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

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THE IMPACT OF PRELIMINARY MODEL SELECTION ON LATENT GROWTH MODEL PARAMETER ESTIMATES
(2010) Wang, Hsiu-Fei; Hancock, Gregory R; Measurement, Statistics and Evaluation; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
In latent growth modeling (LGM), model selection and inference are treated as separate stages of data analysis, but they are generally conducted on the assumption that the model is known a priori and thus model selection and inference are performed on the same data set. This two-step process ignores the effects of model uncertainty on parameter estimation and statistical inference, and thus may result in problems which ultimately lead to misleading or invalid inferences. This present study was thus designed to investigate the possible problems arising from the use of the two-step process in LGM. The goals of this study were: (1) To examine the subsequent impact of preliminary model selection using information criteria on LGM parameter estimates; (2) To assess the data splitting method as a possible way to mitigate the effects of model uncertainty. To achieve these goals, two Monte Carlo simulation studies were conducted. Study1 conducted both model selection and parameter estimation using the same data set, to investigate the possible impact of preliminary model selection in terms of relative parameter biases, and coverage rate. Study 2 conducted model selection and parameter estimation using different split-data sets, in order to assess the data splitting method as a possible way to mitigate the effects of model uncertainty. The major finding of this study was that inference based on the AIC or the BIC model selection leads to additional bias in the estimates and overestimates the sampling variability of the parameters estimates. The results of the simulation study showed that the post-model-selection parameter estimator has larger relative parameter biases, larger relative variance biases, and smaller coverage rate of confidence interval than those of the pre-model-selection estimator. These post-model-selection problems due to model uncertainty, unfortunately, still existed when the data splitting method was applied.
Communities of Practice for the Development of Adolescent Civic Engagement: An Empirical Study of their Correlates in Australia and the United States
(2009) Homana, Gary; Croninger, Robert; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
The relationships between a multidimensional model of school community and civic engagement were examined using survey data collected for the 1999 IEA Civic Education Study from large, nationally representative samples of adolescents in Australia and the United States. This study extends previous research by considering the extent to which multiple dimensions of communities of practice influence the development of various civic capacities, and by utilizing multilevel regression techniques. The investigation also examined the extent to which the various dimensions of communities of practice are related to more equitable civic outcomes, and how these associations vary in Australia compared to the United States. All schools have some form of social and cultural context that influences learning. This study examined the influence of three specific dimensions of communities of practice in school, the discourse community, the collaborative community, and the participatory community on three capacities for civic engagement (civic knowledge, norms of democracy, and expectations for informed voting). Other measures of school structure, including individual socioeconomic background and school size and composition were also used in the analyses. The results of the analyses suggest that important, yet subtle, distinctions exist between the association of the various dimensions of communities of practice and civic capacities in Australia and the United States. The findings from the fully conditional models, for example, indicate that both student level and school level perceptions of the communities of practice can help to shape adolescent civic capacities, although the patterns of relationships vary by dimension of communities of practice and measure of civic engagement. This study offers support for the role of communities of practice in the development of student civic outcomes. Individual student participation in and supportive school contexts for positive communities of practice influences the development of adolescent civic engagement. Learning more about communities of practice and its influence on a broader range of civic capacities, especially in terms of the quality and the extent that communities of practice exist in schools, will help educators and schools to strengthen these connections.
UNDERSTANDING AND TEACHING RATIONAL NUMBERS: A CRITICAL CASE STUDY OF MIDDLE SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
(2009) Walters, Jonathan Kirk; Croninger, Robert; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
A lot of money is spent each year on teacher professional development, but researchers and policymakers are still trying to determine what that investment yields in terms of improvements in teacher knowledge and practice. This study focuses on the extent to which middle school mathematics teachers comprehended and made use of the core content, pedagogical content and pedagogical components of a well designed professional development model. At the time of data collection, the teachers were participating in a large, federally funded randomized field trial on professional development that focused on rational numbers. Compared with many other teachers participating in the randomized study, these three teachers were highly receptive to the intensive, content-focused model and thus represent a critical case study of professional development. Using interview and classroom observation data from the 2007-08 school year, the study indicates that teachers understood and implemented many of the pedagogical components emphasized in the model, but they had difficulty comprehending and articulating the core rational number content. Within the domain of rational numbers, the study shows that teachers had more difficulty understanding ratio and proportion concepts as compared with fraction and decimal concepts. The study also describes sources of variation in teachers' understanding of the professional development material and the extent to which they utilized the professional development material while teaching. Teachers' understanding of math content is a critical link in the theory of action driving current educational policies that call for increased rigor and coherence in K-12 mathematics. This case study illustrates that even well designed and well implemented professional development models may be incapable of improving teachers' content knowledge to levels that positively affect their instructional practices.
