Includes vita. / Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 137 pages. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: The researcher examined the relationships between tuberous sclerosis, a multi-system genetic disorder, and school functioning through the use of a parent questionnaire and behavior rating scale. Information was gathered on the typical school experiences of children with tuberous sclerosis, including educational placement and services, behavioral functioning, parent involvement, and parent satisfaction. The results indicated that the majority of students with tuberous sclerosis are in special education and receiving related services. Three-quarters received one or more related services through the public school, and 30% received private related services paid for by their parents. Parent involvement was positively correlated with parent satisfaction, and negatively correlated with t-scores on the Withdrawn/Depressed subscale of the CBCL. / ABSTRACT: Parents of children receiving Autism services were generally less satisfied with their children's school experiences than other parents. Parent satisfaction was negatively correlated with the Attention Problems scale of the CBCL. Student age was negatively correlated with time in inclusion and with related services. This information forms the basis for a discussion of school psychologists' roles in the educational success of students with tuberous sclerosis and the critical areas towards which interventions should be directed. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 124 pages. / Thesis (Ed.S.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: This research study compared perceptions of family functioning among preadolescent children with behavior difficulties and their primary caregivers. Participants consisted of 29 caregiver-child dyads as well as each child's classroom teacher. Eligibility for the study was based on the child's placement within a self-contained Emotionally Handicapped (EH) or Severely Emotionally Disturbed (SED) classroom in one of three elementary schools within two west coast Florida counties. Data collection included teacher rating scales pertaining to the severity of each child's behavior and the presence of Callus Unemotional (CU) traits in addition to caregiver and child interviews tapping perceptions of family functioning. Results indicated that caregivers consistently viewed their families as more adaptive and cohesive than did children with a disruptive behavior disorder. / ABSTRACT: These findings are consistent with previous research showing a similar pattern among older adolescents with a disruptive behavior disorder. No relationship was not found between the child's perception of family functioning and CU traits, although it was noted that there was considerable restriction of range on CU traits. Overall, the results of this study contributes to the existing literature by demonstrating that preadolescents, like their older counterparts, also view their families as less adaptive and cohesive than do their caregivers. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Research indicates the potential utility of schools as sites for service delivery of mental health interventions. The application of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) within the school domain is reflected in the child psychotherapy literature. Findings on the use of SFBT in school settings suggest that it may be well suited to school contexts given its time-efficient, goal-directed, and strengths-based behavioral approach. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of SFBT with at-risk youth in an alternative school setting. The researcher utilized a multiple case study design to examine the impact of a 6-session SFBT intervention on adolescent behavioral outcomes. Six students were randomized to one of three baseline conditions and received the SFBT intervention following baseline data collection. Data were obtained from multiple raters at baseline, posttest, and 6-week follow-up. In addition, students completed self-reported ratings at the beginning of each SFBT intervention session. Data were evaluated using non-regression approaches and visual analyses. Preliminary results indicated that four out of six students exhibited reliable change (6-point increase in post-ORS mean scores), and four out of the six students demonstrated clinically significant change (baseline ORS mean scores below the adolescent clinical cutoff of <28). Results also indicated a decrease in total problem behavior scores at posttest for all informants on a normed assessment of emotional and behavioral functioning. Follow-up data were collected for four out of six students, and results suggested that this decrease in ratings was maintained or decreased further across all raters for three out of the four student participants. Overall, preliminary results indicated the potential utility of SFBT with at-risk youth in an alternative school environment. Strengths and limitations of the current study, as well as additional research aims (e.g., impact of therapist alliance, fidelity monitoring in SFBT) and future research areas are also presented.

