Thesis (Ph.D.)--Cleveland State University, 2009. / Abstract. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Mar. 11, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 252-291). Available online via the OhioLINK ETD Center and also available in print.

Introduction: This is a study that explores how U.K.-based counselling psychology trainees perceive that they acquire the skills and abilities required for competent practice and their understanding of what it means to be competent practitioners. It outlines some of the factors that have influenced how therapeutic competence is defined in the current climate of NHS healthcare. It indicates that the training curriculum and the professional culture of their clinical placements influenced trainees' perceptions and definitions of therapeutic competence. Literature Review: The literature review for the thesis covers two major areas. Firstly the sources for discovering how therapeutic competence is defined in counselling and psychotherapy are presented before considering the standards for competent practice in counselling psychology. Secondly the literature on trainees' experiences in training and the qualitative studies related to trainees' experiences of developing competence in training. Key themes from this review indicate that the field of counselling psychology has a commitment to its philosophical roots in humanism, personal development, and evidence-based practice. Methodology: A philosophy of qualitative analysis which introduces the grounded theory method is outlined. The assumptions, values and epistemology of the researcher are stated. The phases of the study which include: 1, Recruitment, 2. Pilot Interviews, 3. Data Collection, 4. Data Analysis, and 5. Developing the Theoretical Framework are described. A qualitative research approach based on constructionist assumptions was utilised in this study. Eleven trainee counselling psychologists were interviewed. The interviews were analysed using grounded theory analysis. Findings: This section includes a summary of two analytical phases which produced focused codes and a coding hierarchy. The results were two core categories: Perceptions of Competence and Defining Competence. Seven subcategories were also developed. Three of these subcategories, Coursework, Observer Feedback and Self-Reflections on Competence, were associated with the core category, Perceptions of Competence. Four subcategories - Clinical Experience, Reflexive Thinking/Self-Awareness, Theories and Models, and Supervision - were linked with the core category, Defining Competence. Discussion: Methods were discussed by which trainees perceive, acquire, and define therapeutic competence. The themes of self-perception of competence and self-confidence were identified as being relevant to therapeutic competence. Some of the vehicles for developing competence were highlighted including the idea that participants reflect on their experiences in training and clinical practice to develop competence. Some surprising results included a lack of evidence to suggest that trainees were thinking about the influence of pharmacology on treatment and some key professional issues (like multicultural competence and the social justice agenda) did not garner very much attention in the interviews. My contribution to knowledge is to inform training and therapist development by illuminating these processes in the context of U.K. based training programmes and representing the trainees' voice in the literature on developing competence in counselling psychology.

<p> The objective of this examination was to determine if there were significant differences in reported levels of motivation across five teaching tasks, as well as time allocated to each teaching task, among online and onsite university-level social science faculty. One hundred thirty-six social science faculty members were allocated into two groups that reported teaching in either online or onsite settings. Each participant completed the WTMST measuring various types of motivation across various types of teaching tasks. A measure of estimated time spent on each of the five teaching tasks was also obtained. The two groups showed several similarities in amount of motivation across teaching tasks and types of motivation with greater motivation for teaching, class preparation and evaluation of students than administrative and complementary tasks and greater motivation for teaching than class preparation. Both groups showed greater identified regulation than intrinsic motivation and greater intrinsic motivation and identified and external regulation than introjected regulation and amotivation. However, the onsite group reported greater motivation for teaching and class preparation than evaluation of students that was not shown for the online group and the onsite group reporting greater external regulation than intrinsic motivation and greater introjected regulation than amotivation that was not shown for the online group. The onsite group reported more time teaching than evaluation of students while the opposite finding was shown for the online group. The onsite group reported more time on class preparation than the other tasks except teaching while the online group reported less time, or no difference in time, spent on class preparation compared to other tasks. Reported time estimates and motivation scores were shown to be positively correlated across teaching tasks. The patterns of motivation scores across teaching tasks and types of motivation are described relative to self-determination theory. Differences within groups in motivation scores, and reported allocation of time, across teaching tasks, and corresponding positive correlation between motivation scores and reported time estimates suggests a relationship between the distribution of required duties of faculty and their motivational experiences. The findings are discussed relative to potential future qualitative and quantitative research of college faculty motivation and time allocated to various tasks, and relative to benefits to college level faculty, administrators and faculty services, and to students, toward facilitating quality of the academic experience. </p><p>

