Counseling, Higher Education & Special Education Theses and Dissertations
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Item Development and Preliminary Validation of the Religious Identity Development Scale(2002) Veerasamy, Suthkaran; Hoffman, Mary Ann; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a new measure of religious identity development, the Religious Identity Development Scale (RIDS). The study also explored the relationship among religious identity development, anxiety and dogmatism to determine convergent and discriminant validity for the RIDS. The concurrent validity for the RIDS was determined by exploring the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientations. The religious identity measure that was validated in this study was based on a proposed model of religious identity development, the Experiential/Rational Model of Religious Identity Development. The participants for the study were 211 students and adults from the Midwest and East coast. They completed the Religious Identity Development Scale (RIDS; V. Suthakaran, 2002), the Rokeach Dogmatism Scale (Rokeach, 1960), the State subscale of the State-Trait Anxiety Scale (Spielberger, 1983), Age Universal Intrinsic-Extrinsic Scale (Gorsuch & Venable, 1983), and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (Crowne & Marlowe, 1960). Exploratory factor analysis supported a six-factor model better than a seven-factor model. Discriminant validity was demonstrated by the negative correlations of the Acceptance status with anxiety and dogmatism, and the negative correlation of the Cognitive-Rationalization status with anxiety. Convergent validity was demonstrated by the positive correlations of the Concrete, Relational and Cognitive - Rationalization statuses with dogmatism, and the positive correlation of the Confusion status with anxiety. Some evidence, albeit modest, was found for concurrent validity, in that the Relational status was positively correlated with extrinsic religious orientation, and the Exploration status was positively correlated with intrinsic religious orientation. The negative correlation of the Cognitive-Rationalization status and the Confusion status with intrinsic religious orientation also provided tentative evidence for concurrent validity. Additional preliminary support for the concurrent validity of the RIDS was provided by examining the relationship of the six statuses with a two-dimensional definition of intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientation. Finally, results appeared to indicate that the internal consistencies and test-retest reliabilities were adequate, except for the Relational status. The methodological limitations of the study and implications for counseling psychology were discussed. Suggestions for future research for refinement of methodology were offered.Item CAREER CERTAINTY OF COLLEGE STUDENT ATHLETlCS IN REVENUE VS. NON- REVENUE SPORTS(2002) Davtyan, Arman; Adams-Gaston, Javaune; Counseling and Personnel Services; University of Maryland (College Park, Md); Digital Repository at the University of MarylandThis thesis explored the career certainty of college student-athletes, specifically looking for differences between athletes in revenue and non-revenue sports. The My Vocational Situation survey was administered to a sample of Division I athletes representing both revenue and non-revenue sports to assess their vocational identity, as well as to gain information regarding possible difficulties and barriers against career certainty in student-athletes. Additionally, this thesis sought to find relationships between the following variables: (a) vocational identity and perceived barriers to career decision-making, (b) intent to pursue professional athletics and other non-athletic career aspirations, (c) vocational identity and career aspirations, and (d) sport type and intent to play professionally. Although no significant differences were observed between revenue and non-revenue athletes with respect to career certainty, chi-square analyses revealed significant relationships between all four sets of variables above (a-d). Based on these findings, implications for practice and future research are discussed.Item Cognitive Processing in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder as Measured by the Thematic Apperception Test(2001) Young, William F.; Teglasi, Hedwig; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)The present study attempted to add to the growing body of knowledge of ADHD by using the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) to measure cognitive processing in children with ADHD. Forty-five Children between the ages of 7 and 13 were evaluated for ADHD through a semi-structured interview and behavioral rating scales. IQ, achievement, visual-motor integration tests as well as a continuous performance test were administered as part of a comprehensive evaluation. Out of the 45 children, 15 were identified as having ADHD ( clinical group), 18 had attention deficit symptoms but were below the threshold for diagnosis (sub-clinical group), and 12 were found to be ineligible. Comparisons were made between the three groups of children referred for evaluation for ADHD and a group of 15 normal-control children taken from archival data who were matched for age and gender with the clinical group. Significant differences were found between all three of the referred groups and the control group for the following four cognitive processing variables from the TAT; Perceptual Integration , Level of Abstraction, Cognitive-Experiential Integration , and Level of Associative Thinking. The three groups of children referred for evaluation did not differ from each other. Gender differences were noted in the clinical group only with girls with ADHD scoring higher on cognitive processing variables than boys with ADHD. Factor analysis of all the measures used revealed four factors; cognitive processing, behavioral performance, hyperactivity, and inattention. Exploratory analysis was conducted on 16 children from the clinical and sub-clinical groups who were retested using behavioral rating scales, the continuous performance test, and the TAT; however, the number of children retested was too few to draw conclusions from the data. These results are discussed along with issues surrounding the diagnosis of ADHD and future directions for research regarding the nature of cognitive processing in children with ADHD.Item Exploring the Lives of Asian American Men: Racial Identity, Male Role Norms, Gender Role Conflict, and Prejudicial Attitudes(2000) Liu, William Ming; Pope-Davis, Donald B.