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Title: THE RELATIVE EFFICACY OF THE LEITER INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE SCALE AND THE WECHSLER PRESCHOOL AND PRIMARY SCALE OF INTELLIGENCE IN DETERMINING GIFTEDNESS IN BLACK CHILDREN AND WHITE CHILDREN.
Creator: RAPEE, MARCIA RUBIN, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: Purpose. This dissertation was designed to study the relative efficacy of the 1948 standardization of the Leiter International Performance Scale, the 1975 standardization of the Leiter International Performance Scale, and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence for placing children in the gifted range of intellectual functioning. In addition, this dissertation addressed the relationship of a preschool screening instrument, the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of...
Show morePurpose. This dissertation was designed to study the relative efficacy of the 1948 standardization of the Leiter International Performance Scale, the 1975 standardization of the Leiter International Performance Scale, and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence for placing children in the gifted range of intellectual functioning. In addition, this dissertation addressed the relationship of a preschool screening instrument, the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning with the 1948 standardization of the Leiter International Performance Scale, the 1975 standardization of the Leiter International Performance Scale, and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence. Results. The results indicated that there was a significant difference in the number of white children and black children placed into gifted classes, based upon the WPPSI and LIPS. Inspite of the fact that both white children and black children scored both higher and lower on the LIPS than the WPPSI statistically, based upon observed and predicted frequencies, the WPPSI did favor the white children in terms of gifted placement. There was no significant difference between the number of white children and black children placed in gifted classes based upon the LIPS. Discriminant root analysis corroborated these findings by statistically indicating the discriminant roots inherent in the WPPSI for the black children in this study. These discriminant roots were the following six subtests: Information; Vocabulary; Arithmetic; Comprehension; Mazes and Block Design. In addition, a multiple regression analysis corroborated that the 1948 LIPS is statistically nondiscriminatory by revealing that race was not a significant predictor of the 1948 LIPS IQ score.
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Date Issued: 1980
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/11759
Subject Headings: Education, Educational Psychology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Effects of giftedness and achievement on the training and transfer of a strategy for solving analogies.
Creator: Muir-Broaddus, Jacqueline E., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: This research explored group differences according to giftedness and achievement in the acquisition and generalization of a strategy for solving analogies. A distinction was made between proximal and distal transfer, with the latter expected to differentiate between gifted and nongifted cognition. Underachievement in gifted children was expected to reflect either strategy deficits, or the absence of performance differences in a theoretically important cognitive skill (generalization) between...
Show moreThis research explored group differences according to giftedness and achievement in the acquisition and generalization of a strategy for solving analogies. A distinction was made between proximal and distal transfer, with the latter expected to differentiate between gifted and nongifted cognition. Underachievement in gifted children was expected to reflect either strategy deficits, or the absence of performance differences in a theoretically important cognitive skill (generalization) between the so-called "underachieving" gifted and other bright but nongifted children. 162 seventh and eighth graders were selected according to intelligence and achievement scores, academic program, and teacher opinion, and assigned to one of four groups: high achieving gifted, underachieving gifted, high achieving nongifted, and average achieving nongifted. Each child was seen individually for two sessions, and solved a total of five sets of ten multiple-choice analogies. The first session included two baseline trials (one verbal and one figural set), followed by training in the use of a strategy. The second session included a proximal transfer trial (same analogy type as used at training), and a distal transfer trial (analogies from the never-trained domain). All analogies were solved orally, and strategy use was determined from audio-recordings. The results showed that the high achieving gifted children were more spontaneously, frequently, and successfully strategic than the other three groups, as well as most accurate following the decision not to use a strategy. They were also the only group to show performance increases at distal transfer. In terms of gifted underachievement, there was evidence to support both hypotheses. The underachieving gifted children showed qualitative deficits in strategic functioning as compared to their high achieving gifted counterparts, and also tended to "look" like the high achieving nongifted group in their patterns of performance. These results were discussed in terms of the likelihood of subgroups of underachieving gifted children, and their implications for education and the identification of giftedness.
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Date Issued: 1990
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12258
Subject Headings: Education, Educational Psychology, Education, Special, Psychology, Developmental, Psychology, Experimental
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Combining examples and procedures.
Creator: Actor, Cheryl A., Florida Atlantic University, Reed, Stephen K.
Abstract/Description: The present study evaluated three instructional methods for solving algebra word problems. The instructions consisted of either an example, a set of procedures, or both the example and procedures. The procedures were rules designed to aid in solving word problems. The example was a worked-out solution to a word problem that was representative of the test problems. The subject's task was to study the instructional material and then generate the equations needed to solve the subsequent test...