A MULTILEVEL ANALYSIS OF CONTEXT EFFECTS ON ADOLESCENT CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: THE ROLE OF FAMILY, PEERS, SCHOOL, AND NEIGHBORHOOD
(2009) Wilkenfeld, Britt Skeens; Torney-Purta, Judith; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
The relations between multiple contexts of influence and adolescents' civic engagement were examined in order to facilitate understanding of how adolescents are being prepared for citizenship. This study extends previous research by simultaneously examining the family, peer, school, and neighborhood contexts, including how contexts are interrelated in their influence, and by employing multilevel regression techniques. The purpose of the study was to understand how contexts interact to produce positive outcomes for adolescents, especially those deemed at risk for poor civic outcomes. Utilizing data from the 1999 Civic Education Study and the 2000 U.S. Census, I examined a nationally representative sample of 2,729 14-year-olds from 119 schools in the United States. Access to the zip-codes for each school that participated in the study enabled the connection between neighborhood characteristics and schools and students within schools. Given the multifaceted nature of civic engagement, the current study considered context effects on four different aspects of civic engagement: civic knowledge, support for the rights of ethnic minorities, anticipated voting behavior, and anticipated community participation. Predictors pertain to adolescents' demographic characteristics, political discourse with parents and peers, civic experiences in school, and the demographic composition of the neighborhood. Political discourse with parents was positively related to civic knowledge, attitudes, and anticipated behavior, indicating the consistency with which socialization occurs in the home. Across the contexts examined, student measures of civic experiences in school (or civic learning opportunities) had the most consistently positive relationships with students' civic outcomes. Civic experiences in school include student confidence in the effectiveness of school participation, perception of a classroom climate that is open for discussion, and learning about ideal civic practices. Interactions between the school and neighborhood contexts indicate that higher levels of civic learning opportunities particularly make a difference for students attending schools in impoverished neighborhoods, sometimes substantially improving their civic outcomes. Schools, although implicated in the existence of a civic engagement gap, have the potential to narrow the gaps. Civic experiences in schools contribute to the preparation of youth for active citizenship and full access to these experiences reduces civic engagement gaps between students of different demographic groups.
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.
An Instrument Development Study of Men's Planning for Career and Family: Contributions of Parental Attachment and Gender Role Conflict
(2008-05-02) Mereish, Ethan H.; Kurotsuchi Inkelas, Karen; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
The present study first investigated the factor structure and assessed the psychometric properties of a scale that measures the degree to which future family responsibilities are considered by men when making career decisions. The study then examined the contributions of parental attachment and gender role conflict in predicting men's career and family planning. Participants included 205 college men. The findings suggested that two subscales comprise the measure: the Incorporating Future Family in Career Plans subscale (IFFCP; α = .80) and the Choosing a Career Independent of Future Family subscale (CCIFF; α = .80). Convergent validity was supported through a negative correlation among the IFFCP subscale and career aspirations. Discriminant validity was supported, in which the IFFCP subscale lacked a correlation and the CCIFF subscale had a low correlation with the career decision-making self-efficacy. Attachment to father positively predicted incorporating future family considerations in career planning, and gender role conflict in the success, power and competition domain positively predicted choosing a career independent of future family considerations.
