of four ethnicities, White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian, it was discovered that Black and Hispanic students were significantly more likely to be placed in special education as compared to their peers. Asian students were significantly less likely to be represented in special education in comparison to their non-Asian counterparts. Black …

An Exploratory Investigation Of Family Structure And Adult Attachment Orientation, Alison Rossi

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the possible role family structure plays on adult attachment orientation. Eighty-six students enrolled in introductory level psychology courses at Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey, participated in this study. Indicated in previous studies as valid to measure experiences in romantic relationships, the personality traits of attachment-related Anxiety and attachment-related Avoidance were analyzed by the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised questionnaire (ECR-R). Independent t-Tests were used to determine if differences exist in young-adult participants of both the intact-families (n=66) or divorced-families (n=20) groups, as particularly measured by the attachment-related Anxiety and attachment-related Avoidance scales of …

The Family Environment And Children With An Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Longitudinal Examination Of The Relation Between Parental Expressed Emotion And Child Externalizing Behaviors, Stephanie Bader

Dissertations

The current study, a longitudinal study using Bader (2009) as Time 1 data, used questionnaire data to explore the longitudinal relation between parental expressed emotion, a well-established predictor of symptom relapse in various other disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar, and behavior disorders), with change in externalizing behaviors in 84 children, ages 8 to 18, with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Both components of expressed emotion, criticism/hostility and overinvolvement, were explored, though hypotheses were only made in regard to criticism/hostility. It was found that high levels of parental criticism/hostility, not parental overinvolvement, at Time 2 uniquely related to higher levels of externalizing …

Parent Efficacy And Parent Involvement In Parents Of Preschool Children, Jennifer Murkli

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the relationship between parent involvement and parent efficacy in parents of preschool children. Twenty parents from a suburban, a predominantly White private preschool participated in the study. Parent self-reports of involvement and efficacy beliefs as they pertain to their preschooler's learning and development were assessed. On average, parents reported medium parent efficacy and medium parent involvement. Results of the study demonstrated a significant relationship between parent involvement and parent efficacy. The relationship was moderate with a positive direction. Thus, the relationship demonstrated to a modest degree that greater parent efficacy is related to greater parent involvement, …

The Relationship Between Nighttime Reading With Children By Their Caregivers And Reading Achievement, Ashley Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The hypothesis of this research project was to determine if there was a significant relationship between children who were read to by their caregivers in previous years and children who were not read to by their caregivers in previous years. The relationship between reading achievement and gender was also examined in this research study. Twelve fourth grade students (six male, six female) were asked to complete a questionnaire about their reading practices and take a brief two part reading assessment, consisting of word recognition and reading comprehension. A two way between groups ANOVA revealed that there was not a significant …

The Importance Of Cultural Competence When Evaluating Bilingual Students, Maria-Ines Castro

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of language and culture on Hispanic student test taking performance. Specifically, the researcher hypothesized that Hispanic students' test taking performance would be impacted by the language used on the assessment given, and the test administrator's awareness, knowledge, and skills related to cultural competence. Twelve bilingual-Hispanic students from Rowan University-Camden completed a Nelson-Denny Reading Test for the purpose of this research project. The same test was presented to all students in an English version and a Spanish version. A Mixed Design with repeated measures indicated that there was no significant difference …

Abnormal Eating Patterns And The Relationship To Dissociative Experiences, Gionna Botto

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if a relationship exist between abnormal eating patterns and dissociative experiences, as well as if a relationship exist between bulimia nervosa and food preoccupation symptomatologies. This study used a non-clinical non-diagnosed population of university students (n=100) to determine results. The participants were given two self-report scales, the Eating Attitudes Test and the Scale of Dissociative Activities in order to provide data to the researcher. The data was correlated, using Pearson's Correlation to determine results. The results in this study indicated that there is a statistically significant relationship between dissociative experiences and abnormal …

Vision Accuracy: Comparisons, Mark Roman

Theses and Dissertations

Solomon Asch conducted a Line Judgment Task in the 1950s that led researchers to believe that conformity can be assessed through experimentation. The purpose of this study was to modify that of Asch's experiment and to assess the answers that college undergraduate students would give. Twelve trials of line comparison tasks were utilized as well as answers from five confederates. It was hypothesized that out of the 47 participants, more of them would answer incorrectly to the incorrectly answered trials of the confederates than those to those trials that the confederates answered correctly. There were a total of five incorrect …

Social Information Processing And Emotion Regulation: Relationships With Attachment And Social Competance In At-Risk Preschoolers, Erin R. Baker

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Erin R. Baker on July 12, 2011.

