UMD Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item THE ROLE OF SOCIAL DESIRABILITY IN STRUCTURED AND NARRATIVE SELF-REPORT DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC(2023) Delehanty, Alexandria Travis; Teglasi, Hedwig; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This research addressed the key question: Does social desirability operate as a validity confound by adding irrelevant variance to self-reports and narratives, or does it serve as a valuable source of information on how individuals choose to adapt. This study used three conceptualizations of social desirability (the Marlowe-Crowne need for approval, and impression management and self-deception from the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR) and investigated their respective relations with self-reports of positive and negative paradigms (e.g. stress and coping, negative and positive affect). Each of these conceptualizations was also related to narrative-based locus of control and coping. The sample comprised 177 U.S. teachers who completed surveys during January-April 2021, in the beginning of the transition back to in-person learning from COVID. Results indicated that social desirability did not operate as a validity confound, and that it served as a valuable source of information of respondents’ personal values in how it influenced the relations among self-reports and coded narratives.Item Parent Perceptions of Child Behavior: Factors Associated with Social Skills in Kindergarten Students(2021) Sommer, Samantha Lynn; Teglasi, Hedwig; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Associations between informant rating of children’s social competence and self-regulation are well documented across different forms of self-regulation, including temperamental effortful control and executive functioning (Spinrad et al., 2006). Several studies have shown correlations between informants’ ratings of the importance and of the frequency of particular social skills. However, studies have not considered whether parents’ perceptions of a skill’s importance varies with their perceptions of their child’s self-regulation. This study tested the hypothesis that parent perceptions of the importance of their child’s social skills and their perception of their child’s self-regulation as well as their interaction would contribute to their ratings of social skills frequency among kindergarteners (n = 113). Findings with kindergarteners showed that parents’ importance ratings and self-regulation ratings contributed uniquely to variance in reported social skills and that the relation between rated importance and rated skills was moderated by self-regulation. As self-regulation ratings increased, so did the relationship between social skills importance and frequency. The importance of a given social skill relates to its reported frequency, but higher self-regulation is associated with greater social skills, regardless of parent importance ratings.Item Social Desirability as an Adaptive Motivation to Social Evaluation in Student Teachers(2020) Travis, Alexandria; Teglasi, Hedwig; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Early-career teacher stress, burnout and attrition are growing problems in the United States. The current study focused on the impact of social desirability on positive and negative constructs (i.e. positive-negative affect, coping-perceived stress reactivity) in a group of student-teachers beginning their teaching internships. Additionally, this research also proposed a new definition of social desirability, as an adaptive motivation to social evaluation, based on the patterns of relationships between social desirability and the aforementioned constructs. These definitions were assessed a sample of 61 student-teachers from the University of Maryland’s teacher preparation program who were completing their senior year internship. As many forms of research rely on self-reports, social desirability’s role as a validity confound has been widely documented, however, its relationship to individual well-being has not been investigated as widely. The bias perspective of social desirability was not consistent with the results of this study.Item Policy, Practice, and the School Psychologist Shortage: A Qualitative Study(2018) Hughes, Kevin Andrew; Strein, William; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)For several decades, a shortage of school psychologists has been anticipated when the baby boom generation reached retirement age. Projections forecast that the worst of the shortage would take place in the latter half of the current decade. The present research investigated the experiences and perspectives of stakeholders in a mid-Atlantic state as they related to a possible school psychologist shortage. Ten individuals were interviewed with roles in public school districts, university training programs, and state-level organizations. Interviews revealed that, in the spring of 2017, there was no shortage in the classical sense of positions going unfilled. To date, the supply of new school psychologists has been sufficient to fill vacancies in the state. Many participants felt there was a shortage in the sense that they did not have enough school psychologists to meet school needs, however, and district directors sought the creation of additional positions. Interviewees reported that in recent years their psychologist-to-student ratios have increased, applications for open positions and internships have decreased, and student needs seem to be getting more complex. There were significant differences between the perspectives of