School Psychology Commons^™

Preparedness Of School Psychologists To Provide Services For Students Diagnosed With Cancer, Lauren Mckenzie Blevins

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Children who survive cancer face many challenges when reintegrating into the school system. School psychologists are among the school support professionals who may aid in providing support and identifying appropriate interventions and accommodations for the academic and mental health needs of these students. This study identifies whether school psychologists in West Virginia perceive themselves to be adequately prepared to assist students who have survived cancer upon returning to school. A survey containing fourteen questions regarding the individual’s experience, training, and knowledge was distributed to school psychologists in attendance at the Fall 2016 West Virginia School Psychologists’ Association conference. Of the …

Teaching Msw Students Suicide Assessment, Intervention, And Postvention In Rural Areas, Aisling Del Quest, Randall Nedegaard

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This teaching note argues the need for enhanced suicide assessment and intervention training for MSW students preparing for rural social work practice. A detailed outline of a suicide elective course is presented, addressing rural specific challenges. After course completion, students (N = 49) reported feeling better prepared to work with suicidal clients and better able to conduct an accurate assessment and suggest appropriate interventions.

Research Snapshot: Changes In Depression And Positive Mental Health Among Youth In A Healthy Relationships Program, Centre For School Mental Health

Research Snapshots

This study explored and identified meaningful groups of youth based on their depression symptoms over time. Researchers found that youth who reported high levels of depression prior to the program experienced a significant decline in depressive symptoms and improved mental well-being following the program.

Relationship Between Self-Efficacy And Attitudes Toward Evidence-Based Practice In Psychology, Radinka Jurosevic Samardzic

ETD Archive

As a result of a fierce debate about the most important factors of effective therapy, the American Psychological Association (APA) defined Evidence-Based Practice in Psychology (EBPP) as “an approach to clinical practice which integrates best available research with clinical expertise in context of patient characteristics, culture, and preferences.” (APA, 2006, p. 273). Research suggests that positive attitudes toward EBPP are related to use of EBPP (Nelson & Steele, 2007). This study utilized a social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986) framework to examine the relationships between counseling self-efficacy, research self-efficacy, past training experiences, knowledge of EBPP, and attitudes toward EBPP. The participants …

Underrepresenting Disproportionality : An Interdisciplinary Bibliographic Content Analysis, Stacy B. Fooce

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Students of color and those with disabilities have been disproportionally identified, placed, and disciplined in education. As a result, IDEA 2004 requires states to have policies and procedures in effect to prevent and reduce disproportionate representation by race and ethnicity in the areas of identification, discipline, and placement of children with disabilities. Despite the policies, black students are still 1) suspended or expelled at a rate two-to-three times higher than white students; 2) 2.8 times more likely to be identified as having a high-incidence disability; 3) more likely to be placed in a more restrictive environment. Because these disparities continue …

Sexualized Music's Effect On Adolescent And Emerging Adult Behavior: A Meta-Analysis, Brittany M. Scholl

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Reports on sexual activity among U.S. adolescents have shown a rise in their seriousness (Martino, Collins, Elliott, Strachman, Kanouse, & Berry, 2006). Such young sexual initiation is seen as a predictor of overall riskier sexual behavior such as having a multitude of sexual partners, not using any protective birth control and taking part in unwanted sex (Brown, L'Engle, Pardun, Guo, Kenneavy, & Jackson, 2006; Martino et at., 2006; Parkes, Wight, Hunt, Henderson, & Sargent, 2013; Price & Hyde, 2009; Primack, Douglas, Fine, & Dalton, 2009; Steinberg & Monahan, 2010). It is apparent that such riskier sexual behaviors result in higher …

Increasing Knowledge About Food Allergy Management In The Preschool Setting, Katherine Mizell Crow

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The prevalence of food allergies is a growing concern in the United States. Approximately 8% of the pediatric population has some form of food allergy. Many of these children are either in the preschool and primary school setting, which is where the majority of allergic reactions occur. If the symptoms of a food allergy reaction are not treated within minutes of exposure, the results can be damaging or fatal. Evidence continues to demonstrate that preschool and school personnel do not feel trained or prepared should a severe reaction arise. The purpose of this evidence-based project was to determine if the …

