Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2017, Higher Education

The majority of Hispanics select community colleges as their higher institution of choice, but studies on what contributes to their success, especially Hispanic males, has been limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence, if any, of environmental variables on the cumulative GPA of Hispanic males attending community college. Employing Astin's Theory of Student Involvement, data from the CCSSE's 2012 – 2014 survey were used to conduct a multiple regression analysis. The study's sample included 5,615 Hispanic males attending community college. The final model identified 15 variables that were significantly related to the cumulative GPA of Hispanic males attending community college, and explained 15.6% of the variance. Student effort and active and collaborative learning variables emerged as the strongest predictors of Hispanic male GPA. This study provides educators with additional resources to improve Hispanic male academic success in the community college, and informs future research, theory, policy, and practice.

Committee: Ron Opp (Committee Chair); Snejana Slantcheva-Durst (Committee Member); Sunday Griffith (Committee Member); J. Michael Thomson (Committee Member) Subjects: Community College Education; Community Colleges; Hispanic Americans; Minority and Ethnic Groups

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2021, Higher Education (Education)

This study uses fixed effects panel data to analyze state performance-based funding (PBF) in place beginning in the 2009 fiscal year on associate degree completion rates for students of color from 2009 through 2017, using 868 matched state institution IPEDS completion datasets. Several well-documented effects on completion are introduced as control variables such as educational appropriation changes, institutional spending, minority enrollment, percent of grant aid, and tuition and fees. Statistical modelling performed in this study uses STATA 15 and is consistent with methods used in panel data research. Analysis revealed one statistically significant negative result of PF funding of increased tuition and fees associated with a 4.258% decreased percentage of graduates of color. This research seeks to deepen the understanding of long-term performance funding effects on completion of underrepresented racial demographics. A discussion of unintended consequences of performance funding (Dougherty, et al., 2016b) and other theories such as Principal Agent and Advocacy Coalition Theory are included.

Committee: Lijing Yang (Committee Chair) Subjects: Community Colleges; Higher Education; Minority and Ethnic Groups

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

Experience with nature has positive benefits on human well-being. Recent studies have demonstrated its significance in enhancing children's learning and development. Accordingly, this article-based dissertation advocates for the benefits of greening schools to improve students' academic performance. It seeks to understand how the tree cover surrounding schools is associated with third-grade students' performance in reading, science, and math. Prior research on this topic found inconsistencies regarding the possible effect of greenspace, suggesting its varying effect across subjects, socioeconomic backgrounds, regional characteristics, and study samples. In addition, prior studies generally controlled for only a few school characteristics and failed to adequately address the comparability of schools with varying levels of greenspace. Many studies used school-aggregated outcomes, leading to uncertainty regarding the effect on individual students. This dissertation contributes to the existing research by examining the tree cover effect on third-grade students' academic performance. Employing a secondary analysis of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11and the 2013 National Land Cover Database Tree Canopy Cover, this dissertation investigates the average effect of tree cover across a nationally representative sample using linear mixed models. Findings support the beneficial effect of tree cover on students' performance, with further analyses suggesting that these associations vary across subjects and school locations. These findings are informative to city planners, policymakers, educators, researchers, and nature advocates.

Committee: Victoria Carr Ed.D. (Committee Chair); Benjamin Kelcey Ph.D. (Committee Member); Xi Chen Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2024, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

Positive school environments have been shown to raise academic achievement. Youngstown East High School has had six principals in six years, and there has been a strong sense of disconnect from the community in their support (both academically and athletically) of the continuous changes that have been made in the Youngstown City School District. East High School has a 99.8% economically disadvantaged population with 13.6% being English Language Learners and 27.1% students with disabilities. Using Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) to address discipline to affect the management of absenteeism and academic interventions, what measures can be taken to raise the staff and student morale of the high school environment? How can Golden Bears Alumni contribute to the culture and climate as they relate the past to the present? Since the Youngstown City School District is focused on PBIS and must use the Academic Improvement Plan to completely move out of the watchful eyes of the State of Ohio, one must ask how, exactly, can culture and climate improve the academic and athletic performances of their students? How can the district build school pride within the school as well as the surrounding community? How can remaining alumni be used as resources to connect to outliers who could possibly invest in East High School? This study explores these questions by examining data on the effects of climate and culture within the school and community and its impact of school pride on academic achievement and athletic performance, with a specific focus on improving the school pride at Youngstown East High.

