School Psychology Commons^™

Changes In School Connectedness And Deviant Peer Affiliation Among Sixth-Grade Students From High-Poverty Neighborhoods, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Kate Niehaus, Lisa J. Crockett, Christopher R. Rakes

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This longitudinal study examined associations between changes in School Connectedness and changes in Affiliation With Deviant Peers among students from high-poverty backgrounds during the year immediately following the transition to middle school. Sixth-graders (N = 328) attending two middle schools in a large school district completed measures of School Connectedness and Affiliation With Deviant Peers at three points across the year. Results from parallel process modeling showed that students’ reports of School Support significantly declined across the school year, School Support and Affiliation With Deviant Peers were negatively associated at the beginning of the school year, and students who reported …

Teacher Support Mediates Concurrent And Longitudinal Associations Between Temperament And Mild Depressive Symptoms In Sixth Grade, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Patrick Pössel, Stephanie Winkeljohn Black, Kate Niehaus

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The combination of changes occurring at the transition to middle school may be a catalyst for the onset of depressive symptoms, yet teacher support at this transition is protective. Research points to certain temperamental traits as risk factors for developing depressive symptoms. This study examines student reports of teacher support and teacher reports of student–teacher relationship (STR) quality as mediators of associations between child temperament (i.e. negative emotionality at age 4½ : and emotional reactivity in elementary grades) and depressive symptoms in sixth grade. Results indicate (a) negative emotionality predicted emotional reactivity and depressive symptoms; (b) emotional reactivity predicted depressive …

Efficacy Of The Getting Ready Intervention And The Role Of Parental Depression, Susan M. Sheridan, Lisa Knoche, Carolyn P. Edwards, Kevin A. Kupzyk, Brandy L. Clark, Elizabeth M. Kim

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study reports the results of a randomized trial of a parent engagement intervention (the Getting Ready Project) on directly observed learning-related social behaviors of children from families of low-income in the context of parent-child interactions. The study explored the moderating effect of parental depression on intervention outcomes. Participants were 204 children and their parents, and 29 Head Start teachers. Semi-structured parent-child interaction tasks were videotaped two times annually over the course of two academic years. Observational codes of child behaviors included agency, persistence, activity level, positive affect, distractibility, and verbalizations. Controlling for gender and disability concerns, relative to children …

Contribution Of Reactive And Proactive Control To Children’S Working Memory Performance: Insight From Item Recall Durations In Response Sequence Planning, Nicolas Chevalier, Tiffany D. James, Sandra A. Wiebe, Jennifer Mize Nelson, Kimberly Espy

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The present study addressed whether developmental improvement in working memory span task performance relies upon a growing ability to proactively plan response sequences during childhood. Two hundred thirteen children completed a working memory span task in which they used a touchscreen to reproduce orally presented sequences of animal names. Children were assessed longitudinally at 7 time points between 3 and 10 years of age. Twenty-one young adults also completed the same task. Proactive response sequence planning was assessed by comparing recall durations for the 1st item (preparatory interval) and subsequent items. At preschool age, the preparatory interval was generally shorter …

Referral Decisions Of Teachers And School Psychologists For Twice-Exceptional Students, Jennifer Marie Hoffman

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

The accurate and timely referral and identification of twice-exceptional students remains a challenge. In a statewide study, the referral decisions for both special education and gifted programming evaluations made by four participant groups (i.e., general education teachers, special education teachers, gifted education teachers, and school psychologists) were compared. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of three identically described students in a vignette that differed only in the presence of a diagnostic label—autism spectrum disorder (ASD), specific learning disability (SLD), or no diagnostic label. In all, special education teachers made the most special education referrals, while gifted education teachers made …

Autism Interventions In Educational Settings: Delivery Within A Response To Intervention Framework, Caitlin E. Gilmartin

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Monitoring the progress of and delivering services to students with Autism present a unique challenge. Numerous interventions exist without a common, mandated progress monitoring system or service delivery system. The current study examined the principles of Response to Intervention (RTI) programs in the context of service delivery for students with Autism. An innovative service delivery system, the Autism Response to Systematic Intervention (ARTSI), was designed utilizing these principles. Outcomes of the study included a manual for the program, as well as forms and necessary materials to provide initial program implementation. Initial comment from stakeholders, future directives, and limitations are also …

