Thesis (M.A.)--Wheaton College Graduate School, 2004. Action Research Paper (M.A.)--Wheaton College Graduate School, 2004. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-70).

Adolescents’ (N = 272) psychological changes were examined at a residential academy for gifted junior and senior high school students in the Midwest. The School-Based Conception of Giftedness (Coleman & Cross, 2005) was drawn on to understand how school environment influences student development. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used to inform the study. Outcome measurement data from the Youth Outcome Questionnaire Self-Report 2.0 (YOQ-SR) tracked students’ level of psychological distress over the course of an academic year. Using Latent Growth Curve Model (LGM) analysis, the initial level of distress did not impact how students’ stress levels changed over time. The results indicated a strong negative correlation (r =-.884) between the slope and quadratic change; meaning, the more a students’ level of stress increased the more rapidly they were able to reduce it over time. Overall, the change in stress formed an inverted-U shape, as students adapted to the challenges of the school. Phenomenological interviews were conducted with 9 senior students with a wide range of YOQ-SR scores at the beginning of their junior year. Four categories emerged from the interviews about student experiences at the academy: Psychological Changes, Academic Adjustment, Social Adjustment and Social Comparison. In essence, when participating in the academy, students experienced advanced personal development, improved management skills and developed a sense of readiness for college. / Department of Educational Psychology

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Texas, May, 2009. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Wheaton College Graduate School, 2004. Action Research Paper (M.A.)--Wheaton College Graduate School, 2004. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-70).

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of students' self-concept and their perceptions of family environment in the psychosocial adjustment and academic achievement of accelerated college students in a residential program. A secondary purpose was to investigate the differential role of those factors for students of diverse ethnic backgrounds.

This study examines the influence of family background and structure on academic achievement. The research focuses on the 11th- and 12th-grade population in the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science (TAMS) at the University of North Texas, Denton. The study examines the variables in family background and family structure that contribute to the students' high academic achievement. Twelve hypotheses related to parents, home environment, family structure and interaction, family roles, and family values are proposed. The multivariate analysis shows that the variables being read to, reading independently, fathers' education, mothers' education, and ethnicity are significant in impacting academic achievement. The study underlines the fact that multiple factors in family structure and background have an influence on academic achievement.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ball State University, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Nov. 12, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 145-161).

In this study, the relationship between personality type, perfectionism, and stress was examined in gifted adolescents attending the Indiana Academy for Mathematics, Sciences, and Humanities in Muncie, Indiana. A sample of 120 of these gifted individuals completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS) and the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Results for participants were then matched with archival data of their Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality types. Results from a path analysis indicated that perfectionism is significantly positively associated with negative mood state, or stress. Results failed to indicate a significant relationship between MBTI personality type and perfectionism, or MBTI personality type and stress in these gifted adolescents. The mediator model was found to best explain the relationship among the variables in this study, indicated by the use of Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC). Clinical implications and possibilities for future research are discussed. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

The current study examined the scale-level factor structure of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MVIPI-A) in a sample of 428 gifted and talented adolescents to validate use of this approach with a gifted population. The MMPIA structural summary was developed to help simplify interpretation of the 69 scales and subscales that are produced with a full administration of this assessment. A principal component analysis was conducted in an attempt to replicate the eight-factor structure identified by Archer, Belevich, and Elkins (1994) in the MMPI-A normative sample and by Archer and Krishnamurthy (1997) in a clinical sample. Results yielded eight factors which accounted for 69.57% of the total variance. Six of these eight factors appeared highly congruent with the original eight structural summary factors identified by Archer, Belevich, and Elkins in the MMPI-A normative sample. The results of this factor analysis supported use of the structural summary approach with gifted and talented high school students. This investigation then used MMPI-A structural summary profiles to describe the psychological characteristics of gifted adolescents. The main finding was that the gifted and talented sample presented with scores within the normal range, and the percentage of gifted students with elevations on any one factor did not exceed the percentage expected in a normal distribution. The highest number of elevations was on the Naivete factor followed by Social Discomfort and then General Maladjustment. These results suggested that this sample of gifted and talented adolescents presented with no more psychological maladjustment than would be expected from any other group of adolescents. Implications of these results for future research and practice with gifted and talented youth were discussed. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Thesis (Ed. D.)--UCLA, 2008. / Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 137-147).