Committee: Karen Larwin PhD (Advisor); Lora Adams King EdD (Committee Member); Eboni Williams EdD (Committee Member); Sherri Harper Woods DM (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Alternative Dispute Resolution; Demographics; Education; Educational Leadership; Educational Theory; Elementary Education; English As A Second Language; Families and Family Life; Hispanic Americans; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Multicultural Education; Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior; Personal Relationships; Physical Education; Public Administration; Recreation; School Administration; Secondary Education; Special Education; Teaching

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), University of Findlay, 2024, Education

At least one of five children have the personality trait Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) (Aron, 2002). Students with SPS, otherwise known as highly sensitive children (HSC) process information deeply, are easily overstimulated, have high levels of empathy accompanied by emotional reactivity, and are sensitive to subtle stimuli in their environment. The trait can have positive implications with a supportive home environment but under stress, the negative aspects can become prominent, leading to poor educational outcomes (Greven et al, 2020; Boterberg & Warreyn, 2016). Children with SPS may need extra support for emotional and behavioral issues or comorbidities of SPS and another issue. This study sought to understand how the trait presents in children at school. More specifically, how the presence of the SPS trait would impact academic performance and behavior. This mixed-methods study used an explanatory sequential design to look at patterns and themes within the data. Statistically, there were no correlations between the high sensitivity students and math scores, reading scores, or any behavioral measure. However, the percentage of at-risk/clinically significant scores for behavioral measures was noticeably different for HSC in several areas indicating that with a larger sample, a statistical difference may be noted. Thematically, teachers reported that students with the trait had either excellent grades or really struggled in academics. Behaviorally, students hid their struggles, had issues with overwhelm, and showed signs of anxiety. Despite a lack of specific knowledge of the trait, teachers had extensive background information in each student and were able to develop supportive classroom strategies to assist children with high sensitivity.

Committee: Kara Parker (Committee Chair); Amanda Ochsner (Committee Member); Jon Brasfield (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Psychology

PHD, Kent State University, 2023, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

The main goal of this dissertation was to evaluate a wide range of attitudes and behaviors related to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) among Saudi young adults. Therefore, two studies were conducted on a large sample of Saudi undergraduate students. Study 1 aimed to address the scarcity of psychometrically sound measures of media and technology-related attitudes and behaviors in Arabic by culturally adapting and psychometrically assessing the Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale (MTUAS) and a Media Multitasking Scale (MMS-modified). Results provided evidence in support of content and construct validity, internal consistency, and gender-related measurement invariance of the Arabic MTUAS and MMS-modified. Study 2 sought to address the indefinite findings regarding the direct relationship between technological anxiety and academic performance by empirically examining the mechanisms underlying this relationship using a moderated serial mediation model. Results indicated that technological anxiety predicted excessive media and technology consumption and media multitasking. They also revealed that excessive consumption predicted students' multitasking behaviors, regardless of their multitasking preferences. Mediation results showed that students who experience elevated symptoms of technological anxiety had lower academic performance due to their media and technology overuse. Additionally, the direct negative effect of media and technology consumption on academic performance was moderated by self-regulatory self-efficacy. This effect was unexpectedly stronger for students who held moderate to strong self-regulatory beliefs. Explanations for the unforeseen findings were discussed. Furthermore, theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future directions were presented for each study.