<p>School psychologists in South Africa are employed by the state to provide psychological services to schools. The role of school psychologists has been debated and contested nationally and internationally for many decades, with the need for a paradigm shift in school psychology practice and redefining the role of school psychologists being highlighted. In this study, the roles and practices of school psychologists are explored, with a focus on the nature of collaborative work engaged in when facilitating school development. In particular, challenges that emerge when school psychologists work with other sectors to facilitate school development are investigated. The overall research question was: What are the challenges that face school psychologists who facilitate school development through intersectoral collaboration and how can these challenges be addressed?</p>

There are hundreds of thousands of children living in foster care in the United States on any given day. Mental health professionals may be called upon to assist with evaluating the parental capacity of these children’s parents in order to inform reunification decisions. One of the key parental capacity domains to be evaluated is the relationship between parent and child (Schmidt et al., 2007). The Working Model of the Child Interview coding scheme (WMCI; Zeanah et al., 1996) is one tool for evaluating this relationship. There is a significant practice-to-research gap with this measure. To date, no peer-reviewed studies have established the WMCI coding scheme’s psychometric properties; the need for such research with this measure has been cited in the literature (Sprang, Clark, & Bass, 2005). In this dissertation, the literature was reviewed on attachment theory and internal working models of caregiving, the WMCI and other measures of similar constructs, the importance of establishing a measure’s construct and criterion-validity, and forensic standards for measures. Then, it outlined a series of research questions aimed at exploring the psychometric properties of the WMCI Coding Scheme with mothers who have maltreated. Next, the methodology was described. Based on the results of the 403 biological mothers who completed the WMCI as part of court-appointed evaluations following child maltreatment, the items of the WMCI Coding Scheme were best conceptualized using two-factors: Quality and Content. This finding was consistent with the manual. Significant differences in item-level scores existed for all three WMCI descriptive classifications and for overall factor scores. Due to the instability of the two-item Content factor, this dissertation explored the use of a WMCI Total Score (combining the two factors) and using only the WMCI Quality factor and items. No significant relationships existed between any demographic characteristics and WMCI factor scores. Weak, negative correlations with other measures provided some evidence of convergent validity. In conclusion, some potential clinical/research implications for the WMCI Coding Scheme were made and limitations and future directions were described.

Insufficient physical activity is a serious concern for the youth of this nation. In 2008, more than one third of children and adolescents could be classified as either obese or overweight (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). Poor nutrition and lack of physical activity are two major factors contributing to this epidemic. A physically active lifestyle during youth not only improves physical health, but has also been shown to improve emotional health, behavior, and academic performance. It is important that this area of research is continued and expanded so appropriate educational policies that support the health and well-being of America’s youth can be established. No research to date has explored the long term impact of physical activity levels in adolescence on educational outcomes in adulthood. The purpose of this proposed study is to address this research gap by investigating the longitudinal relationships between physical activity in adolescence and physical activity in adulthood, educational ambition, and educational attainment. In order to achieve these research goals, secondary analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health was analyzed. Results revealed that higher levels of physical activity during adolescence are associated with higher levels of physical activity during young adulthood. Higher levels of physical activity during adolescence were also negligibly and weakly correlated to higher levels of academic ambition and later academic attainment. A discussion of the results and the limitations of the current study follow.