trainers and non-trainers, with the latter advocating more strongly for changes at the university level. Comparisons between districts’ geographic setting (i.e., urban, suburban, or rural) revealed greater differences within geographic settings than between them. Instead, psychologist-to-student ratio was more influential on interviewee experiences. There were a limited number of proposals and implications for policy changes to counteract a shortage. In most cases, they would require a significant reconceptualization of school psychologist training or practices.Item A Study of the Instructional Consultation Facilitator Role(2015) Vaganek, Megan Michelle; Rosenfield, Sylvia; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Consultation teams have been used in schools as a vehicle for increasing student performance and teacher skills. Like other evidence-based interventions, consultee-centered consultation models require attention to the complex process of implementation in order for one to expect results. The IC Facilitator is a key factor in the successful implementation of IC Teams. The purpose of the current research is to expand upon a previous interview study and other research on facilitators. The skills, beliefs and characteristics of other team facilitators and implementers of innovations have influenced implementation in a variety of contexts Using a survey, the study assessed the perceived importance and the changeability through training and experience of the beliefs, knowledge, facilitator characteristics, tasks and implementation skills of IC Team Facilitators. The beliefs, characteristics, and skills included in the study have been shown to have a relationship with implementation and leadership in other fields and lines of research. Chi square tests of independence explored differences in rating patterns between groups of facilitators based on training and experience. No significant group differences were found between novice and veteran facilitators or between those who led teams through phase 2 or phase 3 of implementation. Supplemental analyses explored the demographics of the respondents and the beliefs, knowledge, skills, tasks, and characteristics considered essential to the job. Items rated as essential by a majority of participants were presented. The study has implications for improving and enhancing training and selection of facilitators in order to improve implementation and utilization of Instructional Consultation Teams. Limitations included the response rate to the survey, and considerations for the statistical analysis. Future directions were addressed including exploring associations between item importance and outcomes, such as turnover, utilization, and level of implementation. Future research may also address the relationship between rating of importance and competence and training methods to best teach the essentials. Other research methodology, such as observations and rank ordering skills may provide additional information about the facilitator role.Item Core Competencies for Effective School Consultants(2012) Burkhouse, Katie Lynn Sutton; Rosenfield, Sylvia; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this research was to develop and validate a set of core competencies of effective school-based consultants for preservice school psychology consultation training. With recent changes in service delivery models, psychologists are challenged to engage in more indirect, preventative practices (Reschly, 2008). Consultation emerges as one such recommended practice for school psychologists (Ysseldyke et al., 2006). However, despite recommendations and mandates from accrediting bodies, there is a lack of consensus to guide training in school consultation. This research involved a systematic literature review and Delphi study to determine core competencies for contemporary school consultants, specifically for school psychologists. An expert panel for the Delphi portion of the research was drawn from a consultation training interest group, a consultation research group, and editors of a consultation training journal in order to sample the leaders in the field of consultation research and training. Multiple iterations of the Delphi study, as recommended in the literature, were conducted to obtain consensus on the fundamental skills and knowledge. Four multicultural consultation competencies from previous research (Rogers & Lopez, 2002) were included to obtain current ratings, and personal characteristics from the literature were rated in terms of essentialness and "trainability." Results from two iterations of survey material indicated a list of 35 core competencies to guide training which received Essential ratings by 75% or more of participants. The four multicultural competencies were rated more highly by the current participants than by Rogers and Lopez's participants 10 years ago. In addition, several personal characteristics were identified as essential to school-based consultants; however, some of the highest rated characteristics were considered least "trainable" by the participants. Finally, implications for consultation training, limitations, and future directions were explored.Item The Effect of Instructional Consultation Teams on Teachers' Reported Instructional Practices(2007-11-26) Kaiser, Lauren Tracy; Rosenfield, Sylvia A; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)A primary goal of Instructional Consultation Teams (IC Teams; Rosenfield & Gravois, 1996) is that students' problems will be prevented or resolved through the provision of services to the adults who serve them. The