Human Development & Quantitative Methodology Theses and Dissertations

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A SELF-SELECTED QUALITATIVE STUDY EXAMING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A FATHER AND HIS SON WHO HAS ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD)
(1996) Kilcarr, Patrick; Flatter, Charles; Human Development & Quantitative Methodology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
The purpose of this interpretive study was to examine the relationship that exists between a father and his son Who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Since very little information is extant describing the relationship between a father and his son with ADHD, an interview format was developed to explore paternal perceptions, affect, and behaviors in relation to raising a son with ADHD. Sixteen fathers from an upper-middle class socioeconomic environment, participated in a one hour phone interview. These interviews were tape recorded and later transcribed. The interview attempted to answer the five research questions driving this study. The narrative data was interpreted by using a qualitative research method developed by Ranata Tesch. method involved extracting themes (specific participant responses) and collapsing the themes into larger-overarching categories called metathemes. Metathemes represent shared thoughts and perceptions held in common by all participants. Ten metathemes emerged from the data. The metathemes included such topics as a father's decision to place a child on medication and how and when to use behavior management strategies. Editorial comments from the author preceded response segments from participants (these segments were indented and single spaced). The data indicated that fathers share a unique relationship with sons who have ADHD. Prior to diagnosis, the majority of fathers described the relationship as tense, frustrating, and often unfulfilling. The relationship following diagnosis was described as significantly more Positive and rewarding. This was attributed to two specific changes: 1. the advent of education for fathers' regarding ADHD issues; and, 2. medication. Fathers agreed that the most effective behavior management strategy was to remain calm, educated, and realistic regarding their Childrens' behavior. The intention of this research was to generate further questions regarding the father-ADHD son relationship. The results of this study are not and cannot be generalized to other cultlures or social groups. Further research is needed which addresses the impact of race, class, and culture on the father and son with ADHD relationship.
ACCOUNTING FOR STUDENT MOBILITY IN SCHOOL RANKINGS: A COMPARISON OF ESTIMATES FROM VALUE-ADDED AND MULTIPLE MEMBERSHIP MODELS
(2023) Cassiday, Kristina; Stapleton, Laura M; Measurement, Statistics and Evaluation; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Student mobility exists, but it’s not always taken into account in value-added modeling approaches used to determine school accountability rankings. Multiple membership modeling can account for student mobility in a multilevel framework, but it is more computationally demanding and requires specialized knowledge and software packages that may not be available in state and district departments of education. The purpose of this dissertation was to compare how different multilevel value-added modeling approaches perform at various levels of mobility to be able to provide recommendations to state- and district-administrators about the type of models that would be best suited to their data. To accomplish this task, a simulation study was conducted, manipulating the percentage of mobility in the dataset and the similarity of the sender and receiver schools of mobile students. Traditional gains score and covariate adjustment models were run, along with comparable multiple membership models to determine the extent to which school effect estimates and school accountability rankings were affected and to investigate the conditions under which a multiple membership model would produce a meaningful increase in accuracy to justify its computational demand. Additional comparisons were made on measures of relative bias of the fixed effect coefficients, the random effect variance components, and the relative bias of the standard errors of the fixed effects and random effects variance components. The multiple membership models with schools proportionally weighted by time spent were considered better fitting models across all conditions. All multiple membership models were able to better recover the intercept and school-level residual variance better than other models. However, when considering school accountability rankings, the proportion of school quintile shifts was close to equal across the traditional and multiple membership models that were structurally similar to each other. This finding suggests that the use of a multiple membership model is preferable in providing the most accurate parameter and standard error estimates. However, if school accountability rankings are of primary interest, a traditional VAM performs equally as well as a multiple membership model. An empirical data analysis was conducted to demonstrate how to prepare data and properly run these various models and how to interpret the results, along with a discussion of issues to consider when selecting a model. Recommendations are provided on how to select a model, informed by the findings from the simulation portion of the study.