Much of the emphasis on interventions to improve literacy skills has been focused on the primary grade levels. Over the last decade, an increasing amount of research has stressed the need for effective reading interventions for adolescents. However, little research has evaluated effective professional development of secondary teachers in the area of literacy. The current study examines the results of embedded teacher professional development in the form of an intensive summer reading program on student reading achievement. Students reading below the 50th percentile at the end of seventh and ninth grades were identified. The final sample consisted of 92 students who participated in the summer program in its entirety. The program consisted of four weeks (20 sessions) of reading instruction. For the students below grade level, grade equivalent scores significantly increased one-third to one-half of a year. Limitations of the current study are discussed as well as recommendations for future research.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Submitted by Sarah Lemes de Almeida (sarahlemes1@gmail.com) on 2015-11-09T22:29:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 PDF IMPRESSÃO SARAH Oficial.pdf: 1163614 bytes, checksum: a5bed90bd4a1d18b12ea215f6159f5fe (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Auxiliadora da Silva Lopes (silopes@ufba.br) on 2015-11-11T18:46:30Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 PDF IMPRESSÃO SARAH Oficial.pdf: 1163614 bytes, checksum: a5bed90bd4a1d18b12ea215f6159f5fe (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-11-11T18:46:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PDF IMPRESSÃO SARAH Oficial.pdf: 1163614 bytes, checksum: a5bed90bd4a1d18b12ea215f6159f5fe (MD5) / A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo geral compreender as concepções teóricas e práticas que embasam as disciplinas e estágios relacionados à Psicologia Escolar e Educacional na Formação de Psicólogos na Bahia. Adota-se, como referencial teórico, a Psicologia Escolar e Educacional em uma perspectiva crítica. Como procedimentos de campo, são utilizadas as seguintes estratégias: busca no site do Ministério da Educação pela quantidade de Instituições de Educação Superior (IES) que ofereciam cursos de Psicologia na Bahia; levantamento de dados gerais destas IES (modalidade administrativa, localidade, quantidade de cursos de psicologia oferecidos); análise das características gerais dos cursos (vigência do currículo, carga horária total, ênfases); análise das disciplinas e dos estágios relacionados à Psicologia Escolar e Educacional inseridos nos desenhos curriculares dos cursos de psicologia e suas respectivas carga horárias e semestralidade; entrevista e aplicação de questionários em docentes de tais disciplinas e estágios; análise dos planos de ensino dos professores participantes da pesquisa. A análise do material de campo é realizada a partir de enfoque quantitativo e qualitativo. Os achados desta pesquisa indicam que a maioria dos docentes das disciplinas e estágios relacionados à Psicologia Escolar e Educacional transita por concepções teóricas e práticas condizentes com a perspectiva crítica em Psicologia Escolar e Educacional, o que demonstra a difusão teórica desse campo de conhecimento, e, consequentemente, uma maior aproximação com bases epistemológicas comprometidas ética e politicamente com a superação do fracasso escolar. Esperamos, com esta pesquisa, contribuir para reflexões sobre a Formação de Psicólogos no Estado da Bahia, em especial, buscando repensar que lugar ocupa a perspectiva crítica em Psicologia Escolar e Educacional nesta formação. / ABSTRACT This research aimed at understanding the theoretical concepts and practices that support the courses and internships related to the Educational and School Psychology in the formation of Psychologists in Bahia, a Brazilian State. School and educational psychology from a critical perspective are adopted as theoretical framework. The following procedures are followed to collect field material, which were analyzed quantitative and qualitatively : search at the Brazilian Culture and Education Ministry internet site for the amount of High Education Institutions which offers Psychology courses in Bahia; survey of general information of these institutions (administrative mode, location, number of courses offered in Psychology); identification of general characteristics of the courses (duration of the curriculum, total classload, emphases); identification of disciplines and internships related to School and Educational Psychology within curricular designs of Psychology courses and their classload as well as periodicity; questionnaires and interviews with professors of such disciplines and internships; analysis of professors lesson plans. Results of this survey indicate that most professors of disciplines and internships related to School and Educational Psychology transits in between theoretical conceptions and practices consistent with the critical perspective on School and Educational Psychology. This reveals the theoretical diffusion of the field of knowledge, and, therefore, a closer relationship with ethically and politically committed epistemological foundations. We hope this research contributes to reflections on the formation of psychologists especially in Bahia, by rethinking about the place occupied by critical perspective on School and Educational Psychology.