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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Item What does it mean to be ready for school? Analysis of the measurement of school readiness.(2020) Mulder, Blakely; Teglasi, Hedwig; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Recent research has found that school readiness is a multi-faceted construct associated with academic ability as well as social-emotional skills, executive functioning, demographic, environmental, and other variables. However, most research assesses school readiness through children’s performance on discrete, typically standardized tasks, which may not be representative of the skills and behaviors children display at school day-to-day. The present study utilized a new measure, the Teacher School Readiness Scale (TSRS), to examine teachers’ perceptions of kindergartners’ school readiness. Drawing from a sample of 70 kindergarten students attending private schools in a semi-urban area, this study used exploratory factor analysis, bivariate correlation, and multiple linear regression to analyze how students’ demonstrated classroom skills and behaviors relate to one another as well as to students’ global school readiness. The study then used multiple linear regression to examine how teacher-rated school readiness relates to children’s performance on standardized performance tasks and rating scales representative of those typically used in school readiness literature. Factor analysis separated items on the TSRS into factors of Academic Understanding and Social Interactions, which correlated significantly with one another and predicted global readiness ratings. TSRS factor scores were not significantly correlated with performance measures of the same constructs. From five composite variables representing children’s academic, social-emotional, and executive functioning skills, only teacher-completed rating scales of executive functioning skills significantly predicted children’s overall school readiness. Results suggest poor ecological validity of traditional school readiness research methods and indicate need for inclusion of teacher-report measures in future school readiness studies.Item Dancing Architecture: A Formal Approach to Translating Movement and Dance(2017) Kim, Karen; Ambrose, Michael A; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Dance is an outlet that teaches empathy and inspires people to communicate their stories through body movement. Architecture has the same ability to tell stories. I also contend that architecture made of representational narrative in the use of metaphorical forms and tectonics has the ability to teach and communicate. I believe there is a need for architecture to be more open and educational. Methods and lessons of dance will be applied embodied in ways to induce learning to my architectural thesis. Precedents emphasizing graphic representations of dance movements will support the idea of instructive design. This investigation will entail the work of Étienne-Jules Marey, pioneer of using graphical techniques to depict sequential movement of the human body, and the work of Eadweard Muybridge, an innovator of photographic studies of motion. The work of my thesis will be to conceive of places for people to congregate, where social and cultural intersections will foster an inspiration for movement or interaction.Item “THE VERY MESSENGERS OF GOD”: THE TEACHERS OF ALABAMA’S FREEDPEOPLE, 1865-1870(2017) Jordan, Sylvia Alyssa; Rowland, Leslie S.; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Using Freedmen’s Bureau records, the papers of the American Missionary Association, and other materials, the author identified 585 individuals who taught ex-slaves in Alabama between 1865 and 1870. The thesis describes their sex, race, and geographical origins, their motives for teaching, the high rate of turnover, and a growing number of black teachers. It examines the teachers’ work in the classroom and the many challenges they faced. It argues that the schools survived only because of the ex-slaves’ own commitment to education and the lengths to which the teachers went in order to keep their schools in operation. Finally, the thesis explores the teachers’ interactions with their surrounding communities. While some white Alabamians were supportive, others expressed hostility through social ostracism, physical assault, arson, and even murder. Especially in the face of such white opposition, the teachers relied heavily upon freedpeople to help build, maintain, and protect the schools.Item CONNECTING SCHOOL AND WORK: DESIGNING A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT TO ENHANCE CURIOSITY AND WONDER(2013) Myers, Paul Richard; Eisenbach, Ronit; Rockcastle, Garth; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The overall trajectory of school design from the Industrial Revolution to today has been an evolution and expansion of the types of connections that a school is expected to enable. This thesis argues that by using the idea of making connections the goal of school design, one can design an environment that proffers curiosity and wonder as the most important part of learning. By allowing for a mixing student and worker environments, there exists an opportunity for a cross-pollination of ideas that will create a