Developmental Psychology Commons^™

Nihilistic Violence Aesthetics In Public Online Communication, Heath Nicholas Landress

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Public online communication has increasingly included violence-related content that is meme-based, ironic, visually stylized, multimodal, and only partially ideological. This comprehensive literature review synthesized research on online extremism, extremist memes, toxic multimodal content, dehumanizing digital communication, nihilistic violent extremism, warning behaviors, platform affordances, and youth-facing online environments. The purpose was to clarify what the literature had established; identify where the scholarship remained fragmented; and map research domains relevant to social, behavioral, public safety, and human services scholarship. The review used a structured, comprehensive literature review strategy supported by integrative synthesis procedures. The final corpus contained 34 scholarly sources, including 32 …

Understanding And Responding To Childhood Trauma In The Classroom, Kara L. Ganzer

Master of Arts in Human Services

This capstone explored childhood trauma as a significant public health and educational issue because of its widespread impact on children’s development, learning, behavior, and educational experiences. A review of the current literature was conducted to examine adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), the neurobiological and developmental effects of childhood trauma, its impact within educational settings, and the trauma-informed approaches for supporting students who have experienced adversity. The literature suggested that childhood trauma can disrupt brain development, executive functioning, emotional regulation, attention, memory, and stress-response systems, contributing to academic, behavioral, and social-emotional challenges within the classroom. Findings also highlighted the important role schools …

What Makes Implicit Bias Training Effective? An Examination Of Training Program Interventions And K-12 Educator Experiences, Kyleigh K. Mcaloon

McNair Summer Research Program

Differences in disciplinary referrals based on race have led many to argue that bias may influence disciplinary decisions. Implicit bias (IB) training is designed to address such disparities by raising awareness of biases that may impact assessment of behavior and disciplinary decisions. In recent years, many have questioned the validity of IB as a construct and also the potential impact of training. Some scholars argue that these programs fail to produce meaningful behavioral change and may unintentionally reinforce or increase bias. The aim of the present study was to investigate how individuals receive and respond to such training. Sixteen K-12 …

Integrating Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions In Inclusive Classrooms To Support Autistic Students, Paige J. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current trend of an increasing prevalence rate of autism spectrum disorder creates a growing need for evidence-based interventions that can be accessed in the natural environments, such as within inclusive educational settings. Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs) integrate principles of applied behavior analysis and developmental psychology, and offer effective tools for increasing social communication behaviors in autistic children that align with the neurodiversity-affirming movement. The present study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of Behavior Skills Training (BST) in teaching core NDBI skills to a preschool teacher, examine changes in teacher self-efficacy related to supporting autistic students, and assess the …

A Poetic Call For And A Reflection And Commentary On Clarity, Understanding, Hope, Courage, And Compassion, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

Finding a published poem I had written as a teenager, titled “The Heavens Weep.” this article uses that poem as the basis for a commentary that reflects on the state of the world today (2026),  As a commentary, the article uses the poetic and metaphoric words in the poem as a relevant "reality check" for what is still going on today.  In essence, the commentary is about a call for Clarity, Understanding, Hope, Courage, and Compassion, or what I call Archetypal Energies, Higher Vibrational Energies that operate deep within our individual and collective psyches to creatively urge us to "see" …

Beyond The Binary: The Intersection Of Substance Use And Lgbtq+ Identity, Allyana Musa

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Substance use among LGBTQ+ youth remains a significant public health concern, with rates of alcohol, marijuana, and other substance use consistently exceeding those of their heterosexual peers. This systematized review examines the literature on substance use interventions for LGBTQ+ youth, with a focus on identifying the program components and theoretical orientations associated with effective and affirming outcomes. Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search of ERIC and PsycINFO was conducted to identify peer-reviewed studies published between 2016 and 2026 that addressed substance use among LGBTQ+ youth. Eligible studies included quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, and conceptual research examining substance use, risk and …

The Role Of Social Emotional Learning In Utah’S Implementation Of Essa, Sharon Walles

Transforming Communities

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), as a policy, offers an additional tool to address the escalating adolescent mental health crisis. By acknowledging the critical link between student well-being, academic success, and evidence-based practices, this policy analysis explores how funding from ESSA can be leveraged to integrate Social Emotional Learning (SEL) within Utah’s schools. Experts, educators, and parents can be voices to combat misinformation surrounding the recent politicization of SEL and its implementation. This analysis connects Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory, which highlights the interconnectedness of the environment, with the importance of prioritizing mental health within schools to help adolescents with issues …

