This study investigated the effectiveness of microcounseling techniques, relapse prevention training and follow-up in helping alcohol abusive or dependent individuals develop coping skills. Success of the programs were measured by reduction of drinking episodes and patient well-being. The General Well-Being Scale, Inventory of Drinking Scale, and Self-report Questionnaire were instruments used to assess any changes in patient improvement over sixteen-weeks. Additional follow-up was provided with urine samples obtained from participants in the study. The sample population consisted of fifty active duty individuals and Department of the Army Civilian Employees. All subjects were enrolled in a formal Alcohol, Drug, Prevention and Control Program. Each participant had a minimum diagnosis of drug abuse or dependence as defined by DSM-III-R. The results of this study did not support the original premise; that a combination of the Army's Basic Treatment program, microcounseling, relapse prevention, and follow-up would be the most effective mode of prevention. Findings reinforced the success of the Army's basic treatment program without supplementary interventions. Results indicated that there were no significant differences among the groups. There appeared to be a general degree of improvement for all groups. Data also indicated that age and education were important factors in treatment. It appeared that older patients and patients with higher levels of formal education did better in treatment. No urine positives were reported during program participation or approximately sixteen weeks after the individuals participation in this research program. This behavioral measure resulted in an average relapse rate of ten percent for all groups during the program and post-program relapse rates of twenty to thirty percent. Interpretation of this data could mean that adding any combination of microcounseling, relapse prevention and/or follow-up to the Army's Basic Treatment Program may do very little to enhance treatment outcomes. However, limitations in the treatment, research design, and the population sample could account for the lack of significant results obtained with this study.

Erhard Seminars Training, (est), is an experience which occurs during two weekend training periods.The purpose of the est training is to transform your ability to experience living so that the situations you have been trying to change or have been putting up with, clear up just in the process of life itself. of this study is to describe the contextual approach to education. The purpose est experience as a East is identified in terms of an experience of Being and as the basis for a mode of being-in-the-world. This mode of being is presented as the context in which the contents of life, including education, occur.

<p> &ldquo;Since the 1970s, one of the hallmarks of reforms of junior high and middle schools has been the recognition of social &lsquo;needs&rsquo; of young teens and the ways in which schools have failed to serve them&rdquo; (Juvonen, p. 197, 2007). If school climate is left to fail, adolescents are at a risk for developing mental health problems, anxiety, antisocial behaviors, and depression (Shortt, Alison, &amp; Spence, 2006). Unless discipline issues are at a minimum, instruction will be interrupted and teaching time will be lost (McIntosh, Bohanon &amp; Goodman, 2011).</p><p> The following research questions are a few of the questions that guided this study: 1. What are the students&rsquo; perceptions of school climate at the end of the school 2014 year? 2. What are the differences in the number of Office Disciplinary Reports (ODRs) from pre-implementation of the SWPBS in 2009 to post-implementation of the SWPBS in 2014 by grade level and gender? </p><p> This study employed a causal-comparative research design utilizing ex post facto data collected from ODRs and a School Climate Survey to determine feasibility and worthiness of a School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports (SWPBS). The students in this study (<i>N</i>=487) were from a small suburban middle school located in the Northeast.</p><p> Analyses of students&rsquo; perceptions of school climate were negative in the following three dimensions: <i>Order and Discipline</i>=41%, <i> Student-Interpersonal Relations</i>=49% and <i>Student-Teacher Relations </i>=78%. An analysis of ANOVAs revealed significant differences between grade levels 5 to 8 (<i>p</i>=&lt;.001). Findings for Office Disciplinary Reports (ODRs) at the end of a five-year implementation of a SWPBS system reported significant percent decreases ranging from 54% at pre-implementation of the SWPBS to 90% at post-implementation in grade levels 5 to 8.</p><p> Educational leaders can utilize the findings from this study to guide their instructional practice on building <i>Student-Teacher Relations </i> and implement the use of a School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) system, to help address the social emotional needs of students and minimize student behavioral problems to effect time spent on learning and the success of student learning in the classroom.</p>

