This study examined the personality characteristics of Christian counselors and determined whether those characteristics could be employed to predict job satisfaction. The objectives of the study included determining if Christian counselors differ from the general population on any of the nine personality traits found in the Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis and determining if a correlation exists between the nine traits and reported job satisfaction. Data was collected from 51 self-identified Christian counselors from Arizona and California. The results indicate that Christian counselors are more expressive-responsive and less depressive and subjective than the general population. While those Christian counselors who indicated high job satisfaction tended to be less depressive and subjective and more expressive-responsive than those who indicated medium or low job satisfaction, it was shown that personality traits are not predictive of job satisfaction in Christian counselors.

This study was designed to examine the effects of ethnicity and gender on African teachers' judgements regarding potential special education placement. The participants were to be 120 randomly-selected black-African teachers in the Southern African country of Botswana. The selection was to have been stratified on the basis of gender and district. Fictitious and equivocal information was given regarding the ability, behavior and academic performance of a nine-year-old student. Due to methodological problems, the study did not yield quantitative data thus a descriptive analysis was performed. Significantly fewer questionnaires regarding Negro students were returned than those depicting Caucasian students. Also, more females than males were suggested for referral, though the difference was not statistically significant. Future research in this area would be beneficial to the understanding of the role played by gender and ethnicity in special education referrals.

This qualitative study attempted to identify similar life themes among 10 women who reported experiencing incest as children, whose ages ranged from 26-66 years. Adlerian Lifestyle Questionnaires were administered during individual interviews and judged by three expert Adlerian judges for common life themes. Similarities of life themes were found among the subjects' family atmospheres, birth order positions, relationship of perpetrator to study subjects, subjects' goals and expectations, subjects' apperceptions regarding themselves, others, men, women, the world, and life. A composite Lifestyle Summary of study subjects revealed women who wanted to be loved (40%), expected to be hurt (60%), and mistreated (50%); perceived themselves as inferior and sensitive (40%); men as untrustworthy (60%); the world as a place where they were unprotected (50%); and life as dangerous (70%) and confusing (60%).