Accuracy and consistency in discovering dimensionality by correlation constraint analysis and common factor analysis
(2009) Tractenberg, Rochelle Elaine; Hancock, Gregory R; Measurement, Statistics and Evaluation; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
An important application of multivariate analysis is the estimation of the underlying dimensions of an instrument or set of variables. Estimation of dimensions is often pursued with the objective of finding the single factor or dimension to which each observed variable belongs or by which it is most strongly influenced. This can involve estimating the loadings of observed variables on a pre-specified number of factors, achieved by common factor analysis (CFA) of the covariance or correlational structure of the observed variables. Another method, correlation constraint analysis (CCA), operates on the determinants of all 2x2 submatrices of the covariance matrix of the variables. CCA software also determines if partialling out the effects of any observed variable affects observed correlations, the only exploratory method to specifically rule out (or identify) observed variables as being the cause of correlations among observed variables. CFA estimates the strengths of associations between factors, hypothesized to underlie or cause observed correlations, and the observed variables; CCA does not estimate factor loadings but can uncover mathematical evidence of the causal relationships hypothesized between factors and observed variables. These are philosophically and analytically diverse methods for estimating the dimensionality of a set of variables, and each can be useful in understanding the simple structure in multivariate data. This dissertation studied the performances of these methods at uncovering the dimensionality of simulated data under conditions of varying sample size and model complexity, the presence of a weak factor, and correlated vs. independent factors. CCA was sensitive (performed significantly worse) when these conditions were present in terms of omitting more factors, and omitting and mis-assigning more indicators. CFA was also found to be sensitive to all but one condition (whether factors were correlated or not) in terms of omitting factors; it was sensitive to all conditions in terms of omitting and mis-assigning indicators, and it also found extra factors depending on the number of factors in the population, the purity of factors and the presence of a weak factor. This is the first study of CCA in data with these specific features of complexity, which are common in multivariate data.
Achievement Goal Orientations in Physical Rehabilitation
(2005-12-01) Lawson, Sonia; Alexander, Patricia A; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Goals are used extensively in physical rehabilitation medicine to measure success. However, the goal construct has been given very little attention in research as compared to the domains of education and sport. Educational researchers and sport psychologists have described the cognitions and relations between goals, beliefs, motivation, and achievement behavior for their respective domains. In particular, goal orientation, a set of beliefs about ability, effort, achievement, and resulting behavior, is a dimension of achievement motivation that affects success in those fields. Goal orientation may influence participation and success in physical rehabilitation as there are aspects of physical rehabilitation that are similar to education and sport contexts. This study examined goal orientations for 237 patients receiving acute in-patient rehabilitation. A questionnaire was created and validated to assess goal or work orientations specific to this sample. Interview data supplemented results from the factor analysis of the questionnaire. Occupational therapists of the patient participants provided quantitative and qualitative data regarding their patients' success and factors related to success. The mastery and performance-avoid goal orientations and the cooperation work orientation were found with the highest frequency. However, none of these orientations related to success. The high frequency of the cooperation work orientation with interview comments validating the usefulness of this motivational aspect provides evidence for the use of groups in rehabilitation. The age of the participant significantly influenced three of the five goal or work orientations included in the study. This study provides a start in the investigation of additional dimensions to the goal construct that may affect participation and rehabilitation success.
Adaptation of Indochinese Refugee Unaccompanied Minors to the United States: Depression; Americanization; Academic Achievement
(1986) Porte, Zelda; Torney-Purta, Judith; Human Development & Quantitative Methodology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
Many Indochinese unaccompanied adolescents have been resettled in the United States without parents. Their recent immigration and adolescent life stage-both potential stressors--may render them vulnerable to psychosocial distress. This study examined effects of placement mode, time in U.S., situation/status of family of origin, displacement, support, and political awareness on their life-satisfaction/ depression, Americanization, and academic achievement. Subjects were 82 Indochinese adolescents, ages 12 to 19. Of 58 unaccompanied minors, 29 were in foster care with Caucasian families, 10 in foster care with Indochinese families, 19 in group homes. Twenty-four Indochinese adolescents living with their own families were also subjects. A child's version of The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) measured depression. The investigator's 42-item questionnaire and checklist collected demographics and additional data. The overall sample was depressed: mean CES-D score, 18.25-two points above clinical depression. But, subjects in ethnic foster care or their own families had mean scores of 11, compared to 23 for Caucasian foster homes or group homes: F(3,78)=12.08, p.<.0001. Significant benefits for subjects in settings with an Indochinese adult (related or not) were: less depression, higher grade point average, more positive academic attributions, greater likelihood of viewing academic success as a result of own effort and under own control, more positive social attributions, greater frequency when sad of turning to another person for help in feeling better. Support had strong but differential influences on successful adaptation: beneficial in lowering depression for children in non-ethnic settings, unnecessary for those in ethnic homes. Displacement taking place prior to immigration to the U.S. ceased to have an effect on important outcomes when all variables were taken into account. There were significant differences in striving for independence (a measure of Americanization) between children in own families and unaccompanied minors, with the former having lower scores. Academic performance proved stable across groups: mean GPA was 3.05. These data suggest the importance of promoting (in the following order): foster care with extended family, foster care in ethnic homes, ethnic staff for service programs, Caucasian foster families with cross-cultural experience.