Committee: Ji-Ann Li (Advisor) Subjects: Information Technology; Mass Media; Technology

Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, 2023, Biological Sciences

Studying plays an important role in the academic success of medical students. It is likely that ineffective study skills result in poor performances on required standardized exams. There is a concern for the lack of empirical data related to what study strategies are the most productive for medical students to practice. My goal is to 1) identify what study strategies students use in their pre-clinical years of medical school, 2) determine if these strategies impact students' performance on Comprehensive Basic Science Exams and Step 1 exam, and 3) identify study methods that best support student achievement in the pre-clinical phase of medical school. I will be providing the Boonshoft School of Medicine with the first analysis of student's performance relative to self-reported study habits since the reformation of the curriculum in 2017, using data from the graduating class of 2021. Furthermore, these results will contribute to biological education by identifying optimal study methods for academic achievement in the pre-clinical phase of medical school. In July of 2017, the incoming class of first year students (graduating class of 2021) at Wright State University's Boonshoft School of Medicine (120 students) were given a survey at the beginning of medical school (August of 2017) to evaluate their study habits. In this study, I examined the relationship between the self-reported study strategies and the students' academic performances measured by their success on the following standardized exams: Comprehensive Basic Science Exam 1 (CBSE1), Comprehensive Basic Science Exam 2 (CBSE2) distributed by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), and the Step 1 Exam, distributed by United States Medical Licensure Examiners (USMLE). Results showed students preferred reviewing notes 27% of the time on average. Second to this, students preferred self-quizzing 14% of the time on average. Students also relied on explaining to self or others 12% of time on average and highl (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jeffrey Peters Ph.D. (Advisor); William Romine Ph.D. (Committee Member); Volker Bahn Ph.D. (Committee Member); Laura Rouhana Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Biology; Education

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2023, Leadership and Change

On the heels of America grappling with various racial and ethnic inequities, this dissertation explored the experiences of Black and Latinx males who graduated with bachelor's degrees from 4-year institutions. Participants navigated through different environments, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities [HBCUs], Hispanic Serving Institutions [HSI], and Predominately White Institutions [PWIs]. The study inquired about topics concerning their unique experiences and how they informed their collegiate academic success. Narrative Inquiry was the basis for 20 qualitative interviews (10 Black and 10 Latinx; interviewed for 60–90 minutes). Participants identified as U.S. citizens and graduated with a cumulative grade point average [GPA] of 3.0 and above. Reflexive Thematic Analysis [RTA] was performed to analyze the data. RTA is a distinguishing element of this study as it integrates the researcher's positionality, qualitative findings, and feedback from code reviewers (Braun & Clarke, 2021). This study constructed five main themes for Black and Latinx male collegians', ranging from Salient Identities to identifying Catalysts for Academic Success. Key findings of the study unearthed factors contributing to academic success that included factors such as: parental involvement, academic rigor, mentorship, and creating and engaging in spaces of fellowship and belonging. Findings also revealed cultural distinctions between groups are vital to understanding the appropriate academic resources. These distinctions between groups were factors such as: parental citizenship, cultural group sub-cultures (e.g., traditions, food, dance), and language and vernacular. Participants' salient identities (identities that they are closely associated with—for example, being a scholar or community leader) were at the center of their high achievement. The dissertation concludes with guiding principles meant to assist educators in producing and implementing cultur (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jon Wergin Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Lemuel Watson Ph.D. (Committee Member); Joshua Aronson Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Educational Leadership; Educational Psychology; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Hispanic Americans

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2023, Psychology/Industrial-Organizational

Research has consistently shown that some personality traits meaningfully relate to positive aspects of student performance (e.g., McAbee et al., 2014, 2019; Poropat, 2009), and specifically, conscientiousness demonstrates the strongest relationship with student GPA (e.g., McAbee & Oswald, 2013; Poropat, 2009); however, GPA is not the only metric of student success. For instance, Oswald et al. (2004) identified twelve dimensions of student performance based on various college mission statements (e.g., appreciation for diversity). Alternatively, personality traits also are effective in predicting counterproductive student behaviors (CSBs); however, relatively less attention has been paid to this aspect student behavior (Crede & Niehorster, 2009; De Vries et al., 2011). Relating to this, research has primarily investigated personality using a variable-centric approach and there has been a noticeable lack of work in this area that leverages a person-centric (i.e., within-person) design. As such, the current study implements a person-centric approach for understanding personality-performance relations to examine profiles of the HEXACO personality traits. Five distinct profiles are identified in the current dataset, which are then linked to specific (un)successful student outcomes.

