Theses and Dissertations from UMD

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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 give thesis/dissertation in DRUM

More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.

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Author: search.filters.author.Harak, Elise TourisSubject: search.filters.subject.Education, Social Sciences

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    Outcomes of an elementary grades social competence experiment according to student self-report
    (2008-06-30) Harak, Elise Touris; Gottfredson, Gary D; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Problem behaviors that emerge in early childhood often persist through adolescence. Evaluations provide evidence that social skills programs in elementary schools can reduce student aggression. There is some evidence that social skills programs also increase social skills, academic commitment, and achievement. Outcome evaluations have more often focused on aggression than on social skills and academics, however. The present study is a randomized, controlled trial evaluating the effects of one popular social skills instructional program, Second Step, in six treatment and six control schools after two years of implementation. Despite the widespread use of Second Step, few evaluations have assessed its effects. The existing evaluations have either: (a) lacked randomization, (b) had small samples, (c) not measured implementation, or (d) were implemented for one year or less. In the present evaluation, implementation data were collected from all teachers as each lesson was completed. Overall implementation was high across two years. Treatment effects were assessed on nine self-report measures including Engagement in Learning, prosocial behaviors (Altruism, Empathy, and Self-Restraint) and problem behaviors and attitudes (Rebellious Behavior, Aggression, Victimization, Acceptability of Aggression, and Hostile Attribution Bias). Analyses completed using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) implied that treatment did not statistically significantly affect individual student self-reports net of individual characteristics. In almost all cases, the non-significant estimates of treatment effects were in the desired direction but mirrored non-significant pre-intervention differences.
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    First-year Self-Report Outcomes of a Character Education Experiment with Elementary Students
    (2006-12-10) Harak, Elise Touris; Gottfredson, Gary D; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Instruction in social competence in elementary grades may provide a means of preventing later problem behaviors. Previous studies indicate that school-based social competency curricula sometimes lead to decreases in problem behaviors. This randomized, controlled trial measures the efficacy of the Second Step program in twelve schools. The assessment of efficacy is based on 11 scales in a pre- and post- test, student self-report survey. These scales measure: (a) outcomes directly targeted by the curriculum, (b) school climate, and (c) other related outcomes. Results for students in six intervention schools are compared to students in six randomly equivalent control schools. After the first of three years of intervention, there is a statistically significant main effect for treatment on Engagement in Learning, an interaction of treatment with individual characteristics on Sense of School as a Community and Self-Restraint, and positive but not significant effect sizes on Self-Restraint and Hostile Attribution Bias.