University Students’Willingness To Assist Fellow Students Who Experience Alcohol-Related Facial Flushing To Reduce Their Drinking, Lanyan Ding, Lok-Wa Yuen, Ian M. Newman, Duane F. Shell

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study explored bystanders’ willingness to help a friend who flushes when drinking to reduce his/her drinking. Alcohol-related facial flushing is an indicator of an inherited variant enzyme, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), that impairs alcohol metabolism and increases drinkers’ lifetime risk of certain aerodigestive cancers. Individuals who flush should reduce their alcohol exposure, but they may continue to drink if social pressures and rules of etiquette make not drinking socially risky. The analysis used data from 2912 undergraduate students from 13 universities in southwestern, central and northeastern China from a survey asking how they respond to someone’s flushing in various scenarios. …

The Efficacy And Mechanisms Of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation, Susan M. Sheridan, Amanda Witte, Gina Kunz, Lorey A. Wheeler, Samantha R. Angell

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The efficacy of conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC), a family-school partnership intervention, for teachers’ prac- tices and process skills was evaluated. Participants were 152 teachers of grades K–3 in 45 Midwest rural schools randomly assigned to treatment or control conditions. Treat- ment group teachers participated in an 8- to 10-week CBC intervention. Outcome measures were (a) self-reports of classroom practices and collaborative process skills and (b) direct observations of teachers’ use of effective behav- ioral strategies. Relative to control group participants, there was a significant positive intervention effect on CBC teachers’ self-report of appropriate behavioral strategies (b p .47, p ! …

The Concurrent Validity Of The Learning Component Of The Missouri Ability Scale, Nicholas Johnson

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The present study was designed to determine the concurrent validity of the Missouri Ability Scale (MAS), a new measure of independent functioning and learning currently in development. The MAS consists of 10 subtests and is designed to be administered to the examinee and an informant. Fifty individuals (M = 13.1 years; SD = 5.8 years) were administered the MAS and a cognitive abilities test (i.e. WISC-V, KABC-II, WJ-IV). Overall, the Spearman correlations between the MAS learning component and the measures of intellectual ability were moderate-to-strong, indicating good validity. Consistent with the hypotheses, the MAS learning component and the Cattel-Horn-Carroll …

Adolescent Perceptions Of Behavioral Functioning: Measuring Perceptions Of One's Own Behavior, Aaron Hale

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

As bullying type behaviors have increased in recent years, many school districts have responded by implementing rigid zero-tolerance policies that punish students with no regard toward situational or social contexts. These policies have been shown to have many negative social, psychological, and academic consequences. Numerous social and developmental factors involved in bullying-type situations make it necessary to gather information on both the frequency and the social contexts in which they occur: exhibiting these behaviors toward close friends versus exhibiting these behaviors toward individuals who are not close friends. Of particular interest is if students exhibit bullying-type behaviors more often in …

Attachment, Stress, And Self-Efficacy While Parenting Children On The Autism Spectrum, Angela Maire Galioto

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The current study explored the relationship between parental perceptions of stress, self-efficacy, attachment, and child functioning level. Participants were parents of children with ASD enrolled in The Special Beginnings Program (SBP, N = 44) or receiving treatment as usual (TAU, N = 39). Hypotheses included that parental perceptions of child functioning level will be negatively correlated with stress and positively correlated with self-efficacy and attachment. In addition, that parental perceptions of stress will decrease and perceptions of attachment and self-efficacy would increase after Project ImPACT training and at follow-up more so for the parents in the SBP group compared to …

Factors Influencing Teacher And Adminstrators' Knowledge And Attitudes About Adolescent Depression, Suicide, And Prevention, Kayla N. Quick

Masters Theses

To date, research has yet to be conducted that examines U.S. secondary school teachers' and administrators' attitudes toward intervening with potentially depressed and/or suicidal students. Additionally, research is needed to identify the demographic characteristics of educators that are associated with general knowledge of adolescent suicide and the risk factors and warning signs that often accompany it. The purpose of the present study was to examine the following hypotheses: 1) certain characteristics (e.g. gender, years of experience with educating children, the amount of training received on adolescent depression/suicide, and knowledge of adolescent suicide and depression) are better predictors of attitudes toward …