Committee: Samuel McAbee Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Joshua Grubbs Ph.D. (Committee Member); Clare Barratt Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Higher Education; Personality; Personality Psychology; Psychology; Statistics

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

A successful completion of first-year science courses is critical for an on-time entry into the undergraduate health care programs of nursing, radiology, respiratory care, and sonography at a small, private health care institution. The inability of undergraduate students to pass science courses leads to drop-out or a delay of entry into their health care profession further presenting a health care staffing shortage during a time of an increased demand for health care providers. Knight College's main goal is to determine why undergraduate students underperformed academically in science courses. The primary purpose of this narrative inquiry design study that used a qualitative data source was to understand the lived experiences and perspectives of the students. This study used a purposeful sampling due to the selection process for students wanting to participate in re-telling their stories through semi-structured interviews of their experience(s) in undergraduate science course(s). The type of data analysis that occurred in this study was a narrative thematic analysis used to find common themes, comparison of the themes to one another, and among the different interviews. The eight, narrative, inquiry interviews provided key insights into the innermost workings of Knight College and the student's experiences. In synthesizing the findings, the three main themes that emerged were science course(s) experiences, academic advising experience, and student support services along with several subthemes. Furthermore, all eight students interviewed shared their stories about their struggles in science course(s) and discussed the barriers to their success included those while enrolled in the course(s) and those outside the college. The results of the narrative inquiry interviews were important because they led to the areas of focus for the action plan to develop a gateway (student success) course and to implement training of academic advisors.

Committee: Meredith Wronowski (Committee Chair) Subjects: Health Care; Higher Education

Specialist in Education, Miami University, 2022, School Psychology

Co-teaching research has mainly focused on the perspective of the co-teaching pair, which primarily consists of a general education teacher and special education teacher or intervention specialist. The relationship between the co-teaching pair not only affects practice but has the ability to potentially affect students' academic performance as well as social functioning for those in their classroom. To understand the perspectives of students with and without Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) in the inclusive classroom with co-teachers, researchers surveyed, observed, and interviewed high school students in secondary education algebra I and II classrooms with a general education mathematics teacher and intervention specialist.

Committee: Sarah Watt (Advisor); Dana Cox (Committee Member); Sujay Sabnis (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Psychology; Special Education; Teacher Education; Teaching

Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 2021, School Psychology

Extra-curricular activities (ECAs) have demonstrated positive effects on students' academic achievement, school experiences, motivation, and self-esteem, especially at the high school level. Students who participate in ECAs can develop different types of skills depending on the ECAs that they participate in. This study examined the relationship between time spent in extra-curricular activities (ECAs) and academic performance in a sample of (n = 43) high school seniors, who participated in ECAs, and those who did not. A survey completed by the students revealed their age, gender, participation in ECAs, types of ECAs, and time spent in ECAs in a typical week. Each student's English Language Arts grade was collected as part of the study. Results of a Chi-Squared Test of Independence indicate that there is not a relationship between time spent in ECAs and grade received in English Language Arts. Implications for future research and practice, specifically to school psychologists, are provided.

Committee: Sawyer Hunley (Advisor); Brittany Collins (Committee Member); Elana Bernstein (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education; Education; Fine Arts; Psychology

Specialist in Education, Miami University, 2021, School Psychology

This research study explored the relationship between test anxiety and growth mindset for fifth grade elementary students in a midwestern, urban district. Researchers compared the levels of test anxiety and growth mindset for elementary students using the Implicit Theory of Intelligence Scale (ITIS) and the Children's Test Anxiety Scale (CTAS). The results were analyzed using a Pearson correlation and t-test to determine if there was a relationship between test anxiety and growth mindset. The results of the study indicate that there is a significant relationship between these two variables (r=.364; p=.029). No significant difference was detected between the male and female participants of the study. Future studies may continue to examine the relationship between these two variables as well as the impact that growth mindset interventions could have on student performance in diverse settings.