Addiction Beliefs of Treatment Providers: Factors Explaining Variance
(1993) Schaler, Jeffrey Alfred; Huebner, Robert W.; Human Development & Quantitative Methodology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
This study investigated factors accounting for variance in beliefs among addiction-treatment providers regarding the etiology of addiction (N=295). A survey was mailed to members of three national treatment provider organizations. The 18-item Addiction Belief Scale (ABS) assessed strength of belief in the disease versus free-will model of addiction (a==.91). Scores on an eight-item Spiritual Belief Scale assessing spiritual thinking based on Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) philosophy (a=.92), the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scales, and demographic questions were used to predict scores on the ABS. These variables together accounted for 62 percent of the variance in addiction beliefs, (p<.001). Spiritual thinking explained 42 percent of the variance, (p<.001). The findings support the idea that spiritual thinking, health locus-of- control orientation, professional-group affiliation, gender, and the number of alcoholic drinks and/ or mood-altering drugs consumed, are each significant in their ability to explain variance in addiction beliefs. Treatment providers who believed in a metaphysical power that can influence personal experience, and those who attributed responsibility for their experience of health and illness to powerful others, believed in the disease model of addiction, as did females. Treatment providers not inclined to be spiritual thinkers, and not inclined to attribute responsibility for health and illness to powerful others, believed in the free-will model of addiction, as did males. The more drinks and/or drugs consumed per week, the more likely the treatment provider believed in the free-will model of addiction. The less drinks/ drugs consumed, the stronger the belief in the disease model. Addiction beliefs also varied significantly by religious affiliation. Catholics were more likely to believe in the disease model of addiction, followed by Protestants and then Jews. Atheists believed more strongly in the free-will model, followed by agnostics. Factor analysis of the ABS showed that beliefs regarding personal power, dichotomous-thinking, and beliefs regarding addiction as a way of coping with life are core issues in what has come to be known as "the disease-model controversy." Implications for clinical and public policy are discussed.
Adult Basic Education Students' Perceptions of Personal/Social Costs and Benefits
(2005-05-23) Gartner, Joanne L.; Wigfield, Allan; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
ABSTRACT Title of dissertation: ADULT BASIC EDUCATION STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF PERSONAL/SOCIAL COSTS AND BENEFITS Joanne L. Gartner, Candidate for Doctoral Degree, 2005 Dissertation directed by: Professor Allan Wigfield Department of Human Development This mixed-methods study was designed to investigate how adults who did not finish high school and are now enrolled in an adult basic education program integrated this educational program into their everyday lives. Its purpose was to analyze how such integration distinguished those who persisted in the program from those who withdrew within the first six weeks of participation. Expectancy-value theory (Wigfield & Eccles, 1992; Eccles, Wigfield & Schiefele, 1998; Wigfield & Eccles, 2000) suggested that students' perceptions of costs and benefits about returning to school would affect expectations and values about remaining in the program. Anticipated and perceived benefits and costs of returning to school were operationalized as goal content in accordance with the Ford and Nichols Taxonomy of Human Goals (Ford & Nichols, 1987, Ford 1992). Using a goal content perspective, multiple goal theory (Ford, 1992; Wentzel, 2000) further framed students' participation in school as the coordination of personal/social goals. Subjects were adults over the age of 25 in a self-paced, GED program, recruited from June 2003 to March 2004 by permission of the Department of Adult Education in a rural community college. Four interviews conducted at approximately 10-day to 2-week intervals revealed that while adults pursuing basic education typically returned to school with long-term expectations, they sustained participation in accordance with finding specific kinds of short-term benefits. This study raised new considerations regarding the constructs of expectations and the subjective value of cost. Expectations may have distinct kinds of influence upon values when they are perceived as modifiable or not, and whether they are met or unmet. Not meeting negative expectations may influence values distinctly from meeting positive expectations. This study expanded upon the definition of the overall value of cost by considering how it is affected by short-term costs, and how the relationship between short-term benefits and short-term costs influences ability-related beliefs. The short-term benefits associated with persistence seemed less related to long-term expectations than to the experiential contexts that incurred perceptions of short-term costs. This finding highlights the cognitive nature of the costs that affect expectations and valuation. It also corroborates the claim from multiple goal theory (Ford, 1992; Wentzel, 2000) that goals must find compatibility with the personal and social contexts within which they are constructed in order to become stable within a person's overall goal framework.
