The older adult population is growing faster than any other cohort of people. By the year 2011, the baby boomers will start turning age 65, presenting a problem for public policy and health care systems. One of the key components of successful aging is the maintenance of good health. Numerous studies have extensively documented the link between good health and high life satisfaction. Humor has also been shown to be a positive coping mechanism used by older adults to combat the stressors of aging. The current study explored the relationship between health status, life satisfaction, and humor as a coping mechanism among noninstitutionalized older adults. The sample consisted of 109 participants over the age of 65. Structural equation modeling with latent variables indicated that health status and life satisfaction were highly correlated with an increase in health status leading to an increase in life satisfaction. However, coping with humor neither correlated nor mediated the relationship between health status and life satisfaction. Reasons for these results are explored and suggestions for future studies are presented. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2010. / March 3, 2010. / Health, Life Satisfaction, Humor, Aging, Coping / Includes bibliographical references. / Deborah Ebener, Professor Directing Dissertation; Sandra Lewis, University Representative; Susan Smedema, Committee Member; Jeannine Turner, Committee Member.

DSM-IV-TR based rating scales are among the most common measures of ADHD in adulthood; however, the psychometric properties of these scales are not well-documented. This study uses an IRT model to determine which symptoms (items) best discriminate between 193 self-referred college students with varying levels of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. Furthermore, the study investigates the possibility of gender bias in item endorsement. The hyperactive/impulsive items were significantly more reliable than the inattention items at identifying participants with Average and Above Average levels of the overall trait. Most items of both subscales exhibited a need for response format modification. Two items demonstrated significant gender bias. The results indicate a need for further investigation into the psychometric properties of the DSM-IV-TR symptoms of Inattention; whereas, the symptoms of Hyperactivity/Impulsivity appear to function appropriately. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2009. / March 17, 2009. / Differential Item Functioning, Graded Response Model, ADHD Self-Report Ratings, Adult Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Item Response Theory, ADHD diagnosis / Includes bibliographical references. / Briley Proctor, Professor Directing Dissertation; Christopher Schatschneider, Outside Committee Member; Frances Prevatt, Committee Member; James Sampson, Committee Member.

In the last two decades, the link between emotions and performance has received increased attention (Hanin, 2000a). While competitive anxiety has been examined in the domain of sport, performance anxiety has also been investigated in the performing arts (Kirchner, 2002; Tamborrino, 2001; Wilson, 1997). Researchers have attempted to identify effective coping strategies to manage these symptoms to prevent negative behavioral consequences (Salmon, Schrodt, & Wright, 1989; Steptoe, 1989; Wolfe, 1990). Although there is a great deal of research considering coping with emotions in sport and exercise (Fenz, 1976; Holt & Hogg, 2002; Marks, 2000; Yoo, 2001), studies considering performing artists have been poorly designed and implemented (Brodsky, 1996). Relatively few investigators have examined a performer's experience with anxiety beyond a description of the phenomenon. Lazarus' (1999) cognitive-motivational-relational (CMR) theory of emotion is applicable to stressful situations, such as performance. The CMR theory was used as a framework to study emotions, cognitions, self-control, and coping strategies during solo and ensemble performance timelines in a college-aged sample. This study addressed previously identified needs in the current literature such as the timeline for study, differences between experience levels, and gender differences. This study was intended to examine temporal patterns of emotions, cognitive appraisals, and coping strategies in musicians within a larger conceptual framework. A mixed methods design was utilized to employ qualitative interview data as well as quantitative analysis. The study included questionnaires given a week, a day, an hour, 5 minutes before, immediately after, and one week after a solo and ensemble performance. The questionnaires included: Demographic Information, Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 revised version, Affect Grid, Perceived Performance Questionnaire, The Multiple Situations' Behaviors Questionnaire, and the Emotion Identification Inventory. These questionnaires measured the constructs of anxiety, arousal, pleasure, perceived performance, self-control, and emotions. A qualitative interview was conducted a week after performance to assess the above mentioned constructs, coping strategies, and as a method of triangulation. As expected, solo performance elicited more cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, emotional intensity, and negative emotions than ensemble performance. Debilitative emotions were also experienced with greater intensity for solo performance than for ensemble performance. Furthermore, less pleasantness, positive emotions, and self-confidence were reported for solo performance. Performers also reported utilizing more problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies to manage their emotional state prior to and during solo performance. However, there was only a significant increase in arousal in the week before performance. The quantitative results of the current study revealed few differences in experience level. The significant differences, however, were not in the hypothesized direction. For example, HEP consistently experienced less pleasantness than LEP. However, interview analysis revealed that HEP reported more negative emotions than LEP throughout both solo and ensemble performance timelines, but utilized less coping strategies. Interestingly, LEP reported experiencing mixed emotions, and more coping strategy utilization. Differences between males and females were in line with previous research. Males reported more self-confidence, more pleasantness, and higher perceptions of performance than females. They also experienced less negative emotions and emotional intensity. As predicted, females reported utilizing primarily emotion-focused coping strategies. However, males employed both types of strategies equally. There were no differences in self-control use between experience levels or genders. All performers utilized a combination of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies, reflecting the closed system of self-control. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2008. / May 16, 2008. / Emotions, Performance Anxiety, Musicians, Coping / Includes bibliographical references. / Gershon Tenenbaum, Professor Directing Dissertation; Alexander Jimenez, Outside Committee Member; Robert Eklund, Committee Member; Alysia Roehrig, Committee Member.

