School Psychology Commons^™

Attitude Change Of Educators Utilizing Best Practices In Education, Sonya Christian

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

It is purported that educator attitudes are highly important in many areas of education. This study examined if educator attitude change occurred as a result of teaching in a six-week summer school enrichment program that implements research-supported best practices in education. Participants were predominantly white female education students enrolled in a graduate school in West Virginia. Sixty-seven of them responded to a pre-post Likert-type survey developed by professors at the institution. Data was collected over two summers. Analysis of the data included bar graph comparisons and a Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks Test (p<0.05). The conclusions from this study yielded changes in educator attitudes on three questions in the survey. Implications for future study in this area are discussed.

High Stakes Testing Effects On Graduation Rates, Karen Gail Cummings

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

With the inception of No Child Left Behind many states are now requiring students to pass a statewide exam in order to be promoted to the next grade or to graduate from high school. Opponents of these tests argue that high stakes testing decreases graduation rates among these students. They also argue that the tests are biased and unfair for minority students, students of low socioeconomic status, and students with disabilities who often fail the tests. The graduation rates for twenty-nine Appalachian counties in Ohio, a state that requires students to pass the Ohio Graduation Test in order to graduate, …

Differences In Scores Derived From Age-Based Norms Versus Grade-Based Norms On The Kaufman Test Of Educational Achievement, Second Edition And Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Second Edition, Carla Donahue

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Traditionally, standardized achievement measures have provided only age-based norms for deriving standard scores from obtained raw scores. In recent years, publications of normreferenced achievement test have begun to include norms based on grade level. With the addition of grade-based norms, test manuals and interpretation guides have not included clear guidelines indicating when it is advisable to use one type of norm over the other. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between standard scores obtained using age- and grade-based norms, using the same raw score, for students in the appropriate grade for their age, students who are …

The Positive Role Of Negative Emotions: Fear, Anxiety, Conflict And Resistance As Productive Experiences In Academic Study And In The Emergence Of Learner Autonomy, Jaya Kannan, John Laurence Miller

CTL Publications

Although affect is widely recognized as a powerful force in determining students’ academic success, researchers and practitioners have paid little attention to emotional barriers that often impede college success or how instructors may respond constructively when such barriers arise. The purpose of this paper is to initiate discussion of this important problem by offering a model of how an initially resistant, fearful, and/or anxious student can use emotionally unpleasant experiences to transform himself or herself into a more autonomous and successful learner. We offer prima facie support for this model by presenting the results of two cases of first year …

Promoting Resilience In School-Aged Children, Sherry Rizzuto

Graduate Research Papers

This paper reviews the literature related to resilience in children who are considered at risk. The purpose of the paper is to describe common risk factors that put children at risk, what defines resilience, and what protective factors and processes develop resilience in these at-risk children. The paper concludes by examining interventions for school counselors to promote resilience in school-aged children.

Peer-To-Peer Mentoring Programs In The School Setting For Grades 7-12, Jennifer Crawford

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This Capstone project will provide a complete literature review on peer-to-peer mentoring programs; summarize findings; review evidence-based research regarding existing mentoring programs; compare and contrast the review findings; address potential limitations, and make recommendations to the school administration of United South Central School District #2134, regarding design and implementation of a research-based peer-to-peer mentoring program.

Core Conditions In Student-Centered Learning, Margaret Ann Hartford

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study explored core conditions in student centered educational settings by utilizing an ethnomethodological design to examine the experiences of self-selected educators throughout the United States. Through surveys and follow up interviews, educators reported their professional experiences regarding the core conditions in student centered learning as outlined by Carl Rogers and the impact these conditions played in the quality of educational experiences for the educators and their students in diverse settings. This study was also concerned with educators' self reports regarding their training and education regarding core conditions in student centered learning environments. This paper shares with readers a literary …

Animals In The Classroom: Implications And Implementation, Christen Lynn Robinson

All Graduate Projects

The role of animals in the classroom through Animal Assisted Therapy is examined. The benefits and risks are outlined and discussed. Specific measures to decrease related risks are given. A look at Animal Assisted Therapy from the perspective of the animal itself is also explored. Does the practice exploit animals? The research suggests that it depends upon the type of animal used. A Power Point presentation explaining the benefits of Animal Assisted Therapy is provided. The target audience for the presentation is educators interested in implementing an Animal Assisted Therapy program within the school setting. The presentation clearly outlines the …