Adult Children of Alcoholics as Public High School Teachers: Comparable Risks for Occupational Burnout
(1989) Hofford, Craig William; Gold, Robert S.; Health Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
Clinicians working with Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACAs) have suggested these individuals are at higher risk for occupational burnout than those who did not grow up in alcoholic environments (NACAs). However, little empirical data exist to support such claims. This study compared the scores of ACAs and NACAs on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The ACAs' scores were further tested to explore any relationship that might exist between MBI scores and birth order or treatment received for co-dependency. The population tested was a convenient, non-random sample of uburban, public high school teachers. High school professionals (N= 409) responded to a study instrument that included the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (C.A.S.T.) and the MBI. Eighty-three respondents were determined to be ACAs by their scores on the C.A.S.T. A statistically significant number (N= 23) of those ACAs did not indicate that they grew up in an alcoholic home on the accompanying demographic sheet. Discriminant analysis (ACAs and NACAs) produced a significant canonical correlation of .7957 (p < .001). Significant variables included parental alcoholism, parental drug dependency, Personal Accomplishment, years in teaching, Depersonalization, parental stroke, age. burnout (intensity), and parental handicap. Teacher burnout rates were lower than reported in previous tudies. ACA teachers had statistically significant, higher mean scores for intensity of Depersonalization and Personal Accomplishment (p < .05). Tests of the means failed to identify any other differences in the groups with regard to the incidence of burnout. No statistically significant differences were found between the means of comparison groups of ACA teachers defined by birth order or treatment. Results suggest that ACA teachers perceive the intensity of Depersonalization more strongly than NACA teachers. Their higher sense of Personal Accomplishment may, in fact, enhance the intensity of that feeling of Depersonalization since getting along with people is highly valued in the teaching profession. There appears to be no relationship between the measures of burnout in ACA teachers and the variables of birth order and treatment. Any conclusions drawn from this study, however, must be tempered by the fact that a post hoc power analysis indicated very low power for the hypothetical comparisons conducted in this study.
Adult Readers' Calibration of Word Learning
(2011) Parkinson, Meghan; Alexander, Patricia A; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
The current study examined undergraduates' metacognitive processes during word learning, a crucial component of building representations of key concepts from text. Noticing the need to construct meaning for unknown words requires metacognitive monitoring. Constructing meanings for those words requires regulation of cognition. Fukkink (2005) provided a model for word learning, based on think aloud data that represented a series of metacognitive activities word learners engaged in when faced with an unknown word. The evaluation process within Fukkink's (2005) model related to the judgments learners made about new word meanings and how accurate they believed those judgments to be. A specific aspect of metacognitive evaluation is calibration, or the accuracy with which learners asses their knowledge on a particular cognitive task (Glenberg & Epstein, 1985; Lichtenstein & Fischhoff, 1977). The current study more closely examined word learning and calibration, while addressing some gaps in the literature and offering a model of influences on word learning to complement Fukkink's process model. The current study sought to answer questions related to the following goals: 1. To determine the influence of several factors related to adult readers' word learning and calibration of word learning. 2. To assess empirical evidence relative to a model of reading skill, vocabulary knowledge, passage comprehension, and metacognitive evaluation related to word learning using methods that directly measure word learning and metacognitive evaluation. 3. To determine which text factors influenced the ease with which word learners could derive meaning while reading and evaluate their level of performance on a word knowledge test. A measured variable path analysis showed a similar goodness of fit for both the incidental word learning condition and the intentional word learning condition. Prior word knowledge was found to be positively related to judgments of learning, but negatively related to calibration of word learning within the path model. Think-aloud data did not illuminate a connection between passage comprehension, strategic processing, and word learning. However, think-aloud data did reveal that students who decreased in performance from word knowledge pretest to posttest self-reported challenge while reading more frequently than other students. Finally, repeated-measures ANOVAs revealed differences in passage comprehension and JOLs between passages, prompting an analysis of specific text features underlying text difficulty that were not represented with a readability formula.