constantly evolving educational environment.Item IMPACT OF CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENT CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS ON EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT(2013) Champaloux, Steven; Young, Deborah R; Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)BACKGROUND: Youth with chronic health conditions face challenges that may prevent them from achieving their educational goals. PURPOSE: This dissertation examined whether children and adolescents with chronic health conditions were more likely to have poor educational attainment compared to youth without chronic health conditions. It examined the impact of type and onset of chronic health conditions as well as youth limited by chronic health conditions on educational attainment. The potential influences of mediating and moderating factors were also investigated. METHODS: Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth - Cohort 1997, multivariate logistic regression models were fit to examine the associations between type, onset of chronic health conditions, as well as youth limited by chronic health conditions and their impact on educational attainment. The cohort's sample size was 8,984 and participants were followed up through 2009. Chronic health conditions were defined by the 1997 parent questionnaire and the 2002 youth questionnaire. Educational attainment was defined by completion of high school by 21 years of age. Academic, psychosocial, neighborhood and school factors were examined and potential mediators and effect modifiers were identified. RESULTS: The odds of poor educational attainment for youth who reported ever having a chronic health condition were significantly higher compared to youth who never reported a chronic health conditions, OR: 1.47 (95% CI: 1.22 - 1.76). Specifically youth with cancer, diabetes or epilepsy had the highest odds of poor educational attainment, OR: 1.96 (95% CI: 1.13 - 3.37). There were similar associations for youth limited by a chronic health condition, OR: 1.76 (95% CI: 1.33 - 2.34) and for youth with early onset of a condition, OR: 1.61 (95% CI: 1.29 - 1.99). Academic and psychosocial variables attenuated these associations and mediators were present. Interactions with school-level factors and chronic health conditions were also found. CONCLUSIONS: Youth with chronic health conditions, specifically those with cancer, diabetes or epilepsy, youth limited by or have early onset of a chronic health condition are at particular risk of poor educational attainment. There are strategies that may mitigate these associations such as depressive symptoms screenings and support services in school.Item SCAFFOLDING CHILDREN'S COGNITIVE GROWTH USING THE STORIES GROUP INTERACTION(2012) Buell, Samantha Sedlik; Teglasi, Hedwig; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)A 15-session story-guided group intervention (STORIES) was implemented during a school lunch hour for six fourth grade students (N=6) referred for social-emotional and academic needs. Two transcript coding systems, the Group Leader Intervention System (GLIS) and Child Verbalization Codes (CVC) were used to assess both leader interventions and child cognition within the group through the coding of session transcripts. Patterns of reciprocal group dynamics were studied with a focus on various leader scaffolding techniques aimed at improving child cognitive understanding and functioning within the group setting. These patterns were examined across group phases (eating lunch and working with books), various group activities, and time. Results indicate that several leader interventions were related to higher child cognitive levels. Higher child scores followed verbalizations where the leader modeled responses, provided structure, and asked specific questions. The leader's behavior also varied following child verbalizations at different levels in terms of type and tone of intervention. Mean child cognitive responses indicated low levels of understanding and difficulty processing emotions or expressing empathy. Performance varied greatly by participant in terms of both frequency and quality of participation. Improvements in cognition were not seen over time, but certain activities were linked with better performance. Across group components, the use of more highly scaffolded questions by the leader reduced lower level responses from child participants. The highest level child cognitive responses were rare for this group and were linked with more open-ended questions from the group leader. Results are discussed in terms of the relevance for school-based group interventions, the practicality of implementing interventions during lunchtime, and the use of scaffolding techniques in work with children of varying ability levels.Item Beyond the Mainstream: A Theory Test of School Engagement and Sexual Assault(2012) Vlajnic, Maja Milana; Thornberry, Terence P; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)While many mainstream criminological theories purportedly explain all types of crime, next to nothing in the literature tests for rape and sexual assault — an exceptional oversight, considering that an alternate theoretical explanation (feminist theory) exists for this class of crime. This thesis hopes to begin to rectify