Thesis (M.A.)--Rowan University, 2005. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 49-53).

Thesis (M.N.M.)--Regis University, Denver, Colo., 2006. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Sept. 26, 2006). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2000. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 202-215). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Perceptions of the Host-National Peers in a Program Designed to Aid the Adjustment of International Students at the University of British Columbia Foreign students want and need social contact with people from the host country when they study abroad. The Counselling Psychology Department at the University of British Columbia has developed a peer program where Canadian students are paired with foreign students in an attempt to ease the feelings of loneliness and isolation which these foreign students often experience. This paper contains a review of related literature, a description of the peer program, an analysis of interviews with host-national participants and recommendations for improvements to the program. The literature review surveys the problems associated with foreign students on North American campuses, several theories of the adjustment process and programs designed to aid that adjustment. Some factors which help students adjust to a new environment are counselling and peer support. Host peers commented on how and why they became participants in the program. They revealed some of the problems associated with being a helping peer. The benefits they received from the program were many but they were able to identify several aspects of the program which could be changed to make the program more rewarding to themselves and to the foreign peers. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Peer tutors -- Collaborative learning methods -- Peer dialoguing skills -- Peer composition or writing skills -- Critical points of argumentation.

In this study, the motives that influence students to become peer educators are reported. Undergraduates from the University of Central Florida, University of South Florida, and University of Florida, who participate in a Peer Health Education program, were surveyed. Results show responses to personal experiences, personal expectations, self-efficacy, and altruistic and extrinsic motivations. According to the findings, there is a unique set of motivating factors common among the majority of college students who chose to become peer educators. This study supports findings on peer health educators' motives and extends research to cover program recruitment and training.

This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of a filial/play therapy training model with high school juniors and seniors enrolled in a Peer Assistance and Leadership program (PALs). Filial/play therapy is an intervention that focuses on strengthening and enhancing adult-child relationships. The high students are trained to be a therapeutic change agent for primary school children identified as having adjustment difficulties by utilizing basic child-centered play therapy skills in weekly play sessions with young children. Specifically, this study is designed to determine the effectiveness of filial therapy in increasing: 1) the high school students' observed empathic behavior with young children, 2) the high school students' observed attitude of acceptance toward young children, 3) the high school students' observed ability to allow self-direction in young children, and 4) the high school students' observed level of involvement with young children. The experimental group, consisting of 16 volunteer high school students enrolled in a PALs class for high school credit, received a total of 24 weeks of filial/play therapy didactic training, application, and supervision for the playtimes they conducted with pre-kindergarten/kindergarten students identified with adjustment difficulties. The comparison group consisted of 15 volunteer high school students enrolled in a PALs class for high school credit. The comparison group received the standard PALs class curriculum. All students were videotaped playing with a young child 4 to 6 years of age before and after the training as a means of measuring empathic behavior with young children. An Analysis of Covariance revealed statistically significant findings in all four hypotheses. Specifically, the experimental group of high school students exhibited statistically significant increases in empathic interactions with young children when compared to the comparison group. The experimental group also exhibited statistically significant increases in communication of acceptance of young children's feelings and behaviors, acceptance and behavioral willingness to follow young children's lead rather than attempt to control their behavior, and attention to and participation in young children's play. This study supports the use of filial/play therapy as an effective training model for increasing high school students' empathic behavior with young children. Filial/play therapy offers significant possibilities for training high school students in a developmentally appropriate model for working with young children identified with school adjustment difficulties, in order to prevent future problems.

Research has demonstrated the efficacy of attitudinal-motivational counseling in conjunction with study skills training. However, it has not been clear whether group or individual counseling was most beneficial. This research attempted to evaluate the usefulness of peer counselors in group and individual counseling sessions. Using students voluntarily enrolled in a study skills program, it was demonstrated that all students improved in study habit scores. However, only individual-peer counseling was effective in changing academic attitudes (p < . 05), as compared to group-peer counseling, no-counseling, and no-treatment conditions. Grade-point-average change scores were not differentially effected by the treatment conditions.