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an extended orientation program on student out-of-classroom involvement as it relates to academic performance and retention. The results of the experimental group were compared with two control groups to determine the effects of the extended orientation program. / The study is based on the theoretical work of Chickering's development vectors and Astin's involvement theory. The synthesis of Chickering's and Astin's work presents the question of whether a significant positive relationship exists between involvement and development. The College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ), developed by C. Robert Pace, was used to measure out-of-classroom involvement. The CSEQ was modified to assess the level of out-of-classroom involvement for high school students, titled Freshmen Student Survey (FSS). / All three cohorts were given the FSS during Fall 1992. Then the experimental group began the First Year Experience, an extended orientation course. Control 1 received traditional three-day orientation program plus a leadership course during Fall semester. Control 2 received just the three-day orientation program. / The four major areas of research for this study addressed: academic performance as measured by grade point average; knowledge and utilization of student services and activities; self-reported "estimate of gains" in selected educational experiences; and retention through the end of the freshmen year. / Analysis of the data led to the following conclusions: the three cohorts were substantially homogeneous; the experimental group recorded higher grade point averages after two semesters; the three cohorts differed little in the ten effort activity scores; and retention rates were high for all three cohorts. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-01, Section: A, page: 0055. / Major Professor: John S. Waggaman. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The diagnosis of childhood cancer implies possible death in spite of aggressive medical treatment. Thus far the literature investigating children's death concepts has not fully examined the personal death concepts of children with life-challenging illnesses. / This dissertation examined the personal death concepts of three children between the ages of four and seven who were in the end stages of treatment for life-challenging forms of cancer. An in-group comparison of the children's concepts was conducted. Methodology for conducting research with dying children was evaluated. The data were interpreted using the combined theoretical paradigms of epistemology and existentialism. / The children's personal death concepts were identical across fourteen categories of death. All of the children expressed complete concepts of: (1) realization; (2) separation; (3) irrevocability; (4) causality; (5) universality; and (6) personal death. Their incomplete categories included: (1) personification; (2) immobility; (3) dysfunctionality; (4) insensitivity; and (5) appearance. Additionally, they expressed spiritual concepts regarding their deaths. / Their personal death concepts involved both preoperational and concrete operational thinking. However, the existential meaning they assigned to their concepts may have enabled them to find peace in their own deaths. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-11, Section: A, page: 3991. / Major Professor: F. Donald Kelly. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The purpose of this study was to design and implement a media production program to determine its effectiveness in building self-esteem and improving academic behavior and reading achievement in at-risk sixth grade students. The sample population attend a middle school in Dougherty County and was randomly selected from students considered to be at-risk based on reading criteria established by the school. / The Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventories-2 measured self-esteem, the Teacher's Report Form determined behavioral changes and the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills measured reading skills. Teacher-made tests determined any changes in reading scores. / A pretest-posttest control group design was used in this investigation. Fifty-nine at-risk sixth grade students, between 11 and 14 years of age, participated in the twelve week study that began in January 1993 and was completed in April 1993. Thirty-one students formed the experimental group and twenty-eight comprised the control group. / An independent t-test was run to determine if a significant difference existed between pre and posttests for both groups on reading skills, academic self-esteem, school behavior and reading scores from teacher-made tests. There was no significant difference on reading skills, self-esteem or reading scores for either group. / A significant difference was indicated on the pretest for academic behavior. The experimental group averaged 45.39 compared to 38.43 for the control group. This difference was significant at less than the.01 level of error. A significant difference was also observed at the posttest on academic behavior. The experimental group averaged 41.32 compared to 46.21 for the control group. This difference between the two groups at the posttest was significant at less than a 1 percent probability of error. / A correlated t-test was employed to determine the changes taking place on self-esteem, academic behavior and on teacher-made tests for the experimental and control group between pre and posttests. Neither group changed significantly in self-esteem or on teacher-made tests. The experimental group improved significantly on academic behavior, while the control group changed significantly in the opposite direction. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-04, Section: A, page: 0782. / Major Professor: Thomas L. Hart. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

The purpose of this study was to examine the success indicators that are used by five counseling consumer groups, i.e., counselors, teachers, administrators, students, and parents to judge the success of school counseling programs. A Counseling Success Indicator Inventory (CSII) consisting of 59 indicators in seven functional domains was used in the study. The functional areas or domains are: (a) Effective Communication; (b) Relationship with Students; (c) Relationship with Administrators, Staff, and Parents; (d) Management Skills; (e) Results/Outcomes of Successful Counseling; (f) Counseling Environment; and (g) Skills and Competencies. / Fifteen of Leon County's 20 elementary schools were randomly selected to participate in the study. Questionnaires were obtained from 562 participants. / Four hypotheses were tested, two using Spearman Rho Rank-Order Coefficient Correlation and Discriminant Analysis with a pre-set.05 alpha. The remaining two hypotheses were tested using criteria set by the researcher. / Results indicated that there was a core of common as well as unique success indicators among the five groups. There were high consensus as well as high disagreement indicators. There were also indicators for which there was a high level of agreement among the groups relative to the importance of the indicators. The highest level of agreement was between the adult groups and the lowest level of agreement was between the student and adult group. Also, group membership could be predicted from responses to the indicators for four of five groups. / The groups were similar in their perceptions of core indicators, ranking of the top 15 indicators, ranking of all 59 indicators, as well as perceptions of the role of the counselor. / The groups were unique in how they viewed specific indicators, the seven functional domains of the top 15 indicators as well as how they perceived certain counselor roles. / It does appear, however, that the groups are similar while yet being different. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-02, Section: A, page: 0413. / Major Professor: Gary Peterson. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1989.

