The scope of the current study focuses on the relationship between direct and indirect methods of measuring social skills in children. Participants included 33 children between the ages of 6 and 11 years old. The sample drew from elementary schools in 2 Southern states in the U.S., as well as social skills groups from a university-based clinic. While some participants had been previously identified has having disabilities impacting social performance, it was not an inclusionary requirement and the majority of children were not identified as having a disability clinically or through a special education eligibility domain. Teachers and clinicians leading social skills groups completed indirect measures, the Behavior Assessment Scale for Children Third Edition (BASC-3) and the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) related to the participants’ social skills. Direct observations of participants were completed using the Social Observation System (SOS) by graduate level research assistants. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine the predictive value of the teacher informed indirect measures on the direct method of observation. Additionally, simple linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the reverse relationship of the direct observation’s ability to predict the variance observed in each indirect measure. Results indicated that both the indirect and direct methods of social skills assessment can significantly predict the other. However, while significant, a low to moderate amount of variance in the direct measure is explained by the indirect measures of social skills. The results and implications of the finding are discussed, as well as limitations and future directions.

Burnout is a tripartite syndrome consisting of the constructs of emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and reduced feelings of personal accomplishment (PA) (Azeem & Nazir, 2008; Law, 2010; Yong & Yue, 2007). Teachers in the midst of burnout are in a “state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by long-term involvement in situations that are emotionally demanding” (Harrison, 1996, p. 25). The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between middle school teacher burnout and perceived principal support. The combination of the constructs of burnout and principal behaviors (i.e., supportive, directive, and restrictive) provided the theoretical framework for the study. Participants included 282 middle school teachers from 9 schools in East Tennessee. Instruments utilized were the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Educators Survey (MBI-ES), the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire—Revised for Middle Schools (OCDQ-RM); and a researcher‑created demographics questionnaire. Schools were also coded as either rural or non‑rural, and this classification was used as demographic information. Analyses included the calculation of Pearson r correlations and a three-stage hierarchical multiple regression. Of the participants, 43.6% rated themselves as experiencing high levels of EE and 45.4% reported low levels of personal accomplishment. In straight correlations, the EE factors of burnout were significant between gender of teachers, those who taught courses that were tested (i.e., math, reading/language arts, science, and social studies), and those who held higher degrees. For teacher behaviors, those reporting collegial and disengaged behavior had a direct relationship between all factors of burnout, as were principal behaviors categorized as supportive and restrictive. This study, however, focused on the hierarchical multiple regression to determine whether principal behaviors had a greater effect on burnout than did other variables. From the findings, the researcher realized directive principal behavior had no significant effect on any of the factors of burnout; however, those teachers with principals who they perceived as supportive were less likely to exhibit EE or DP. Restrictive principal behavior was the only factor in the regression that was significant for all factors of burnout, indicating that employees of these principals exhibited higher levels of EE and DP and lower levels of PA.

Transactive Discourse During Assessment Conversations on Science Learning by Homer A. Russell III It has been argued that development of science knowledge is the result of social interaction and adoption of shared understandings between teachers and students. A part of understanding that process is determining how student reasoning develops in groups. Transactive discussion is a form of negotiation between group members as they interpret the meaning of their logical statements about a topic. More importantly, it is a form of discourse that often leads to cognitive change as a result of the interaction between group participants as they wrestle with their different perspectives in order to achieve a common understanding. The research reported here was a correlational study designed to investigate the relationship between the various forms of transactive discussion and learning outcome performance seen in an investigation involving 24 students in a middle-SES high school located in southwest Atlanta, Georgia. Pretest and posttest measures of genetics reasoning, as well as curriculum content test data, were used in this study. Group discussion was captured on videotape and analyzed to determine whether transactional discussion was present and whether or not it had an effect on learning outcome measures. Results of this study showed that participant use of transactive discussion played a role in development of reasoning abilities in the area of genetics. It is suggested that teachers should monitor classroom discourse for the presence of transactive discussion as such discourse plays a role in fostering performance outcomes.