Emotions, cognitive appraisals, and coping processes were investigated during a solo and ensemble performance time line. Seven musicians within the age range of 20 - 34 participated in this study. They completed the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory (CSAI-2), one week and one day prior to both performances. The Affect Grid was utilized one week, one day, one hour, and 5 minutes prior to both performances. It was utilized again immediately after both performances along with a Perceived Performance Survey (PPS). Retrospective reports were conducted no more than one week following the musician's last performance. The Affect Grid and the PPS were again utilized during the retrospective report at the researchers discretion. Performers were found to experience the most anxiety prior to solo performance. However, anxiety and self-confidence were only at moderate levels. Performers also experienced more arousal prior to solo performance accompanied by negative emotions. However, pleasantness remained stable at moderate levels. Prior to solo performance, more negative emotions were experienced than prior to ensemble performance. High experienced performers (HEP) and low experienced performers (LEP) coped with these negative emotions prior to performance by utilizing emotion-focused and problem-focused coping methods. HEP reported utilizing emotion-focused and problem-focused coping strategies more than their LEP counterparts. During performance, HEP and LEP levels of arousal and pleasantness continued to increase until the end of performance. Similarly, they experienced positive emotions. HEP and LEP thoughts were directed towards the audience, although their perceptions differed. LEP reported utilizing emotion-focused and problem-focused coping strategies more than their HEP counterparts. After both performances, HEP and LEP experienced the highest levels of arousal and pleasantness accompanied by positive emotions. HEP perceived their performances as higher than LEP, although perceptions were at moderate levels. Gender was found to play an important role in the coping process. Females utilized emotion-focused coping strategies more than males both prior to and during performance. Males utilized slightly more problem-focused coping strategies than women. Previous research on emotional affectivity and the coping process has been extremely limited in the performing arts, and this study was further able to support the potential importance and impact of performance setting, experience, and gender. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Fall Semester, 2005. / October 12, 2005. / Qualitative, Performance Anxiety, Musicians / Includes bibliographical references. / Gershon Tenenbaum, Professor Directing Thesis; Robert Eklund, Committee Member; Alysia Roehrig, Committee Member.

