The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between academic intrinsic motivation and positive teacher verbal feedback, negative teacher verbal feedback, and student aptitude for academic work. The research questions evolved from the Cognitive Evaluation Theory of Edward Deci (Deci & Ryan, 1985) in which intrinsic motivation develops out of a sense of competence and self-determination. In that teacher verbal feedback to students provide messages about academic competence, it was hypothesized that positive verbal feedback would enhance intrinsic motivation and negative verbal feedback would be detrimental to intrinsic motivation.;The subjects for the study were 368 fourth and fifth grade students. Student academic intrinsic motivation was measured by a questionnaire developed by Harter (1981). Aptitude was assessed with the Cognitive Abilities Test (Thorndike & Hagen, 1985). Negative and positive teacher verbal feedback reactions were determined by classroom observers who coded all teacher verbal feedback reactions to the students in accordance with the observation system developed by Brophy and Good (1969). Through factor analysis the positive feedback factor and the negative feedback factor were formed from the verbal feedback categories loading with those factors.;Results revealed that both aptitude and positive verbal feedback correlate positively with academic intrinsic motivation. Aptitude for school work, positive verbal feedback, and grade level contributed about 8% of the total variance of intrinsic motivation. Negative verbal feedback did not contribute to the prediction of the level of intrinsic motivation. Due to the low level of variance attributed to these factors, conclusions which could be drawn are limited. However, it was suggested that in addition to studying factors influencing the sense of competency, classroom factors which would contribute to a sense of autonomy need to be included in future studies.

Humans are social animals and language serves the social function of communication among people. All cultures provide a way to communicate and this social aspect is a necessary component of language acquisition. Language, especially expressive communication, is one of the most important skills children develop during early childhood (Thompson, 2004). Communication skills are used to gather information, to grow cognitively, and to interact with others. Starting from a child’s first day of life, children are exposed to language. The development of language skills is an ongoing process and a significant accomplishment throughout a child’s life (Hoff, 2009). Any delays in language development tend to persist from childhood (Aram &Nation, 1980; Conti-Ramsden, Betting, Simkin, &Knox, 2001), into adolescence (e.g., Aram, Ekelman, &Nation, 1984; Johnson et al., 1999; Stothard, Snowling, Bishop, Chipcase, &Kaplan, 1998) and through adulthood (e.g., Hall &Tomblin, 1978). Additional problems may develop as a result of delayed language skills, such as: difficulties with early literacy (Nation &Snowling, 2000), school achievement (Harlaar, Hayiou-Thomas, Dale, &Plomin, 2008; Snowling, Adams, Bishop, &Stothard, 2001), behavioral skills (Spackman, Fujiki, &Brinton, 2006), and establishing relationships with friends and family (Conti-Ramsden, Durkin, Simkin, &Knox, 2009; Durkin &Conti-Ramsden, 2007). Children with language delays may also be at-risk for being victims of bullying (St Clair, Pickles, Durkin, &Conti-Ramsden, 2011). Early language experiences can improve or inhibit a child’s potential to develop a foundation for language skills. Because parents have primary roles in a child’s early environment, language intervention involving parents could be paramount. Few play-based parent-involved interventions for typically-developing children have targeted toddlers’ language production. Language interventions are typically implemented when problems have already arisen for young children. The current study evaluated the use of a play-based, parent-involved intervention, Child’s Game, on the language gains of typically-developing toddlers. Intervention effects of the Child’s Game have focused on child compliance and the parent-child relationship, not language production. The participants in this study included mothers and toddlers from low-income backgrounds. Other research has shown that gaps between children from different income backgrounds emerge around 18 months of age, are established by age 3, and continue into early elementary school (Hart &Risley, 1995; Walker, Greenwood, Hart, &Carta, 1994). Early interventions are needed to help close gaps and give equal opportunity to children regardless of their backgrounds. Home-based interventions may be able to create the most impact for children before they reach school age. The primary goal of the current study was to investigate the impact of an intervention on mothers’ language production on their toddlers’ language development. The study was carried out with a pretest, intervention phase, and then a posttest. Toddlers’ and mothers’ language production were assessed during playtime in the pretest and posttest. One hundred and fifty-five mother-child dyads were randomized to an intervention group or play-as-usual group. In the play-as-usual condition, mothers were asked to play with their child just as they would normally. The mothers in the intervention group were taught to engage in “Child’s Game” (Forehand &McMahon, 1981; McMahon &Forehand, 2003) with her child. Child’s Game taught mothers to use specific play and communication techniques in interacting with their child. This intervention was created to decrease problem behaviors and increase compliance in toddlers and preschoolers. However, it was hypothesized that the mothers’ language production would increase through the Child’s Game intervention; and therefore, their children’s language production would also increase. A subset of the children from both groups with the highest and lowest language production scores from the pre-test were further evaluated through transcription analyses for a more detailed examination of language skills. Findings from this study indicated that all of the children, regardless of group assignment, increased language production from pretest to posttest. Interestingly, the mothers, regardless of group, showed decreased language production from pretest to posttest. Overall, the play-based parent-involved intervention did not enhance toddler’s language production and skills. However, children with lower language production skills, regardless of group assignment, displayed more improvement in the areas of total utterances, number of different words, total number of words, type-token ratio, and percentage of intelligibility. Additionally, children with higher language production skills demonstrated more improvement in mean length of utterances.