Show moreThe present study evaluated three instructional methods for solving algebra word problems. The instructions consisted of either an example, a set of procedures, or both the example and procedures. The procedures were rules designed to aid in solving word problems. The example was a worked-out solution to a word problem that was representative of the test problems. The subject's task was to study the instructional material and then generate the equations needed to solve the subsequent test problems. The test problems differed from the example by either 0, 1, 2, or 3 transformations. The results showed that subjects in the example and example-plus-procedure groups performed the best but the difference between these two groups was not significant. The procedures alone were relatively ineffective. A mathematical model is proposed to explain how the performance was influenced by the three types of instructional material and four levels of transformation.
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Date Issued: 1988
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14437
Subject Headings: Problem solving, Educational psychology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Exposure to reading and motivation to read as mediators of the relationship between socioeconomic status and reading comprehension skills in adolescents: A multi-national investigation.
Creator: Vagi, Kevin J., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: This study examined the hypothesis that both exposure to reading materials in the home and intrinsic motivation to read mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status and reading comprehension skills in adolescents. Data were derived from the Program for International Student Assessment 2000 dataset (PISA 2000). Six countries out of forty-three were chosen on the basis of country-level SES: two from the bottom 25th percentile (Thailand, Mexico), two at the 50th percentile (Austria,...
Show moreThis study examined the hypothesis that both exposure to reading materials in the home and intrinsic motivation to read mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status and reading comprehension skills in adolescents. Data were derived from the Program for International Student Assessment 2000 dataset (PISA 2000). Six countries out of forty-three were chosen on the basis of country-level SES: two from the bottom 25th percentile (Thailand, Mexico), two at the 50th percentile (Austria, France), and two at the 75th percentile (Norway, United States). Data analysis was conducted on a total of 27,351 participants and 823 schools. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analyses were conducted to examine predictors of reading comprehension skills. Follow-up analyses using logistic regression were conducted to predict group membership (i.e., poor vs. normal readers). Results support the idea that exposure to reading materials in the home mediates the relationship between SES and reading comprehension skills at the child level, regardless of the overall economic state of the country. This relationship did not hold when predicting at the school level. Intrinsic motivation to read was consistently a poor predictor.
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Date Issued: 2006
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12236
Subject Headings: Education, Reading, Psychology, Developmental, Psychology, Experimental
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: An investigation of relationships between school culture and leadership social interest.
Creator: Knutson, Kimberly Ann., Florida Atlantic University, Guglielmino, Lucy M.
Abstract/Description: This study investigated the relationship between school learning culture and leadership social interest in three groups of schools. Group One included schools attempting to improve student performance through participating in a staff development consortium. Group Two schools, also members of the staff development consortium, had made an additional commitment to participate in an action research process to improve student achievement. Group Three schools were designated as community schools....
Show moreThis study investigated the relationship between school learning culture and leadership social interest in three groups of schools. Group One included schools attempting to improve student performance through participating in a staff development consortium. Group Two schools, also members of the staff development consortium, had made an additional commitment to participate in an action research process to improve student achievement. Group Three schools were designated as community schools. Four research questions were explored: (a) Is there a relationship between school leadership social interest and school learning culture? (b) Is there a relationship between school leadership social interest and school type? (c) Are there differences in school leadership and faculty perception of school learning culture? and (d) Are there differences in school learning culture by school type? Data were voluntarily submitted by 12 schools that were members of the South Florida Center for Educational Leaders Consortium of Schools or were Broward County Community Schools. School administrators and teacher leaders completed the Basic Adlerian Scales for Interpersonal Success (BASIS-A Inventory). School leadership and faculty completed the School Professional Staff as Learning Community (SPSLC) and a demographic questionnaire. A total of 289 questionnaires were returned, for a response rate of (46%). Major findings include: (a) a significant relationship exists between school leadership social interest and the fourth school culture subscale (r = .33, p < .01) concerning the faculty's capacity to observe and give feedback on classroom behaviors to increase capacity; (b) Group One and Group Two schools differed on the second (F = 5.993, df = 288, p < .003) and fifth (F = 3.846, df = 288, p < .022) subscales of the SPSLO, concerning shared visioning and school conditions and capacity for continuous learning respectively; and (c) Group Two and Group Three schools differed on subscale three (F = 3.947, df = 288, p < .020), which assessed the collective creativity and learning of the organization. Leadership social interest is correlated to trusting learning environments that facilitate transformational learning. This study supports the literature describing learning organization leaders as being teachers, leaders, and designers, all of which are equated to social interest.