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The current study used data gathered as part of the Head Start/Public School Transition Project (Virginia Site), and included only data on the children who were part of Cohort II (i.e., enrolled in kindergarten in 1993). This database was examined to determine how select child and family characteristics uniquely contributed to parents' and teachers' ratings of the children's social skills and problem behaviors. A series of exploratory factor analyses (EFA), using principal components extraction and varimax rotation, were conducted to identify from the available database underlying constructs associated with the children's development of social skills and problem behaviors. Results of the EFA were used to construct predictor and dependent variables. Separate univariate models were established at four time points and hierarchical multiple regression was used to examine the unique contributions of the various predictors of parent and teacher ratings of children's social skills and problem behaviors. Of the demographic variables examined, the unique contribution of Hispanic ethnicity to parents' ratings of the children's social skills and problem behaviors was significant at all time points. Other predictors that were significant and uniquely contributed the most to parents' ratings of the children's social skills included the family's routine (beginning of kindergarten), parenting style (end of kindergarten), and attitudes about the neighborhood (end of first grade). Parents' attitudes about the behavior of children in the school was a significant predictor of parents' ratings of the children's problem behaviors. None of the predictors contributed significantly to the teacher's ratings of the children's social skills or problem behaviors. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of grit and intrinsic motivation regarding students' propensity to procrastinate. Three specific research questions were constructed: "How much of the variance in participants' procrastination is explained solely by their degree of grit?" "Does the degree of intrisic motivation contribute with additional explanatory information for the regression between grit and procrastination?" "Is intrisic motivation a mediator for the regression between grit and procrastination?" To test this, a hierarchical multiple regression analysis was constructed. To collect data an electronic questionnaire was constructed. The sample consisted of 271 students who all studied at Karlstad University. The data was collected through the learning platform itslearning. Grit was measured with Swedish-Grit Scale. Intrinsic motivation was measured with a modified version of Task Evaluation Questionnaire and the students' propensity to procrastinate was measured with Pure Procrastination Scale. Grit and intrinsic motivation constituted the independent variables and the students' propensity to procrastinate was the dependent variable. The results showed that both the grit and intrinsic motivation significantly contributed with explained variance in the students' propensity to procrastinate. The strongest predictor variable was grit. The results also showed that intrinsic motivation was not a mediator for the regression between grit and procrastination. The conclusion is that grit should play a greater part in the Swedish school system. / Syftet med studien var att undersöka betydelsen av grit och inre motivation för studenters benägenhet att prokrastinera. Tre konkreta frågeställningar konstruerades: ”Hur stor del av variansen inom deltagarnas prokrastinering förklaras ensamt av deras grad grit?”, ”Bidrar inre motivation med ytterligare förklarande information för regressionen mellan grit och prokrastinering?” och “Är inre motivation en mediator för regressionen mellan grit och prokrastinering?” För att testa detta genomfördes en hierarkisk multipel regressionsanalys. För att samla in data konturerades en elektronisk enkät. Stickprovet bestod av 271 studenter som alla studerade på Karlstads universitet. Datainsamlingen gjordes via lärplattformen itslearning. Grit mättes med Swedish-Grit Scale. Inre motivation mättes genom en modifierad version av Task Evaluation Questionnaire Prokrastinering mättes med hjälp av Pure Procrastination Scale. Grit och inre motivation utgjorde oberoende variabler och studenternas prokrastineringsbeteende utgjorde den beroende variabel. Resultatet visade att både grit och inre motivation signifikant bidrog med förklarad varians inom studenternas prokrastineringsbeteenden. Den starkaste prediktorvariablen var grit. Resultatet visade också att inre motivation inte var en mediator för regressionen mellan grit och prokrastinering. Slutsatsen av arbetet är att grit borde spela en större del i det svenska skolväsendet.

Advisors use placement test scores as a means of predicting students' proficiency in mathematics; however, there is a debate about how accurately these scores predict students' success. This nonexperimental quantitative study focused on one test, the Texas Success Initiative (TSI). The purpose of the study was to determine whether the test is an accurate predictor of students' success in college algebra for students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors, and whether students who took the test continued pursuing a STEM major. The theoretical framework for this study was Tinto's theory of retention. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software was used to generate 500 random cases from 2,339 students ranging from 18 to 50 years of age who enrolled in Math 1414 during the Spring 2015 to Spring 2017 semesters at the Texas community college setting. Hierarchical multiple and logistic regression were performed to test whether the TSI scores significantly predicted students' math grade and retention. The hierarchical multiple regression revealed that the TSI score explained only 13% of the variance in math grades (R2 = .13). The logistic regression showed that the TSI score explained a variance of only 7% (Nagelkerke R2 = .07) and yielded a higher number of false positives in predicting retention in a STEM mathematics track after controlling for high school GPA, gender, ethnicity, and age. Findings revealed no significant relationship between TSI scores and students' academic success and retention. The results from this study may contribute to positive social change by providing academic advisors with additional knowledge of the best practice for placing students to achieve success in college math courses.