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:46:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 4249.pdf: 2943548 bytes, checksum: 078f2a1ee42100703fe72ae5e86f61ff (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-29 / With the implementation of public policies on school inclusion, the number of students with Special Educational Needs increases in the ordinary classrooms. This fact helps to compose a scene in the schools that have displayed the limitations and contradictions of our educational system. Educational actors and authors are challenged to make available and build knowledge capable of responding to the demands of the daily school related to the coexistence and learning in the diversity. Whereas this process of school inclusion is new in the schools and the psychology has a field of knowledge and performance that specifically itself devote to work in the school institution, it is asked: What do the context emerge the teachers demands resulting from the school inclusion? What are those demands and which can they be answered by the School Psychologist? Which contributions can the School Psychologist offer in the perspective of creating inclusive schools? The aims of the study were: to analyze the immediate context where the teachers demands emerge referring to school inclusion; to identify demands of teachers resulting from the school inclusion; to identify demands which can be answered by the School Psychologist; to point out perspectives to performance of psychologist along with the teachers in view the school inclusion. The research is based on a qualitative approach of investigative kind. The participants were: six students with Special Educational Needs and their teachers. The technique of participant observation, field diary, semi-structured interview, and questionnaire were used to the collection data. The results indicate that there are achievements and contradictions in the reality of the schools that are inclusive, advances and limitations resulting from Municipal policy and that the model of performance of the team of special education in the context analyzed can be reconsidered or enlarged. Before this fact, the teachers show demands in the field of action from Public Policy, from the Training, and from demands towards the Psychologist. The psychologist s contributions are going to be essential to answer or remean both the demands towards him, and to help facing the challenges put by inclusion policy and by the constant formation of the teachers, specially that formation which comprises: the critical evaluation of official purpose; the development of social skills, including the collaborative work along with parents and keepers; the construction of critical conceptions about the differences; the building of the collective practices of engagement to prejudices and discriminative attitudes; the study of theories of learning and development emphasizing the mediative possibilities of the teachers in this process. To answer those demands and support the s schooling of the students with Special Educational Needs it is necessary that the psychologist knows the policy and the subjects of special education in order to qualify their formative interventions and their pattern of action can be the collaborative consultation. / Com a implementação das políticas públicas em inclusão escolar, cresce o número de alunos com Necessidades Educacionais Especiais (NEEs) nas classes comuns, fato que ajuda a compor um cenário nas escolas que tem desvelado as limitações e contradições do sistema educacional brasileiro. Atores e autores educacionais são desafiados a construir saberes capazes de responder às demandas do cotidiano escolar relacionadas à convivência e aprendizagem na diversidade. Considerando que este processo de inclusão escolar é novo nas escolas e que a psicologia tem um campo de conhecimento e atuação que se dedica especificamente ao trabalho na instituição escolar, perguntou-se: de qual contexto emergem as demandas dos professores decorrentes da inclusão escolar? Que demandas são estas e quais podem ser respondidos pelo psicólogo escolar? Que contribuições pode oferecer o psicólogo escolar na perspectiva de construir escolas inclusivas? O estudo teve como objetivo analisar as demandas decorrentes da inclusão escolar e as possibilidades de atuação do psicólogo escolar. A pesquisa está baseada em uma abordagem qualitativa do tipo exploratório e dela participaram seis alunos com NEE, seus respectivos professores e três profissionais do Núcleo de Educação Inclusiva da Secretaria Municipal de Educação. Para coleta de dados, foram utilizados a técnica de observação participante, o diário de campo, a entrevista semiestruturada e o questionário e, para discussão dos dados, a análise de conteúdo. Os resultados indicam que existem conquista e contradições na realidade das escolas que se propõem inclusivas, avanços e limitações resultantes da política municipal e que o modelo de atuação da equipe de educação especial no contexto analisado pode ser revisto ou ampliado. Indicam, ainda, que os professores apresentam demandas no domínio da política pública, da formação, e demandas dirigidas ao psicólogo. As contribuições do psicólogo escolar serão fundamentais para responder ou ressignificar as demandas a ele direcionadas e, também, para auxiliar no enfrentamento de desafios colocados pela política de inclusão e pela formação contínua dos docentes, particularmente aquelas que envolvem a avaliação crítica da proposta oficial; o desenvolvimento de habilidades sociais, inclusive para o trabalho colaborativo junto a pais e cuidadores; a construção de concepções críticas sobre as diferenças; a construção das práticas coletivas de combate ao preconceito e às atitudes discriminatórias; o estudo das teorias de aprendizagem e desenvolvimento, com ênfase nas possibilidades mediadoras dos educadores nesse processo. Para responder a estas demandas e apoiar a escolarização de alunos com NEEs, faz-se necessário que o psicólogo conheça a política e os sujeitos da educação especial a fim de qualificar suas intervenções formativas, cujo modelo de atuação pode ser a consultoria colaborativa.