Counseling, Higher Education & Special Education Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2757
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Item An Investigation of School Counselors' Role in Promoting College-Going Culture in High Schools(2012) Ostvik-de Wilde, Marte Erin; Lee, Courtland C; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)High school students face numerous challenges on the path to college, including aspirational barriers, and obstacles related to application and enrollment. College-going culture, which is essential for all students' success, is conceptualized in this study as consisting of the following components: beliefs and expectations of key stakeholders, specific activities and programs that exist in the schools, and measurable outcomes that exist across and amongst student populations. This study utilizes data from the High School Longitudinal Study (2009) to examine the relationship between school counselors' beliefs and behaviors, and how they relate to certain elements of college-going culture in high schools. Results from conducting Logistic Regression Analyses and Multiple Regression Analyses suggest that as school counselors' perceptions of principals' expectations of students increases, the likelihood is that counselors' expectations of students will increase. Results also indicated that school counselors' high expectations for students were a significant predictor of a college access program in schools. Furthermore, school counselors who placed top priority on assisting students with postsecondary schooling preparation were more likely to spend a greater percentage of time engaged in college readiness activities.Item AN INVESTIGATION OF ASSESSMENT AND IEP DEVELOPMENT IN THE FUNCTIONING AREAS OF SOCIAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND COMMUNICATION OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS(2011) Sigerseth, Susan Carol; Kohl, Frances L; Special Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are life-long disabilities which manifest impairments in social skills, communication skills, and restricted, repetitive behaviors (DSM-IV, 1994). The purpose of this study was to investigate assessment and Individualized Education Program (IEP) development among high school students with an ASD, focusing on the assessment of social, behavioral, and communication skills. The design of this study was descriptive utilizing structured record reviews. Assessment selections and outcomes leading to IEP development were documented for 16 high school students with an ASD during the 2009-2010 school year. The assessment records of each participant were examined to determine what assessment domains had been requested and assessed, extracting information on social, behavioral, and communication skills, and which assessment instruments were used. Additionally, the IEP was examined to determine what instructional goals and objectives were written in the areas of social, behavioral, and communication. Variability among student records made retrieving assessment data difficult. Assessments that had been requested were not always given and assessments were given that had not been requested. Assessment domains did not yield basic information they were intended to provide. Although on average half of the students' IEPs contained goals that were social, behavioral, and/or communication, these goals and objectives were neither rigorous enough for the academic level of the student nor lead to independence to be successful, productive adults.Item The Relationships between High School Sports Participation, High School Completion, and College Enrollment for African-American Males(2009) Harris, Paul Christopher; Lee, Courtland; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study is to explore the direct, indirect, and total effects of high school sports participation on high school completion and college enrollment for African-American males using a large, nationally representative, longitudinal database (ELS:2002). The lens through which this phenomenon is viewed in this study is the sports-impedes-mobility hypothesis (Braddock, 1981). A path analysis procedure for determining underlying causal relationships between variables was presented for six different sports participation models. The only sports participation variable to have a significant effect on either high school completion or college attendance was that of junior varsity sports participation significantly influencing (totally) high school completion and (indirectly) college attendance for African-American males. The effect was positive. While the implications of the results of this study are relevant for all who work with this population, school counselors are specifically highlighted.