Counseling, Higher Education & Special Education

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2226

The departments within the College of Education were reorganized and renamed as of July 1, 2011. This department incorporates the former departments of Counseling & Personnel Services; Education Leadership, Higher Education & International Education (excluding Organizational Leadership & Policy Studies); and Special Education.

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Education, Social Sciences

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Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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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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    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.
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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.
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    The Relationship of Fall 2001 Traumatic Events and the Retention and Involvement of First-Year Students
    (2005-05-18) Hiscock, Joshua Ian; Komives, Susan R; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This thesis sought to determine the relationship of a series of traumatic events occurring in Fall 2001, specifically the events on September 11th and a local tornado, as measured by the Impact of Events Scale - Revised (Weiss & Marmar, 1997), with the retention and involvement of first-year students from the University of Maryland class entering in Fall 2001 who resided in the Denton residence hall community. This study measured differences in the two key variables - retention and involvement - between the class entering in Fall 2000 as compared to the class entering in Fall 2001. Data for this study was collected from the University's Beginning Student Survey, and from a survey administered to a random sample of students who resided in the Denton community in Fall 2001.
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    Validation of the Instructional Consultation Teams Level of Implementation Scale- Revised
    (2005-04-19) McKenna, Sonja Ann; Rosenfield, Sylvia A.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Consultation has been proposed as a viable indirect service delivery system for schools (Sheridan & Gutkin, 2000), enabling teachers and other professionals to assist students by receiving support through collaborative problem solving. Researchers have delineated components and characteristics thought to be important in consultation processes (Conoley, 1981). It is challenging to ensure if the process of consultation is being implemented in the way it was intended, or if it is being implemented with integrity. There is growing recognition that many research studies have not examined the treatment integrity of consultation (Gutkin, 1993). Researchers are increasingly required to assess the integrity with which consultees implement interventions designed within consultation. However, there is a gap in the literature on the treatment integrity of the consultation process itself. Instructional Consultation Teams is a collaboration model that has been used in a variety of schools (Rosenfield & Gravois, 1996). Critical components were delineated and a Level of Implementation (LOI) scale was developed (Fudell, 1992). The collaborative process element of the scale assesses consultant behaviors and determines if the consultant has implemented the critical components. However, the data are collected via self-report interviews, which may be distorted based on the respondents' perceptions (Gutkin, 1993). This study analyzed the match between 20 consultant/consultee dyads consultation behaviors and their self-reports of the behaviors in the consultation sessions. By listening to audiotaped consultation sessions created for on-line coaching, and scoring a verification measure of consultation behaviors, consultant/consultee dyad's interactions were assessed to determine the presence of instructional consultation critical components. The scores from listening to the audiotapes were then compared to the LOI-R interviews conducted after cases were completed. Results indicated that self-report, as measured by the LOI-R, and implemented behaviors, as measured by coding audiotapes of the sessions, were significantly related. All 23 items indicated no significant discrepancy between the self-reported behaviors and the observed behaviors. The LOI-R and audiotape scoring both indicated high levels of implementation for the 7 dimensions investigated. The LOI-R was thus considered a valid measure of instructional consultation process implementation.
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    Romantic Attachment Styles and Coping Behaviors in Long-Distance Romantic Relationships
    (2004-04-30) Freitas, Gary Joseph; Hoffman, Mary Ann; Counseling and Personnel Services
    The purpose of the current study was to examine romantic attachment styles and approaches to coping among individuals presently involved in long-distance romantic relationships (LDRs). Those in proximal relationships (PRs) were also recruited for comparison purposes. Results revealed that those in LDRs were significantly younger, lived further apart from their partners, used less confrontation coping, and had lower levels of avoidance of intimacy than their PR counterparts. There were no differences in the proportions of the four romantic attachment styles represented in the LDR and PR sub-samples. For those in LDRs, secure individuals were more satisfied than participants in any other attachment category. Among those in LDRs who were insecurely attached, preoccupied individuals reported greater relationship satisfaction than fearful participants. For those in PRs, secure individuals were more satisfied than those in any other attachment category. Secure and preoccupied individuals in LDRs relied on their partners and others for social support to a greater degree than did fearful participants. Among PR participants, secure individuals reported the highest use of both types of social support. For the most part, fearful (and to a lesser extent preoccupied) individuals in LDRs tended to cope poorly. Different relationships were found among attachment styles and coping for those in PRs. The single best positive predictor of satisfaction for either type of relationship was level of partner-specific social support. This was followed by avoidance of intimacy (a negative predictor) for both LDRs and PRs, and confrontational and distancing coping for LDRs only. Distancing coping was actually associated with higher rates of satisfaction for those in LDRs, whereas confrontational coping tended to predict lower satisfaction. Finally, cluster analysis revealed six distinct clusters in both the LDR and PR sub-samples. Three of the LDR clusters had analogous PR counterparts. These included one cluster of individuals who rely almost entirely on their partners for support, one cluster of insecure and deeply unsatisfied individuals, and one cluster of anxious, confrontational but content participants. The other three sets of clusters were quite different for those in LDRs and PRs. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.
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    Self-Perceptions of Leadership Ability and Achieving Styles of Female Student-Athletes
    (2004-05-17) Swalley, Shandol; Komives, Susan; Counseling and Personnel Services
    This study examined female student-athletes' self-reported leadership ability and achieving styles and the relationship of individual and team sport female student-athletes' self-perceptions of leadership ability and achieving style preferences. An on-online survey consisting of a composite variable of 12 leadership-indicator items and the Achieving Styles Inventory was used to examine the research questions. The sample included 30 female student-athletes competing in Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association athletics at a Mid-Atlantic public institution. The results indicated individual sport female student-athletes have a significantly greater preference for using the Competitive Direct Achieving Style than team sport student-athletes. While individual and team sport female student-athletes demonstrated a similar perception of leadership ability, the team sport student-athletes consistently saw their achieving practices as being leaderly while the individual sport student-athletes saw only the Power Direct achieving style as being leaderly. Implications for enhancing student-athletes' relational leadership capacities are discussed.
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    Development and Field Test of a Training Manual to Increase the Accuracy of the IC-Team Model's Student Documentation Form Review Process
    (2003-12-08) Kandelman, Aimee; Rosenfield, Sylvia A; Counseling and Personnel Services
    Treatment integrity is an important, though underutilized, component of the research process. For a process to be effective, it must be implemented as intended. The IC-Teams model currently uses the Student Documentation Form (SDF) Review process to establish treatment integrity. However, the review process itself must be conducted with integrity. Thus, this study examined the impact of a structured training process and manual on the scoring of SDFs when compared to an expert rater. Five raters from a mid-Atlantic public school district were provided with training manuals based on pilot study recommendations, a training session, and opportunity to practice scoring. Participants then scored ten SDFs. The results of this study demonstrated an increase in scoring accuracy when compared to the pilot. However, certain items continued to be scored inaccurately despite careful attention paid to them in the training process. Implications and recommendations for change are discussed.