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Date Issued: 1999
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12603
Subject Headings: Education, Administration, Education, Adult and Continuing, Education, Educational Psychology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Achievement orientation: Origins, influences, and outcomes.
Creator: Chambers, Wendy Colleen., Florida Atlantic University, Laursen, Brett
Abstract/Description: Adolescent orientation toward achievement is hypothesized to be composed of motivation, school achievement, and family values. Previous studies suggest that ability and effort, internal and external orientations, and the intellectual and cultural environment of the family were found to affect adolescent orientation toward achievement. A study was conducted to further explore these proposed components of achievement and reveal the origins, influences, and outcomes of achievement orientation....
Show moreAdolescent orientation toward achievement is hypothesized to be composed of motivation, school achievement, and family values. Previous studies suggest that ability and effort, internal and external orientations, and the intellectual and cultural environment of the family were found to affect adolescent orientation toward achievement. A study was conducted to further explore these proposed components of achievement and reveal the origins, influences, and outcomes of achievement orientation. African-American, Anglo-American, and Hispanic-American sixth grade students were administered multiple questionnaires that addressed different aspects of achievement orientation. After focus groups identified any biased and confusing items, factor analyses were conducted on the instruments. Both the original and revised subscales were correlated with academic achievement outcome variables (i.e., cumulative grade point average, SAT math scores, SAT reading scores, socioeconomic status). Using GPA as the primary outcome variable, Hotelling T-tests between the original and revised subscales revealed that overall the revised subscales were more strongly related to GPA across subsamples than the originals. Furthermore, linear regression analysis demonstrated that intrinsically-oriented subscales and subscales related to boredom significantly contributed to the prediction of GPA for Anglo-Americans and African-Americans, but only a subscale related to unknown control over achievement contributed to the prediction of GPA for Hispanic-Americans. However, post-hoc analyses revealed intrinsically-oriented items as having the strongest relationship with GPA across subsamples. The results both supported and expanded upon the literature relating to achievement orientation.
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Date Issued: 1997
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15527
Subject Headings: Achievement motivation in adolescence, Adolescent psychology, Educational psychology--Adolescence
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The effect of self-efficacy on the decisions to enroll and succeed in Internet accounting courses.
Creator: Al-Moshaigeh, Abdullah I., Florida Atlantic University, Young, George R.
Abstract/Description: This study examines whether there are any significant differences between accounting students enrolled in Internet-based courses and accounting students attending campus-based courses in terms of self-efficacy, academic goal, anxiety, gender, and self-assessment of performance. The study is motivated by the many calls for research to apply social cognitive theory to determine factors of motivation and consequently success of accounting students in an online education environment. Social...
Show moreThis study examines whether there are any significant differences between accounting students enrolled in Internet-based courses and accounting students attending campus-based courses in terms of self-efficacy, academic goal, anxiety, gender, and self-assessment of performance. The study is motivated by the many calls for research to apply social cognitive theory to determine factors of motivation and consequently success of accounting students in an online education environment. Social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986) is used to develop the hypotheses tested in the current study. Three groups of hypotheses were developed. The first group of hypotheses tests the relationships among academic self-efficacy, computer self-efficacy, Internet self-efficacy, and academic goal. The second group of hypotheses tests the relationships among academic self-efficacy, computer self-efficacy, Internet self-efficacy, computer anxiety, Internet anxiety, gender and instruction mode. The third group of hypotheses tests the relationships among academic self-efficacy, academic goal, computer self-efficacy, Internet self-efficacy, computer anxiety, Internet anxiety, gender, instruction mode and self-assessment of performance. The study's results support the hypothesis that Internet self-efficacy is a significant predictor of whether accounting students will enroll in campus-based courses or Internet-based courses when they have the choice of instruction mode. The results also indicate that gender is a significant predictor of instruction mode. Moreover, the results indicate that academic self-efficacy is a significant predictor of accounting students' academic goals. Finally, the results indicate that computer self-efficacy, Internet self-efficacy, academic goal, academic self-efficacy, computer anxiety, and Internet anxiety are significant predictors of accounting students' self-assessment of performance.
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Date Issued: 2006
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12207
Subject Headings: Academic achievement--Psychological aspects, Education, Higher--Computer-assisted instruction, Internet in education, Educational psychology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The effect of participation in the “girl talk” program on easing the transition to middle school.
