The purpose of this thesis is to determine how to make archaeology more accessible to teachers and students as well as how best to relay realistic information about archaeology to students in a fun and engaging way while de-emphasizing the digging aspect of the discipline. There has been much discussion within the archaeological community as to whether simulated or school-yard digs are appropriate for students as they often walk away with the impression that archaeology equals digging. While many within the archaeological community agree that archaeology should be covered within the school curricula, most want the archaeological process involving method and theory emphasized. However, teachers are unfamiliar with the archaeological process and often focus on the digging aspect as it provides a hands-on learning experience for their students. / Department of Anthropology

The present study examines the impact of socio-demographic and attitudinal characteristics of pastors and laypersons on the implementation process. The research is based on the hypothesis that implementation of social action programs is related to the importance given to these programs by members of an organization. The findings reveal that different sets of socio-demographic characteristics are influential regarding the importance given to programs by pastors and laypersons. Additionally, the results show that the attitudinal characteristics have greater impact on pastors' perception of social action programs than that of laypersons. The priority in the implementation process of social programs is proven to be identical with the overall perception of the importance of these programs. / Department of Sociology

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the leadership behaviors of Indiana female school superintendents from the perspectives of the superintendents themselves along with members of their school boards. The Kouzes and Posner Leadership Practices Inventory was employed to determine how 30 leadership behaviors are perceived from both groups and how closely their perceptions correlated.Through research findings, the following issues formed the basis for this study:(a) A demographic profile of female superintendents in Indiana; (b) a demographic profile of school board members from Indiana districts in which there was a female superintendent; (c) the extent to which the 30 leadership behaviors were observed and/or practiced; (d) the school board opinions regarding each of the leadership behaviors and whether or not each was considered important.Survey research procedures were used for this study. The survey instrument was adapted from the 2000 Kouzes and Posner Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) that is normally administered to a staff of people including bosses and subordinates. Using the LPI for gathering input from superintendents and school board members is a unique method for this instrument, as the study is designed to be used with leaders and their employees - not the leader and his or her superiors. The study was not used as any type of evaluative procedure and the results were reported as aggregate data. The LPI was reformatted to make it a more reader-friendly survey. This was accomplished by creating a box with the five-point Likert scale for each of the thirty questions. To the left of each of the 30 items, each school board member was to place a check beside any behavior he or she considered an important leadership trait. Demographic questions for superintendents and for school board members that were relevant to the study were developed from the background research. The demographic profiles indicated that both groups were much like the national average, predominantly white and married with an average age of both groups in the early fifties.Board members and female superintendents were closely aligned in their perceptions of her leadership behaviors. However, superintendents rated themselves slightly higher in the behaviors than their school boards. The null hypothesis was rejected in that differences were discovered between the means of female school superintendents and members of school boards as to their perceptions of the five subscales in all except Encouraging the heart.The final facet of this study was to collect input from the members of the school boards as to the importance of the thirty leadership behaviors. The board member was instructed to place a check beside its description for each of the descriptions that he or she felt was an important leadership trait. The most highly regarded behavior, according to school board members was: Treats people with dignity and respect (62%). Other leadership behaviors that were marked frequently included: Follows through on promises and commitments (57%), Sets personal example of expectations from others (55%), closely followed by Develops cooperative relationships with the team (54%). / Department of Educational Leadership

Surveys were used to explore the perceptions of teachers and school psychologists about school psychological services in the state of Indiana. Respondents were 114 school psychologists (30.48% return rate) and 375 teachers of various specialties (32.89% return rate). Data was analyzed using descriptive and comparative statistics with attention given to the influence of demographic variables (e.g., years of experience, specialty area). Results indicated that school psychologists' primarily engage in testing and related activities despite their aspirations to engage in a broader range of roles. In addition, the school psychologists expressed a desire to work less with students referred for testing and increase their time involvement with other student groups. Demographic variables had a minimal impact on their perceptions. In contrast, teachers' perceptions often varied as a function of demographic variables, such as their grade level and specialty area (e.g., regular or special education). Several significant differences existed between what teachers perceived to be happening and what they would prefer regarding school psychologists' roles and student groups served. For example, regular education and special education elementary teachers and special education secondary teachers preferred to see school psychologists engage in a broader range of functions including counseling and direct intervention with students. These results have implications for advocating for role changes in school psychology. First, this knowledge might be used to inform school psychology training programs about the nature of practice and the need to include a balanced number of courses in testing, consultation, and intervention. Second, findings might be used by individual practitioners to assist them in understanding the perceptions and needs of teacher groups with whom they work and tailoring their practice to address those teachers' expectations. / Department of Educational Psychology

The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine how participation in learning communities in colleges and universities affected the behaviors of faculty and residence life staff regarding student learning. Learning communities have been identified as instruments of curricular reform in higher education that focus institutional energies toward student learning. Several studies have documented the benefits that learning communities provide to students, and to a more limited extent, faculty members. However, information was lacking in the literature regarding how partcipation in learning communities affected the interaction between residence life staff members and faculty members.Purposive sampling was used to identify respondents in this study. Faculty and residence life staff members from five public, Midwestern universities with residentially-based learning communities were identified by the researcher. A semi-structured format was used to interview all respondents in their respective offices at their respective universities.The findings suggest that faculty and residence life staff who participate in learning communities have greater understanding and appreciation of one another's roles, are more likely to communicate with one another about specific student concerns, and coordinate in-class and out-of-class activities. Learning community models that are structured in such a manner that residence hall directors and faculty members regularly meet and are working with the same group of students appeared to foster the greatest degree of collaboration, cooperation, and communication between faculty and residence life staff. Additionally, the findings of this study support previous studies (Astin, 1996; Clark, 1987; Kirp, 1997) which indicated that the research orientation of a university can have negative effects upon teaching. / Department of Educational Leadership

