Thesis (Ph.D.)--Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, 2001. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 62-07, Section: B, page: 3402. Chair: William J. Froming.

Thesis (Psy.D.)--Fairleigh Dickinson University, 2004. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 65-04, Section: B, page: 2128. Chairperson: Judith Kaufman. Available also in print.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, 1993. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-04, Section: B, page: 2206.

Recent investigations of children's arithmetic strategy proficiency have revealed disparate results; some suggest that first grade boys are more accurate math-fact retrievers than are first grade girls, while others suggest first grade girls are the more accurate math-fact retrievers. The present study was designed to assess whether gender differences in math-fact retrieval do exist among kindergarten and first grade students and to assess the circumstances under which those differences might be observed. In two experiments, kindergarten and first grade children were asked to solve a series of simple addition and subtraction problems. Solution strategies were restricted and children were required to use either fact-retrieval or overt counting to solve the problems. Problems were presented in one of two modes, visual or auditory, via a laptop computer; half of the problems in each mode required the fact-retrieval strategy and half required the overt counting strategy. Performance was measured in terms of accuracy and solution time. No female advantages were observed on any of the tasks in either grade. When accuracy and time were collapsed to create composite proficiency scores, male advantages for the fact retrieval strategy and the visual mode of presentation were revealed in both grades.

Gender differences in family interactions, developmental changes in interactional patterns, and the relationship between interactional patterns and academic performance are explored longitudinally over the course of middle to late adolescence in a sample of 72 high school students and their parents. Parent and adolescent interactions are evaluated each year in a semi-structured revealed differences discussion. Each speech from the discussion is coded using a micro-analytic coding scheme to assess separateness and connectedness based on the individuation model of adolescent-family development. Analyses reveal gender and family structure differences in family interactions. In two-parent families, the mother-daughter dyad stands apart by displaying fewer separating behaviors than any other dyad. In single-parent families, the mother-son dyad stands apart in demonstrating more connecting behaviors. The developmental pattern of behaviors over the course of middle to late adolescence does not support previously held notions about the inevitability or desirability of increased separation and decreased connection between parents and adolescents as adolescents approach adulthood. Predictive analyses reveal more striking gender differences than descriptive analyses. In two-parent families with daughters, mothers' and daughters' communications predict daughters' grades, generally supporting predictions based on the individuation model. Connecting behaviors are most important during periods of transition, while separating communications are most positively predictive of academic performance during the more stable mid-high school period. Fathers' behaviors do not show utility in predicting daughters' grades, but are important in predicting their daughters' academic improvement over the course of high school. The relationship between family interaction and academic competence is less strong in families with sons and results are not consistent with predictions based on the individuation model. In contrast to families with daughters, separateness and connectedness are inversely associated with academic achievement in boys. In single-parent families, less mother-daughter separateness is associated with daughters' academic success, while more separating behaviors and fewer connecting behaviors are associated with academic success in single-parent families with sons. The importance of examining individual characteristics as mediating variables in understanding the impact of family process is highlighted and implications for developmental theory are considered.

Thesis (Psy.D.)--Fairleigh Dickinson University, 2005. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-02, Section: B, page: 1184. Chair: Judith Kaufman. Available also in print.

Little is known about how children develop their concepts of the future. However, future time perspective (FTP) is considered important in the development of abilities such as planning, goal setting, and the delay of gratification. FTP has also been related to mental health in adults and academic achievement in adolescents. This study explored FTP, defined as the ability to temporally locate and organize future events, and compared participants' ability to locate and organize the same events with respect to their past occurrences. There were 167 participants from four grade levels with average ages of the groups ranging from 7.4 to 10.5 years of age. Participants located five recurrent events on four timelines representing; a past(day), a past(year), a future(day), and a future(year). Participants also took tests to assess their knowledge of conventional time (i.e., clocks and calendars). Hypotheses were proposed that: (a) participants would show a general developmental improvement on all tasks, (b) participants would perform better on day-scale than year-scale timelines, (c) participants would perform better on past than future timelines, and (d) knowledge of conventional time would be used by older participants to structure year-scale, but not day-scale, timelines. Results supported the first two hypotheses but, contrary to expectations, participants performed better on future than past timelines. The author proposed that location of sequences in the past is more cognitively challenging because it moves counter to the unidirectional flow of time; events that are more distant from the present are earlier in the sequence. Results supported the hypothesis that more sophisticated representations of conventional time are needed for location of events in longer durations, and that such representations are developmentally acquired, but a causal relationship could not be established. Participants relied heavily on event schemas in locating events; these schemas helped participants produce a correct sequence but often with the incorrect start of the sequence given the instructions regarding use of the present as a reference point. Results also suggested that children might have a different concept of the relationship between the present and the past and future than that of adults.