Creator: Schietz, Randi J, Villares, Elizabeth, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Counselor Education
Abstract/Description: This study measured the impact of a gender-specific school counseling curriculum, “Girl Talk” on: relational aggressive behaviors, pro-social behaviors, student connectedness, cohesiveness, and social self-efficacy. The “Girl Talk” program consists of five sessions and was delivered as part of a comprehensive school counseling program. Fifth grade girls in four elementary schools (N=151) from one large, Southeastern school district participated in the study. Girls at two elementary schools...
Show moreThis study measured the impact of a gender-specific school counseling curriculum, “Girl Talk” on: relational aggressive behaviors, pro-social behaviors, student connectedness, cohesiveness, and social self-efficacy. The “Girl Talk” program consists of five sessions and was delivered as part of a comprehensive school counseling program. Fifth grade girls in four elementary schools (N=151) from one large, Southeastern school district participated in the study. Girls at two elementary schools received the “Girl Talk” program (treatment group; n=85) and their peer counterparts (comparison group; n=66) at the two remaining schools received their regular school counseling program. A series analysis of variance and an analysis of covariance test, using an alpha level of .05, was conducted to determine if statistically significant differences existed between participants' posttest scores by group condition on the Peer Relations Questionnaire (Rigby & Slee, 1993b), My Class Inventory–Short Form Revised (Sink & Spencer, 2005), the Peers and Friends subscales of the Hemingway Measure of Pre-Adolescent Connectedness (Karcher, 2005), and the Social self-efficacy subscale of the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (Muris, 2001). Statistically significant differences were found in the areas of relational aggressive behaviors, pro-social behaviors, student connectedness, cohesiveness, and social self-efficacy. Partial eta square effect sizes were reported for each measure. The results support the positive impact that school counselors can have when using a systemic, gender-specific classroom guidance curriculum for reducing relational aggression among pre-adolescent girls.
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Date Issued: 2014
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004328, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004328
Subject Headings: Adolescent psychology, Counseling in elementary education, Educational counseling, Educational sociology, Sex differences (Psychology), Social psychology -- Methodology, Student adjustment
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Perception of facial affect: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study of adolescents and adults with and without nonverbal learning disabilities.
Creator: Vallabha, Taube Lubart, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences
Abstract/Description: Individuals with nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD) have an impaired ability to interpret facial expressions of emotion (FEE), the consequences of which can include progressively debilitating socioemotional disturbances. Thus, it is important to determine how the neuroanatomical structures underlying the perception of FEE in people with NLD differ from the normal population. To this end, functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to compare brain activation patterns in male and female...
Show moreIndividuals with nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD) have an impaired ability to interpret facial expressions of emotion (FEE), the consequences of which can include progressively debilitating socioemotional disturbances. Thus, it is important to determine how the neuroanatomical structures underlying the perception of FEE in people with NLD differ from the normal population. To this end, functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to compare brain activation patterns in male and female adolescent subjects and male adult subjects with and without NLD. The subjects were presented with FEE at low and high intensities while they performed a gender decision task. Subjects with NLD displayed less activation in limbic areas responsible for processing emotion in the normal population. The NLD subjects exhibited more activity than controls in the orbital gyrus, inferior, middle and superior frontal gyri, fusiform and superior temporal gyri, insula, striatum and inferior and superior parietal lobules. Several of these structures participate in language function: as individuals with NLD have superior verbal abilities, it is probable that this population relies on their linguistic strengths to compensate for their nonverbal weaknesses whilst processing FEE. Additionally, because of an impaired capacity for attention to and discrimination of visual details, the NLD subjects showed more active responses for low intensity FEE in comparison to controls. This may have led to a failure of regions such as the middle and superior frontal and superior temporal gyri to habituate or sensitize appropriately to emotionally salient visual stimuli. In comparison with the normal population, people with NLD utilize different neural structures when processing FEE, in accordance with the strengths and deficits associated with the NLD syndrome.
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Date Issued: 2003
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FADT12051
Subject Headings: Biology, Neuroscience, Education, Special, Psychology, Cognitive
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A labor approach to the development of the self or "modern personality": The case of public education.
Creator: Mocombe, Paul C., Florida Atlantic University, Evans, Arthur S.
Abstract/Description: Max Weber, Karl Mannheim, and Karl Marx suggested that there is a relationship between economic and political institutions and that behaviors and attitudes are influenced by this. Viewing this postulate as a conception which posits the economic mode of production as the locus of causality for culture, this examination of capitalism as culture, investigates how education and its pedagogical techniques, as a means of "enculturation," reflects the capitalist economic mode of production. Building...