A Comparison Of The Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test And The Wechsler Scales, Samantha Denhart

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The present study was designed to determine the correlation between a commonly used cognitive ability test (i.e., Wechsler) and a verbal memory test (i.e., Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test) by analyzing archival data from a clinical sample of adults. Many researchers have continued to establish the relationship between cognitive ability, or IQ, and learning and memory skills; however, there is little research regarding when differences between IQ and memory scores are statistically significant. Results of this study indicated 17 of 20 IQ index/memory correlations were statistically significant and a series of simple regressions generated standardized residuals. These residuals generated confidence bands …

Understanding The Thoughts And Attitudes Of Female Students Who Participate In Single-Gender Education, Alexandra Robinson Gilbert

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The thoughts and perceptions of female students who attend a single-gender education school were investigated in this study. This study used a qualitative approach through one-on-one interviews with ninth- through twelfth-grade students who participated in a suburban single-gender school. Interviews were conducted with 10 students and included open-ended questions intended to elicit personal thoughts regarding their perceptions of the impact attending a single gender school had on their personalities, education, and social lives. Information from the interviews was incorporated with information gathered from a demographic questionnaire. The results were then examined for potential themes and patterns in order to draw …

Helping Young Adults With Depression, Yuvinny Delmar Serrano

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Depression is situational sadness that lasts throughout the day, every day, for at least two weeks. The symptoms are distressing, and usually depression is caused by a negative impact on one's life. According to the Depression Hotline, many people with depression have one or more other mental disorders present. Depression can affect one’s ability to function at school, at work, or even at home. This discourages young adults from socializing, which is a major problem. One in four adolescents suffer from depression, which is why everyone should try to help young adults who suffer from this disorder.

• Up to …

The Impact Of Mindfulness On Student Success, Casey D. Nightingale

All Master's Theses

As schools are adopting the whole child approach, it is important to examine how the approach impacts academic success. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a school-based mindfulness curriculum on student reading scores and classroom engagement. Using a multiple baseline design, this study examined the rate of improvement in reading scores and academic engagement in elementary students receiving a mindfulness curriculum. The curriculum was introduced in addition to the regular curriculum in 15-minute lessons twice a week. Rate of improvement was examined utilizing curriculum-based measures, while student engagement was evaluated through classroom observation methods. This …

From The Perspectives Of School Staff: The Helpful And Hindering Factors Of Recovery From A School Crisis, Andria Weiser

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The impact of a violent event at a high school has an effect that ripples throughout the entire community. The present study sought to review what led teachers and school staff to recover after an unexpected violent event killed two students. The study sought to understand the process of recovery, including the post crisis intervention, response, and factors of personal resiliency, from the perspective of the staff and teachers involved. Enhanced Critical Incident Technique (ECIT), a robust qualitative research methodology used to study phenomenological constructs in a systematic way, was employed to give voice to the participants and understand the …

Perception Of Retained Kindergarten And First Grade Students: A Qualitative Study, Tina Mollett

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This qualitative study focuses on the experiences of 11 school-aged children who were retained during either their Kindergarten or 1st grade years. By using a semi-structured interview, the author examined these children’s beliefs about the reasons why they were retained through exploration of their memories, feelings, and outcomes associated with the experiences. Children were also encouraged to reflect on aspects of the experiences they wished had gone differently and to offer advice to other children who may be preparing for retention experiences. The results indicated that there is evidence of some resiliency; however, children generally experienced a wide variety of …

Counselor Educators‘ Lgbt(Q) Social Attitudes: An Association With Critical Consciousness, Reiko Miyakuni

All Capstone Projects

LGBTQ individuals are at a higher risk for mental health problems and have a greater need for mental health related services than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts, due to discrimination, harassment, and violence, and yet they continue to face discrimination in mental health care settings. Furthermore, the lack of LGBTQ counseling competency continues to be documented. Counselor educators play a critical role in shaping students’ attitudes toward LGBTQ persons; however, their social attitudes towards LGBTQ identities and LGBTQ equality remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of LGBT social attitudes of counselor educators who teach …