Counseling, Higher Education & Special Education Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2757
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Item Activism and leadership development: Examining the relationship between college student activism involvement and socially responsible leadership capacity(2010) Page, Jeremy Dale; Komives, Susan R; 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 relationship between participation in student activism and leadership development among college students. This study applied the social change model of leadership development (SCM) as the theoretical model used to measure socially responsible leadership capacity in students. The study utilized data collected from the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership (MSL), a research project examining the influences of higher education on leadership development in college students across the country. The sample of 12,510 students consisted of respondents who participated in a sub-study on student activism within the MSL survey. Hierarchical multiple regression models were constructed to investigate the research question using an adapted version of Astin's (1991) I-E-O college impact model. Regression models included participant demographic characteristics, pre-college experiences, institutional descriptors, and consideration of select college experiences in examining the relationship between activism and leadership development. Results indicated that the regression models explained a significant amount of the variance in participant scores. Participation and holding a leadership position in on-campus and off-campus organizations, community service conducted on one's own, and participation in an internship emerged as significant predictors of socially responsible leadership capacity among the collegiate experiences included in the model. Participation in activism also emerged as significant, as awareness of local, national, and global issues indicated influence on all leadership development measures, and participating in protests, contacting public officials, signing a petition, and buying or not buying products due to personal views significantly contributed to measures of citizenship. These findings served to address the existing gap in the literature pertaining to the relationship of student activism and leadership development, and indicated the developmental and educational potential to providing these experiences for students on campus.Item Interactional Diversity and the Role of a Supportive Racial Climate(2010) Cox, Leah Kendra; Komives, Susan R; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)ABSTRACT Title of Document: INTERACTIONAL DIVERSITY AND THE ROLE OF A SUPPORTIVE RACIAL CLIMATE Leah Kendra Cox Doctor of Philosophy, 2010 Dissertation Directed By: Dr. Susan R. Komives, Professor Department of Counseling and Personnel Services This study examines student's perception of the campus racial climate and interactional diversity at selective undergraduate liberal arts institutions through an examination of data collected in the 2005 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Student responses are selected from institutions identified as members of a specified group of Virginia peers and institutions identified as members of COPLAC. The primary variables used to assess climate and diversity include: class standing, race, gender, institution type, enrollment, location and compositional diversity (i.e., racial composition). Findings indicate that perceptions of the campus racial climate are primarily related to class standing. In addition, it was determined that a significant predictor of interactional diversity is student's perception of a supportive racial campus climate. Finally, findings lend initial credibility to the claim that seniors and females perceive a less supportive campus climate at some institutions.Item A COMPARISON OF GRADE CONFIGURATION ON URBAN SIXTH TO EIGHTH GRADE STUDENT OUTCOMES IN REGULAR AND SPECIAL EDUCATION(2010) Fink, Louise L.; Rosenfield, Sylvia; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)ABSTRACT This study analyzed the effect of school/grade configuration for regular and special education students in K-8 schools and middle schools. The analysis looked at the effect of grade configuration on two outcomes: student achievement and student attendance. The study followed a cohort of fifth graders (regular and special education) through sixth, seventh and eighth grades, in either a K-8 or a middle school. The analysis used multilevel modeling to account for student demographics, prior achievement and school variation in achievement. Many factors including demographic features such as race, free and reduced meals (FARMS), and prior achievement can affect middle grade performance. Because students and schools differ in terms of some of these variables, multilevel evaluation was necessary to partial out their effects to determine the effect of school grade configuration on student outcomes. Results indicated that students performed slightly better academically, as measured by the Maryland State Assessments, in the K-8 schools but only at a statistically significant level for regular education 6th grade math and special education 6th grade reading. Attendance results indicated that students in 6th grade regular and special education performed statistically significantly better in K-8 schools but the magnitude was small. Four major outcomes of this study had implications for policy and practice: (a) The results of this study do not support reconfiguration as a strategy for better outcomes; (b) Student performance in