Show moreMax Weber, Karl Mannheim, and Karl Marx suggested that there is a relationship between economic and political institutions and that behaviors and attitudes are influenced by this. Viewing this postulate as a conception which posits the economic mode of production as the locus of causality for culture, this examination of capitalism as culture, investigates how education and its pedagogical techniques, as a means of "enculturation," reflects the capitalist economic mode of production. Building on the theoretical notions in the Sociology of knowledge and Structuralism, this hermeneutical analysis discusses how pedagogical techniques and curriculum arrangements of public schools in capitalist societies correlate with the organization of labor (for it is that role of the self which is dominant in capitalist societies). Data for this research was gathered through the content analysis of pedagogical techniques and curriculum arrangements adopted by The School Board of Broward County, Florida. Results show that the current shift in the organization of labor (from industrial to post-industrial) parallels, and therefore correlates with, the shift in curriculum and pedagogical arrangements' of The School Board of Broward County, Florida; as such it is a legitimate claim to suggest that the socialization of the self is determined by its relation to the mode of production.
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Date Issued: 2001
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12765
Subject Headings: Educational sociology, Personality, Socialization, Social psychology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: THE IMPLICATIONS OF STUDENT LEARNING STYLES FOR PRESCRIBING READING SKILL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS.
Creator: ROBERTSON, PIEDAD F., Florida Atlantic University
Abstract/Description: This study established the effectiveness of matching prescriptions in an individualized reading program to the learning styles of students at the Community College level. The study was made at Miami-Dade Community College (South) during the Winter Term, 1977. Two questionnaires were administered to measure the experimental and control group 1 students' perception of the learning experience and to measure the experimental and control group 1 instructors' perception of the students. It was...
Show moreThis study established the effectiveness of matching prescriptions in an individualized reading program to the learning styles of students at the Community College level. The study was made at Miami-Dade Community College (South) during the Winter Term, 1977. Two questionnaires were administered to measure the experimental and control group 1 students' perception of the learning experience and to measure the experimental and control group 1 instructors' perception of the students. It was concluded that the tests selected were valid and reliable for this study. The results obtained by the experimental group students showed that matching produced higher means in posttest scores. The sex and age factors did not influence the students' final scores to the degree that the ethnic factor did. It was recommended that further similar research be done in the matching of student learning style and reading materials.
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Date Issued: 1977
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/11696
Subject Headings: Reading (Higher education), Reading, Psychology of
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: An exploration of the relationship between mathematics anxiety level and perceptual learning style of adult learners in a community college setting.
Creator: Cook, Roberta Parrino., Florida Atlantic University, Guglielmino, Lucy M., Morris, John D., College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: This study investigates the relationships between and among math anxiety level, perceptual learning style (audio, visual, tactile/kinesthetic), age, gender, and math performance. The subjects were 501 community college students taking remedial credit Introductory Algebra and college credit Basic College Algebra. A questionnaire measuring math anxiety level, perceptual learning style, and personal demographics was developed and administered to the participants. Math anxiety level was measured...
Show moreThis study investigates the relationships between and among math anxiety level, perceptual learning style (audio, visual, tactile/kinesthetic), age, gender, and math performance. The subjects were 501 community college students taking remedial credit Introductory Algebra and college credit Basic College Algebra. A questionnaire measuring math anxiety level, perceptual learning style, and personal demographics was developed and administered to the participants. Math anxiety level was measured by the Brief Math Anxiety Rating Scale (BMARS), a subscale of Suinn's Math Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS). Perceptual learning style was measured by the Learning Style Inventory-Adapted (LSI-A), an adaptation of the CITE Learning Style Inventory. The results showed that math anxiety level was significantly correlated to one or more learning styles for all groups studied. Math Anxiety level was also significantly correlated to gender but did not have significant correlations with age or math performance. For the female subjects, there were significant positive correlations between math anxiety level and two learning styles: tactile/kinesthetic and audio. For males, there was a significant positive correlation between math anxiety level and audio learning style only. While the math anxiety levels of females were significantly higher than those of males, their course grades were as well. They were also significantly older than the males in the study group and had significantly higher preferences for the visual learning style than the males. Multiple regression analyses were performed with the predictor variables of age, gender, learning style; and the criterion variable math anxiety level. The regression models were statistically significant and predicted up to 15% of the variance in math anxiety level. Multiple regression analyses were performed on subgroups of the original groups. These groups were comprised of the participants who received letter grades from A-F. Those receiving incompletes or withdrawals were not included in this part of the study. The predictor variables for the regressions in these models were: age, gender, math anxiety level, and perceptual learning style. The criterion variable was math performance, measured by the final grade in the course. All but one of the regression models were statistically significant, predicting up to 16% of the variance in math performance. The remedial credit model was not significant. Further research is needed with a more comprehensive learning style instrument and possibly a different measure for evaluating math performance that would also include all the incomplete grades and withdrawals.
