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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2004 - 200922010 - 20121

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    Third Grade Students' Writing Attitudes, Self-Efficacy Beliefs, and Achievement
    (2012) Williams, Heather Michelle; Wigfield, Allan; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    In order to become successful members of society in the United States, students must be able to write effectively. However, many students are unwilling or unable to write by the time they leave high school. Two major factors linked to writing performance include writing attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs. The first objective of this research is an investigation of the effectiveness of an intervention designed to improve writing attitudes, self-efficacy beliefs, and achievement. The second objective is an examination of the relation between those constructs. Participants were given the Writing Attitude Survey, a writing skills self-efficacy scale, and a short writing assessment. Further, 50% of the participants participated in an intervention designed to increase positive writing attitudes, self-efficacy beliefs, and achievement. The study found a significant positive relation between writing self-efficacy and attitudes. The intervention was found to have no effect on the self-efficacy, attitudes, or performance of participants.
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    The Impact of Higher Education on Police Officer Attitudes Regarding Abuse of Authority
    (2008-04-22) Telep, Cody Webb; Weisburd, David; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This study examines whether officers who receive a college education (four-year degree) prior to entry into the police service have attitudes that are less supportive of the abuse of police authority. This research also explores whether level of higher education and the timing of degree completion alter this potential attitudinal impact of a bachelor's degree. Using data from a nationally representative survey sample, I find that officers with a pre-service bachelor's degree hold attitudes that are less supportive of abuse of authority. These effects remain regardless of when officers receive their degree and across varying levels of higher education (i.e. associate's degree, attending some college). Postsecondary education does not have a statistically significant impact on officer ratings of the seriousness of hypothetical abuse of authority scenarios. These findings suggest that higher education has some beneficial impacts for policing, although these benefits are not only associated with completing a four-year degree.
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    Values as Guiding Principles of Motivation: A Two Factor Model
    (2004-12-02) leary, scott paul; Stangor, Charles; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Although people use stereotypes and prejudices to arrive at preferred conclusions, individual differences determine the extent and direction to which these intergroup attitudes color judgments. Research demonstrates that numerous personality variables act as predictors of the use of stereotypes and prejudice. Some attempts have been made to organize these measures into underlying values systems. I tested the hypotheses that values influence perceptions of ingroups and outgroups. In Study 1, participants completed individual difference measures. Factor analysis revealed two independent factors: Egalitarianism, which predicted positive judgments of outgroups, and Conservatism, which predicted positive judgments of ingroups. In Study 2, participants read a story describing either a gay or heterosexual man. I predicted that participants would vary their interpretation of the target based on their value orientations. Although Egalitarianism and Conservatism did not predict ratings of the target individual, they did predict free responses of the target, homophobia, and behaviors.