assumption is that teachers will improve instructional planning, delivery, management, and assessment (e.g., matching instruction to student levels) as a result of working with a colleague through a collaborative problem-solving relationship, or working in a school building in which norms of collaboration and problem-solving with a focus on instruction have been developed. The efficacy of IC Teams for improving instruction has not yet been rigorously evaluated. The current study assesses teachers' self-reported frequency of use of good instructional practices in assessment and delivery of instruction to evaluate the effect of instructional consultation services on instruction in a sample of 977 teachers. Because teachers are nested within schools, multilevel analysis was conducted to control for nonequivalence and to correctly model the error structure of the data. Elementary school teachers in 11 schools that have implemented IC Teams for two or three years were compared with teachers in 17 non-equivalent schools that have never implemented IC Teams and teachers from 17 schools with one year of implementation. Results of multilevel analyses indicate that there are no significant differences in instructional practices between schools with or without IC Teams, but that teacher characteristics, such as years of experience and grade level of instruction, do explain some of the variance in teacher practices. Implications and limitations of the study are addressed.Item English Language Learner Special Education Referral and Placement Outcomes in Instructional Consultation Teams Schools(2004-12-17) Silva, Arlene E.; Rosenfield, Sylvia; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The present study serves as an examination and documentation of referral and placement outcomes of English Language Learner (ELL) cases in Instructional Consultation (IC) Teams schools. Archival data from 838 cases (12% of which were ELL cases) within five mid-Atlantic public school districts implementing IC Teams were analyzed for outcomes using logistic regression. Results included statistically significant differences in ELL versus non-ELL student initial team referral (IC or other prereferral intervention team) and ultimate IEP Team referrals. Initial referral concerns also differed significantly between ELL and non-ELL students. IC Teams were found to be more effective than existing prereferral intervention teams in decreasing the special education referrals of ELL and non-ELL students. The results of the present study serve as a foundation for future research in the areas of at-risk ELL students and their referrals to prereferral intervention teams and special education.Item Culturally Relevant Consultation Among School Psychology Practitioners: A Nation-Wide Study of Training and Practice(2004-04-30) Sirmans, Meryl; Rosenfield, Sylvia; Counseling and Personnel ServicesConcerns about the overrepresentation of non-European American students in special education as well as the mismatch between a relatively homogeneous population of school psychologists and a more heterogeneous population of students has led to questions about what impacts student outcomes and how best to meet student needs. Research in the literature regarding beneficial practices for working with culturally diverse populations is limited and little is known about what school psychologists do to address culture, particularly in consultation with teachers. This study examined the training, practice, and individual perspectives of school psychologists for addressing culture in consultation and sought to determine what practitioners do in consultation cases for non-European American or bilingual students. Results, obtained from 219 school psychologists who completed a 36-item questionnaire, indicated that they had relatively little training in both consultation and culturally relevant consultation at the pre-service level. Those with the most training at the pre-service and practice levels reportedly gained information primarily through reading, in-services and workshops. Non-European American school psychologists and recent graduates reported having the most training overall, particularly through post-graduate/professional development opportunities. Most school psychologists said they addressed culture in consultation cases and there was a greater likelihood that this occurred among practitioners in urban and suburban school settings or among school psychologists who worked with teacher-consultees of a different ethnicity than the student-client. Overwhelmingly, participants agreed that having knowledge and awareness of culture's influence on values, behaviors, communication, and learning were important to daily practice. However, results indicated that school psychologists' approaches in consultation for bilingual or non-European American students varied. Their understanding of culturally relevant consultation and consultation generally appeared limited. Responses left questions about whether practitioners consistently implemented stages of consultation to address student-clients' needs and about whether cultural issues were addressed more than superficially. Future research is needed to determine how practitioners can consistently be trained at the pre-service and in-service levels to implement effective practices for consultation, especially culturally relevant consultation. Additional research should also explore, in depth, how practitioners actually incorporate culture-related societal, educational, economic, political, and other influences on student learning and behavior into consultation.