Enhancing and facilitating a strength-based intervention model presents a challenge for practitioners and those involved in program design and policy. This study examined a shift away from a deficit-based approach and toward strength-based assessment of family functioning within current early childhood practices. The initial effectiveness of the Family Functioning Style Scale in facilitating the re-framing of family functioning was assessed and patterns of reported family strengths were analyzed and compared. A random sample of 64 parents, equally representing four different early childhood program models, were asked to complete the scale, participate in informal discussion, complete a follow-up questionnaire, and answer follow-up questions individually three months later. The sample of parents reflected equal distribution among Head Start, Day Care, Early Intervention and Pre-School Special Education programs as well as represented equal distribution with respect to ages served (0-3, 3-5) and special education program and regular education models. The study also included a sample of 13 professionals, representing the four programs, who completed the scale based upon their knowledge of 13 of the families in the parent sample. While inter-class correlation coefficients indicated that there was no significant evidence to show that there was a difference in the rating of family strengths between parents and professionals, professionals expressed a need to gain further familiarity with the strengths of families they served. When asked if completing the scale helped them to identify family strengths, 77.6% of the respondents to this question indicated that they felt the scale had been effective. The area of strength most frequently reported by the total sample was in cohesion. The area of strength least frequently reported by this sample was in communication. Income was significantly correlated with the full scale score (FFSS) and the strength dimensions of competence and cohesion. Risk factors, such as low income and social isolation, were felt to impact the reporting of strengths within each sub-group. Several significant differences between the four sub-groups were reported with respect to the full scale mean scores as well as within several of the strength dimensions. This study supported further investigation of the use and effectiveness of scales as well as the option of interviews in order to assess family strengths and facilitate a strength-based model for intervention. In addition, the researcher emphasized the importance of staff training and policy formation in order to support program models in their effort to create environments which will maximize the recognition of family strengths and nurture the empowerment of families.

The purpose of this study was to access a research population of self-identified student perpetrators of ethnoviolence in order to learn more about their motivations, their perspectives of self and others, and their considerations for making moral decisions. The study design was quantitative and qualitative in nature and relied on both statistical analysis and ethnographic field study methods. The research procedures consisted of three basic phases: theoretical applications, perpetrator sample identification, and in-depth interview administration and analysis. A perpetrator screening survey was developed based on an Ethnoviolence Severity Scale Model and administered to a class size sample of 340 students of which 306 responded. Survey findings indicated a surprisingly high percentage of students (27.2%) admitted to committing ethnoviolent behaviors across the severity model. A significant number of students also admitted to both verbally (36.3%) and physically threatening (18.0%) others on the basis of race or ethnicity. In addition, 15.0% were physically involved in an actual hate fight and 6.0% injured someone over an issue of race or ethnicity. The survey also yielded several statistically significant relationships based on gender as well as Greek membership and the perpetration of both multiple and individual acts of ethnoviolence. Using a weight-based scoring system, 8 survey respondents were selected for in-depth interviewing (6 perpetrators and 2 non-perpetrators). Using two schemes for coding responses developed by Lyons (1983), the predominant Relational Component for self-definition among perpetrators was Separate/Objective (91.4%). As a group, perpetrators were 11 times more likely to use this mode, whereas, non-perpetrators were 18 times more likely to use the Connected one. These findings indicate that the majority of perpetrators see themselves as separate versus connected to others and view relationships as part of obligations or commitments with societal duty and principles to uphold. In addition, the perpetrator subjects were found to consistently use (greater than 80%) the Morality as Justice versus Care construct when considering moral problems. Across conflict types, perpetrators were 3.3 times more likely to use the moral ideological concepts of rights and fairness versus the concepts of situational response and interpersonal relationships in their considerations for making moral decisions.

