Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

School Psychology Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 31 - 41 of 41

Full-Text Articles in School Psychology

Identification Of Specific Learning Disability Profiles: Consideration Of Patterns Across Cognitive, Academic, Socio-Emotional, And Executive Variables, Amanda M. Garrett Jan 2013

Identification Of Specific Learning Disability Profiles: Consideration Of Patterns Across Cognitive, Academic, Socio-Emotional, And Executive Variables, Amanda M. Garrett

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

During recent years, there has been a growing urgency and a heightened demand for increased accountability for all students to demonstrate academic success in school, as required by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB; 2002). An integral part of helping students to meet success in school includes providing them with a free and appropriate education; this also includes those students who have educational disabilities, through the provision of specially designed instruction and supports. In the past, SLD had been studied as a homogenous classification (Rourke, 1999). However, as more recent research has evolved, it has become clearer that students …


Executive Functions In The Schools: What Do Teachers Know About Executive Functions And How They Impact Student Progress?, Larissa Morgan-Borkowsky Jan 2012

Executive Functions In The Schools: What Do Teachers Know About Executive Functions And How They Impact Student Progress?, Larissa Morgan-Borkowsky

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The current study surveyed middle school teachers on their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and expectations regarding executive functions in relation to students’ academic success. The results of this study indicated that teachers perceived themselves as knowledgeable of executive functions. A disconnect was found between teacher responses to an open-ended question regarding abilities and skills required for academic success and their endorsements of specific questions regarding executive functions. Motivation, problem-solving, and basic academic skills were indicated as being most important for success, but two of these are considered capacities students possess intrinsically. When asked about specific executive functions however, they rated them …


Instructional Technology Usage And Implications For Student Academic Achievement And Further Success, Bradley D. Petry Jan 2012

Instructional Technology Usage And Implications For Student Academic Achievement And Further Success, Bradley D. Petry

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The digital divide was once a term used to indicate disparity between socio-economic classes and access to digital devices. The digital divide may now more accurately indicate differences in the types of usage between members of different socio-economic classes. Differences in usage among the middle school student population may play a role in the development of critical thinking and collaborative communication. The Maryland results of the 2010 Speak Up survey – a national student survey regarding the usage of technology - were used in comparison with student respondent school district differentiation and were also compared with student state standardized test …


The Role Of Esl Teacher Support In Facilitating School Adjustment In English Language Learners, Mary Sharp-Ross Jan 2011

The Role Of Esl Teacher Support In Facilitating School Adjustment In English Language Learners, Mary Sharp-Ross

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Immigrant students are the fastest growing sector of the US school population.These students are English Language Learners (ELLs) who enter our schools with a constellation of social-emotional risk factors that predispose them to psychological disorders, as well as undermine their learning and educational outcomes. English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESL) teacher support is indicated to be a primary protective factor for ELLs facing the pervasive task of acculturation to a new society and school culture. This study surveyed 200 ESL teachers in Pennsylvania in order to gather information regarding their beliefs about the social-emotional and acculturation needs of their …


The Implications Of Executive Function And Prototypical Student Performance In Middle School, Sabrina Anne Hartman Jan 2011

The Implications Of Executive Function And Prototypical Student Performance In Middle School, Sabrina Anne Hartman

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Over the course of the past 25 years, “executive functions” have been investigated more and more frequently in relation to cognitive functioning across the lifespan. Within that time frame, researchers have examined various changes that are specific to the adolescent brain. The research has begun to elucidate the relationship between executive functioning and the developmental period of adolescence. Previous studies have examined the utility of using specific rating scales as a means to assess executive functioning across the lifespan, with most of these utilizing scale level analyses. Given the lack of specificity regarding what elements exactly comprise “executive functioning,” the …


A Study Of The Relationship Between Elementary School Students' Performance On Progress Monitoring Measures Of Oral Reading Fluency And Reading Comprehension To The Pennsylvania System Of School Assessment, Elana E. Weinstein Jan 2011

A Study Of The Relationship Between Elementary School Students' Performance On Progress Monitoring Measures Of Oral Reading Fluency And Reading Comprehension To The Pennsylvania System Of School Assessment, Elana E. Weinstein