The purpose of this thesis is to apply an evidence-based perspective to educational interventions and techniques, and more specifically, to examine areas in which techniques ostensibly derived from an understanding of the psychological literature are applied to children’s learning. Broadly, the thesis moves from a review of ‘alternative’ techniques in education, toward empirical studies in areas where techniques informed by psychological science may, or may not, inform educational practice, toward a final empirical study examining the outcomes of the educational process. In an introductory review (Chapter One), I assess the evidence base of five ‘alternative’—but still commonly-used—educational techniques, providing a sketch of the sometimes seductive claims made by their proponents, and the reasons teachers may decide to use them in their classrooms. Chapter Two describes a study of one such ‘alternative’ technique: coloured filters for alleviating reading difficulties. I followed-up a sample of eighteen children who had used these filters—plastic overlays or tinted spectacle lenses—while reading for one year, and showed that, similar to the analysis at initial diagnosis, the lenses did not appear to improve reading on either a rate-of-reading test or a reading comprehension measure. In Chapter Three, I describe an investigation of a second technique: brief relaxation and exercise periods designed to improve children’s attention and concentration in the classroom. In two experiments, one involving two hundred and twelve children and the second involving two hundred and seventy children, I found inconclusive results: small detrimental effects of exercise on attention, but small positive effects on memory. Chapter Four addresses a technique related to those in the previous chapter: wakeful resting. Shown to be effective for learning in amnesic patients and older individuals, and theoretically important for our understanding of memory consolidation and forgetting, this technique had not yet been applied to children learning in the classroom. Here, I provide evidence from two experiments—one large-scale, in which the technique was carried out by two hundred and eighty-four children in the classroom, and one small-scale, where the measures were administered to fourteen children in a controlled setting—that both show the technique does not appear to improve memory in young children. In Chapter Five, I describe a simultaneous study of two educational techniques, one popular but poorly-evidenced, and one unpopular but with a strong evidential basis: mind-mapping and retrieval practice, respectively. In two samples of one hundred and nine and two hundred and nine children, I showed that retrieval practice, with or without mind mapping, improved fact learning in primary school children. In Chapter Six, I focus on the effects of education, examined in a large, longitudinal, publicly available birth cohort dataset (n > 18,000). Using structural equation modeling, I show that reading and mathematics skills measured in childhood predict socio-economic status in mid-life, even after controlling for socio-economic status of origin, general intelligence, motivation, and educational duration. Finally, in Chapter Seven, I summarize the findings of the thesis, give recommendations for future research, and discuss potential contributions to education from three other fields of psychology: neuroscience, social psychology, and differential psychology.

This thesis reports and discusses an integrated programme of research on computerised assessment in education, focussing on two themes. The aim of the first study was to develop and evaluate a computerised baseline assessment system for four to five year olds (CoPS Baseline). The aim of the second study was to develop and evaluate a computerised dyslexia screening system for the secondary school age group (LASS Secondary). CoPS Baseline was shown to be a reliable and valid assessment of pupils' skills in literacy, mathematics, communication and personal and social development on entry to school at age four or five. It was also found to be predictive of children's later reading, spelling, writing and mathematics ability up to three years after the initial testing. LASS Secondary was shown to be a reliable and valid assessment of students' reading, spelling, reasoning, auditory memory, visual memory, phonological processing and phonic skills from the ages of 11 to 15. It was also seen to be a good indicator of dyslexia, with significant differences between the scores of dyslexic students and non-SEN students on the sentence reading, spelling, auditory memory, non-word reading and syllable segmentation tests. CoPS Baseline and LASS Secondary were also found to be more objective than conventional assessment administered by a person, time-saving in their test administration and scoring, and more enjoyable and motivating for children, particularly children who have specific difficulties. Computer-based techniques have been shown to be beneficial in the assessment of children in educational settings. However, further research is proposed in the areas of: gender and ethnic differences in computerised versus conventional assessment; the addition of reading comprehension, verbal intelligence, mathematics and motor skills tests to the LASS Secondary system; follow-up tests of students assessed on LASS Secondary to provide information about teaching outcomes; and the development of tests suitable for use with deaf / hearing-impaired individuals in order to assess literacy skills and identify dyslexia.

<p> This study examined the attitudes of general education teachers and nondisabled peers towards their peers with disabilities who participated in general education classes with and without the use of assistive technology. A convenience sample of three general education classrooms was the focus of this study. One classroom had a student with significant disabilities who used assistive technology participating in the classroom activities. A second classroom had a student with significant disabilities who did not use assistive technology participating in the classroom activities and a third classroom had no student with significant disabilities participating in classroom activities. Attitudes were measured through use of survey and interview instruments. All together, there were positive attitudes expressed by teachers and students without disabilities about students with disabilities participating in the general education classroom, but those students were not seen by both students and teachers as being as capable as their typical peers.</p>