this gap in the literature by testing an aspect of control theory, the school bond. Using the National Youth Survey, logistic regression is applied to test the effects of school engagement (academic and athletic) on rapes attempted or completed by male adolescents. Support for neither the control theory hypothesis nor the feminist theory hypothesis is found, as neither engagement variable reaches significant results. However, this thesis still hopes to emphasize the necessity of literature specifically testing rape and sexual assault, and offers directions for future research to expand on this.Item PERCEPTIONS OF SPANISH/ENGLISH BILINGUAL SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS REGARDING COMPETENCY IN ASSESSMENT AND FUTURE TRAINING NEEDS(2012) Pena, Anne Marie; Strein, William O; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)With the changing demographics of the school population, the need for bilingually competent school psychologists has become increasingly important. The current study examined the influence of training and regional factors on Spanish-speaking, bilingual school psychologists' self-perceptions of competence regarding assessment of non-native English-speaking students (English Language Learners (ELL)), of the value of their training experiences related to bilingual assessment, and of the need/desire for a separate bilingual school psychology credential or certificate. Research participants completed an internet-based survey of individuals who self-identified as Spanish-speaking bilinguals in the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) bilingual directory. The response rate of 44% was substantially higher than all other published surveys relating to this same topic area. Overall, respondents viewed themselves as very competent across all competency areas. In addition, all training and experience items were seen as at least "somewhat valuable" by the vast majority of respondents. Region was not correlated with perceptions of competence or with the perceived value of training experiences. Finally, an overwhelming majority of respondents indicated they believed a separate certificate or credential was very important for the field as a whole, as well as for themselves personally. Recent developments related to bilingual school psychology are discussed and the implications for the future development of bilingual credential are explored.Item Archfilm: Cinema and the Architectural Promenade(2011) Aello, Dominic Michael; Noonan, Peter; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Archfilm: Cinema and the Architectural Promenade, engages and addresses the complex and interwoven relationship between the virtual world of cinema and the built environment. The thesis questions whether the architectural promenade, enhanced by the cinematic use of sequence and montage, can create an enhanced and holistic experience for the users of a building and its accompanying site. This enhanced experience will aid in re-sensitizing the visitor to their surroundings within the realities of both the natural and man-made worlds. In creating a cinematically inspired architecture the program of the visual arts and film are shown to enrich, heighten, and embed meaning within the audience's experience as they interact with the project. These ideas will be examined through the program of a movie theater and film school for the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) located in Baltimore, MD.Item The Effectiveness of School Based Intensive Probation for Reducing Recidivism: An Evaluation of Maryland's Spotlight on Schools Program(2011) Frederique, Nadine P.; Gottfredson, Denise C; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)School Based Probation programs provide intensive supervision for juvenile probationers by placing probation officers in high schools. However, they have yet to undergo rigorous evaluation. Previous evaluations suffered from methodological flaws and have presented inconsistent findings. The state of Maryland began its SBP program, called Spotlight on Schools (SOS), in the 1990's. It is now used in many schools throughout the state. SOS has never been formally assessed. This dissertation presents results from a quasi-experimental non-equivalent group study examining the recidivism rates of students in schools with and without this probation program. I address the flaws of previous evaluations by using two statistical methods. First, I use multi-level modeling to predict school level recidivism while controlling for statistically relevant individual level and school level characteristics. Second, I use survival analysis to determine if juveniles on SBP experience a longer time in the community before recidivism. These analyses are supplemented with interviews of school principals and probation officers. Results from the multi-level modeling and survival analysis indicate that school participation in the SOS program is not significantly related to likelihood of recidivism or the seriousness of recidivism. Seven of the eight outcome variables assessed in this evaluation are not significantly related to participation in the SOS program. This study joins a long list of intensive supervision evaluations that suggest that these programs have no significant impact on juvenile recidivism.