The subject of this study was academic cheating among college students. Academic cheating has been described as both epidemic and endemic. It is considered a significant problem because it is occurring on all college campuses with high frequency and because it undermines the foundation of the college as a learning institution. A review of the literature on cheating behaviors revealed percentages of self-reported cheating ranging from 23.7% to 98%.The present study explored the relationship between academic dishonesty and student backgrounds, along with student attitudes. A replication of the research previously done by Melody Graham, Jennifer Monday, Kimberly O'Brien, and Stacey Steffen, (1994) was conducted at Indiana Institute of Technology (IIT). The faculty and the students were included in the research study. Three main areas explored in the present study concerned the relationship of student background variables, perceptual differences between faculty and students, and faculty background variables to attitudes of cheating. More lenient attitudes toward cheating were found with the variables of race, religiosity, coming from urban areas, living in dorms or college apartments, majoring in business, and playing sports.The findings of the present study indicated that 94.81% of the student respondents had engaged in one of the seventeen cheating behaviors that were identified in the Graham et al. study. However, these seventeen cheating behaviors included some acts that were less serious than others. Also, it should be noted that many students engage is such behaviors infrequently. The seventeen behaviors along with an explanation of the tabulations for the 94.81% statistic, were included on pages 221-222 of the study. The severity rating of each behavior was listed in Table 7, page 134.A Synthesis Model of Cheating Decision Making was developed as an implication of the research conducted for the present study. This Model can assist faculty in understanding the cheating decision process of students. Also, students can use the Model to facilitate a self evaluation of their decisions. / Department of Educational Leadership

The purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to determine whether the Behavioral Objective Sequence (BOS) (Braaten, 1998), when used as a rating scale, was a valid instrument for measuring the behaviors of students with EBD and (b) to determine whether there was a relationship between teachers' perceptions of behaviors of students with EBD and these students' perceptions of their own behaviors. Perceptions were measured using the BOS and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) (Achenbach, 1991), a well-established instrument with reliability and validity. Demographic variables were examined as predictors of student versus teacher score discrepancies. Those shown to be predictive are student socioeconomic status, IQ score, length of time receiving special education services, grade and placement. The concurrent validity of the BOS is indicated by the comparison of scores on the BOS with scores on the CBCL. Participants were 62 youth with EBD and their 19 teachers from the Midwest. / Department of Special Education

There is no abstract available for this dissertation. / Department of Educational Leadership

This project introduces a new measure, Beliefs and Evaluations About Counseling Scale (BEACS), based on social psychological theories of attitudes, including the Multiattribute Model of Attitudes (MMA) and the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). Applying a MMA formula, two scales (beliefs and evaluations) linked with the BEACS were constructed. The BEACS was also designed to incorporate subjective and normative beliefs and attitudes based on the concept of social norms (SN) from the TRA. Three studies were conducted. Study 1 employed a qualitative approach to generate scale items. Forty-three college students participated. A thematic analysis led to the identification of 61 items for each of the belief and evaluation scales. Study 2 explored latent variables tied to the BEACS by administering the initial item pool to 497 college students. Results of factor analyses yielded five and six factor solutions that seemed valid. In Study 3, the five- and six-factor models were tested through a confirmatory factor analysis using an independent sample of 183 college students. It was determined that the BEACS was best represented by 28 pairs of items (beliefs & evaluations) and five factors: Expectancy for Positive Outcome, Tolerance for Negative Outcome, Tolerance for Negative Quality, Expectancy for Positive Norm, and Tolerance for Negative Norm. This factor solution was consistent with the factors tied to the Thoughts About Psychotherapy Survey. Furthermore, the BEACS Expectancy for Positive Outcome and the Expectancy for Positive Norm factors were consistent with two TRA components: general attitudes and social norms. In Study 3, support was also found for the known-group validity of the BEACS. Results revealed that women, counseling users, and people who have thought of seeking counseling scored higher on two subscales of the BEACS. Convergent and predictive validity of the BEACS was evaluated using the Beliefs About Psychological Services (BAPS). Results indicated moderate correlations between responses to the five BEACS subscales and the three BAPS subscales (Intent, Stigma Tolerance, & Expertness). Subsequent regression analyses revealed that four of the five BEACS subscales were significant predictors of the BAPS Intent factor. The BEACS was additionally found to possess high internal consistency reliability. Strengths, limitations and implications for research and practice are discussed. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

This study examined implicit and explicit attitudes of teachers toward the Emotional Disturbance (ED) label, the strength of association between implicit and explicit ratings, and the variance in attitudes between different types of teachers or among teachers in different settings. Ninety-eight teachers (52 regular education and 46 special education teachers), from a mix of urban and rural school districts in central Indiana, completed three computer-based attitudinal measures: an implicit association test (IAT), a Social Distance Scale (SDS), and the Scale of Attitudes toward Disabled Persons (SADP). Results indicated that teachers possess a significant preference for the category of Learning Disability (LD) compared to ED, and the correspondence between implicit and explicit attitudes toward those two labels was strong. This data supports the notion that the ED label is perceived far too negatively by educators to serve as an effective category of services for children with serious mental health issues. / Department of Educational Psychology