No Child Left Behind's Supplemental Educational Services: A Case Study of Participant Experiences in an Urban Afterschool Program in the District of Columbia
(2007-11-26) Stewart, Nichole Helene; Parham, Carol S.; Lynn, Marvin; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
The enactment of No Child Left Behind's (NCLB) Supplemental Educational Services (SES) provision shifted new attention to the ability of afterschool programs to increase students' achievement levels and help close the pervasive achievement gap between Students of Color and their white counterparts. Though studies of supplemental education programs in general have shown their potential to successfully augment traditional classroom instruction, reports thus far on indicate that states, districts, providers, and families have faced numerous challenges in the execution of the SES model. The scant research that exists on SES primarily has focused on national, state, and district-level investigations of implementation. With the upcoming reauthorization of NCLB, information in needed on the ground-level implementation of SES, and the lived experiences of participants within SES Provider organizations, particularly those in urban areas that face significant social and economic challenges. This purpose of this study was to include the voices of SES program participants in the dialogue surrounding the provision's redesign and to understand their individual perceptions of the opportunities and challenges of involvement within one SES Provider program in the District of Columbia. Participant stories revealed that, despite some challenges, the program of study was beneficial and fostered the academic, social, and personal development of student participants, including increases in grades, test scores, and attendance, as well as in self-esteem and confidence. Tutors and staff reported experiencing personal growth and development. Participant narratives also uncovered a number of challenges that exist in the implementation of SES policy within the District of Columbia Public School System (DCPS), including issues with timing, communication, and district expectations. Participant experiences within the DCPS and subsequent policy recommendations may help to inform SES policy moving forward to aid in the development of policy that truly works to the benefit of the individuals it was intended to serve.
Constructing Civil Society in Transitional China: Case Studies of One Private University and One Non-governmental Institute for Peasant Education
(2007-07-11) Liu, Yan; Lin, Jing; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
The political shift in China in the last two and a half decades, from an emphasis on ideological orthodoxy and centralized economic control, to an emphasis on national economic development for modernization, has made it possible for non-governmental actors to enter into fields previously controlled by the government and to take initiatives in making social changes. This dissertation examines the capacity that non-governmental organizations demonstrate in their fight against all odds and their promotions of a civil society in China, using two non-governmental organizations working in the field of education as examples. The cases are analyzed from a historical institutionalism perspective to show how organizations' actions are affected by the contextual factors and meanwhile how their actions influence the institutions. In the case studies, the interaction between the society and the state government is carefully studied; moreover, the associational, ideological and cognitive dimensions of the civil society construction in China are comprehensively examined. Two non-governmental institutions are examined in this study. Their increasing participation in educational practices provides alternatives to the educational model in government-managed organizations. The dissertation also examines the development of the two organizations and pays special attention to the constraints imposed on the organizations by the existing political and educational system: The government is alert to their increasing power and attempts to restraint it. However, both organizations were successful in negotiating spaces for their survival and gained increasing influence in the society. Case analysis showed that the most important feature in the state-society interaction in China is trust-building which requires sophisticated strategies. While sticking to their non-state identity, these organizations have made significant efforts in establishing channels of discourse with the government, and won their trust in this way. Overall, the civil society groups in China showed divergence in their goals and practices from other countries, but also share certain convergence in their features and strategies for the redefinition of state-society boundary. In the dissertation, a dynamic interaction between the institutional factors and the agency of social actors is discovered. The institutional contexts shaped the social actors' vision and strategies, and the institutional environment was also transformed by the action of social groups. The direction of political and social reform is co-steered by the state-government and the society, instead of being determined by the government alone.
Impact of Globalization on the U.S.-Mexico Border: Case of Grassroots Activism for the Migrant and Refugee Community
(2007-04-26) Kim, Jennifer J.; Klees, Steven J.; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
This qualitative case study examines the impact of globalization on the U.S.-Mexico border as it affects transnational migration and individuals who assist the poor in migration. This study begins by discussing the social, political, and economic context of the region and examines the global conditions that have led to a massive movement of people along the border. The grassroots, NGO community has been actively engaged in the issue of cross-border migration although there have been few studies examining their work. This study attempts to look at how grassroots communities have responded to the global migratory flows as they situate themselves within globalization and the U.S.-Mexico border. This study specifically focuses on Annunciation House, a nongovernmental organization that assists migrants in the sister border cities of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua and investigates how this organization and its networks have combined social services and activism with education in their advocacy work. The findings discuss the nature of the work and operation of Annunciation House; how the organization facilitates personal and political transformation of its humanitarian workers; how short-term and long-term staff members differ in their approaches to work; and how Annunciation House compares and relates to other NGOs in the region.
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.

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