The View From Across The Table: A Qualitative Study Of Parent Experiences With The School Psychologist During Initial Evaluation Feedback Conferences, Katherine Scipioni

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This qualitative study focuses on the experiences of 11 parents whose child received an evaluation at school by the school psychologist. By using a semi-structured interview, the author examined the initial evaluation process, or the first time a parent had his or her child evaluated by a school psychologist. A special focus was placed on the meeting in which the parent received results from the school psychologist. The results indicated that there is a lack of connection between parents and the evaluation process. This disconnect becomes wider over the course of the evaluation and at the end of the process, …

An Evaluation Of The Penn Resiliency Program For Disruptive Preadolescents In An Elementary School Setting, Mildred Howard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Penn Resiliency Program in decreasing disruptive behavior, modifying negative automatic thoughts and improving academic achievement. Forty-eight students from two Title I schools in Georgia participated in this study. The Behavior Assessment Scale for Children, Second Edition, Progress Monitor, The Children's Automatic Thoughts Scale and report card grades were used to evaluate program effectiveness. Research results suggest the program effectively reduced negative automatic thoughts and improved academic performance.

Incremental Validity Of The Learning Behavior Scale In Special Education Evaluation, Margaret Lakebrink

Masters Theses

The Learning Behavior Scale (LBS) was developed as a teacher rating scale to assess students' learning behaviors hypothesized to affect academic achievement. Research utilizing the LBS has primarily stemmed from the standardization sample. The present study attempted to examine the incremental validity of adding the LBS to standardized intelligence test scores in order to predict standardized academic achievement in students participating in initial evaluations for determining disability and eligibility for special education services. Due to difficulty obtaining a sufficient sample, reevaluation cases were also obtained in the sample of first to eighth grade students (N=40) in the study. Results provided …

Parent Knowledge Of Child's Level Of Play: Implications For Early Childhood And Preschool Assessment, Jessie Shuemaker

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to examine how accurately parents were able to report on their own child's play skills. Additionally, the study sought to examine if the addition of a parent interview used in conjunction with an observational play-based assessment would warrant a more comprehensive and accurate picture of a child's skills. A Spearman Rank Order Correlation was conducted to examine the relationship between a parent interview developed specifically for this study and an observational play-based assessment. Kappa Coefficients were also conducted to determine the level of agreement between the interviews and observations. Results suggested a weak positive …

An Exploration Of Teaching Music To Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Samantha D. Jimenez

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this grounded-theory qualitative study was to explore how music teachers successfully work with students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Many individuals with ASD are impacted daily by social and communication difficulties, sensory sensitivities, executive functioning challenges, and restricted or rigid behaviors. Current research, literature, media, and ASD and music circles support that music is a powerful medium for individuals with ASD. Benefits of music for individuals with ASD include therapeutic advantages, various improvements in skills, social opportunities, emergence of gifts and talents, and emotional outlets. Regular exposure to learning music in the U.S. is typically through music …

Humane Education: Perspectives Of Practitioners On Program Evaluation Efforts And Analysis Of Changes In Knowledge, Attitudes, And Empathy In Two Violence Prevention And Intervention Programs, Melanie Wagner

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This descriptive and comparative study examined the current landscape of humane education program evaluation and data analysis through a survey of humane educators across the country. Results of the humane education survey show that data collection and evaluation are occurring in humane education programs but these efforts do not capture and measure empathy, the primary goal of most humane education programs. Humane educators reported they felt the profession is progressive and relevant to a broad host of purposes, from building positive relationships with animals to playing a role in the larger social justice scheme. They also suggested that the field …

The Effectiveness Of The Concordance-Discordance Model: Identifying Learning Disabilities In School-Aged Children, Bryan Hendricks

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

After the reauthorization of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in
2004, the federal regulations indicated that there are three possible methods for the identification of a Specific Learning Disability (SLD). The three methods include the ability-achievement discrepancy (AAD), Response to Intervention (RTI), and the addition of a third method, which consists of other alternative research-based procedures. Hale and Fiorello (2004) proposed the use of a Concordance-Discordance Model (CDM), which suggests that learning disabled students have discordance between processing strength and both processing weakness and achievement deficit. In addition, SLD students have a concordance between the achievement deficit and processing …

Service Engagement And Serious Mental Illness: The Obstacles And Barriers To Attendance In A Post-Treatment Recovery Outpatient Setting, Marisa Jeanne Friedman