Committee: Sarah Watt PhD (Advisor); Paul Flaspohler PhD (Committee Member); Amity Noltemeyer PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Education; Educational Psychology; Gender; Teacher Education; Teaching

PHD, Kent State University, 2021, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Health Sciences

The purpose of this study was to observe the relationships and effects of cell phone use on physical activity, sedentary behavior, psychological variables, and academic performance of adolescents and adults. Through an online survey of 17 adolescents, we observed a negative relationship between cell phone use with physical activity as well as a positive relationship between cell phone use with academic performance. We did not observe any relationships between sedentary behavior, anxiety, or satisfaction with life in adolescent children. Through am online survey of 307 university students and employees we observed a negative effect of cell phone use on sedentary behavior. Individuals experiencing an increase in cell phone use throughout the COVID-19 pandemic sat more than individuals who did not increase cell phone use. The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on physical activity and sedentary behavior. Regardless of cell phone use, individuals experience lower amounts of mild physical activity and increased weekly sitting throughout the pandemic.

Committee: Jacob Barkley PhD (Committee Chair); Kingsley J. Derek PhD (Committee Member); Lepp Andrew PhD (Committee Member); Lyberger Mark PhD (Other) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Health

PHD, Kent State University, 2020, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

Introduction: Social media has become a necessary form of communication for young adults in nearly all contexts of life. One such context is in higher education, specifically, university students who are connected and “online” nearly 24 hours a day. Not only are these young adults integrating social media into their collegiate academic experiences both formally and informally, university faculty are also using this form of communication to support their teaching. In recent years, a number of countries in the Middle East have started to use social-networking sites (SNSs) for communication with regularity. One country with a significant proportion of social media users is Saudi Arabia (SA), with Saudi university students being the largest group of active users. In the current study, two scales measuring social media use were translated into Arabic and used with a large sample of undergraduate students in SA. Purpose: Manuscript 1's objective was to examine the psychometric properties (i.e., content and construct validity; internal consistency reliability) of the Arabic version of the Social Networking Time Use Scale (SONTUS) among Saudi undergraduate students. Manuscript 2's purpose was to examine the same psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Social Media and Academic Performance of Students (SMAPOS) scale in a sample of Saudi undergraduate students. Additionally, the functioning of items in both scales was evaluated across male and female students. Methods: A total of 508 undergraduate students at one, large university in SA participated in this study and completed the Arabic versions of both scales (i.e., the SONTUS and the SMAPOS). Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Internal Consistency Reliability, and Differential Item Functioning (DIF) were used to analyze the data. Results: Manuscript 1 results showed that the Arabic version of the SONTUS contained three subscales and overall had good psychometric p (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Aryn C. Karpinski (Advisor); Jason Schenker (Committee Member); Lee Seon Jeong (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Tests and Measurements

PHD, Kent State University, 2020, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between gender, students' self-efficacy, students' effort to complete required class preparation, participation in in-class group activities, and academic performance in a technical college non-major physics flipped classroom course. A path model was proposed to hypothesize the relationship among the predictors of students' academic performance in the physics flipped classroom course. The sample consisted of college students enrolled in four sections of the non-major physics flipped classroom courses at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC). The data collection process took place during two semesters (Fall 2018 and Spring 2019). During the third week of each semester, participants completed an online survey consisting of three main sections: demographic information, self-efficacy toward learning physics, and self-efficacy toward collaborative learning. Students' behavioral engagement was measured by examining both completion of class preparation and participation in in-class group activities, and academic performance was measured using the sum three exam scores. All four of the class sections were designed by the same instructors using the same design format during both semesters. The path analysis revealed that self-efficacy toward learning physics and participation in in-class group activities had significant direct effects on academic performance (β = 0.46, and β = 0.51, respectively).