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

National education legislation has mandated school district accountability for demonstrating student reading progress. As a result, Response to Intervention models promote benchmark assessments to identify at-risk students and promote proficiency on state assessments. The current study examined third and fourth grade students’ Response to Intervention data and standardized assessments from a suburban school district to determine if Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) and reading comprehension benchmark assessments (4Sight assessments) have utility in predicting performance on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA). Results from the current study expanded prior research by analyzing individual benchmark assessments with yearly state assessments. Analyses identified …


Stereotype Threat And Minority Students' Academic Achievement, Clédicianne Dorvil Jan 2011

Stereotype Threat And Minority Students' Academic Achievement, Clédicianne Dorvil

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This action oriented research project presents a manualized program that can be used in the school setting to remediate stereotype threat. A meta-analytic review was conducted in order to identify evidenced-based interventions that intervened on stereotype threat effects. The findings from the meta-analysis were utilized to create the manual for the Study Skills Group. A pilot study was conducted with middle and high-school aged individuals to evaluate the efficacy of the program. Pre and post program evaluation forms were utilized to monitor change during the course of the program. The Study Skills Group manual received positive ratings for the session …


Teachers' Understanding Of Components Of Response To Intervention (Rti) In Pennsylvania, Gabrielle Wilcox Jan 2009

Teachers' Understanding Of Components Of Response To Intervention (Rti) In Pennsylvania, Gabrielle Wilcox

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Since recent regulations allow the use of response to intervention (RTI) for specific learning disability determination, many districts have implemented RTI. This study surveyed a stratified random sample of 2,000 teachers in Pennsylvania with 141 usable responses. The purpose of this study was to ascertain teacher understanding of components of RTI in districts using and not using RTI and to determine if district implementation procedures impacted perceived effectiveness. Overall, the groups were similar in understanding and perceived importance of RTI components; however, there were small but notable differences. Respondents with higher levels of perceived effectiveness indicated greater support from a …


Curriculum-Based Measures Of Reading And Student Performance On State-Wide Achievement Tests, Brian L. Dorshimer Jan 2009

Curriculum-Based Measures Of Reading And Student Performance On State-Wide Achievement Tests, Brian L. Dorshimer

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

With increasing pressure and accountability for schools to produce higher scores on statewide achievement tests, the use ofCurriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) methods for monitoring student progress, identifYing at-risk students for failing state tests, and providing appropriate interventions to increase student performance could prove to be very beneficial (McGlinchey & Hixson, 2004). Research has indicated that CBM can be an effective tool in predicting success on state-wide reading achievement tests (Shapiro, Keller, Lutz, Santoro, & Hintze, 2006; Wood, 2006; Hintze & Silberglitt, 2005; McGlinchey & Hixson, 2004; Barger, 2003; Shaw & Shaw, 2002; Stage & Jacobsen, 2001). Determining whether or not a …


Breaking The "Sound" Barrier To Fluent Reading: An Evaluation Of A Middle School Reading Intervention, Kimberly Simmerman Jan 2008

Breaking The "Sound" Barrier To Fluent Reading: An Evaluation Of A Middle School Reading Intervention, Kimberly Simmerman

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The failure to read efficiently accounts for nearly 80% of the children who meet the criteria for a specific learning disability in America. Moreover, many of those children do not receive instruction that is sufficient to improve their reading achievement to within the average range. The current study examines the Breaking the “Sound” Barrier to Fluent Reading program by comparing pretest and posttest scores on individually administered and group statewide tests of reading achievement. The impact of IQ on progress is evaluated and discussed. Students’levels of reading proficiency preintervention and postintervention, as determined by the criteria set forth by the …


An Analysis Of Survey Data On Student Perceptions Of Adolescent Counseling Needs, Jane Ellen Santo Jan 2008

An Analysis Of Survey Data On Student Perceptions Of Adolescent Counseling Needs, Jane Ellen Santo

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The school counseling needs of adolescents have often
been assessed through the perceptions of school personnel
and other adults. This study provides an alternative
perspective and reports the results of a mental health/life
stress counseling needs’ assessment, conducted directly
with middle school and high school students’ grades 7
through 12. The results of this student-centered survey
are reported with relation to literature pertaining to the
potential counseling needs of adolescents and the
deleterious consequences of not meeting these needs. Data
pertaining to each area of the survey: awareness of
counseling services, participation in counseling services,
perceived counseling needs, and perceived …