The role of the Resident Assistant (RA) has assumed special prominence during the last thirty years, as theories of student development have promoted the practice of peer education, particularly in residence halls. RAs have been given a long list of tasks and job expectations that can be generally categorized within peer counseling and policy enforcing functions. Some researchers and writers in the field of student development and residence hall ecology have argued that with proper training and supervision, RAs can adequately fulfill their assigned duties while simultaneously matriculate, fulfilling their own personal undergraduate academic and social needs. This assumption is presently under scrutiny, as information from cognitive development regarding late adolescent epistemology questions the readiness of these students to be able to perform simultaneously in all of their roles. In particular, the role of enforcing university rules and regulations with many floormates who are also peers and friends presents RAs with levels of conflict that may stem from their current cognitive developmental level, thus limiting the ways they negotiate conflict during enforcement activities. The result may be a mis-match of person to task. Some undergraduate RAs may not be ready to carry out their most developmentally challenging task of enforcing campus policy with peers to whom they have ties of support and friendship. The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibility of certain behavioral trends in the ways RAs negotiate conflict with their peers while enforcing university policy based on their tested cognitive developmental level. By administering two production-type developmental assessments and one preference-type conflict mode inventory, as well as performing individual interviews of selected RAs, I examine possible mis-matches and matches of RAs with their roles, particularly that of policy enforcement with peers.

<div>This dissertation includes two studies. The first study investigated longitudinal associations between the home and classroom environments at age 3 and academic and social outcomes at age 9 as well as the mediating role of attention regulation and language in these associations. Study 2 examined the continuity and change in the level of the quality of the home environment across ages 3 to 5 and its association with school readiness outcomes at age 5. Data for both studies came from four waves (baseline, age 3, 5 and 9) from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study, which includes 4898 children (52.4% male) and primary caregivers. Twenty one percent of the mothers for the total sample were White, 47% were Black, 27% were Hispanic, and 4% identified as other. Sixty five percent of mothers had an education level of high school or less, 24% completed some college, 11% had a college degree or higher. Results for study 1 indicated that better quality home and classroom environments at age 3 were related to stronger language skills at age 5, and the quality of the classroom environment was significantly related to better attention regulation at age 5. Further, mediation analyses indicated that children’s language skills at age 5 mediated the associations between both early contexts and later academic skills, and attention regulation at age 5 mediated associations between the classroom environment and later academic skills. Results for study 2 indicated that there was not stability in the quality of the home environment between the ages of 3 to 5. In addition, higher quality home environments at age 3 and change in the quality of the home environment predicted greater gains in children’s attention regulation, language, and social emotional competence. Taken together, findings from these studies inform our understanding of the importance of early environments for children’s school readiness and later skills and have potential implications for future research, policy, and interventions designed to promote healthy development in early and middle childhood. <br></div>

Enhancing and facilitating a strength-based intervention model presents a challenge for practitioners and those involved in program design and policy. This study examined a shift away from a deficit-based approach and toward strength-based assessment of family functioning within current early childhood practices. The initial effectiveness of the Family Functioning Style Scale in facilitating the re-framing of family functioning was assessed and patterns of reported family strengths were analyzed and compared. A random sample of 64 parents, equally representing four different early childhood program models, were asked to complete the scale, participate in informal discussion, complete a follow-up questionnaire, and answer follow-up questions individually three months later. The sample of parents reflected equal distribution among Head Start, Day Care, Early Intervention and Pre-School Special Education programs as well as represented equal distribution with respect to ages served (0-3, 3-5) and special education program and regular education models. The study also included a sample of 13 professionals, representing the four programs, who completed the scale based upon their knowledge of 13 of the families in the parent sample. While inter-class correlation coefficients indicated that there was no significant evidence to show that there was a difference in the rating of family strengths between parents and professionals, professionals expressed a need to gain further familiarity with the strengths of families they served. When asked if completing the scale helped them to identify family strengths, 77.6% of the respondents to this question indicated that they felt the scale had been effective. The area of strength most frequently reported by the total sample was in cohesion. The area of strength least frequently reported by this sample was in communication. Income was significantly correlated with the full scale score (FFSS) and the strength dimensions of competence and cohesion. Risk factors, such as low income and social isolation, were felt to impact the reporting of strengths within each sub-group. Several significant differences between the four sub-groups were reported with respect to the full scale mean scores as well as within several of the strength dimensions. This study supported further investigation of the use and effectiveness of scales as well as the option of interviews in order to assess family strengths and facilitate a strength-based model for intervention. In addition, the researcher emphasized the importance of staff training and policy formation in order to support program models in their effort to create environments which will maximize the recognition of family strengths and nurture the empowerment of families.