Age related changes in social reasoning regarding parental domestic roles
(2007-05-03) Sinno, Stefanie Marie; Killen, Melanie; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
The present study investigated age related changes in individuals' understanding of the parental role of caretaker from a social reasoning perspective. The methodology involved administering surveys to children, adolescents, and young adults (N = 300). Four hypothetical scenarios were described, in which the amount of caretaking tasks completed and time spent at work varied by gender of the parent, and individuals' evaluations and reasoning about the situations were assessed. Three additional factors that influence social reasoning about the caretaker were investigated, including, participants' gender attitudes, their perceptions of their parents' working status and division of caretaking, and their expectations for their own future family life. Results showed that individuals' judgments and reasoning about the caretaker role vary based on both the family arrangement and the gender of the parent in the caretaker role. Overall, participants' judged that the better arrangement is for one parent to spend less time at work in order to be the primary caretaker. However, it was also found that regardless of work arrangement, it would be better if the mother was the primary caretaker. There were age related changes in social reasoning about the caretaker role, with an overall increase in recognizing the complexity of family situations and reasoning from a moral perspective. In addition, gender attitudes, perception of parental work status and division of caretaking and expectations for future balance of work and family influenced social reasoning. Those individuals with more egalitarian attitudes, perceptions, and expectations were aware of societal expectations of parents' roles, but were accepting of arrangements that did not match with expectations. Thus, the present study addressed issues about the developmental origins of individuals' understanding of gender equity, gender development, and developmental social cognition. Understanding developmental changes in social reasoning about gender roles is important because it affects choice of future career and educational goals and opportunities.
An Analysis of Selected Topics in Christian Sex Education Curricula
(1982) Dahlin, Marjorie B.; Gardner, Albert H.; Human Development Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
PROBLEM. This research identified content and methods used in 37 current Christian sex education resources to teach the topics of masturbation, contraception, homosexuality, abortion, and pre-marital sex. The analysis sought to ascertain the extent to which these topics were covered in the resources, if at all; the direction of stance taken by each resource toward each topic; the type(s) of authority cited in support of stance; the scriptural passages quoted in support of stance; the type of values education approach used, and characteristic themes comprising basic content in each of the five topics. PROCEDURE. Titles for the analysis were identified based on bibliographies by SIECUS and the National Council of Churches' Commission on Family Ministries and Human Sexuality, with a follow-up survey to check for possible omissions. The final sample consisted of materials produced by or for 1) the Commission's member groups and 2 ) the Roman Catholic Church. The investigator's judgments were subjected to tests of inter-judge reliability, resulting in overall levels of agreement of 76.0% to 94.1%. RESULTS. At least 4 of the 5 topics were covered in most (70.3%) of the resources. All of the materials discussed pre-marital sex; this topic exceeded the others in number of sentences of coverage by more than 4 times. The resources tended to be accepting of contraception by married couples (except for the Roman Catholic materials); divided on their stances toward masturbation; disapproving of premarital sex and homosexuality, and ambiguous toward abortion (again, except for the Roman Catholic materials). Scriptural references cited in support of stances derived primarily from the Old Testament and the writings of St. Paul. The type of values education approach used most frequently was "Inculcation." Almost half the resources contained information on contraceptives. CONCLUSIONS. Most of the resources contained discussion of most of the topics. Further research might explore the thoroughness and accuracy of this coverage. Recommendations are made for revision of the materials.
Antecedents of infant-sibling interaction in the strange situation
(1987) Canosa, Robert; Fox, Nathan; Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
The purpose of this study was to examine infant-sibling behavior in a modified version of the strange situation. Thirty-five mother-older sibling-infant triads were recruited for participation in this study. The sibling pairs were divided into four groups: Male-Male, Male-Female, Female-Female, Female-Male. Mothers filled out a questionnaire developed to assess the degree of sibling involvement in caregiving at home as well as a measure of infant temperament. Predictive relationships were sought between Gender Composition of the dyad, Sibling behavior at home toward the infant, Mother Work Status and Infant Temperament on episode measures of Distress, Play and Contact/Comforting. Results indicated that older siblings can function to reduce infant anxiety in the presence of an unfamiliar person. Low sensitive caregiving by the older sibling predicted higher infant distress and greater contact and comforting by mother during a mother reunion episode. Infants of the gender pair Male-Female exhibited significantly greater distress and required more contact and comforting by mother when she returned than any other pair. Infant shyness was negatively related to sensitive caregiving by the older sibling and to Play in the episodes but positively related to infant distress. The findings are related to the importance of examining the social network within the family when predicting interactive patterns.
