No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects on reading achievement for middle school students after participation in a computer-based reading intervention program, READ 180, as well as the relationship of program participation to later dropout rates, compared to students enrolled in a traditional reading remediation program. A nonequivalent control group research design was used to examine data collected from 384 students in Grades 6 through 8 participating in reading interventions spanning a 3-year period from 2003 through 2006. Independent samples t test and chi-square statistics were used to analyze data to determine the yearly reading achievement mean gains, differences between the effects of the two reading interventions, and later dropout frequencies. There were no significant differences between the treatment and comparison groups in reading scores during the first year of READ 180 implementation. Computer software problems affected the implementation of READ 180 during the first semester of implementation. The findings reveal a statistically significant difference between the effects on reading achievement scores for students who participated in READ 180 when implemented with moderate fidelity compared to students in a traditional reading remediation program during the 2nd and 3rd years of implementation. The findings in this study revealed that an intensive reading intervention, READ 180, can significantly improve reading achievement for struggling adolescent readers when implemented with moderate fidelity. Analyses of the data revealed differences between the number of 2003-2004 reading intervention participants and the school division cohort dropout rates. A significant difference was not observed between the 2004-2006 cohort dropout rates when compared to the school division rates. The findings in this study will be beneficial to secondary principals who are held accountable for literacy development, implementation, and evaluation as the school instructional leader. / Ph. D.

Bullying is a major issue facing school systems today. It is important to explore the extent to which school counselors feel confident in providing interventions to address bullying. This research study is designed to fill a gap in the current school counseling literature regarding our understanding of school counselors' self-efficacy to address bullying in elementary schools. The following research questions will guide the study: 1. What is the elementary school counselor's perceived self-efficacy for providing bullying interventions in an elementary school setting, as measured by the Counselor Self-Efficacy and Bullying Interventions Scale (CSBI)? 2. What is the elementary school counselor's perceived self-efficacy regarding his or her counseling skills as measured by the Counseling Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE)? 3. To what extent are (a) years of experience in the field, (b) years of training, (c) bullying-intervention training in graduate school, and (d) participation in professional development activities and/or in-services predictive of a counselor's self-efficacy for providing bullying interventions? Responses from 126 elementary school counselors employed at a large suburban school district in the Mid-Atlantic region were used to explore overall counselor self-efficacy and counselor self-efficacy related to bullying interventions. The Counseling Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE; Larson et al., 1992), and Counselor Self-Efficacy and Bullying Interventions Scale(CSBI adapted from King et al., 1999) were the instruments used to answer the research questions. Participants reported a high (M =185) overall self-efficacy as well as a high (M =71.2) self-efficacy for providing bullying interventions. However, only one variable, years of experience, was found to significantly predict efficacy expectations (B = 0.25, p <.01) and outcome values (B = 0.21, p <.05); none of the variables were found to significantly predict outcome expectations (r-squared=0.06, n.s). / Ph. D.

Ecological interventions hold promise for meeting the needs of post-disaster communities, yet little systematic quantitative evidence is available about such programs. This study evaluated the short-term outcomes of participants in the Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR) program, a novel and exemplar ecological intervention for helpers working in post-disaster settings. It is a one week training and support program for helpers working in disaster-affected communities. Changes in the psychological distress of 42 STAR participants, across four STAR sessions, were assessed and identified as primary outcome variables. Knowledge, attitude, and intended practice changes were also assessed, along with perceived support, using a pre (T1)/post (T2) design. These indicators were then tested as possible predictors of participants' changes in distress. An integrity check was conducted on a sample of the seminar modules to assess fidelity to the program manual. Qualitative data were also gathered from follow up visits conducted with two participants. These data were used to help interpret quantitative findings, as well as to plan for future studies of how STAR effects might extend out from helpers into their home communities. Results showed that participants exhibited significant changes in knowledge, attitudes, and intended practices from the beginning of the seminar to the end. Results also showed significant decreases in psychological distress over the STAR week. Regression analyses showed that changes in knowledge, attitudes, and practice, as well as perceived social support during the seminar, explained significant amounts of variance in self reported trauma symptoms at T2. Variance in T2 burnout and compassion fatigue explained by these predictors was notable but not statistically significant due to lack of power. Results suggest that STAR can change knowledge and attitudes of helpers from disaster communities and that participants in this program experience decreases in distress during their stay. The lack of a valid comparison group makes causal interpretations of these findings premature. Findings also suggest that changes in distress are not caused by, or even significantly related to, learning that takes place during the STAR week. The mechanism for distress reduction during the STAR week is an unresolved question. Other significant unresolved questions remain regarding the STAR intervention and ways the present findings can be generalized to ecological interventions more broadly. For example, while the current study suggests important changes occur in helpers during the STAR week, it is of central importance to explore how these changes translate into the disaster-affected home communities. Discussion also focuses on the difficulties involved in conducting systematic research with organizations and helpers whose primary goals are practical or clinical, not scientific. Despite the questions that remain, taken together, results point to the promise of STAR to address the mental health needs of helpers and perhaps eventually disaster communities. / Ph. D.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Natural disasters disproportionately affect older adults, resulting in worse outcomes compared to younger age groups. This highlights the need for effective interventions to reduce mortality rates among the elderly population during natural disasters. This literature review explores the various strategies aimed at protecting and supporting the elderly population by searching through the databases PubMed and Google Scholar. The search strategy included key terms related to the elderly population, strategies, and natural disasters. Articles meeting the inclusion criteria are reviewed to identify common strategies utilized in reducing elderly mortality during disasters. The findings highlight various categories of strategies, including education and awareness programs, community-based initiatives, infrastructure improvements, and technological advancements. These interventions demonstrate potential for enhancing outcomes among older adults during disasters. The implications of these findings for policy development, disaster preparedness, and future research are also discussed.