From Worry To Invention: Developing The Lunch Bunch As A Multimodal Expressive Arts Model For Regulation, Collaboration, And Peer Connection In Elementary Schools, Pascale Lauren Mimran-Ugbabe

Expressive Therapies Theses

This thesis documents the development of the Multimodal Expressive Arts Lunch Bunch, a small group intervention for elementary students delivered during the school lunch period at a public elementary school in Boston, Massachusetts. Grounded in multimodal expressive arts therapy, intermodal transfer theory, polyvagal-informed co-regulation, and principles of externalization, the intervention was designed as a low-barrier creative support group accessible regardless of diagnosis, referral status, or family pursuit of clinical services. Two cohorts of teacher-nominated students, one group of fourth-grade girls and one mixed-gender third-grade group, participated in a sequenced arc moving from worry externalization through collaborative invention, prototype construction, and …

An Equity-Based And Culturally Responsive Bill Of Rights For Early Childhood Students Of Color With Exceptionalities, Evette Simmons-Reed, Michelle Frazier Trotman Scott, Gloria Tardash, Mildred Boveda, Donna Y. Ford

Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing disparities in early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE) services for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) disabled children, exposing critical gaps in access, services and support. systemic inconsistencies in implementation, training, and funding, remain barriers limit opportunities for CLD students to benefit, despite the aims of the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (IDEA). To address these inequities, this manuscript proposes an expanded and updated Culturally Responsive Equity-Based Bill of Rights for EI and ECSE. Building upon Ford and colleagues' (2018) work, this revised document extends protections to children aged zero to five, emphasizing …

Latent Transition Analysis: A Statistical Method For Identifying Underlying Subgroups Over Time, Holmes Finch

Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education

Researchers working in early childhood research are often interested in assessing change over time in multiple variables. In addition, they may wish to ascertain whether there exist subgroups in the data with respect to these variables, and whether/how membership in these groups is related. Latent transition analysis (LTA) provides such researchers with a useful tool for investigating questions around such groups, including their composition, frequency, and the likelihood of moving from one to another at different points in time. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide a full demonstrate of LTA and show how it can be used to …

A Tutorial For Identifying And Comparing Change Points In Developmental Trajectories, Holmes Finch

Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education

Researchers in a variety of social science fields work with sequential data, such as measurements made over time. In some instances, one or more of the moments (e.g., mean, variance) of the series may change abruptly at some point in the sequence, yielding what is known as a change point. There is a broad literature describing methods for changepoint detection. Researchers working with multiple sequential series containing change points may be interested in comparing the locations of these changes. The purpose of this manuscript is to demonstrate how a researcher can detect changepoints and compare changepoints between two or more …

Guest Editor's Introduction: Methodological Innovations For Advancing Early Childhood Educational And Psychological Research, Anthony Mangino Ph.D.

Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education

The goal of this special issue is to provide you, the inquisitive reader and developmental scientist, with some of the methodological tools to aid in augmenting your analytic capacity.

Partners In Pilgrimage: Transforming The Journey Of Adolescence By Guiding Teenagers Toward Faithful Lives, Redefining Success, And Cultivating Connection To God, Abigail R. Weaver

Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses

Adolescence is a formative period in which young people seek meaning, identity, and belonging while navigating a complex array of cultural, social, and developmental pressures. In suburban American contexts, these pressures are intensified by competitive academic environments, demanding extracurricular commitments, and pervasive societal expectations that equate worth with achievement. Drawing from my experience as a youth minister in suburban United Methodist churches, this dissertation examines how such forces shape the spiritual and personal development of 15- to 18-year-olds and explores the Church’s role in guiding adolescents through this landscape with wisdom and care.

Grounded in the Christian tradition and informed …

Assessing School Readiness For Social And Emotional Learning: A Study Of School Leadership Perceptions And Attitudes, Nahla Elharati

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the integration of social and emotional learning (SEL) in a number of British schools across Egypt, focusing on how school leaders defined and perceived its importance in student development. Through in-depth interviews with twelve school leaders, this study found that school leaders’ definitions of SEL emphasized self- awareness, self-regulation, and relationship-building, alongside a strong focus on the real-life applicability of SEL both within school settings and in students’ future lives. School leaders also expressed positive attitudes toward the benefits of SEL, particularly its role in enhancing academic performance, promoting student well-being, improving peer relationships, and reducing bullying, …

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 …

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 …

Is Prosocial Behavior A Unique Correlate Of Academic Success In Emerging Adulthood?, Jacqueline Di Biase