An Application of Concepts from the Cobb Model to Female Coping with Mid-Life Events
(1983) Lake, Geraldine Stirling; Hardy, Robert; Institute for Child Study/ Department of Human Development; University of Maryland (College Park, Md); Digital Repository at the University of Maryland
This study examined the relationship among social situation variables, selected personality variables, and how a woman in mid-life copes with a major life event. Specifically, this study considered relationships among Myers-Briggs Type Indicator continua, social support, choices and assessments a woman makes in coping with a life event. The subjects were 102 women, aged thirty-five to fifty-five, who had experienced a life event (e.g:, divorce, health problems, job loss, etc.) in the past three years. Subjects completed instruments on their background; personality (MBTI); type of events involved; responses to these events; quantity, quality, and types of social support used; and current life situation assessment. T Tests were computed using the Extraversion/Introversion MBTI continuum with quantity and quality of resources used. T Tests were also computed using subjects' scores on quality of resources with life assessment variables. Multiple Analysis of Variance was used to test new constructs developed from the Critical Response List with the MBTI Scales. Two specific hypotheses and three questions were studied. Hypothesis 1 stated that extraverts would report being helped by more people and helped more by people when compared to introverts. Differences between the two groups were not significant. The t Test on extraversion and quantity of help approached significance; the part of the hypothesis testing extraversion and quality of help was rejected. Hypothesis 2 stated that subjects having better quality of support would report better life situations than would subjects with poorer quality of support. While the difference between the two groups was not significant, the t Tests did approach significance. Other questions which tested for coping response differences between groups on the other three scales of the MBTI found no significant differences, indicating that the MBTI scales did not discriminate among the coping responses of the subjects. One sub-group, judging, rated their quality of emotional support received as much higher (.0046) than did perceivers. These results lend little support to the idea that there are significant relationships among MBTI continua, social support, and how a woman copes with a life event. The study did find that subjects mainly used family and friends for support while working though a life event and that over 90% of the women reported that emotional support was the most important kind of support.
Applications of Dweck's Model of Implicit Theories to Teachers' Self-Efficacy and Emotional Experiences
(2012) Williams, Alexis Ymon; Wentzel, Kathryn R.; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
The current study explored Dweck's (1999; Dweck & Leggett, 1988) model of implicit theories in the context of teaching in order to establish its usefulness for describing teachers' beliefs about students' ability and social behavior. Further it sought to explain the connections between teachers' implicit beliefs and their efficacy for instruction and classroom management, and their positive and negative emotional experiences. The factor structure of survey data for teachers in mid-Atlantic school districts was examined to test for classes reflecting implicit and entity beliefs, or beliefs that student attributes are malleable or fixed and unchangeable. Given that previous work in other populations has reflected important connections between individuals' implicit theories, their cognitive and emotional functioning, and their interactions with others, the current study explored whether implicit theories have similar implications for teaching. The categorical distinction between entity and incremental theories was not supported in the analyses. Further analyses were conducted using structural equation models for implicit theories, efficacy, and emotional outcomes, including symptoms of burnout. Implicit theories were associated with efficacy such that tendencies toward incremental beliefs correlated with higher efficacy in well-fitting models. Although implicit theories predicted emotional outcomes in some models such that incremental beliefs were associated with positive emotional outcomes, the effect of the implicit theory variable was not significant in models that included the efficacy variable. In these models, only efficacy was a significant predictor of emotions such that higher efficacy was associated with positive outcomes. Finally, the interaction between implicit theory and efficacy was not significant. These findings fail to support the theoretical connections between the two variables in the implicit theory framework, where low efficacy is expected to predict negative emotional outcomes in the presence of entity but not incremental theories. Instead, with respect to emotional outcomes, teaching self-efficacy appeared to be a more salient predictor than student-directed implicit theories of teachers' emotional experiences overall. Keywords: teachers, teaching motivation, implicit theories, teaching self-efficacy, emotions, affect, burnout.
Assessing Fit of Latent Class Models to Complex Survey Data: Implications For Drug Use Research
(2003-11-17) Markovitz, Carrie Elizabeth; Dayton, C M; Measurement, Statistics and Evaluation
Simple random sampling is an assumption when using fit statistics to fit latent class (LC) models to data. However, LC models are often fit to datasets collected through complex survey sampling methods that may result in inaccurate estimates of standard errors, parameter estimates and fit statistics. This study examined how various comparison tests functioned for latent class models when using complex survey data. The motivation for this research is the issue of reported drug use patterns and whether changes in drug use have occurred over time. This issue was investigated using reported drug use data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) for 1979 and 1988. Monte Carlo simulations were used to determine how well the various model comparison statistics (chi-square, AIC, BIC, RIC and Wald statistic) functioned for a variety of complex sample designs. In addition, a simulation based on the NHSDA data was used to answer the research question: Do patterns of reported drug use show change over time? The model comparison statistics were most accurate when sample sizes were large and item-specific error rates were low. Intraclass correlation, an indicator of how similar individuals are within the same cluster, appeared to have little effect on the accuracy of the model comparison statistics. Statistics were not as accurate when sampling from unequally weighted groups. The chi-square statistics and AIC were recommended for use with complex survey data based on their high rates of accuracy. More caution was recommended when using BIC and RIC. Results indicated that reported drug use patterns changed between 1979 and 1988. Most patterns of reported drug use increased slightly, with the exception of respondents characterized by alcohol and tobacco use alone that decreased substantially.