<p> The purpose of this mixed methodology study was to explore the perceptions of ability grouping and its possible contribution to the achievement gap within the high school. The researcher asserted that course placement criterion, associated with the College Prep, Honors and Advanced placement ability groups, serve as contributing factors towards maintaining an achievement gap between White, Asian, Black and Hispanic students. The study revealed stakeholder perceptions and concerns regarding the methods involved to place students in College Prep, Honors and Advanced Placement courses as a contributing factor towards maintaining the achievement gap that exists within the district. This study focused on the following research questions: (1) What are the specific beliefs, roles, and influences of teachers, administrators, counselors, students, and parents when determining ability level placement in school? (2) What key factors shape teacher's perceptions of students relative to academic achievement and placement? (3) Does a course placement criterion contribute to the achievement gap? The findings were based upon four data sources: focus groups conducted with parents, teachers/counselors, and students; interviews conducted with three district administrators; an on-line survey completed by parents, students, teachers/counselors and administrators; and a review of archival data regarding course enrollment and High School Proficiency Assessment scores over a period of three academic years. </p><p> This action research dissertation revealed fifteen findings of which four themes emerged. The themes are: (1) Beliefs, values, and influences of teachers, parents, and students affect ability grouping decisions; (2) A student's perceived work ethic and grades earned in previous classes influence teacher's decisions regarding ability placement; (3) The parent's right to overrule teacher course recommendations and course placement criterion contribute towards the achievement gap; and (4) Course enrollment and standardized test scores demonstrate the existence of an achievement gap in Central Jersey High School. </p>

<p>This study examined students&rsquo; use of self-regulation strategies in fully online and blended courses in a rural high school in northeast Georgia. An examination of self-regulation strategies between and within ethnic groups, gender, students&rsquo; grade level, and students enrolled or not enrolled in online or blended courses was conducted. Students (n = 507) and teachers (n = 57) from the high school were provided online learning tasks aimed to advance strategies on self-regulated learning. A modified version of the MSLQ (Pintrich, Smith, Garcia, and McKeachie (1991) was used for the students&rsquo; survey. The 19-items modified MSLQ survey was associated with eight factors of self-regulation. The eight factors were goal setting, motivation, task strategies, environment structuring, time management, help-seeking, self-efficacy for computer usage, and self-evaluation. However, based on factor analyses, only three factors emerged from the principal component analysis (PCA). The three factors were task strategies, goal setting, and self-efficacy for computer usage. In the qualitative investigation, teacher questionnaires and teacher interviews were used to generate a rich account of students&rsquo; self-regulated strategies, offering insight that helped to identify what self-regulated strategies students need to succeed in online and blended courses. </p>

<p> Students with emotional behavioral disorders (EBD) are educated in restrictive placements at higher rates than students in other disability categories due to their challenging behavior and inability to function in the general educational environment (Bullock &amp; Gable, 2006). The increasing utilization of alternative programming to educate students with EBD has prompted scholars to more closely examine and identify critical intervention components of these programs (Simpson et al., 2011). Although outcomes associated with restrictive placements have been investigated, there has not been any systematic investigation of whether the recommended elements of comprehensive programming are in place in these settings, whether they are being implemented with integrity and whether they, in turn, lead to improved outcomes. Therefore, a review of the literature aimed at examining studies of restrictive settings for the existence of the eight critical elements for effective EBD programs (Simpson et al., 2011) and the associated academic, behavioral, and social outcomes was conducted. The review revealed that none of the studies described the existence of supports in all eight areas. Examination of the outcomes across the studies indicated that students with EBD made some progress academically, behaviorally, and socially, but the extent and practical significance of that progress varied. A descriptive study was also conducted. Administrators and teachers from Board of Cooperative Educations Services (BOCES) specialized programs and approved day treatment programs in New York State were surveyed about the intensity and fidelity of implementation of evidence-based academic practices, effective behavior management and treatment plans, and social skills instruction. Means and standard deviations were used to summarize the levels of intensity and implementation fidelity across the sample. Two-way multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) were conducted to determine the effect of type of program and the respondents' professional position on the three elements. Overall, the results suggest that the three critical elements are present in some capacity and implemented with at least medium fidelity across the two restrictive settings. Significant differences were found between programs and positions in regards to the perceived levels of intensity and fidelity of implementation of the practices. Implications for future research, practice, and limitations are discussed.</p>

<p> This qualitative study explores the external protective factors of family, school, and community as perceived by rural students who live in poverty and demonstrate academic resilience. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that were reported by the students and teachers which supported the academic success of these students in a rural school district. By identifying the common variables among academically resilient students, educators identify practices that support or even cultivate resilience in students who are at risk for failure. </p><p> Resilience research has revealed both external and internal protective factors that serve to buffer against the effects of risk factors. Specific to academic resilience, individual attributes have been determined to provide significant internal support to students. External protective factors for students related to the family, school, and community have also been identified. By understanding these external protective factors as they are perceived by students, educators may develop policy and practice to support academic resilience. </p><p> The study employed multicase methodology using phenomenological interviews. Participants included six students who demonstrated academic resilience. Triangulation of data sources included in-depth, semistructured interviews with six students and a former teacher of each student, verbatim transcription of all interviews, a document review, and personal observations. </p><p> Findings revealed protective factors of connections, expectations, experiences, and instruction supported school success in rural students living in poverty. </p>