An Investigation Of The Knowledge And Beliefs Held By Teachers And Parents In A Parochial School System Regarding Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder And The Variables That Predict Their Knowledge, Kendra-Lee Yvonne Pearman

Dissertations

Problem

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent childhood disorders affecting 3 to 5% of school populations in the United States and other countries. Due to the behavioral and/or academic challenges of children with ADHD, they are at risk for grade retention, dropping out of high school, and teenage delinquency, which can lead to negative consequences in society. Children with ADHD are found in every school setting, including parochial schools. Past studies have found teachers and parents have inadequate knowledge about ADHD, which can negatively affect these children. This study investigated what teachers and parents of children in …

Developing Evidenced Based Practice For Social Emotional Screenings In Schools, Kim Anderson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The social problem being addressed through this project includes several challenges faced by our nation's schools, namely increasing numbers of disciplinary referrals, suspensions, and expulsions (Marchant, Anderson, Caldarella, Fisher, Young,Young, 2009). Further research states that "more and more children entering school are unprepared to learn, unable to cope with the social tasks involved in making friends and getting along with others, and unaware of their negative social effect on others," (Marchant et al., 2009, p.131). Only about 20% of children and adolescents with a psychiatric disorder in the United States receive any kind of mental health services (Fritz, 2007). Yet …

A Comparison Of Reading Interventions Based On Preference To Reading Interventions Identified By Brief Experimental Analysis, Debborah Eda Smyth

Dissertations

The available literature on children's acceptability of interventions is rather sparse and offers little support for the link between acceptability and effectiveness (e.g., Foxx & Jones, 1978; Shapiro & Goldberg, 1986; Turco & Elliot, 1990). The present study compared the effects of treatment preference to treatment effectiveness using a brief experimental analysis to select skill-based oral reading fluency interventions. The use of a brief experimental analysis (BEA) (Daly, Martens, Hamler, Dool, & Eckert, 1999) has been demonstrated to be an effective procedure for selecting oral reading interventions. However, the studies on brief experimental analysis to date have not examined student …

Generalization Effects Of Social Story Interventions For Individuals With Asperger's Disorder, Jennifer Alphonso Abraham

Dissertations

Social Stories™ (Gray, 2004) is a relatively new intervention designed to teach appropriate skills to individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Although there is preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of Social Stories it has typically been implemented in one target setting. As a result, there are little data to support whether or not the effects of Social Stories will generalize to other settings. The current study examined the effectiveness of Social Stories for increasing appropriate behaviors exhibited by four children diagnosed with Asperger's Disorder. Generalization effects across settings were assessed using a typical Social Story (Train and Hope) format and …

Cohesion, Instructional Time And Reading Performance At Mugc Summer Enrichment Program, Sandra S. Stroebel, Brenda S. Harvey, Stephen L. O’Keefe

School Psychology Faculty Research

As schools attempt to improve the services to struggling readers, teacher are encouraged to work collaboratively to enhance instruction. Studies are needed to examine the effects of teaming on student performance. The purpose of this study was to determine if team cohesion or instructional time at Marshall University Graduate College Summer Enrichment Program (MUGCSEP) would be correlated with measures of reading performance for students who attended the program. Statistical analyses yielded a statistically significant correlation between cohesion, instructional time and reading performance during the 2006 program. While in 2007, instructional time was not significantly correlated, cohesion results yielded a mildly …

Identification Of Key Counseling Skills For Highly Effective School Administrators, Tonya Christman Balch

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative research study looked at the predictability oflndiana's Public Law 221 Status for the 2005 and 2006 academic years. The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, to determine if elementary administrators' key counseling skills and select demographics can predict Public Law 221 (PL 221) status in their respective schools; secondly, to develop a valid and reliable survey supported by strong psychometric properties that identifies key counseling. iii Quantitative analyses factored key counseling skills and tested the predictive nature of those skills as well as select demographic items (school locale, administrator gender and ethnicity, building-level administrator pre-service training institution, …

Mugc Summer Enrichment Program And Reading Achievement: Program Evaluation, Melissa A. Varian

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This purpose of this study is to determine if participation in the Marshall University Summer Enrichment Program enhances children’s reading skills and to determine if a gender difference was evident in reading achievement scores. DIBELS was used to determine reading achievement scores at the beginning, middle, and end of program. The data obtained were compared using a General Linear Model-Within Subjects Factors through ANOVA to determine the mean of benchmark 1 and 3 as well as the significance level of the reading scores. The findings of this study indicated no differences in Oral Reading Fluency in total scores or in …