Sverige är ett land med förhållandevis många start-ups och Stockholm är den stad i världen med näst mest VC per capita. Ökningen av svenska start-ups är däremot oproportionerlig gentemot ökningen av svenskt VC. Det medför en hårdare konkurrens om riskkapitalet mellan svenska start-ups, vilket i sin tur leder till att det blir svårare för dem att finansiera sin verksamhet. Vidare existerar ett kunskapsgap inom forskningslitteraturen kring VCs finansiella investeringskriterier i allmänhet, och om svenska VCs finansiella investeringskriterier i synnerhet. Studiens syfte är att undersöka och därigenom öka förståelsen kring vilka finansiella investeringskriterier svenska VCs använder sig av för att utvärdera en investeringsmöjlighet i en start-up. En kvantitativ enkätundersökning har genomförts med en kvasiexperimentell design. Studien har tillämpat en deduktiv ansats och utgått från ett realistiskt perspektiv. 27 enkätsvar har genererats som analyserats med hjälp av en Conjoint Analysis och en hierarkisk multipel regression. Resultaten från båda analysmetoderna indikerar att de finansiella investeringskriterier som inkluderats i studien rangordnas enligt följande av våra respondenter: (1) tillväxtpotential internationellt, (2) potentiell avkastning, (3) risk/osäkerhet, (4) tillgång till finansiell information och (5) exit. / Sweden is a country that houses a relatively large amount of start-ups and Stockholm is a city that has the second most invested venture capital per capita in the world. However, the increase of Swedish start-ups is disproportional to the increase of Swedish Venture Capital. As a consequence, the competition between Swedish start-ups to access venture capital is intensifying and it is therefore becoming more difficult for Swedish start-ups to raise capital. Furthermore, research in regard of Venture Capitalits’ financial investment criterions is overall sparse and on the Swedish market almost non-existent. The purpose of this study is to investigate what financial investment criterions bare most importance to Swedish Venture Capitalists when evaluating an investment opportunity. This study uses a quantitative methodology with a survey design. The study takes a deductive approach and applies a realistic perspective. 27 responses were collected and analyzed using a conjoint analysis- and hierarchical multiple regression modell. Our results show that the financial investment criterions included in our study are ranked by our respondents as follows: (1) international growth potential, (2) potential rate of return, (3) risk/uncertainty, (4) accessibility to financial information, and (5) exit.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka om dimensionerna upplevd ytlig, djup och kompetensmångfald har effekt på en projektgrupps psykologiska trygghet. Undersökningen har genomförts med en kvantitativ ansats där respondenterna fått besvara ett antal frågor i en digital enkät. Enkätensvaren har därefter bearbetats och analyserats genom en multipel regressionsanalys och en hierarkisk multipel regressionsanalys samt korrelationsanalyser. Resultatet påvisade att upplevd ytlig, djup och kompetensmångfald har effekt på den psykologiska tryggheten i projektgrupper, varav djup mångfald är den variabel med högst unikt bidrag (37,3 %). Avseende studiens frågeställning, om det råder en korrelation mellan upplevd mångfald och en projektgrupps psykologiska trygghet, visar enbart djup mångfald en signifikant korrelation. Resultatet visade också att antal projektgruppsmedlemmar och tid i projektgruppen har effekt på dess psykologiska trygghet. Vidare antyder resultatet att ett högre antal projektgruppsmedlemmar kan ha en negativ effekt på projektgruppens psykologiska trygghet. Denna studie bidrar med en ökad förståelse för hur utmaningarna och möjligheterna med mångfald kan ta form i projektgrupper och vad för effekt det kan få på olika processer, såsom psykologisk trygghet. / The purpose of this study was to investigate if perceived surface-level, deep-level, and competence diversity affect the psychological safety within a project group. The study was conducted using a quantitative approach, where respondents answered questions in a digital survey. The survey responses were then processed and analyzed through multiple regression analysis and hierarchical multiple regression analysis, as well as correlation analyses. The results indicated that perceived surface-level, deep-level, and competence diversity do affect the psychological safety within project groups, with deep-level diversity being the variable with the highest unique contribution (37,3%). Regarding the study's research question of whether there is a correlation between perceived diversity and a project group's psychological safety, only deep-level diversity showed a significant correlation. The results also showed that the number of project group members and time spent in the project group affect its psychological safety. Furthermore, the results suggest that a higher number of project group members may have a negative effect on the psychological safety within the project group. This study contributes to an increased understanding of how the challenges and opportunities of diversity can manifest in project groups and what effects it may have on various processes, such as psychological safety.

The purpose of the study was to answer the questions: Do students show greater academic success in English language arts/reading as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) exam scores in secondary education when their teachers are the same ethinicity? Do students show greater academic success in math as measured by the TAKS exam scores in secondary education when their teachers are the same ethnicity? Minority students' success on the TAKS test was compared to the assessment scores of White students from the 2010-2011, 2011-2012, and 2012-13 school year in thre suburban school districts. This topic has been a subject of discussion since the late 10970s when Cardenas and Cardenas (1977) studied the achievement among minority students and their White peers. The conversation continued through authors such as Takei and Shouse (2008), Hays (2011), Ladson-Billings (2006), Dee (2003, 2005), and Brown (2006). To answer these research questions, a hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted on the data collected. Although the study verified the achievement gap between minority students and White students, the study indicated no consistent pattern corroborating that minority students were more successful when taught by teachers of the same ethnicity. In many cases, students learned better with teachers of a different ethnicity. Black students were successful with Hispanic or White teachers, Hispanic students were successful with Black or White teachers, and White students were successful with Black or Hispanic teachers. The TAKS assessment scores were the only data used to support this analysis.