fifth grade was the best predictor of student success in the middle grades; (c) School performance had a significant effect on student performance, regardless of school configuration or placement in regular or special education; (d) These results suggest the importance of including special education students in high-performing schools, where they will have the potential to perform at higher levels.Item Academic Self-Efficacy for Sophomore Students in Living-Learning Programs(2009) Kamin, Melissa Ann; Kurotsuchi Inkelas, Karen; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis explored which pre-college background characteristics and in-college involvement experiences contributed to academic self-efficacy for sophomore students who participate in living-learning programs compared to sophomores who do not participate in living-learning programs. Using secondary data from the National Study of Living-Learning Programs, 4,700 sophomores were included in the analyses. Two hypotheses were tested. A t-test revealed a significant difference in academic self-efficacy for living-learning and non-living learning students. Astin's Input-Environment-Outcome (I-E-O) model was used as a guiding framework for the second hypothesis. Multiple regression analysis revealed that specific background characteristics, an academic self-efficacy pre-test measure, social environments, academic environments, and positive perceptions of residence hall climates accounted for 26.9% of the variance in academic self-efficacy for living-learning sophomores. For non-living-learning sophomores, these same factors accounted for 17.9% of the variance. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.Item A profile of the qualifications of special education teachers among high poverty, urban, and rural schools(2008-08-28) Mason, Loretta Marie; Leone, Peter; Special Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to provide a descriptive profile of special education teachers from the 2003-04 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS:04) and to examine how their qualifications varied among K-12 public schools according to urbanicity or school poverty quartile. Scrutiny of the distribution of special educators among schools was judged in light of the equal opportunity principle, a component of Berne and Stiefel's (1984, 1994) equity framework. To do this, variables related to teacher qualifications, demographic characteristics, teaching positions, and school characteristics were identified. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were used in this study. The findings demonstrated statistically significant differences in the qualifications of special educators among many of the analyzed subgroups. Profile of the demographic characteristics revealed that minority group members, younger special educators, and male special educators were less qualified than other special education teachers. Inspection of qualifications by school level and teaching assignment also identified statistically significant differences. The analysis by school poverty quartile and urbanicity revealed a relationship between the school characteristic (such as high poverty or urban) with the qualifications of special education teachers working in these schools. These findings indicate that as a field we are not meeting the equal opportunity standard of equity (Berne & Stiefel, 1984, 1994). This study contributed to our understanding of the supply and distribution of special education teachers by utilizing the SASS:04 dataset, profiling the state of the special education workforce as state education agencies and teacher preparation programs made the necessary changes to allow teachers to meet the HQSET provisions. The examination of the distribution of qualified special education teachers among school poverty quartiles and urban areas provides evidence that special education teachers were not equitably distributed across schools. Policymakers should address this through policies related to the preparation of special educators, especially those trained through non-traditional or alternative preparation programs.Item Differences among Latinos in Anticipated College Experience and Use of College Services by college generational status and gender(2007-12-10) Najera, Hugo Estuardo; McEwen, Marylu K; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study was to determine whether differences in Anticipated College Experience and Anticipated Use of College Services exist between first-generation and continuing generation college Latino students, and between male and female Latino students. The University New Student Census was used to collect data. Items exploring short and long-term college expectations, and use of college services were selected as dependent variables and tested using two-way MANOVAs; ANOVAs were used to analyze significant main effects. A total of 211 Latino first-year entering freshmen responded to the instrument. Results indicated females and first-generation college students had a stronger expectation to use college services than male and continuing generation students. Males expected more than females to have the skills and knowledge to complete their semester goals, yet males indicated a stronger expectation to drop out and not complete a degree. Females expected to be more concerned over financing their college education than males.Item Communication Patterns of Undergraduate Students and their Parents(2007-05-29) Yip, Christine; Guenzler-Stevens, Marsha A.