Concerns about self-presentation affect many athletes. Oftentimes, athletes who struggle to control the way they present themselves develop Social Physique Anxiety. Ample research has been completed providing evidence of negative outcomes associated with Social Physique Anxiety. These adverse consequences make it necessary to understand the particular environment in which social physique anxiety and self-presentational concerns are fostered with the goal of eliminating its source. Female collegiate volleyball players (n=156) participated in the study. Ages ranged from 18-23 years old. There were 8 respondents from Division I programs, 53 respondents from Division II programs, 91 respondents from Division III programs, and 5 respondents from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Each participant initially completed the trait portion of the Trait Anxiety Inventory to ensure equal trait anxiety across conditions. Participants were randomly assigned to the control condition, practice condition, intersquad scrimmage condition, or heavy spectator condition. Scores for social physique anxiety were collected using the Social Physique Anxiety Scale and scores for self-presentation concerns were collected using the Self-Presentation in Sport Questionnaire. Results indicated that there were no significant differences across conditions for self-presentation concerns, but that the intersquad scrimmage condition experienced significantly less physique anxiety than the control condition. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Spring Semester, 2008. / March 7, 2008. / Athletes, Social Physique Anxiety, Female / Includes bibliographical references. / Robert Eklund, Professor Directing Thesis; Gershon Tenenbaum, Committee Member; David Eccles, Committee Member.

This study uses a new psychometric model (The mixture item response theory-MIMIC model) that simultaneously estimates differential item functioning (DIF) across manifest groups and latent classes. Current DIF detection methods investigate DIF either across manifest groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, etc.), or across latent classes (e.g., solution strategies, speededness, etc.). Alternatively, one of these aspects is considered as the real source of DIF and the other aspect is considered as a proxy for the same source. This can only be true when manifest and latent classifications provide perfect or very high overlap. A combination of a Rasch type model for manifest group-DIF (G-DIF) and a mixture Rasch model for latent class-DIF (C-DIF) detection is applied as the mixture IRT-MIMIC model (MixIRT-MIMIC). A Markov chain Monte Carlo method called Gibbs sampler is applied for Bayesian estimation of parameters for MixIRT-MIMIC model as well as the Rasch model, and the mixture Rasch model. This study shows that in detection of DIF, when the group-class overlap is between 50% and 70%; manifest group approaches and latent class approaches can provide biased DIF, and item difficulty estimates for some test items that show G-DIF and C-DIF, simultaneously. However, for the same conditions MixIRT-MIMIC provides unbiased estimates for latent class-DIF (C-DIF) and item difficulty parameters, while the confounding is reflected as bias in G-DIF parameter estimates. Main factors of importance are group-class overlap and the overlap between DIF items. MixIRT-MIMIC contributes by; (1) estimating the unbiased magnitudes of G-DIF and C-DIF, (2) estimating the unbiased estimates of item difficulties when other approaches have biased estimates, (3) determining the overlap ratio (confounding) between groups and classes which is unknown a priori (4) true source(s) of DIF. Researchers, test developers, and state testing programs that are interested in detecting true sources of differences (e.g. cognitive, gender, ethnic) across individuals are potential users of MixIRT-MIMIC. It is important to note that this study is an initial step to detect both types of DIF simultaneously, and is limited to binary data and a special case of 2 groups by 2 classes, which can be applied to most DIF detection purposes. Its performance and extensions will be investigated for other possible situations. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2009. / July 29, 2009. / Differential Item Functioning, Item Response Theory, Latent Class, Manifest Group, Mixture Modeling, Mimic, Bayesian, Markov Chain Monte Carlo / Includes bibliographical references. / Akihito Kamata, Professor Directing Dissertation; Fred Huffer, Outside Committee Member; Betsy J. Becker, Committee Member; Yanyun Yang, Committee Member.