This study investigated the way in which expert and novice counselors process information through an information processing paradigm when formulating and confirming hypotheses developed in a counseling session. Comparisons were made between the ways in which expert and novice counselors differ in the hypotheses formulated. / Expert, intermediate, and novice counselors served as subjects in this study. The counselors were asked to record hypotheses (Thought-List) while viewing a video-taped segment of a counseling session. They were then instructed to sort their hypotheses into related groups. / The hypotheses were tested by five one-way ANOVAs and a MANOVA using multiple dependent variables to protect against the possibility of Type I errors. The results yielded no significant differences in the quantity of hypotheses generated between novices and experts, however, there was a statistical difference between novice and intermediate counselors, with the latter producing the greater quantity. There were no differences between groups for the time elapsed prior to the generation of the first or the last hypothesis. However, a $\chi\sp2$ test indicated that novices generated their first hypothesis within one minute of stimulus information whereas experts viewed at least one minute of the stimulus prior to the first hypothesis. Further results revealed that differences exist in the complex organizational structure employed in hypothesis formulation, with expert and intermediate counselors demonstrating greater complexity. Lastly, no differences were evidenced in the quantity of information recalled from the memory task. The use of the information processing paradigm to study the manner in which counselors process information to arrive at hypotheses seems warranted. Implications for practical application of the results and suggestions for further research are made. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-12, Section: A, page: 3630. / Major Professor: Gary W. Peterson. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.

This study used a finding of "mild" theoretical concurrency between Kohlberg's general model of moral development and Kelly's psychology of personal constructs to test the claim that Kohlberg's developmental scheme satisfies the Piagetian "hard stage model" assumption of the "structured whole". / To address the question of theoretical concurrency, a sample of 75 subjects completed Rest's measure of moral development, the Defining Issues Test (DIT) and Kelly's Role Repertory Grid, with the finding that one's capacity for post-conventional moral reasoning was directly related to one's capacity for differentiating interpersonal roles supplied by the Role Repertory Grid. / To test the "structured-whole" assumption, this finding was used to generate two categories of developmental-structural-type: subjects whose DIT profiles were configured according to Kohlberg's "structured-whole", designated "structured-wholes"; and subjects whose profiles violated the "structured-whole", exhibiting broad, stage variability, designated "structured-anomalies". The hypothesis that "structured-anomalies" also used the same broadly-variable, developmental structures to construe DIT dilemma character roles was rejected. However, subject "performance" in reasoning about individual dilemmas varied directly with one's capacity for differentiating dilemma roles, regardless of "structural-type". / Three additional hypotheses were generated post hoc to test the effects of "pyschological content" on one's use of moral reasoning structure. While subject familiarity with dilemma content was unrelated to developmental level, lack of dilemma familiarity influenced one's capacity to differentiate character roles, affecting, in turn, one's moral reasoning "performance". Finally, an examination of the relationship between subject "psychological identification" with DIT character roles and developmental level of reasoning revealed that subjects who "identified more" with characters tended to use a "less mature" level of developmental reasoning. / In a theoretical summary, study results were discussed from the perspective of Noam's constructive-developmental model with suggestions for model enhancements offered by personal construct psychology. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-01, Section: A, page: 0079. / Major Professor: Gary W. Peterson. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1989.

The literature was reviewed to determine variables which had been found to be related to students leaving high school early. From the literature review, a model was hypothesized which related student, school and teacher variables to school district dropout rates. This model was tested using Florida school district data. All data was collected at the school district level. / The resulting model was not able to explain a great deal of variance of the dropout rate, although it did lend support to the effect of number of disciplinary actions upon dropout rate, and the indirect effect of guidance counselors upon dropout rate through number of disciplinary actions. / The model implies that teacher experience may be detrimental to achievement in that teachers may experience burnout. Teacher turnover was also found to negatively affect achievement, with turnover being affected by teacher salary. / The resulting model indicated that income negatively affects disciplinary actions, suggesting the need for schools to become more sensitive to students from families with lower income levels. / The model showed that achievement affected number of expulsions differently, with prior achievement having a positive effect and current achievement having a negative effect. The former may be due to the fact that schools generally expel the lower achieving students, resulting in higher achievement. The model also indicates that teacher turnover may increase the occurrence of expulsions. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-12, Section: A, page: 3967. / Major Professor: F. J. King. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.