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Date Issued: 1997
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12528
Subject Headings: Education, Community College, Education, Mathematics, Education, Adult and Continuing, Education, Educational Psychology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The effects of the Enright Arithmetic Program on the emotional deficits associated with learned helplessness.
Creator: Johnson, Henry Eugene, III., Florida Atlantic University, Weppner, Daniel B.
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a particular mathematics program, which has been proven effective in changing student proficiency in mathematics, will also alter student emotional reactions to failure. The program selected for this study is unique in that through a series of diagnostic tests and remedial lessons, the student and teacher can accurately pinpoint the student's processing errors in mathematics. The sample consisted of 126 eighth grade mathematics students...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to investigate whether a particular mathematics program, which has been proven effective in changing student proficiency in mathematics, will also alter student emotional reactions to failure. The program selected for this study is unique in that through a series of diagnostic tests and remedial lessons, the student and teacher can accurately pinpoint the student's processing errors in mathematics. The sample consisted of 126 eighth grade mathematics students from a public middle school. There were five independent variables: sex, race (black vs. white), attributional style (internal vs. external), proficiency level in mathematics (high vs. low), and grouping for instruction (Enright Program vs. control). The dependent variables consisted of test scores collected before the mathematics program and immediately after completion of the program on the affective factors of anxiety, hostility, and depression. The results showed a significant difference in student emotional reactions to failure after being exposed to the Enright Arithmetic Program as compared to students in the control group. The students in the Enright group had significantly less negative affective reactions to failure in relation to all three of the dependent variables after working with the Enright Arithmetic Program than did the students who were not afforded the opportunity to work with the program. This study thus demonstrated that the Enright Arithmetic Program not only improves student proficiency levels in mathematics, but also alters students' emotional reactions to a stressful failure situation in the classroom in a positive way.
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Date Issued: 1988
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/11930
Subject Headings: Enright Arithmetic Program--Psychological aspects, Education, Elementary, Education
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Choosing and using tools: type of prior experience and task difficulty influence preschoolers' choices and actions.
Creator: Gardiner, Amy K., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Two and 3 year-old children's understanding of tool affordances was investigated by measuring their tool choice decisions and tool use behaviors. Children attempted six toy retrieval tasks of three different levels of structural complexity. Children were assigned to one of four conditions in which exposure to task materials varied according to the way in which the information was presented: no experience / no observation, experience only, observation only, and experience and observation....
Show moreTwo and 3 year-old children's understanding of tool affordances was investigated by measuring their tool choice decisions and tool use behaviors. Children attempted six toy retrieval tasks of three different levels of structural complexity. Children were assigned to one of four conditions in which exposure to task materials varied according to the way in which the information was presented: no experience / no observation, experience only, observation only, and experience and observation. Three year- olds consistently made more correct choices and used more working tools successfully than 2-year-olds. Tool choice was affected primarily by task difficulty and age. Tool use was influenced by task difficulty, order of task difficulty, age, and condition. The observation condition was most beneficial to children, while experience was least helpful, particularly for tasks at the hard level of difficulty.
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Date Issued: 2008
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/165940
Subject Headings: Learning, Psychology of, Developmental psychology, Educational tests and measurements, Constructivism (Education)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Preschoolers' use of intentionality in understanding causal structure of objects during imitation learning.
Creator: Gardiner, Amy K., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Object use is a ubiquitous characteristic of the human species, and learning how objects function is a fundamental part of human development. This research examines the role that intentionality plays in children's understanding of causal relationships during imitation learning of object use. In Studies 1, 2, and 3, 2- to 5-year-olds observed demonstrations in which causally irrelevant and causally relevant actions were performed to achieve a desired goal of retrieving toys from within...