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Prior developmental research has frequently linked prosocial behavior to stronger academic functioning during childhood and adolescence (Cruz et al., 2024; Gerbino et al., 2018; Oberle et al., 2022), yet its relevance to academic success in emerging adulthood remains unclear. Guided by a Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework, the present study sought to address gaps in emerging adulthood research by examining the academic relevance of prosocial behavior while accounting for influential developmental assets and testing its independent contribution to academic achievement. Undergraduate students (N = 501) completed a cross-sectional self-report survey assessing prosocial behavior, self-control, dutifulness, sociability, and cumulative grade …

Comparing Profiles Of Impairment Among Children With Dmdd, Adhd, And Odd, Joanna Christmas

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD) has a high comorbidity rate with ADHD (Bruno et al., 2019), meaning that many children referred for ADHD evaluation may also meet criteria for DMDD. Additionally, the two disorders can have some similarity in how they present. Thus, clinicians who frequently assess children for ADHD could benefit from being aware of how measures commonly used in ADHD evaluations can also be useful in identifying characteristics of DMDD as well as patterns of impairment more specific to DMDD. The present study explored possible differences in parent and teacher ratings of child peer impairment as well as …

9th Gsep Research Symposium - 2025

GSEP Research Symposium

The Ninth Annual GSEP Research Symposium, themed "Building Bridges to Elevate Humanity: Innovations and Insights in Education and Psychology", was hosted by the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) on June 19–20, 2025, at the historic Château d’Hauteville in Switzerland and virtually via Zoom.

This hybrid symposium convened a vibrant global community of students, alumni, faculty, and scholars to share research that addresses real-world challenges, advances scholarly inquiry, and builds pathways for inclusive collaboration and leadership. Spanning a wide array of topics—from artificial intelligence and mental health to trauma-informed practices, educational equity, social justice, and cross-cultural leadership—the …

The Experiences Of School Psychologists Serving Students With Traumatic Brain Injuries: A Phenomenology, E. Grace Ritchie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a complex experience associated with a diverse constellation of symptoms and challenges. TBI scholars have extensively explored the varying needs of youth in the aftermath of a head injury. Likewise, recent literature details recommendations for school psychological services in support of these students. Such recommendations largely reflect insights drawn from broader TBI and disability research, integrated with the established scope of school psychologists’ practice (e.g., the National Association of School Psychologists Practice Model). Nevertheless, school psychologists’ perceptions of these students’ challenges have been inadequately examined. Such perspectives are likely valuable, given school psychologists’ unique training …

Language Brokering Conditions The Indirect Association Between Mexican‐Origin Adolescents' Academic Discrimination And Educational Expectations, Su Yeong Kim, Yayu Du, Chantal Alvarado, Wei Xiang Sim, Wen Wen, Tianlu Zhang, Jingyi Shen

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Mexican-origin adolescents, a significant portion of the US Latino population, often experience a decline in educational expectations from early to late adolescence. Contextual factors such as academic discrimination and language brokering for parents may contribute to this decline. This study investigates the indirect effect of academic discrimination experienced in middle school on educational expectations in young adulthood through high school grades and engagement, and the moderating role of language brokering experiences in these relations. Data were collected from 604 Mexican-origin adolescents across four waves from 2012 to 2023. Academic discrimination experiences in middle school were negatively associated with school grades …

Invisible Intersections: Race, Adhd, And The Role Of Disciplinary Actions In Academic Outcomes, Miles Feller

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Race is a marginalized identity linked to significant achievement gaps for Black and Latino students in the USA (de Bray et al., 2019). These students experience higher rates of exclusionary school discipline (ESD) than White and Asian peers (Aud et al., 2010; de Bray et al., 2019), with suspensions correlating to lower academic performance (Del Toro & Wang, 2022; Wang et al., 2023; Owens & Hinshaw, 2016). Additionally, developmental disabilities like ADHD intersect with these issues; despite narrowing racial disparities in diagnoses (Cénat et al., 2022; Fairman et al., 2020), access to treatment remains uneven (Baglivio et al., 2017; Coker …

Do Resiliency And Coping Skills Moderate The Relationship Between Mood Disorders And Parenting Styles Due To Parental Relationship Distress?, Tiffany Burks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parental relationship dynamics such as intimate partner violence (IPV), interpersonal distress (IPD), and parental alienation (PA) can significantly affect both mental health and parenting practices. This study examined whether personal strengths, specifically resilience and problem-focused coping, could help buffer these negative outcomes. Correlational analyses showed that IPV, IPD, and PA were positively associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. IPV and PA were also negatively associated with the use of an authoritative parenting style. In contrast, resilience and problem-focused coping were linked to fewer mood-related symptoms and greater use of authoritative parenting. Multiple regression analyses revealed that IPV significantly predicted …

Sociology: Culture, Marcia Morrison

Open Educational Resources

This work examine culture. It begins by examining the foundations of culture to include norms, values, language, symbols and knowledge. In looking at each, it breaks down the implication of each to the development of ourselves as well as the person in the environment. It moves on to look at contexts of culture such as dominant cultures juxtapose to competing cultural systems, and how the various elements of culture can serve to either promote or minimize the various cultural constructs within society.