The Association Between Parental Executive Function and Children’s Language Skills at 18 Months
(2021) McKee, Kelsey; Cabrera, Natasha; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Executive function (EF) is thought to be particularly important for parenting (Crandall et al., 2015). Studies have shown that maternal EF is related to parenting quality and children’s social and cognitive outcomes (Bridgett et al., 2015). These studies are few and are mostly conducted with mothers raising the question of whether paternal EF also affects children in the same way as maternal EF. In an effort to address these gaps I examined whether maternal and paternal EF influenced child language at 18-months, in part through parental engagement in home learning activities, in a sample of low-income, first time parents and their infants. My results did not show a significant, direct influence of maternal or paternal EF when children were 9 months old on children language skills at 18 months. Similarly, neither of the overall indirect effects of parental EF to child language through home parental learning activities were significant. However, paternal EF did positively predict paternal home learning activities, though this was not the case for mothers. Results of this study highlight the unique influences on maternal and paternal parenting and suggest further study is needed to fully elucidate the relation between parental EF and child language skills.
The Association of Student Questioning with Reading Comprehension
(2003-12-05) Taboada, Ana M; Guthrie, John T; Human Development
In the field of reading comprehension, student-generated questions have been investigated within instructional contexts for elementary, middle school, high school, and college students. Although findings from instructional studies reveal that student-generated questions have an impact on reading comprehension, past research has not examined why student-generated questions improve text comprehension. This study investigated the relationship of student-generated questions and prior knowledge to reading comprehension by examining the characteristics of student-generated questions in relation to text. A Questioning Hierarchy was developed to examine the extent that questions elicit different levels of conceptual understanding. The questions of third- and fourth-grade students (N= 208) about expository texts in the domain of ecological science were related to students' prior knowledge and reading comprehension. Reading comprehension was measured as conceptual knowledge built from text and by a standardized reading test. As hypothesized, questioning accounted for a significant amount of variance in students' reading comprehension after the contribution of prior knowledge was accounted for. Furthermore, low- and high-level questions were differentially associated with low and high levels of conceptual knowledge gained from text, showing a clear alignment between questioning levels and reading comprehension levels. Empirical evidence showed that conceptual levels of students' questions were commensurate with conceptual levels of their reading comprehension. This alignment provides the basis for a theoretical explanation of the relationship between reading comprehension and the quality of student questioning.
The Associations of Autonomy Support and Conceptual Press with Engaged Reading and Conceptual Learning from Text
(2004-11-24) Perencevich, Kathleen Cox; Guthrie, John T.; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
This study examined the associations of autonomy support and conceptual press, with reading engagement and conceptual learning from text. When students perceive their teacher to be supporting autonomy, it means that student choice, ownership, and personal goals are emphasized. When students perceive their teacher to be supporting conceptual press, it means that the teacher (a) promotes understanding of the substantial principles of a domain; (b) helps students use information integration strategies during reading, such as concept mapping, and (c) promotes persistence on moderately challenging tasks. Based on the self-process model of motivation (Connell & Wellborn, 1990) and an engagement perspective of reading (Baker, Dreher & Guthrie, 2000), it was hypothesized that as students perceived their instruction to be motivating, their reading engagement would increase. In turn, as engaged reading increases, conceptual learning from text would increase. For this investigation, 244 fourth- and fifth-grade students reported their perceptions of their teachers' use of conceptual press and autonomy support in reading instruction. Multifaceted components of reading engagement were measured. Reading engagement was defined as the manifestations of affective, behavioral, and cognitive processes during reading. In addition, participants completed a reading performance assessment in the domain of science designed to measure prior knowledge, strategic reading, and conceptual learning from text. Structural equation modeling was used to compare alternative theoretical models depicting the relations among motivated reading instruction, engaged reading, and conceptual learning from text. The direct effects model had a direct path connecting motivating reading instruction with conceptual learning from text whereas the hypothesized indirect effects model contained an indirect path from motivating reading instruction to conceptual learning from text via engaged reading. Results confirmed the hypothesis that the model including an indirect effect of motivating reading instruction on conceptual learning from text through engaged reading explained the data more fully than a direct effect model. This is consistent with the self-process model of motivation (Connell & Wellborn, 1990). These results have implications for theories of the role of social contexts in engagement and achievement, particularly in the domain of reading, and also suggest ways by which teachers might foster reading engagement among students.