Committee: Bradley Morris (Advisor); Karrie Godwin (Committee Member); Christopher Was (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Psychology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2019, Mathematics/Mathematical Statistics

This study aims to estimate the significance of alcohol consumption effects on three math test scores which are taken by a sample of students consists of 395 students from two secondary school in Portugal and whether this effects change by time. Longitudinal analysis is conducted since the students were followed over time with repeated measurements on certain factor “test score”. Upon fitting a linear trend model of the test scores with the” test number” and “group of consumption” predictors and then upon fixing one of these two variables and examine the effect of the other one, we fail to reject the null hypothesis that there is no time effect. At the same time, the consumption group factor, either low or high, is found to be a significant variable in predicting a test score. In order to estimate the average score of a student, more variables where added to the model like “Mother's education”, “Guardian”, “Study time” etc. then the backwards elimination procedure was applied, we found the level of consumption is not a significant predictor any more. The variables that associated with positive impact on the mean score are the gender in case of male student, higher level of the study time, higher level of mother's education. The variables that associated with negative impact on the mean score are previous class failures, social activities and extra educational support provided by the school or the family.  

Committee: John Chen Dr. (Advisor); Wei Ning Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Mathematics; Statistics

Master of Science, Miami University, 2019, Exercise and Health Studies

The present study examined the role of green space exposure and its potential effects on high school students perceived stress levels. Stress levels can affect the health and academic performance of high school adolescents. Studies conducted on green space exposure have been associated with lower levels of perceived stress and improved academic performance. Upon obtaining parental consent, an online Qualtrics survey was administered to 118 high school students from a southwestern school on perceived stress and green space exposure. Respondents showed an average score of 19.66 for the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (range: 0–35), with a mean PSS score of 21.48 for female respondents and 17.48 for male respondents. Students who spend time in green space also have a lower Perceived Stress Scale Score. Controlling for covariates, the effect of hours of sleep on a typical night was the strongest predictor of PSS scores (−2.865, p = .000), followed by age (1.896, p = .040). Findings indicate a need for more access to green spaces especially for girls at school and provide the potential for nature-induced curriculum allowing students to utilize these natural green spaces as a unique coping mechanism for stress.

Committee: Valerie Ubbes PhD, MCHES (Committee Chair); Phillip Smith PhD (Committee Member); Karly Geller PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Early Childhood Education; Health; Health Education; Health Sciences; Mental Health; Public Health; Public Health Education

MDES, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Design

Chinese international students face high rates of professional mental health (MH) concerns, but they demonstrate less help-seeking behaviors, such as seeking professional counseling. The underutilization of MH resources presents a challenge to colleges and universities. This study is aimed at assessing the perceptions and the barriers of international Chinese graduate students that prevent them from accessing professional MH services at UC. The goal of this study is to create a toolkit that addresses cultural sensitivity to help these students easily conduct self-directed MH care at an early stage. This study uses qualitative research methods to allow participants to extensively express their experiences and perceptions of professional MH services. About 10 in-depth interviews were conducted with graduate Chinese international students at UC, that included but not limited to the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) students. Three significant barriers preventing Chinese graduate students from accessing MH services are lack of mental health resources, concerns of privacy protection, and language interpretation. Additionally, limited knowledge of self-directed care, lack regular treatment time due to busy academic schedules and a shortage of culturally appropriate services pose further difficulties.

Committee: Craig Vogel M.I.D. (Committee Chair); Gerald Michaud M.A. (Committee Member); Danny T. Y. Wu PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Design

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Xavier University, 2013, Psychology

The present study examined the effectiveness of a program designed to increase reading skills, motivation to read, and perceptions of reading provided to low income children from an urban area in a medium size city in the Midwest. Children were seen in two inner-city after-school community centers and participated in either a nine-week Reading Intervention (RI) or a comparison group. In contrast to some previous studies that have demonstrated increased scores in reading motivation as a result of the intervention, no such increase was found in this study. However, participants in the RT showed significant increases in scores on the Basic Reading Inventory Word List and Comprehension scores from pre-testing through post-test testing, with Word List scores continuing through follow-up; increases were also seen in the comparison group. The present findings are discussed with reference to the development of meaningful programs to support reading engagement and advances in reading ability in children. Lessons learned regarding parental involvement, community-based facility use, and reading ability as a moderating factor are discussed.

Committee: Kathleen Hart Ph.D., ABPP (Committee Chair) Subjects: Psychology