Parents and caregivers across the nation are seeking ways to restructure education and provide new opportunities for their children. Among the alternative educational options, home schooling seems to be at the forefront. The research pertaining to home schooling is growing; however, there are still areas that need considerable attention. The purpose of this study was to investigate selected aspects of home schooling, also known as Competent Private Instruction (CPI) in Iowa, mainly the choice of curriculum and factors associated with that choice. The current study examined (a) the demographic characteristics of the selected population, (b) the type of curriculum used by home schooling families, (c) demographic characteristics associated with the type of curriculum chosen, (d) the adoption of a faith-based curriculum, and (e) the demographic characteristics associated with the adoption of a faith-based curriculum. Primary data were obtained for 4 of 12 area educational agencies (AEAs) in Iowa for the school years 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 from information provided on Form A, which was required by the Iowa Department of Education to be completed by home school families. These data were grouped into regions for easier comparisons. Results of the data analysis indicated that the demographic characteristics of the selected population were similar to those reported in national studies. Parents primarily chose a prepackaged curriculum for both reading and math instruction, and the majority of the curriculum in all areas was largely faith based. In addition, the region of Eastern Iowa was significantly more faith based than the Western or Central region. No significant interactions were found between age, gender, or days of instruction and the type of curriculum or the adoption of a faith-based curriculum.

Previous research has indicated that school psychologists have greater job satisfaction when they engage in more intervention and consultation activities and fewer assessment activities. The use of response to intervention (RTI) as a way to identify specific learning disabilities is a recent development in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that involves more intervention activities for school psychologists and provides earlier interventions for students. The way that RTI is implemented may affect job satisfaction of school psychologists. Grounded in the theory of work adjustment, this study used a causal comparative design to examine if there is a significant difference between 2 models of RTI and job satisfaction of school psychologists in a southwestern US state. Survey data were collected using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire from a convenience sample of school psychologists using a prescriptive model (leading to decisions of eligibility) of RTI (n = 26) and those using a flexible model (interventions and assessments to determine eligibility) of RTI (n = 26). ANOVA was conducted to determine if there were significant differences in school psychologists' job satisfaction, by group (flexible RTI vs. prescriptive RTI), years of experience (less than 6 years vs. 6 years or more), age (less than 40 years vs. 40 years and older), and gender (male vs. female). Results revealed similar levels of job satisfaction for school psychologists using both flexible and prescriptive models of RTI. Findings are important because they provide information about establishing and maintaining job satisfaction of school psychologists. This study may influence social change by assisting school districts in making decisions about RTI that directly impact educational outcomes for students.

Abstract Youth sports have been shown to be beneficial to the overall development of children and adolescents. Research showed youth sports participation helps children develop academically, physically, and mentally. However, there is a high attrition rate of youth sports participants. What coaches think about youth's attrition in sports and their role in fostering or hindering young athletes' participation is not well known. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore youth coaches' perception of their role in a young person's decision to continue participating in their sport of preference. The conceptualizations of autonomy-supportive coaching strategy and Erickson's developmental theory were used as the theoretical basis for this study. Twelve youth coaches were interviewed using semistructured interviews. Data were analyzed using Moustakas' modification of Van Kaam's method of analysis. Six major themes emerged from the data: (a) sports are about having fun, (b) developing life skills, (c) coaching philosophy, (d) reasons kids quit sports, (e) good coaches keep kids engaged in sports, and (f) winning and losing. Results indicated that youth coaches believe they play a significant role in keeping kids engaged in sports. They emphasized the importance of having fun in playing sports; and they deemphasized the importance of winning as a major outcome. This study has the potential to promote a better environment for young participants by exposing the contributing factors leading to the attrition rate in youth sports. Results of this study inform coaches, parents, and administrators about the needs of the children in their sports programs.

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate gifted students’ perceptions of the effects of their early college entrance program on their development, especially peer acceptance. Participants in the National Academy of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering (NAASE) program, a program designed to facilitate learning among early college entrants, completed a 64-item survey examining early entrants’ college experiences. Findings indicated that early college entrants believed that their program positively influenced their development. Their reported positive peer acceptance, though not related to gender and socioeconomic status. This study contributes to the existing literature on early college entrants’ overall development and their peer relationships. Further studies are needed to compare early college entrants’ perceptions of peer acceptance with gifted and non-gifted peers.

