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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Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Reading Analyses with Chilean Children
    (2021) Cubillos Guzman, Montserrat; Turner, Jennifer; Galindo, Claudia; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Chilean data show that a large reading-proficiency gap exists between students with high and low socioeconomic status (SES), that most children do not see themselves as readers, and that half of adolescents read below grade level (Agencia de Calidad de la Educación, 2019; Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes, 2014). To understand the reasons behind these phenomena, I conducted three complementary studies on reading comprehension, motivation, and literacy-related home practices with over 800,000 Chilean students, using nation-wide secondary data analysis.In the first study, I examined the association between the frequency of early literacy parent-children interactions (e.g., reading together, reading labels and signs, singing songs, etc.) before they entered first grade and students’ reading scores in fourth grade, while accounting for their second-grade proficiency. I observed that parents frequently engaged in literacy interactions with their children, that those interactions significantly predicted students’ later reading proficiency, and that the effect was steeper for families with high SES than for those with low SES. In the second study, I explored the association between parents’ reading motivation and frequency and their children’s. I examined data of students from sixth, eight, and tenth grade. I found that adolescents were more likely to be motivated and frequent readers if their parents were also keen readers. I also found that SES was a powerful predictor of the likelihood of being a keen reader, and that the effect of having a keen-reading parent was more positively pronounced for adolescents with low SES than for those with high SES. In the third study, I explored whether tenth graders’ reading motivation and frequency was associated to their reading scores. I observed that a large percentage of students who were proficient readers in fourth grade failed to achieve proficiency in tenth grade and that the odds of achieving proficiency in tenth grade increased when students were motivated and frequent readers. Furthermore, students’ odds of being proficient readers increased when their classmates reported high levels of reading motivation and frequency of reading. I discuss the implications of this and my other two studies.
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    Chinese Parenting Styles and Parental Involvement on Adolescents’ School Success
    (2020) Zhu, Qianyu; Wang, Cixin; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Academic burnout and engagement are important indicators of students’ school success. Studies have revealed that parenting styles and parental involvement have significant influences on students’ academic burnout and engagement. However, few studies have explored the mechanism of how parenting styles and parental involvement impact students’ academic burnout and engagement, especially among Chinese high school students. This study examined whether parenting styles and parental involvement (based on parental report) influenced high school students’ academic burnout and engagement via perceived parental support (based on adolescent report). A total of 285 Chinese high school students and their fathers and mothers participated in the current study. Results indicated that paternal authoritative parenting negatively related to academic burnout, and maternal authoritarian parenting positively related to academic burnout. Additionally, in both paternal and maternal models, perceived parental support mediated the relations between authoritative parenting and knowledge and skills involvement and students’ academic engagement. Moreover, the study also indicated that fathers and mothers may influence boys’ and girls’ academic burnout and engagement differently. Parents and schools can use the findings to increase high students’ academic engagement and decrease students’ academic burnout.
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    THE EFFECTS OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN MAINTAINING DISCIPLINE ON SCHOOL CRIME: COMMUNITY AND CRIME TYPE VARIATIONS
    (2018) Devlin, Deanna Nicole; Gottfredson, Denise C; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Although crime on school grounds is lower than it has been in previous years, school crime still remains prevalent. Concern for school safety has resulted in school administrators, policy makers and parents seeking new ways to reduce school crime. Many of these efforts involve school staff in maintaining order. However, in addition to these efforts, schools have also begun forming partnerships with external parties to reduce crime on school grounds. These partners have consisted of law enforcement, community organizations, social service agencies, and sometimes parents. Typically, parental involvement has involved activities such as participating in PTA meetings, attending parent-teacher conferences and monitoring children’s homework. However, parents also have the potential to help reduce school crime when they collaborate with schools in maintaining safety on school grounds. Parents, when engaged in this way, can affect school crime by influencing important aspects of the school climate such as the culture of the school and discipline management. However, it is likely that these effects may vary by the type of community in which the school is located and where the families reside. To date, this type of parental involvement has not been rigorously evaluated. This study used a longitudinal sample from the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) for the years 2004, 2006, and 2008, to examine the effects of parental involvement in maintaining discipline on school crime. These effects were assessed across differing types of communities and across different crime types. Further, this study tested whether this type of parental involvement serves as a mediator in the relationship between community disadvantage and school crime. Overall, the findings indicated that parental involvement in maintaining discipline was not associated with any of the school crime types. Additionally, this effect was not moderated by level of community disadvantage.