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this thesis was to examine the student-parent relationship by understanding communication patterns of undergraduate students and their parents. Topics discussed, frequency, initiation, methods of communication, and student satisfaction were investigated and analyzed across race, gender, and age. There were 539 usable respondents (females n = 331, males n = 182) between the ages of 18 and 24 from a Mid-Atlantic university. Students most frequently discussed physical health issues, career planning, living situations, friends, and current financial situations with their parents. More than two-thirds of respondents did not discuss the topics of alcohol and sex. Students and parents both initiated communication an average of five times a week, and cell phone was the most common method of communication. Regarding satisfaction, more than two-thirds of respondents were "satisfied" or "strongly satisfied" with the frequency, methods used by parents, frequency of parent-initiated communication, quality of advice, and level of sharing.Item "Putting My Man Face On": A Grounded Theory of College Men's Gender Identity Development(2007-04-26) Edwards, Keith E.; Jones, Susan R; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore the process of college men's gender identity development. Conducted from a social constructivist epistemological paradigm, through a social justice theoretical lens, and using a constructivist grounded theory methodology, the following research questions guided this study: (a) how do college men come to understand themselves as men; (b) how does this understanding of what it means to be a man change over time, if at all; and (c) what are the critical influences on this process? Three interviews with 10 college men from a large East Coast university were conducted. The theory that emerged from this study is grounded in the participants' experiences and depicts gender identity as developed through constant interaction with society's expectations of them as men. In order to try to meet these expectations and be seen as men, participants described putting on a performance that was like wearing a mask or "putting my man face on." This process included learning societal expectations of them as men, as well as specific cultural group expectations. The men in this study were all aware that they did not neatly fit behind the mask, either as a result of personal characteristics or social identities. Their resulting insecurities led them to wearing the mask both consciously and unconsciously so that they would be seen as men by society. Wearing the mask had consequences for the women in their lives, their relationships with other men, and themselves as they were also denying or masking their true selves. Although none of the men in this study had been able to completely take off the mask, they were able to identify critical influences in their lives that had helped each of them begin to remove the mask in certain circumstances and begin moving towards being their own man. This theory of college men's gender identity development has implications relevant to theory development, research, student affairs practice, and social justice.Item Study Abroad as a Passport to Student Learning: Does the Duration of the Study Abroad Program Matter?(2005-05-27) Neppel, Jill Marie; Kurotsuchi Inkelas, Karen; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study examined the effect of the length of a study abroad program on the achievement of four learning outcomes: cognitive complexity, liberal learning, personal philosophy, and interpersonal self-confidence. Data was collected through a web-based survey instrument that was administered to a sample population of University of Maryland study abroad participants. The following study abroad programs were represented: Fall 2003, Winter 2004, Spring 2004, Summer 2004, Academic Year 2003-2004, Fall 2004, and Winter 2005. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was employed in the research design with gender and academic class standing as covariates. The results found each of the research hypotheses to be statistically significant. The amount of growth in cognitive complexity, liberal learning, personal philosophy and interpersonal self-confidence was found to be significantly higher in the self-reported scores of those respondents who studied abroad on long-term programs in comparison to those individuals who studied abroad on short-term programs.Item The Contributions of Demographic Background and Service-Learning Experiences to Undergraduates' Perceptions of Appreciation of Diversity(2005-05-25) Tongsri, Chirapar; Inkelas, Karen K.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study investigated how race, gender, academic class standing, service involvement prior to college, and type of service-learning program may relate to students' perception of the contribution of service-learning on appreciation of diversity. The data were collected from 290 students at the University of Maryland, College Park in spring 2004, from a locally-created instrument. The findings revealed that there were significant differences in the reported contribution of service-learning to diversity appreciation between women and men and between freshmen and seniors, although there was no difference between races. Stepwise multiple regression indicated that aspects of class standing, type of service-learning program, race, and gender significantly predicted and contributed to the variance (8%) in students' reported contribution of service-learning to diversity appreciation. Further research should be conducted to better understand the role of race in this outcome as well as how practitioners can structure the service experience to enhance this outcome.