The Effect Of Postpartum Depression On Child Cognitive Development, Joshua Lees

Theses and Dissertations

The incidence of postpartum depression (PPD) in Western societies is approximately 10-15% and its cause is multi-faceted. Because mothers largely constitute infants' social environment and mediate their experience of the external world, it is imperative to investigate the effects of PPD on child growth and development. Within this paper, the author explores previously conducted Post-Partum Depression research, in regards to its effects on child cognitive development. Following this literature review, a brief experimental study is conducted and explained on a sample population of mothers' of special needs children, serviced by an Early Intervention provider. During this experimental analysis, the researcher …

The Relationship Between Locus Of Control And Birth Order In College Students' Academic Success, Shannara Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the relationship between locus of control and birth order. Does your birth position predict your locus of control? Also, does birth order have an effect on the academic achievement of college students (n=54)? A few subjects were disqualified from the study based on the fact that they were the only child. A demographics survey was designed to determine the academic success based on grade point average. The Rotter's Locus of Control survey was used to determine the locus of control of the college students. Neither hypothesis investigated yielded the predicted results. This …

Interactive Software And Its Effects On Hostility, Warren Shya

Theses and Dissertations

The researcher will be exploring the relationship between violence in video games and the emotional responses to them. The goal of the study is to confirm the previous body of research that a short term increase in aggression and hostility exists after a violent video game is played. The study will also expand on the current existing body of data by examining other variables such as gender, age, typical time spent in a week playing videogames, overall familiarity with video games, the game genre that is normally played, and what consoles and systems are typically used to be played on. …

Rate Changes In Risky Behavior & The Role Of Sibling Influence, Julian Bajczyk

Theses and Dissertations

This study is based on research performed in 2006 by Laura Argys, Daniel Rees, Susan Averett, and Benjama Witoonchart. The 2006 study investigated relationship between the birth order and an adolescent's likelihood of engaging in certain risky behaviors. For the purpose of this study these behaviors include things like drug use, sexual activity and violent or antisocial offenses. The initial study found a trend implicating that adolescents with older siblings more likely to engage in certain risky behaviors than adolescents who did not have older siblings (eldest and only children). The Argys, et al. study used data collected from the …

Individual Case Study: Verbalizing Emotions To Reduce Aggressive Outbursts In An Autistic Adult, Samantha Levine

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this individual case study were to (a) to decrease the maladaptive behaviors displayed by the participant and (b) have the participant verbalize his feelings before they build up to cause the maladaptive behavior. The study used positive reinforcement and rewards to reinforce the positive behaviors displayed by the participant as well as to deter negative behaviors. The participant made vast improvements in expressing his emotions and also showed great improvement in controlling his maladaptive behaviors. Implications of a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder are discussed as well as an explanation of other studies performed for individuals with …

Best Practice News: School Psychologist Wins Book Award, Lee Wilkinson

Lee A Wilkinson, PhD

No abstract provided.

Designing A School Garden Space That Emphasizes Children's Wants And Uses Permaculture Design Methods, Mikhaela Mullins

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

A case study was organized at Saratoga Elementary school in Lincoln, Nebraska to obtain data on what children desire in a garden space. To collect this data a school garden space was constructed and an after school garden club was implemented. Students who participated in the after school garden club partook in the study by drawing their ideal garden. Elements that the subjects drew were identified and categorized into ‘highly desired’ and ‘somewhat desired’.

These elements were then incorporated into a proposed garden design plan for Saratoga. The proposal plan uses Permaculture design methods to emphasize sustainability.

Loving The World And Our Children Enough--Nurturing Decidedly Different Scientifc Minds, By Design, Stephanie Pace Marshall

Publications & Research

Wise world-shaping and problem-solving requires that we and our children think in decidedly different, integral and wise ways. This transformation requires a fundamental shift in consciousness and the emergence of global minds that can creatively live into a new worldview of an interconnected planet and a sustainable and interdependent human family. "The fullness of our humanity and the sustainability of our planet rest with the nurturing of decidedly different minds."

Kreative Kids Social Group: Shaping Social Behavior In Inclusive Preschool Settings, Phoebe M. Pynchon

Psychology and Child Development

The number of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder is rapidly increasing (“Autism Speaks,” 2010). Simultaneously, the pool of knowledge on what this disorder entails and how best to treat it is also growing. The present report is designed to investigate a means of improving social behaviors among preschoolers with autism in inclusive environments. Providing a mainstream experience for children with special needs is a fairly new process in the evolution of the education system, and includes access to typical peers and inclusion in their daily activities (Kids Together, Inc., 2011).

The unique qualities exhibited by children with autism are …

Work And Mexican American Parent-Adolescent Relationships: The Mediating Role Of Parent Well-Being, Lorey A. Wheeler, Kimberly A. Updegraff

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

This study of Mexican American two-parent families (N = 246) examined the role of parents’ well-being (i.e., depressive symptoms, role overload) as a potential mechanism through which parent occupational conditions (i.e., self-direction, hazardous conditions, physical activity, work pressure) are linked to parent-adolescent relationship qualities (i.e., warmth, conflict, disclosure). Depressive symptoms mediated the links between maternal and paternal work pressure and parentadolescent warmth, conflict, and disclosure. For mothers, depressive symptoms also mediated the links between self-direction and mother-adolescent warmth, conflict, and disclosure; for fathers, role overload mediated the links between work pressure and hazardous conditions with fatheradolescent warmth.

Cognitive Deficits And Symbolic Play In Preschoolers With Autism, Grace Yan Lam, Susanna Siu-Sze Yeung

Susanna Siu-sze Yeung

This study investigated symbolic play in 12 children with autism and 12 children with typical development and compared theories that consider either theory of mind, executive function or central coherence to be causally involved in the development of symbolic play in autism. Children with autism demonstrated significantly less symbolic play than their typically developing peers and had significant deficits in theory of mind and central coherence measures but not executive function measures. A tentative conclusion is that symbolic play deficits in autism are more associated with theory of mind and weak central coherence.