The use of testlets in a test can cause multidimensionality and local item dependence (LID), which can result in inaccurate estimation of item parameters, and in turn compromise the quality of item response theory (IRT) true and observed score equating of testlet-based tests. Both unidimensional and multidimensional IRT models have been developed to control local item dependence caused by testlets. The purposes of the current study were to (1) investigate how different levels of LID can affect IRT true and observed score equating of testlet-based tests when the traditional three parameter logistic (3PL) IRT model was used for calibration, and (2) compare the performance of four different IRT models, including the 3PL IRT model, graded response model (GRM), testlet response theory model (TRT), and bifactor model, in IRT true and observed score equating of testlet-based tests with various levels of local item dependence. Both real and simulated data analyses were conducted in this study. Two testlet-based tests (i.e., Test A and Test B) that differed in subjects, test length, and testlet length were used in the real data analysis. For simulated data analysis, two main factors were investigated in this study: (1) testlet length (5 or 10), and (2) LID level within testlets that was defined by testlet effect variance (0, 0.25, 0.5625, 0.75, 1, and 1.5). For the unidimensional IRT models (i.e., 3PL IRT model and GRM), unidimensional IRT true score and observed score equating procedures, explained in Kolen and Brennan (2004), were used. For the two investigated multidimensional IRT models (i.e., 3PL TRT model and bifactor model), the unidimensional approximation of multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) true score equating procedure and the unidimensional approximation of MIRT observed score equating procedure (Brossman & Lee, 2013) were applied. The traditional equipercentile equating method was used as the baseline for comparison in both real data and simulated data analyses. It was found in the study that both testlet length and the LID level affected the performance of the investigated models on IRT true and observed score equating of testlet-based tests. When the traditional 3PL IRT model was used for tests with long testlets, higher levels of local item dependence led to IRT equating results that deviated further away from those obtained from the baseline method. However, the effect of local item dependence on IRT equating results was not prominent for tests with short testlets. Moreover, for tests consisting of long testlets (e.g., a testlet length of 10 or more) and having a very low level of local item dependence (e.g., a LID level of 0.25 or lower), and for tests consisting of short testlets (e.g., a testlet length around 5), all four investigated IRT models worked well in IRT true and observed score equating. For tests with long testlets and a relatively high level of local item dependence (e.g., a LID level of 0.5625 or higher), the GRM, bifactor, and TRT models outperformed the traditional 3PL IRT model in IRT true and observed equating of testlet-based tests. The study suggested that the selection of models for IRT true and observed score equating of testlet-based tests should be considered with respect to the features of the testlet-based tests and the groups of examinees from which the data is collected. It is hoped that this study encourages researchers to identify differences among existing models for IRT true and observed score equating of testlet-based tests with various features, and to develop new models that are appropriate for modeling testlet-based tests to obtain accurate IRT number correct score equating results.

The purpose of this study was to investigate if different ways of treating missing responses affects the IRT item parameters and vertical scales. An empirical study was conducted with the verbal test and quantitative test of a large-scale ability test for grades 4 through 12. Five commonly used methods for scoring missing responses were investigated: Listwise deletion (LW), scoring as incorrect (IN), scoring as not-presented (NP), treating omitted items as incorrect and not-reached items as not-presented (INNR), and assigning a partial score (BN). In addition, three multiple imputation methods that show promising results outside of IRT were investigated: multiple imputation using stochastic regression with data augmentation algorithm (MISR), multiple imputation by chained equations (MICE), and multiple imputation under two-way imputation with error (MITW). The effect of missing data treatments were investigated with both concurrent and separate calibrations and with three proficiency estimators including EAP, MLE, and QD. The vertical scale was evaluated based on the three properties including grade-to-grade growth, within-grade variability, and effect size. The impact of missing data treatments on the item parameter estimates was also examined by comparing the summary statistics for item discrimination, item difficulty, and pseudo guessing. Lastly, the practical impact was investigated by comparing raw-to-scale score conversion tables. The results showed that different ways of handling missing responses affect the resulting item parameter estimates and vertical scales. In general, IN produced higher item discrimination and item difficulty parameter estimates, but yielded lower pseudo-guessing parameter estimates compared to other missing data treatments. IN also produced higher mean theta estimates and larger growth while MITW yielded smaller theta estimates and growth. MICE and MISR tended to perform similarly to INNP and NP. The choice of missing data treatment had a greater impact on the results with separate calibration than concurrent calibration, and with MLE than EAP or QD. In addition, missing data treatments had a larger effect on low and high item difficulty estimates than items with middle range difficulty estimates, and yielded differences in developmental scale scores in particular at both ends of the score scale.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 39-06, Section: A, page: 3461. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1978.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 39-11, Section: A, page: 6655. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1978.