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)Much of the literature on masculinity has focused on the lives of White men. The literature assumed that White male experiences were ubiquitous for all men. Although some literature has begun to explore the lives of men of color, no empirical studies could be found that investigated the experiences of Asian American men from a racial identity perspective. Using racial identity to examine the lives of Asian American men was important since Asian American men, historically and contemporarily, encounter racism, yet no studies could be found that examined racism specifically among Asian American men. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between racial identity, male role norms, gender role conflict, and prejudicial attitudes. 323 Asian American men were surveyed from public, private, and community colleges on the East and West coast. Participants were given the People of Color Racial Identity Attitude Scale (POCRIAS, Helms, 1995), Gender Role Conflict Scale (GRCS, O'Neil et al., 1986), Male Role Norms Inventory (MRNI, Levant et al., 1992), Quick Discrimination Index (QDI, Ponterotto et al., 1995), and a demographic form. Results from correlations show small relationships between Conformity, Internalization, and prejudicial attitudes. Similarly, relationships between GRCS and MRNI subscale and total scores show some small to modest relationships. A two-way ANOVA showed differences in prejudicial attitudes between those who had never taken a multicultural education course and those who had taken two or more courses. Finally, two hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted. In the first regression, the GRCS total score was the criterion and the predictors were POCRIAS subscales and prejudicial attitudes. Dissonance, Immersion/Resistance, and Internalization subscales were significant predictors. In the second regression, the MRNI Traditional Masculine Attitude score was the criterion and POCRIAS and prejudicial attitudes were predictors. Immersion/Resistance, Internalization, and prejudicial attitudes were significant predictors. Because the variance accounted for in the correlations and regressions were small, results suggest that potentially, other variables such as Asian cultural values and age may be playing a role in the experiences of Asian American men. The strengths and limitations, counseling implications, and recommendations for future research are also presented.Item An Explanatory Study of the Institutional Factors Relating to the Quality of Social Greek Letter Societies(2001) Zacker, Terry York; Komives, Susan; Counseling and Personnel Services Department; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)This exploratory study sought to describe which institutional interventions and/or factors seem to make a difference in high quality Greek (fraternity and sorority) communities. The research provided a descriptive analysis of the institutions which host Greek letter communities identified as promoting the positive ideals of the Greek experience. Through a revised Council for the Advancement of Standards Self Assessment Guide (CAS-SAGR) measurement tool, several factors important to Greek community success were postulated. The institutions were identified by experts familiar with the fraternity and sorority arena (e.g. national executive directors of fraternities and sororities, Association of Fraternity Advisors national board members) as hosting Greek letter communities with chapters which embody the ideals and founding principles ofleadership, service, academic excellence, and character/personal development; and have Greek self-governance systems of high quality. Greek communities from sixteen campuses were selected as those that best represented high quality fraternity and sorority systems. Four individuals at each campus completed the CAS-SAGR instrument. The CAS-SAGR instrument included 14 categories which represented dependent variables in the study. Each category contained several items which asked respondents to rate the importance of the item to their Greek community and how well they accomplished the variable. The data from these surveys were analyzed using Manovas and several correlations based on the independent variables of size and type (e.g. public or private). The results of the Manovas showed no statistical significance for either variable of size or type which suggests more similarities between quality Greek communities. Additionally, Cronbach alphas were applied to the CAS-SAGR instrument to provide an initial screening for reliability. Of the fourteen categories of measurement on the CASSAGR, eleven had alpha scores above .60. The identification and description ofthe 16 institutions, representing varied sizes and types, which host high quality Greek life communities, provides practitioners with prototypes for Greek systems to use when looking at improving their Greek community. The results of this research provide "models" of Greek communities where the founding principles and ideals may be approximating realization.Item Self-compassion, hope, and well-being of women experiencing primary and secondary infertility: An application of the biopsychosocial model(2009) Raque-Bogdan, Trisha Lynn; Hoffman, Mary Ann; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Infertility is experienced by 10% of couples in the United States. This study examined the well-being of 119 women experiencing primary infertility and 53 women experiencing secondary infertility. Utilizing the biopsychosocial model, this study explored the biological variable of infertility type; the psychological variables of self-compassion, hope, subjective well-being, and fertility-related stress; and the social variable of online support group use. Data were collected using an online survey and correlations and regression analyses were run to assess for relationships between the variables of interest and for moderation and mediation. No significant differences were found in the reported levels of subjective well-being or fertility-related stress in the two groups of women. Yet the type of infertility moderated the relationship between hope and fertility-related stress and for women with primary infertility, self-compassion mediated the