The present cross-sectional study adds to the extant literature by exploring how parenting and child behavior problems relate to elementary school children's academic achievement and engagement. Parenting was investigated as a possible mediator of the relationship between behavior problems and academic outcomes. A diverse sample of 62 children, their primary caregivers, and teachers participated in the study. Videotaped observation of parent-child dyads doing a homework task allowed the following behaviors to be studied: parental autonomy support, positive-minus-negative presence, quality of teaching, and child engagement. To assess behavior problems, parents and teachers completed behavior rating scales, and parents completed a structured interview. Children participated in language and literacy based achievement testing, and school personnel provided grades. Children who displayed higher levels of engagement performed better on measures of academic achievement. Positive parenting behaviors were associated with academic achievement and engagement. An exploratory analysis was consistent with child engagement partially mediating the relation between parenting behavior and reading achievement. Child behavior problems were related to lower engagement, but contrary to expectations, they were not related to parenting or achievement. Boys rated by teachers as displaying behavior problems, however, had lower academic achievement, but this was not the case for girls. Though parenting was not related to child behavior problems, findings did suggest that parenting and child behavior are associated with child engagement. This research points to the critical role of engagement as a component of academic success and the potential for parents to foster children's academic engagement and achievement through the parent-child relationship.

Children from a low socioeconomic status (SES) are exposed to numerous stress factors that are negatively associated with sustained attention and academic performance. This association suggests that the timed component of lengthy assessments may be unfair for students from such backgrounds, as they may have an inability to sustain attention during lengthy tests. Research has also found academic disparities between gender. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate the relationship between continuous and divided timed tests in terms of student test scores, with additional assessments incorporating gender. Two charter schools from a suburban Idaho school district were the sources of the convenience sample. Fifth grade students were tested in groups of approximately 30. The research questions for the study concerned the relationship between continuous and divided assessment protocols and Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test scores for low- versus non-low-SES students and among gender. The hypothesis was that there would be a statistically significant difference in TAKS scores between continuous and divided assessments. An ANOVA was used to determine whether a statistical relationship existed between test scores and test protocol by gender. ANOVA results indicated no significant differences in math test scores between test protocols and among gender, suggesting that increased collaborative efforts between families and schools may mitigate factors associated with attentional and academic deficits among students from low-SES environments. The results of this study may be helpful for communities as they develop curricula that may close the academic gap among students of all SES backgrounds.