At the Crossroads of Epistemology and Motivation: Modeling the Relations between Students' Domain-Specific Epistemological Beliefs, Achievement Motivation, and Task Performance
(2003-11-25) Buehl, Michelle M; Alexander, Patricia A; Human Development
Within the educational literature, students' epistemological beliefs (i.e., beliefs about the nature of knowledge) have been examined in relation to a variety of cognitive learning outcomes (e.g., strategy use and academic performance). However, relatively few investigations have explored the relations between students' epistemological beliefs and achievement motivation. In this investigation, a model of the potential relations between epistemological beliefs, achievement motivation, and learning outcomes was proposed and a portion of the model was tested. Specifically, I focused on the domain-specific epistemological beliefs, ability beliefs, expectancies for success, achievement value, intentions, and task performance of college students. Four-hundred and eighty-two students completed measures designed to assess students' a) beliefs about the structure, stability, and source of knowledge, b) ability beliefs, c) expectancies for success, d) achievement values, and e) intentions to engage in future tasks relative to history and mathematics. Students also completed a learning task related to history and mathematics. The learning task involved reading a two-part passage that described the history and mathematics of statistical regression. After reading each portion of the passage, participants reported the strategies they used. Students also completed knowledge tests designed to assess what they learned. Separate confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to determine the structure of students' epistemological beliefs, ability beliefs and expectancies for success, and achievement values. Findings supported the domain-specific and multidimensional nature of epistemological beliefs and suggested the presence of underlying domain-general beliefs. Additionally, previous findings with respect to the structure of students' ability beliefs, expectancies for success, and achievement values were replicated (e.g., Wigfield & Eccles, 2000). Separate structural equation models were applied to the history and mathematics data to assess the proposed relations between epistemological beliefs, achievement motivation, and learning outcomes. Evidence supported many of the hypothesized relations. For instance, students' epistemological beliefs significantly influenced their competency beliefs, achievement values, and some forms of strategy use. Relations between competency beliefs, achievement values, task performance, and intentions were also confirmed. These findings indicate the need for additional research examining the relations between epistemological beliefs and motivation and highlight the practical significance of students' epistemological beliefs.
ATTENTION BIAS TOWARD THREAT ACQUISITION: A DEVELOPMENTAL FRAMEWORK
(2014) Suway, Jenna Goldstein; Fox, Nathan A; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
The primary goal of this study was to examine possible differences in threat bias acquisition across development. The current study aimed to 1) examine if threat bias could altered in 8, 12, and 18-year old children and explore possible age-related differences in threat bias acquisition 2) examine age-related differences in the relations between bias change and stress reactivity 3) examine pubertal development and its possible relations to bias change and stress reactivity and 4) explore temperamental traits and their possible relation to threat bias acquisition. To address these aims, the current study utilized an attention bias modification (ABM) with three age groups (8-year-old, 12-year-old, and 18-year-old children) to train attention allocation toward threat-related stimuli. After training, participants underwent a stress task and were assessed on emotional reactivity to stress. Data were also collected on pubertal development, trait anxiety, trait fearfulness, and social sensitivity. Overall, the results indicated that the training paradigm was partially successful in altering children's threat bias, however, age was related to bias change. Results indicated that participants, regardless of age group, responded faster on the dot-probe task over time, suggesting the training procedure increased vigilance to threat. Results did not show a main effect of bias change from pre-training to post-training; however, there was a significant age group difference in threat bias acquisition. The 8-year old group displayed a greater threat bias change than did the 18-year old group. In partial support of the hypotheses, findings suggested that there were some group differences between stress reactivity and bias change. As well, decreases in anxiety reported stress reactivity after completion of a speech task were associated with more advanced pubertal development. Lastly, while pubertal development scores correlated with threat bias acquisition, self-reported temperamental trait characteristics did not relate to threat bias acquisition. While there is a clear need for the continued study of ABM across development, the current study is one of the first to show age differences in threat bias acquisition and its' relations to stress reactivity and pubertal development.