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    BUILDING READINESS AND INTENTION TOWARDS STEM FIELDS OF STUDY AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
    (2017) Kurban, Elizabeth R.; Cabrera, Alberto F; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This dissertation study investigated the cognitive and contextual influences contributing to the developmental process that high school students undergo in preparing for and considering the selection of an academic major in a STEM field. Guided by the theoretical framework of SCCT (Lent et al., 1994) and Wang’s (2013) conceptual model, I developed a new conceptual model for understanding the STEM readiness and intention development process. The STEM Readiness and Intention Development (SRID) Conceptual Model addresses gaps in previous research, such as the absence of parental involvement. In addition, my research design overcame measurement and analytic shortcomings, while examining the moderating effect of self-efficacy on high school students’ intention to major in a STEM field. Through the use of structural equation modeling with data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, I tested the SRID Conceptual Model and examined the indirect effects of self-efficacy on high school students’ intention to major in a STEM field. The results of these analyses suggest several cognitive and contextual influences contributing to building STEM readiness and students’ intention to major in STEM during high school. This study revealed that STEM readiness is impacted directly by several factors, including SES, math ability, parental involvement, math self-efficacy, science self-efficacy, math interest, and science interest. Intention to major in STEM is directly impacted by STEM readiness, as well as high school students’ interest in math and interest in science. In addition, I found that self-efficacy in math and science had a mediating effect through math and science interest on high school students’ intention to major in STEM, emphasizing the critical impact of self-efficacy throughout the career development process. Overall, this dissertation study expands our knowledge of the process that leads high school students to become prepared for and aspire to pursue majors in STEM. Through facilitating this process among all student populations, we may improve overall enrollment and persistence through the STEM pipeline and contribute to the national goal of increasing the number of graduates in STEM fields of study.
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    EDUCATIONAL PLANS BEYOND HIGH SCHOOL: NARRATIVES OF BLACK MALES' POSTSECONDARY DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES
    (2008) Lee, Zakiya Shani Smith; McEwen, Marylu K; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The enrollment gap between Black male and female undergraduates began in 1960 and has grown significantly over the years. Although a gender gap exists for all racial/ethnic groups, more attention should be paid to one subgroup of men who are in the worst situation - African American men. The purpose of this study was to understand the influences on and processes by which Black males make decisions about pursuing a college education and searching for a college after high school graduation. Utilizing narrative inquiry methodology, data were collected through interviews, school records, and demographic questionnaires. Participants for this study were 10 12th grade and 1 11th grade Black males attending school in a Mid-Atlantic state. Data were analyzed using initial and focused coding, and the results were considered in relation to three theoretical frameworks, Hossler and Gallagher's (1987) Three Phase Model of College Choice, K. Freeman's (2005) model of African Americans in predisposition, and critical race theory (Delgado & Stefancic, 2001). Participants planned to attend college for financial advancement, career development, and personal growth. Findings suggest that parental encouragement is more influential than parental expectations, as participants whose parents were involved throughout their child's schooling had the clearest college plans. Although most participants did not identify finances as influential to their college decision making, all participants made cost-conscious decisions such as applying for scholarships and financial aid and staying close to home. The effect of low grades was strong and resulted in challenging search processes but did not affect predisposition. Social capital was influential in helping participants learn about college from those knowledgeable about college. Participants also indicated that the presence of career plans, long-term goals, patience, increased motivation and information, and the influence of family may increase the number of Black males enrolled in college. Implications address participants' late start on the college choice process and suggest a default college preparatory curriculum, more informed school personnel, and the standardization of college and career information sessions that will produce knowledgeable Black males who have postsecondary educational options that are not hindered by poor academic performance or lack of information.
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    The Influence of Parental Involvement on the Educational Aspirations of First-Generation College Students
    (2004-05-07) Pagliarulo, Graziella Michele; Inkelas, Karen K; Counseling and Personnel Services
    This study examines the influence of parental involvement on the educational aspirations of first-generation college students. Additionally, the researcher investigates the changes in first-generation students’ educational aspirations over time as well as the differences in students’ educational aspirations and actual attainment. Differences in educational aspirations and attainment are analyzed by race, gender, and SES. For this study, longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample of students generated by the National Educational Longitudinal Study 1988-2000 (NELS:88/2000) was used. Statistical measures employed included multiple regression, repeated measures ANOVA, and crosstabulation. Results indicated that parental involvement, among other variables, explained some variance in first-generation students’ educational aspirations. Additionally, these students’ educational aspirations increased over time, and, for the most part, students did not attain their aspirations. Differences in aspirations and attainment by race, gender, and SES were also discovered.