Show moreObject use is a ubiquitous characteristic of the human species, and learning how objects function is a fundamental part of human development. This research examines the role that intentionality plays in children's understanding of causal relationships during imitation learning of object use. In Studies 1, 2, and 3, 2- to 5-year-olds observed demonstrations in which causally irrelevant and causally relevant actions were performed to achieve a desired goal of retrieving toys from within containers. Irrelevant actions were performed either intentionally ("There!") or accidentally ("Whoops! I didn't mean to do that!"). Study 1 found that 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds, but not 2-year-olds, were less likely to imitate causally irrelevant actions performed accidentally than those performed intentionally. This suggests that older children used intentionality to guide causal inference, perceiving intentional actions as causally effective and accidental actions as causally ineffective. Study 2 foun d that the intentionality of the demonstrator's actions had an enduring effect - after watching a single demonstration, children persisted in performing intentional irrelevant actions and continued to ignore accidental irrelevant actions when given three successive opportunities to complete the task. Study 3 examined how lack of knowledge about the task goal prior to the demonstrations affected imitation and found that children without explicit verbal instruction of the toy-retrieval goal imitated irrelevant actions to a greater degree than children from Study 1, who were informed of the goal throughout the experiment. Study 4 progressed beyond irrelevant actions to investigate the effect of intentionality on 3- to 5-year-olds' imitation of relevant actions., Inconsistency was created between the intentionality with which relevant actions were demonstrated and the causal necessity of these actions for the child's turn. Relevancy emerged as the paramount factor in study 4 - regardless of the intentionality with which relevant actions were demonstrated, children imitated these actions if they remained relevant and largely ignored them if they were rendered irrelevant. Findings are placed within a pedagogical framework and discussed from an evolutionary perspective in relation to the cultural transmission of tool-use knowledge.
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Date Issued: 2011
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3183126
Subject Headings: Learning, Psychology of, Developmental psychology, Educational tests and measurements, Constructivism (Education)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Effects of learning-style responsive vs. traditional staff development on community college professors' achievement in and attitudes toward alternative instructional strategies.
Creator: Hart, Christina T., Florida Atlantic University, Bryan, Valerie
Abstract/Description: This researcher conducted an investigation concerning the effects of learning-style responsive versus traditional staff development on community college professors' achievement in and attitudes toward alternative instructional strategies. This study involved 84 faculty from three community colleges in Florida. Participants were voluntary and experienced both a learning-style responsive workshop and a traditional workshop through a counter balanced, reversed measures design. Objectives for...
Show moreThis researcher conducted an investigation concerning the effects of learning-style responsive versus traditional staff development on community college professors' achievement in and attitudes toward alternative instructional strategies. This study involved 84 faculty from three community colleges in Florida. Participants were voluntary and experienced both a learning-style responsive workshop and a traditional workshop through a counter balanced, reversed measures design. Objectives for each workshop focused on one learning-style method, thereby exposing participants to content about learning styles while using learning-style strategies to deliver the material. The average participant was a Caucasian female between the ages of 40-49 years old who taught in the Arts and Sciences. The Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS) (Dunn, Dunn and Price, 1979, 1980, 1990, 1996) was used as the self-report instrument to identify the participants' learning-styles. The Semantic Differential Scale (SDS) (Pizzo, 1981) was used to assess the participants' attitudes toward the two instructional approaches in contrast with each other. A researcher-developed instrument called The T-Hart Achievement Test (THART) served as a pre- and posttest assessment consisting of multiple-choice questions based on the objectives of the staff development workshop. Each group reported a statistically more positive attitude following the learning-styles experimental workshop regardless of the method used. This finding supported the hypothesis that participants receiving staff development through their learning-style preference evidence significantly higher attitudinal test scores than participants receiving traditional staff development. There was no statistical difference in the knowledge or achievement on treatment concepts and practices learned by participants when the Programmed Learning Sequence (PLS) method was used. There was, however, a statistically significant difference in the achievement of the community college faculty when Learning-Style Small Group Techniques (SGT) were applied. This finding supports the experimental hypothesis that participants receiving learning-style responsive staff development will evidence significantly higher mastery of knowledge of workshop concepts and practices as measured by achievement-test scores than participants receiving traditional staff development. There was also a statistical difference in achievement by age when using the Small Group Techniques (SGT) learning-style method than when using the Programmed Learning Sequence (PLS) strategy.
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Date Issued: 2005
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12186
Subject Headings: Motivation in education, Learning, Psychology of, Community colleges--Florida--Administration, Educational psychology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Gender, sports, and adjustment in preadolescent children.
Creator: Cooper, Patrick J., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: The fact that 45% of boys and 32% of girls in the United States participate in youth sports suggests that sports participation might be an important influence on children's psychosocial development. This study explored: (1) how children's gender cognitions influence sports self-efficacy and (2) how sports self-efficacy influences children's psychosocial adjustment. Results suggest that for boys, felt pressure to conform to gender standards and the belief that sports is important for boys...