The purpose of the current study was to test a model that considered factors impacting Hope in freelance production crew for film and television, particularly the relationship between Career Anchors, Negative Career Thoughts, Vocational Identity, and Hope. Also, the relationships among Career Anchor Identification, Negative Career Thoughts, and Vocational Identity were tested. The participants were 158 individuals currently working as freelance production crew members on a film and/or television production in three major film and television production regions in the United States of America: Orlando, FL, Los Angeles, CA, and Wilmington, NC and the surrounding areas of each. Participants were asked to complete a consent form, a demographic questionnaire, the Career Orientations Inventory (Schein, 1990), The Career Thoughts Inventory (Sampson, Peterson, Lenz, Reardon, and Saunders, 1996), The Vocational Identity (VI) Scale from My Vocational Situation (Holland, Daiger, & Power, 1980) , and The Hope Scale (Snyder, Harris, et al., 1991) Results indicated that though career anchor identification and negative career thoughts were negatively correlated the correlations were not significant. Further, results indicated career anchor identification and vocational identity were positively correlated yet again the correlations were not significant. The relationship among negative career thoughts and vocational identity was strong and significant. In the proposed model, 43% of the variance of hope was accounted for by career anchor identification, negative career thoughts, and vocational identity. Future research should focus on the factors, including but not limited to hope, contributing to the overall health and wellbeing of freelance crew members. This study did not limit participation to a particular department or position (e.g., camera department, grip and electrics, etc.) nor were union or non union members identified; rather participation was provided from crew members serving in various departments and capacities. Narrowing and comparing the sample would likely provide a more clear picture of how freelance crew members in various departments and union affiliation approach career decision-making and experience hope within their career. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2010. / April 27, 2010. / Negative Career Thoughts, Vocational Identity, Hope, Production crew, Career Anchors, Film Crew, Television Crew / Includes bibliographical references. / Gershon Tenenbaum, Professor Directing Dissertation; William Doerner, University Representative; James P. Sampson, Jr., Committee Member; Jeffrey Garis, Committee Member.

This study treated DIF as a random parameter varying over group units and formulated it following the Generalized Linear Latent and Mixed Model (GLLAMM) and Hierarchical Liner Model (HLM) frameworks. Such an alternative formulation was used to compare the HLM and GLLAMM estimates across several simulation conditions, since HLM and GLLAMM utilize different estimation methods to approximate the marginal maximum likelihood. HLM employs Penalized Quasi Maximum Likelihood (PQL) and Laplace approximations, while GLLAMM uses the Adaptive Gaussian Quadrature (AGQ) method. In general, the Laplace and AGQ methods provided more stable random parameter estimates (the variation of abilities at student and school levels, as well as the variation of DIF across group units) than the PQL method. However, the PQL performed better for the fixed parameters (item difficulty and ability difference between groups, DIF parameters), especially when there were limited observation units at level-2 and level-3. Furthermore, it was found that the performances of the Laplace and AGQ were similar across all simulation conditions, but the amount of time spent by GLLAMM during computation was considerably larger than the amount of time spent by HLM. Accuracy of DIF detection evaluated by means of Type I error rate for Non-DIF items and by power for DIF item. In general, Type I error rates of the PQL and Laplace methods were below or at the expected nominal alpha level (0.05), but the Laplace algorithm always provided smaller Type I error rates than the PQL algorithm across all conditions. The power of the PQL and Laplace methods in detecting DIF was inadequate (below 0.80) in many simulation conditions except the larger cluster size and the number of clusters, and when the magnitude of DIF was small. The PQL method in detecting DIF was more powerful than the Laplace method. On the other hand, power improved very quickly for both estimation methods depending on the increase in the number of units at student and school levels, suggesting that the larger cluster size and number of clusters would provide the required accuracy. In this study, the ratio of a variance estimate to its standard error was referred to as hit rate and this ratio was used in order to evaluate the point estimates of the random parameter estimates. Hit rates for the variance of student and school abilities level were always satisfactory (over 0.80) in all conditions. However, hit rates for the variance of DIF across school units were different depending on the magnitude of DIF variance. Once the magnitude of DIF variance was small, hit rates were always inadequate across all conditions. Once the magnitude of DIF variance was large, hit rates were satisfactory only in a few simulation conditions, but hit rates increased as the number of units at student and school levels increased. This suggests that larger number of units at level-2 and level-3 would provide satisfactory hit rates or the more stable estimates of the random DIF over group units. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2007. / January 30, 2007. / Multilevel Models, Differential Item Functioning, Generalized Linear Latent Mixed Model, Hierarchical Generalized Linear Model, Estimation Methods / Includes bibliographical references. / Akihito Kamata, Professor Directing Dissertation; Florentina Bunea, Outside Committee Member; Albert C. Oosterhof, Committee Member; Richard L. Tate, Committee Member.