There were two goals of this study. The first was to continue reliability and validity investigations of the Body-Karlson Adolescent Development Inventory (BKADI). The second was to compare college students with a learning disability to a control group of college students focussing on adolescent development issues. The study used a matched sample procedure of 40 students diagnosed with a learning disability and 40 students without a learning disability diagnosis at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. The students were administered the BKADI, The College Adjustment Scales (CAS), and the Seligman Learned Optimism Inventory (SLOT). The BKADI assesses seven developmental concerns: Body Image, Autonomy Within the Family, Life in School, Interpersonal Relationships, Career and Lifestyle, Gender Identity, and Comfort with Changing Cultural Values while the CAS contains nine clinical scales including Anxiety, Depression, Suicidal Ideation, Substance Abuse, Self-esteem Problems, Interpersonal Problems, Family Problems, Academic Problems, and Career Problems. The SLOT assesses overall perceptions the person has about good and bad events happening in their life, as well as, a hopelessness rating, and a self-esteem rating. This study reveals a strong reliability for the BKADI for both LD and non-LD groups. Also concurrent validity was found. Comparative results of the BKADI indicated that LD students scored significantly less on the Life in School and Career Lifestyle scales. Also, results of the comparative study from the CAS showed LD students scored significantly more problematic on the scales of Academic Problems, Career Problems, Self-esteem, Family Problems, Anxiety, and Depression. Total percentages of LD students falling within the problematic ranges are significant in the previous scales, as well as, Suicidal Ideation and Substance Abuse. On the SLOT, results indicated that LD and non-LD students explained good and bad events in their life similarly. LD students, however, were significantly more optimistic on the Personalization Good scale. Conclusions related to previous research and implications for policy and practice are included.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree to which preschool children are able to provide reliable and valid sociometric data pertaining to their classroom peers. The applicability of a sociometric picture rating scale was assessed by examining its concurrent validity using the Kohn Social Competence Scale, a teacher rating instrument designed to provide an indication of the classroom social behavior of preschool children based on teacher observation. Reliability of the sociometric rating scale was investigated through a test-retest procedure over a six-week interval. Subject were thirty-two 3 and 4 year olds (16 male; 16 female) attending public school preschool programs in a rural community in Western Massachusetts. The data obtained included two sets of sociometric scores for each subject (test, retest) as well as scores from the rating scales teachers completed for each subject. Analysis of the data involved investigation of the strength of association between teacher rating scale scores and sociometric scores, as well as stability of the sociometric scores over the six-week test-retest interval. Additionally, analyses were undertaken to determine if there were statistically significant differences in the sociometric scores due to a subject's age, gender, prior socialization experiences, or Special Education status. Results indicated fairly good reliability of the sociometric picture rating scale (correlation between the test and retest sets of scores =.71, p $<$.01). Significant relationships were also found between the sociometric scores and those obtained from the teacher rating scale. Therefore, concurrent validity of the sociometric measure was demonstrated. The only differences of statistical significance found in the sociometric scores were those related to a subject's gender. In this study, females were more likely to receive high sociometric ratings from peers and males were more likely to receive low ratings. Based on the findings, it was concluded that the picture rating scale technique represents a valid and reliable sociometric measure for preschoolers. It was suggested that sociometrics always be used in conjunction with other measures of social functioning, namely direct observations of behavior or teacher rating scales.

This study examines SEARCH, an individually administered screening test used to identify kindergarten children who may be vulnerable to academic failure in school. The public school district in the community studied had used SEARCH as its screening tool for nine years and abandoned it with much controversy as to its usefulness and accuracy as a measure to detect kindergarten children vulnerable to learning failure. If it could be demonstrated that SEARCH is an effective screening instrument, the community would consider renewing its use. A sample comprised of two years of entering kindergarten children (270) who had taken SEARCH and later taken the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS) were investigated to determine whether SEARCH was successful in its ability to identify young children at risk. Variables including special education services, pre-school experience, retention, and sex were analyzed to determine any relevant effects on SEARCH scores and academic success. Bivariate and multivariate linear regressions were performed to examine relevant correlations. Stepwise regression was utilized to determine the relative predictive validity of the SEARCH subscales. A positive correlation emerged when SEARCH was compared to CTBS. Children who scored high on SEARCH tended to score high on the CTBS total score, Reading, Mathematics, and TCS scores. Further, students who scored high on SEARCH tended to succeed in regular education programs with greater consistency than low scorers. The specificity of SEARCH was (.78), the sensitivity was (.37), and the overall hit-rate was greater than 71%. Yet, sixty-four percent of children who scored in the vulnerable range on SEARCH never received special education services and twenty-two percent of children who passed SEARCH received 766 remediation. Still, a strong SEARCH score is more indicative of success than a low SEARCH score. Of the 41 children who scored five and below on SEARCH, 5 (12%) were retained, while of the 229 children remaining who passed SEARCH, 11 (4%) were retained. While the ESI reports greater overall predictive validity than SEARCH, one SEARCH subtest yields important diagnostic information. The Lamb Chop Matching subscale will be recommended as a component of the kindergarten screening program.