Show moreThe fact that 45% of boys and 32% of girls in the United States participate in youth sports suggests that sports participation might be an important influence on children's psychosocial development. This study explored: (1) how children's gender cognitions influence sports self-efficacy and (2) how sports self-efficacy influences children's psychosocial adjustment. Results suggest that for boys, felt pressure to conform to gender standards and the belief that sports is important for boys influence sports self-efficacy. In girls, both the belief that sports is important for girls and the belief that sports is important for boys predicted sports self-efficacy. Sports self-efficacy predicted benefits for girls adjustment (high self-esteem, higher body satisfaction, lower depression and lower anxiety) but both positive and negative outcomes for boys (higher narcissism, higher aggression, and lower depression and lower anxiety). The findings overall suggest that the correlates of sports self-efficacy are somewhat different for boys and for girls.
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Date Issued: 2010
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/1927605
Subject Headings: Physical education and training, Psychological aspects, Sports, Psychological aspects, Adjustment (Psychology) in children, Sex differences (Psychology), Gender identity, Identity (Psychology) in adolescence
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Couples communication in dementia.
Creator: Williams, Christine L.
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3183257
Subject Headings: Adaptation, Psychological, Caregivers, Caregivers/education, Communication, Dementia
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Reaching a new breed of donors: Strategic communication for attracting baby boomers as major donors to public institutions of higher education.
Creator: Stephens, Katie Gustafson., Florida Atlantic University, Scodari, Christine
Abstract/Description: Maturing baby boomers are moving into prime giving years and, if history repeats itself, this generation will change the "philosophy of giving." These aging baby boomers will amass significant wealth either through inheritances or their successful businesses. It is therefore critical that professional fundraisers identify how to effectively communicate with the affluent members of this generation to develop them into major donors. Using a qualitative approach through in-depth interviews, this...
Show moreMaturing baby boomers are moving into prime giving years and, if history repeats itself, this generation will change the "philosophy of giving." These aging baby boomers will amass significant wealth either through inheritances or their successful businesses. It is therefore critical that professional fundraisers identify how to effectively communicate with the affluent members of this generation to develop them into major donors. Using a qualitative approach through in-depth interviews, this research examines characteristics and traits of baby boomers, identifying seven common themes that can be used to develop communication strategies. It concludes that affluent baby boomers demand accountability from charitable organizations and value meaningful experiences. They are focused on personal accomplishments and are deeply family oriented. Messages must be concise and delivered by those respected by the donor. High-tech media are preferred.
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Date Issued: 2000
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12725
Subject Headings: Baby boom generation, Educational fund raising, Gifts--Psychological aspects
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A meta-analysis of Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership Theory.
Creator: Wiggin, Harold Ellwood, Jr., Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: This study examined the validity of Hersey and Blanchard' s Situational Leadership Theory (SLT). The meta-analytic techniques of Hunter, Schmidt, and Jackson were used to investigate two research questions: (1) Does the matching of leadership styles and follower maturity influence outcome measures? (2) Can any of the remaining variance be attributed to moderator variables? A literature search from January, 1968 to April, 1990 produced 26 acceptable studies with 52 separate effects. A...
Show moreThis study examined the validity of Hersey and Blanchard' s Situational Leadership Theory (SLT). The meta-analytic techniques of Hunter, Schmidt, and Jackson were used to investigate two research questions: (1) Does the matching of leadership styles and follower maturity influence outcome measures? (2) Can any of the remaining variance be attributed to moderator variables? A literature search from January, 1968 to April, 1990 produced 26 acceptable studies with 52 separate effects. A correlation coefficient was reported for each study. In studies with multiple effects the correlation was computed from an aggregation of those effects. A mean and variance were tabulated, and corrections were made for sampling error and attenuation. The corrected mean was.0498 with a variance of.0076. This was not significant. The criterion for significance was that the mean must be more than two standard deviations greater than zero (Hunter, Schmidt, & Jackson, 1982, p.28). An analysis of residual variance justified a search for moderator effects. Length of study proved to be the only influential moderator (.4343 mean and 0.0 standard deviation) when the Vertiz, et al. outlier was removed. With the exception of increasing the length of treatment, no evidence was obtained to support the Situational Leadership Theory. Future research should include longer durations, and more designs should incorporate outcome measures. Finally, measurement precision needs to improve for both leadership and maturity.
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Date Issued: 1991
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12289
Subject Headings: Sociology, Theory and Methods, Psychology, Social, Education, Administration
Format: Document (PDF)

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