Measuring The Effects Of Adverse Childhood Experiences (Aces) On Adolescents’ Self-Esteem And Self-Appraisal: How Can School-Based Interventions Help?, Kayla M. Moses

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This paper explores the lasting impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on adolescents’ self-esteem and self-appraisal, with a focus on the role of school-based interventions in mitigating these effects. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) encompass various forms of trauma such as physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, neglect, and familial dysfunction during childhood. Due to adolescence being a critical period of identity formation and emotional development, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can significantly undermine adolescents' self-esteem, leading to lasting negative effects. These effects include various emotional, social, and psychological challenges, ultimately changing one’s life trajectory. Based on numerous theoretical foundations, it is supported …

The Contribution Of Task Difficulty And Adult Reliability On Children's Academic Task Persistence, Ella M. Wheelbarger

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Task persistence plays a crucial role in children's academic success and achievement of long-term goals. Contextual variables may influence child persistence such as reward source reliability, task difficulty, or task arrangement. We evaluated the effects of reward source reliability on children's academic task persistence with task difficulty. The perception of the reliability of the reward source was manipulated by making a commitment to provide a reward after completion of the task, but upon completion, delivery was delayed to the next day. The study was designed to examine the extent to which experiencing prior disappointments would decrease persistence times on subsequent …

Impacts Of Adverse Childhood Experiences And Proactive Coping On College Adjustment And Risky Behavior, Isabella Kester, Will Stutterheim, Jisook Park

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have garnered recent attention in psychological and educational research due to their significant and lasting effects on an individual’s ability to cope and adjust to the demands that are part of the college experience. The trauma experienced in childhood can influence key aspects of psychological and emotional development, shaping how adults conceptualize and cope with stressors later in life. These developmental disruptions also increase one’s susceptibility to risky behaviors, especially during transitional periods in life, such as entering college (Allem et al., 2015; Campbell et al., 2016). This study aims to explore the interplay between ACEs …

The Unintended Consequences Of Normalization: Unmonitored Mental Health Discourse Among Youth And Suicide Risk, Farley Morris

Social Work Theses - Archive

Suicide has become an increasingly common cause of death among U.S. children ages 10–14. In 2001, suicide accounted for 8% of deaths in this age group; by 2010 the proportion rose to 12%, and by 2020 it reached 22% (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020). Although factors such as adverse childhood experiences (Felitti et al., 1998; Jones et al., 2024), psychache (Shneidman, 1998), burdensomeness (Joiner, 2005; O’Connor, 2011), and hopelessness (Bat Tonkus et al., 2022; Qiu et al., 2017) are associated with suicide, these elements alone do not explain the significant rise in suicide deaths over the past …

This Is How You Can Be A Cool Adult, Angelica Angelica

ENGS 15.11: Design and Education

“This Is How You Can Be a COOL Adult” is an interactive and self-reflective lesson designed to help high school juniors through college seniors practice being more compassionate, open-minded, optimistic, and laughing-out-loud (humorous) in their everyday lives. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to describe and explore research-based strategies that foster compassion, open-mindedness, optimism, and humor, and create a personalized “COOL Action Plan” with self-reflection logs to track progress. The lesson takes place in an unconventional classroom setting (outdoors) and includes mini-lectures, meditation, collaborative games, creative role-play, personal reflection, and practical methods for applying these qualities …

The Demand For Educational Functions Of Study Tour Products: From Students’ Perspectives, Yaqi Yu, Azizan Marzuki

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

Few academic studies have comprehensively examined the actual demands of students regarding the educational function of study tours. This paper develops a demand index system based on three dimensions: cognitive, affective, and behavioral demands. A questionnaire survey was administered to 397 students. Initially, student demands were categorized using the Kano model. Subsequently, the “dependence” and “expectancy” characteristics were analyzed through the dissatisfaction index (DI) and satisfaction index (SI). The impact of fulfilling each demand on dissatisfaction and satisfaction levels was then determined. The results indicated that among the three dimensions, there were 7 must-be demands, 6 one-dimensional demands, 8 attractive …