relationship between hope and positive affect and negative affect.Item An Experimental Evaluation of the Effect of Instructional Consultation Teams on Teacher Efficacy: A Multivariate, Multilevel Examination(2009) Koehler, Jessica Robyn; Gottfredson, Gary; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Teacher efficacy, the extent to which teachers feel they can influence student learning (Berman, McLaughlin, Bass, Pauly, & Zellman, 1977), has been repeatedly linked to important student and teacher outcomes (Gibson & Dembo, 1984). Although the results of many studies support the claim that teacher efficacy is an important educational construct, few studies have investigated interventions to influence these teacher beliefs. The current study evaluated whether a specific teacher intervention, Instructional Consultation Teams (IC Teams), positively affected teachers' sense of self-efficacy as measured by two efficacy instruments. Participants included 1203 in-service elementary school teachers in 34 elementary schools within a large suburban school district--17 randomly assigned to the IC Team intervention and 17 assigned to the control condition. Because teachers are nested within schools, hierarchical linear modeling was utilized to evaluate whether scores on measures of teacher self-efficacy were influenced by IC Teams. A multivariate model was also used to evaluate the effects of IC Teams on both measures, simultaneously. The results imply that IC Teams significantly increased teachers' scores on the efficacy scales. The current study provides one of a few attempts to evaluate the effects of a specific school intervention on teacher efficacy within an experimental framework.Item The Emotion Comprehension Test: Selected Psychometric Properties of a New Measure of Emotion Understanding for Preschoolers(2009) Gustafson, Emily Anne; Teglasi, Hedwig; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study examines the psychometric properties, including internal consistency and item difficulty of a new measure of emotion understanding through quantitative analysis. Intercorrelations between the three subtest of the measure, correlations with age and gender, and response patterns were also examined. Emotion understanding is the ability to identify the emotions of others from facial expressions and behaviors and to understand what emotions are likely to be elicited by common social situations. Emotion understanding begins to emerge in the preschool years and serves as the foundation for social competence. The Emotion Comprehension Test (ECT) is a new measure of emotion understanding for preschoolers, which uses photographs of real children to depict natural emotional facial expressions to assess emotion identification. The measure also uses puppets to act out social situations associated with common emotions and behaviors associated with emotions. Internal consistency of the three subtests were found to be r = .699 for the Emotion Identification subtest, r = .805 for the Emotion - Situations subtest, and r = .614 for the Emotion - Behaviors subtest.Item THE MEASUREMENT OF SCHOOL CLIMATE USING SURVEYS: EXPLORING UNIT OF ANALYSIS(2009) Burkhouse, Katie Lynn Sutton; Gottfredson, Gary D; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)School climate researchers have used different units of analysis when assessing school climate features. Overall, there is little research available to understand how different levels of analysis, individual or aggregated, influence the psychometric properties of a survey instrument. The purpose of the current research was to explore the use of different unit of analysis choices in instrument development. Further, the present study sought to replicate findings that the wording of survey instruments may influence the conceptualization of school climate by survey informants. Results indicate that unit of analysis affects on the factor structure, but that there is some overlap in the factors that emerge. Further, the present research confirmed past findings that the wording of climate items appears to affect the perception of items by respondents. Limitations and future directions are discussed. Unit of analysis remains an important theoretical and methodological concept in school climate research.Item School Climate and Public High School Student Achievement(2009) Shaw, Fortune; Holcomb-McCoy, Cheryl; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The goal of this study was to examine the influence of school ecology, milieu, social system, and culture on public high school student achievement. Utilized data from the ELS:2002 restricted-use dataset, a series of multilevel model analyses were conducted. The results indicate that performance gaps exist between 12th-graders of different ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds, but they are merely reflections of the differences that already existed two years prior in 10th-grade. Further, the gap between high and low achieving students becomes narrower from 10th-grade to 12th-grade. The highest mathematics course taken in 12-grade produces a positive estimate of mathematics achievement in 12th-grade, and ethnic minority and lower SES students are less likely to be enrolled in the advanced level courses. Contradicting to the classic view of school influences on achievement, public high schools exhibit relatively little variability in mathematics performance after controlling for student individual characteristics. Among all school climate variables, school average prior mathematics achievement is significantly positively associated with later mathematics achievement. The nonsignificance of contextual effect, however, suggests that the differences across schools do not matter; rather, the differences among students do. Students in schools located in economically disadvantaged communities make more gains in advanced mathematics course-taking than their peers in more affluent schools. The gap between high and low-achieving students grows slightly wider in schools located in more affluent communities, but becomes slightly narrower in fully computerized schools. Contradicting to most existing findings, school size, noisy environment, quality of light, ethnic composition, teacher certification rate, counselor-student ratio, safety concern, student civility, and general positive climate do not show significant influence on achievement. Suggestions about implications and limitations are provided.