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the factors that affect treatment adherence and service engagement in individuals with serious mental illnesses (SMI). A semistructured interview was used to collect data from treatment adherent and treatment nonadherent adults with SMI. What factors make one more or less likely to disengage from treatment? What boundaries stand in the way of quality mental-health care, and how do adults with SMI overcome these barriers? Service engagement in the population with SMI in the study was explained according to three healthcare behavioral models, the health belief model, the network episode model, and the demoralization framework model. Data …

Bullying Prevention In Schoolwide Positive Behavior Supports: A Review Of The Literature, Allen Garcia, Regina M. Oliver

The Nebraska Educator: A Student-Led Journal

The literature has suggested that problem behavior in the schools is an ongoing problem (Sugai et. al., 2000). This is a major concern for schools that want to provide a safe learning environment that promotes positive behaviors and academic learning. Such problem requires a systematic response, thus, School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) was created to target and prevent problem behaviors. Another form of problem behaviors in schools is bullying, and within the framework of SW-PBIS, there is limited research on targeting bullying. The current review examines and evaluates current research of SW-PBIS, and it’s application to bullying. Searches …

Tiers 2 & 3 Intervention: Behavior Contracting, Jenna Strahun, Ann O'Connor, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

The research on behavior contracts suggests that the procedure is a positively oriented intervention for students with problematic and disruptive behaviors. Behavior contracts are also a tool in which students can generate input in deciding their own goals and rewards for academic and behavioral performance. In addition, behavior contracts are often a smaller element of a larger intervention package that is used to gain compliance and reward the student for adhering to and participating in the intervention. Although much of the research on behavior contracts is outdated and uses small participant sample sizes, behavior contracts may serve to increase …

Lunch Buddy Mentoring For Bullied Children: Four Case Studies And A Thematic Analysis, Samantha Gregus

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lunch Buddy (LB) mentoring, a type of school-based mentoring, holds promise as a selective intervention for children who are chronically bullied (Elledge, Cavell, Ogle, & Newgent, 2010). This study expanded upon previous research (Elledge et al., 2010) by utilizing a case-study approach combining qualitative and quantitative methods to gain more evidence about the palatability of the intervention and to uncover possible mechanisms by which the intervention is working. Participants were four elementary school children in grades four and five who had been identified as bullied based on child and teacher reports. Quantitative data were collected at multiple points during the …

A Comparison Of Behavioral And Academically-Focused Goals Within The Mystery Motivator: Effects On Disruptive Behavior And Academic Performance, Christina Michelle Hardy

Dissertations

Class-wide group contingencies are effective for decreasing inappropriate behavior and increasing academic performance. An interdependent group contingency, a subtype of group contingencies, sets a specific goal for performance across the class, and a reward is delivered only if the group meets the specified criterion. One interdependent group contingency, the Mystery Motivator, has been designed to target behavioral or academically-based goals; however these goals have guided the type of data collected. There are no published studies, to date, that compare behavioral and academic goals and the effects of each type of goal on both decreasing disruptive behavior as well as improving …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Progress Monitoring As A Second Grade Mathematics Intervention, Courtney L. Bartlett Psyd

All Student Scholarship

Progress monitoring has been shown to be effective for gauging student growth in the area of mathematics. Likewise, self-graphing has been shown to improve student achievement in education. The present study investigates the effectiveness of progress monitoring as an intervention with a self-graphing component for second-grade students in the area of mathematics. This research examines the impact of progress monitoring on increased math skills, accuracy, and generalization to universal screening assessments. While results were variable, students’ accuracy improved upon implementation of progress monitoring. All-together, results suggest that progress monitoring with selfgraphing can be an effective intervention.

Academic Self-Efficacy, Coping, And Academic Performance In College, Mehjabeen Khan

Student Published Works

This study serves as a pilot study for a possible future study including the same variables. The purpose of the pilot study was to find a relationship in the college academic setting between academic self-efficacy, stress coping skills, and academic performance. Sixty-six undergraduate students, 17 male and 49 female, from a university in northwestern United States participated in the study. Stress was measured using the COPE Inventory (Carver, Scheier, & Weintraub, 1989). Self-efficacy was measured using the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (Chemers, Hu, & Garcia, 2001). Academic performance was measured using the participants’ college GPA. Academic Self-Efficacy and the Planning subscale …