The goal of this study was to develop a valid and reliable questionnaire to assess pre-service teachers' beliefs about how to handle student mistakes, specifically examining its factor structure, test-retest reliability, concurrent validity, and exploring possible relationships between certain teacher characteristics and scores on the Mistake-Handling Questionnaire. Data from 328 students enrolled in at least one of the following required teacher education courses in the teacher education track were used: Educational Psychology, Classroom Assessment, and Introduction to Educational Technology. A reliable one factor structure representing a pro-incorporating mistakes perspective was found. The resulting questionnaire was found to have relatively high internal reliability (α = .767), including for the holdout sample (α = .675), and high test-retest reliability (r = .775, p / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Summer Semester, 2010. / April 19, 2010. / Pre-Service Teachers, Mistakes, Mistake-Handling, Informal Assessment, Questionnaire, Mastery Approach, Performance Approach / Includes bibliographical references. / Alysia Roehrig, Professor Directing Thesis; Beth Michelle Phillips, Committee Member; Jeannine Turner, Committee Member.

The current study investigates and compares the effects of high-structure cooperative and low-structure collaborative design on online debate, in terms of decision making, critical thinking, and interaction patterns. The terms "cooperative" and "collaborative" have been interchangeably used, collaborative mostly in relation to online learning environments; however, there are apparent differences between cooperative and collaborative learning in terms of prestructure, task structure, and content structure (Strijbos & Martens, 2001; Panitz, 1996). While cooperative learning is highly pre-structured, relevant to more well-structured tasks for limited solutions, and requires the acquisition of a well-defined domain of knowledge and skills, collaborative learning is less structured, relates to ill-structured tasks for open and flexible solutions, and requires the acquisition of an ill-defined domain of knowledge and skills (Panitz, 1996). Group dynamics exists on a continuum; extreme cooperation maximizes pre-structure, task structure, and content structure, but extreme collaboration minimizes these structures. Between the two extremes, there are varying degrees of pre-structure, task structure, and content structure. This study designed two extreme instances, high-structure cooperative (HSCP) and low structure collaborative (LSCL), in order to examine the different effects of these structures on online debate processes and outcomes. In order to differentiate two levels of treatment, an extreme design for high-structure cooperative (HSCP) included a pre assigned position as prestructure, argumentation scaffolding as task structure, and evaluation scaffolding as content structure. The extreme design for low-structure collaborative (LSCL) did not use these features. In a sequence of activities that included pre-test, three weeks of online debate, and post-test, study subjects evaluated three pairs of WebQuests, web-based inquiry-oriented learning activities, in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. The results of this study demonstrate that there was no statistical difference in decision changes between the HSCP and LSCL groups. However, the improvement of critical thinking was higher in the HSCP than in the LSCL group. More critical and dynamic interaction patterns were observed in the HSCP than in the LSCL group. This study concludes that cooperative design can be differentially implemented from collaborative design. Also, the substructure of cooperative strategy, pre-structure, task structure, and content structure can be properly implemented for the specifically intended purposes. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2003. / February 28, 2003. / And Interaction Pattern, Critical Thinking, Decision Making / Includes bibliographical references. / John M. Keller, Professor Directing Dissertation; Janice L. Flake, Outside Committee Member; Robert A. Reiser, Committee Member; Amy Baylor, Committee Member.