School Counseling In West Virginia: An Examination Of School Counselors And Implementation Of Wv Policy 2315, Christine J. Schimmel

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Since the inception of the profession of school counseling there has been confusion and inconsistency about what the appropriate role of the school counselor should be. Beginning in 2002, the State of West Virginia followed a nationwide movement to attempt to clarify the role of the school counselor by implementing Policy 2315, West Virginia's policy on Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling. However, since the creation of the policy, no statewide study has been conducted to determine if West Virginia school counselors are fully implementing the policy which is based on the American School Counselor Association‟s National Model for school counseling programs. …

Teacher Burnout: Locus Of Control And Its Correlation To Teacher Burnout And Job Satisfaction, Kimberly A. Bevis

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Teacher burnout is a significant problem in education today. While studies have researched the possible reasons behind it and the effect it has on students and teachers, this study proposed to investigate the correlation between teacher burnout, locus of control and job satisfaction. Surveys were sent to 102 teachers who taught kindergarten through 12th grade in two school districts in Southeastern Ohio. Of the 53 surveys that were returned, 28% of the teachers demonstrated burn out, 40% were dissatisfied with their jobs, and 20% had an external locus of control. There was a moderate correlation between the Rotter IE Scale, …

Teacher Skill And Response To Intervention In West Virginia Pilot Schools, Janna Christy

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

As a program evaluation, the West Virginia Department of Education implemented a Response to Intervention (RtI) approach to the identification of students with learning disabilities in the spring of 2005. Eleven pilot schools were used in the West Virginia RtI program evaluation. The purpose of this study was to assess the change that resulted in teacher skills as a consequence of the implementation of the RtI model. It was hypothesized that teachers’ skills will significantly change in a positive direction as result of the implementation. A pre-post survey design was utilized to evaluate the outcome. Significant positive changes were reported …

Character Counts! Incentive Program : Implementation And Evaluation, Julie A. Rouse

Graduate Research Papers

In order to better serve the school population, the school counselor is often called upon to deliver the counseling curriculum to all students. Data often drives the curriculum the counselor will present to the students. As a result of a program audit and perception data, a school counselor at West Elementary chose to implement a character education piece to the curriculum. Furthermore, an incentive program was added to encourage positive behavior and to recognize student achievement. Due to the age of accountability, the school counselor created a survey to assess the program. In addition to the survey, other sources of …

Fostering A Healthy Body Image: Prevention And Intervention With Adolescent Eating Disorders, Michelle Giles, Michael Hass

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Eating disorders are among the most frequently seen chronic illnesses found in adolescent females. In this paper, we discuss school-based prevention and intervention efforts that seek to reduce the impact of this serious illness. School counselors play a key role in the prevention of eating disorders and can provide support even when not directly involved in psychological or medical treatment. Because of their ability to play a leadership role in school-based prevention of eating disorders, school counselors are essential in facilitating a collaborative approach to the prevention of and intervention in eating disorders and their associated risk factors.

Asg Student Social And Emotional Health Report, Michael. E. Bernard, Andrew Stephanou, Daniel Urbach

Wellbeing

This report presents the results of sophisticated Rasch measurement analysis and multi-level modelling to validate and support the use of the ACER Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) student and teacher surveys for reporting on the social and emotional well-being of students from the early years of schooling through to senior secondary school levels. It describes the social and emotional well-being of over 10,000 students attending 81 schools across Australia. Among the more important findings of this research are the characteristics of students with low levels of social and emotional well-being compared with students with higher levels of social and emotional …

The Effect Of Marshall University's Summer Enrichment Program On Reading Gains Program Evaluation, Ii, Kelli A. Potoczny

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Marshall University Summer Enrichment Program on students’ reading success in grades Kindergarten through eighth. From June 26, 2006 through July 27, 2006, a 5 week chronological period, 105 students attended the summer program and were evaluated for reading achievement. The study measured students' reading performance during the 5 consecutive weeks. Students were divided into three groups, primary, intermediate and middle school to evaluate the different age groups for changes in reading ability. This study compared student's pre and post running records to determine any gains in reading skills. …

Comparative Study Of The Working Memory Scales Of The Wisc-Iv And Sb5 In Referred Students, Erica N. Abbott

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The present study compared the working memory scales of the WISC-IV and the SB5 as both tests are used, in part, to develop academic interventions for students. There is a moderate correlation (.6) between the two tests with 33 percent of shared variance and a SEest of 9.1 [plus or minus]. The findings indicate that the two tests do not measure a similar ability and scores obtained on them should not be interpreted in the same manner. More research is needed to investigate the specific constructs measured and which test is most appropriate to assess working memory problems.

High Stakes Testing Effects Dropout Rates, Ann Dodd

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Since the inception of No Child Left Behind, it has been argued that high stakes testing leads to a higher dropout rate. High stakes testing can cause anxiety, stress and fear in students when the results determine whether or not they are able to be promoted to the next grade or to graduate from high school. The dropout rates for the two years before and the three years after the high stake test (WESTEST) was implemented in West Virginia were examined to establish if there had been any effect on these rates. Results indicate no significant difference in dropout rates …

Organizational Orientations Of K-12 School Leaders In The Columbia Union Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Rose Tooley Gamblin

Dissertations

Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study was to examine the organizational orientations--structure ,human resource, political, and symbolic --of the K-12 school leaders in the Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and the relationship, if any, to their personal variables of age, gender, experience, and their professional variables of grade levels served, educational attainment, enrollment, support, feelings of success, and job satisfaction.

Method

A self-administered Organizational Orientations survey instrument, based on the multiple orientation framework of Bolman and Deal, was used to gather information about the school leaders. The population surveyed provided 56 usable responses, which were analyzed …

Codependency In Master's-Level Counseling Students, Terri Lynne Pardee

Dissertations

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study was to examine codependency in master’s-level counseling students, to determine if there was a significant difference between incoming and exiting students, and to investigate codependency as related to age, gender, and religious preference.

Method

The Codependency Assessment Tool was administered to 275 Spring Arbor University master’s-level counseling students to measure codependency in five core areas: Other Focus/Self-Neglect, Low Self-Worth, Hiding Self, Medical Problems, and Family of Origin Issues.

Results

Respondents’ CODAT mean score showed a minimal level of codependency. There were no significant differences between incoming and exiting students on the …

Externalising Behaviour Problems And The Influence Of Classroom Environments In The Early School Years ; Student-Teacher Relationships And Teacher Discipline: Their Relation To The Externalising Behaviours Of Kindergarten To Year 1 Students, Emma Spencer

Theses : Honours

Some of the most influential people in a child's life are the teachers who aid them in their transition into the education system and the complex social environment that it brings (Blancher & Eisenhower, 2006). Children who display externalising behaviours early in childhood often experience greater difficulties than other children when entering school and throughout their education experience (Hinshaw, Lahey & Hart, 1993; Liu, 2004). The student-teacher relationship established within the classroom and the disciplinary measures utilized by the teachers can have a profound impact on the child's development both academically and socially (Galen & Underwood, 1997; Hamre & Pianta, …

Field-Based Experience In Light Of Changing Demographics, Fred Jay Krieg, Joyce Meikamp, Stephen L. O’Keefe, Sandra S. Stroebel

School Psychology Faculty Research

Due to changing demographics of students admitted to the School Psychology Training Program at Marshall University Graduate College, it has become imperative to significantly expand field experiences beginning in the first semester to address the lack of educational background of most of the students entering the program. This organized sequence of field experiences continues throughout the program, parallel to classroom instruction, affording opportunities for students to put theory into practice and to interact with professionals in the field, while also allowing for exposure to the public school environment. The collaborative field experience sequence provides the students with early and continuous …

An Evaluation Of Intraverbal Training And Listener Training For Teaching Categorization Skills, Anna Ingeborg Petursdottir

Dissertations

Behavioral language interventions, such as those employed in early and intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) programs, target both expressive and receptive language skills. Skinner's (1957) analysis of verbal behavior provides a framework for analyzing expressive and receptive language in terms of stimulus control and reinforcement history. From this perspective, different expressive language programs target different verbal operants, such as tacts, intraverbals, and echoics , whereas most receptive language programs target a type of listener behavior that may be referred to as manded stimulus selection (Michael, 1995). Although EIBI curricula (e.g., Maurice, Green, & Luce, 1996; Leaf & McEachin, 1999) have frequently …

Perceptions Of Ethical Public School Leadership Among K-12 Indiana School Principals, Philip V. Bender

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research attempted to determine the ethical perceptions of Indiana K-12 public school principals through their ratings of selected ethical preparedness statements. The goal was to determine if significant differences exist among public school principals in the state of Indiana based on level and locale of school, gender, ethnicity, source of ethical development, and years of service related to ethical areas of knowledge, disposition, and performance as derived from the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium: Standards for School Leaders (ISLLC) Standard 5. The population for this study consisted of 1,900 public school principals in the state of Indiana. A survey …